Matt talks to SCOTT MURRAY about football before the Premier League in his book THE TITLE. It's a detailed history of the first division from its inception and is illuminating in how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. The league format of every team plays each other home and away now seems so obvious and is used by sports around the world but was not the only option considered when the league began. Also, why they were switching fixtures in the 1930s at a day's notice and why...

The old joke goes that the best way to make a million from owning a football club is to start with ten million. That's clearly no longer the case but just what is attracting the super-rich to football - from Russian oligarchs to Saudi sheikhs, American businessmen to Chinese state officials? JAMES MONTAGUE sheds light on the backgrounds and practices on people who would prefer to be in the shadows in his examination of THE BILLIONAIRES CLUB - the unstoppable rise of football's super-rich...

We're back after a short summer break and we've got tons of titles and authors lined up for the coming weeks to take us into the busy autumn season. Starting with RICHARD T KELLY who's written about 2 titans of British football KEEGAN AND DALGLISH. How their playing and managing careers intertwined and why both players at times stood apart from their teammates. Is it true that Dalglish's talent was innate while Keegan had to work at his as the cliche has it? Hit subscribe to make sure you...

For the last episode before the summer holidays Matt talks to NIGE TASSELL who looks back to the Tour de France in 1989 which was won incredibly by a margin of just 8 seconds. Greg LeMond won on the final stage - which was again unusual as the last stage is normally just a procession. The man he beat the Parisian Laurent Fignon refused to ever set foot on the Champs D'Elysee again as he was so humiliated by his defeat. Great story - all told in THREE WEEKS EIGHT SECONDS. Hope you've enjoyed...

This week Matt explores the dark side of boxing with ELLIOT WORSELL in his excellent book DOG ROUNDS. Elliot is a boxing fan who's covered the sport as a journalist and writer but also worked closely with fighters as a promoter. But he has been troubled by the nature of the sport that pits 2 people to hit each other until one of them can't get up. He was working as a promoter for the fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Nick Blackwell that left Blackwell in a coma. He talks to fighters whose...

As The Tour de France enters its final week, Matt looks back at the very first staging of the race with PETER COSSINS in his book BUTCHER BLACKSMITH ACROBAT SWEEP. Most people can tell you the race began as a result of a newspaper circulation war but Peter has found the infamous Dreyfuss affair was also at the centre of it. He looks at how they went about staging something even more complex than the Olympics from scratch. And, even in the first race, there were allegations of cheating and...

The Tour de France is well underway and so Matt this week speaks to JEREMY WHITTLE about one of the iconic stages of the Tour - Mont Ventoux. Although it's not the tallest or steepest climb on the Tour, VENTOUX is the most iconic. This is primarily because of the death of Tom Simpson on its slopes 50 years ago. Jeremy explores why this stage is the one that renders the peloton silent as soon as they see it. We also talk about Chris Froome, who famously ran the final stretch after problems...

A real treat this week as Matt meets SAM WALKER to talk about his groundbreaking book on what makes good teams great. Sam spent ten years looking at which were the best teams across all sports in all time. And then he looked at what made these teams stand out. It wasn't money or infrastructure. It was captains - THE CAPTAIN CLASS looks at the difference a captain makes to a good team. What traits does a great captain need to demonstrate and, again, it's not what you're thinking. It's not...

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Tom Simpson while competing in the Tour de France. A controversial rider and the circumstances of his death have passed into myth - in particular his (unlikely) final words and the fact that alcohol and amphetamines were found in his system. ANDY MCGRATH puts his achievements and shortcomings in context, exploding some of those myths along the way in TOM SIMPSON: BIRD ON THE WIRE. Hit subscribe to make sure you don't miss the next titles...

In the latest episode Matt talks to MALCOLM FOLLEY (Mail on Sunday) as he explores the history and stories linked to arguably the most famous and certainly the most glamorous race in motorsport's calendar - the Monaco Grand Prix. In MONACO he looks at what makes this race stand out. Why, when you get the same number of points for winning here as you would at Silverstone or Magny Cours, does it mean so much more to drivers to win the Monaco GP than any other? Is it the toughest track? Is it...

This week Matt marks 50 years since the Lisbon Lions - when Celtic became the first British side to win the European Cup. That achievement is documented in GRAHAM MCCOLL's book A YEAR AND A DAY. We talk about this side that were, famously, all were born so close to Celtic Park, we hear how Jock Stein made 2 predictions before the final and got both of them wrong, whether Celtic can ever again win the European Cup and there's also the most startling fact that Graham uncovered about what...

What turned team GB from the under-achievers of Atlanta 96 to the nation that punched above their weight at both London 2012 and Rio 2016? Was it as simple as just throwing lottery money at it? OWEN SLOT (The Times) says not in his excellent book THE TALENT LAB. Money has helped but there is so much more that has been done including finding athletes who exhibit psychopathic tendencies. All this discussed in the latest episode. Hit download to make sure you don't miss out on future episodes...

The latest guest on the Sports Book Podcast is IAN HERBERT (The Independent) who is writing about one of the unsung managers in English football. Bob Paisley won 3 European Cups and had a greater win-rate in terms of trophies per season than even Sir Alex Ferguson. And yet he is overshadowed - even at his own club - by characters who command the spotlight. Ian explores how Paisley showed you could win without being the loudest person in the room. His book is called QUIET GENIUS. Hit subscribe...

This week Matt speaks to BRENDAN GALLAGHER about his book celebrating the 100th staging of the Giro D'Italia CORSA ROSA. We look at how, like the Tour de France, this was a race started by a newspaper circulation war, the one and only woman to compete in the Giro, the rider who was paid NOT to take part and then latterly the doping problems that dogged the race in the San Remo affair and Marco Pantani. Hit subscribe to get the latest episode with the minimum of effort - you can also go to...

In the latest episode Matt talks to Olympic silver-medallist and world road race champion LIZZIE ARMITSTEAD (now Deignan) about her book STEADFAST. We begin with the 3 missed doping tests which almost derailed her chances of competing in the 2016 Olympics but also hear her thoughts on what needs to happen in women's cycling, an unsavoury episode in a team hotel early in her racing career and why she feels "Lizzie Armistead" doesn't sound like a world champion - even though she is! Hit...

Episode 51 sees Matt talking to CLYDE BROLIN about his book IN THE ZONE. We all have heard athletes talking about getting in the zone - about how when they are, they don't seem to think at all about what they're doing, it almost feel as if someone else is doing it. Clyde has spoken to dozens of elite performers in sport to find out if being "in the zone" is something you can just turn on. And if you can, is it possible to be in it permanently. Subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get...

The podcast reaches its half-century (mini-cheer!) and does so in style with what will be one of the best sport books this year. It is CENTAUR and tells the extraordinary story of jockey DECLAN MURPHY who suffered an horrific accident when thrown from his horse at Haydock Park. A following horse landed on his head, fracturing his skull. Murphy was read his last rites and the Racing Post published his obituary but within 18 months, amazingly he was back in the saddle. Declan still can't...

One of a select few - MICHAEL CALVIN - is appearing on the podcast for a second time. His latest book is the final in a trilogy looking at the pressures in football. His first looked at scouting, then management and now it's the footballers themselves and in particular youth football - from community matches, to Premier League academies to the FA. His book is NO HUNGER IN PARADISE and it's a damning indictment of what we are subjecting young boys to in the name of finding the next Messi or...

Time for one more title before the Easter break and Matt talks to former West Ham, Fulham and Bristol City star LEROY ROSENIOR about his book IT'S ONLY BANTER. It takes as its starting point the idea that "banter" is something used to excuse ignorant views - and therefore anyone who takes offence just doesn't have a sense of humour. He details the racist slurs he faced from other players and his take on why there are so few ethnic minority managers in football. He also tells the story of he...

Matt talks to MICHAEL HUTCHINSON about his excellent and very funny cycling history book RE:CYCLE - 200 YEARS ON 2 WHEELS. It covers how the invention of the bicycle had its origins in a volcanic eruption, why Coventry was one of the most important staging posts in the development of the cycle we recognise today and why bike racing was banned in this country until very recently while it flourished on the continent. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and follow us on Twitter @SportsBookPod.

Matt talks to ANDREW DOWNIE the author of DOCTOR SOCRATES. The Brazilian World Cup captain is well known for a number of things - not least being named after a Greek philosopher. The iconic picture of him wearing a headband in solidarity with the people of Mexico in the 86 World Cup dominates the cover of this book. Inside, we learn of his medical practice (while he was playing) and his attempts to bring democracy to his football club Corinthians while Brazilian was being ruled by a military...

Matt speaks to CHARLIE CAMPBELL about the art of amateur cricket captaincy in his book HERDING CATS. While the elite players only have to worry about matters on the field of play, Charlie talks us through the myriad problems facing an amateur captain - from having deep pockets, a clean driving licence and strong diplomatic skills. How "match-management" is an integral part of the amateur game and how to spot a ringer for the opposition - equally how to spot someone is not very good just be...

It's a quiet time for new sport books but we have unearthed a real gem in the winter months. Founder of Loaded and former GQ editor JAMES BROWN has written a love letter to the game of five-a-side in ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT. He tells us about why this has such a hold on so many players right into their middle age and beyond, how you shouldn't take it up if you want to get fit and why we should get rid of the "above head height" rule. He also has come cracking recommendations for sport books we...

The Sports Book Podcast is back for 2017. And we kick off with a great title from ALEX HEMINSLEY. She's written in the past about running in "Running Like A Girl" which ended with her taking part in several marathons around the world. She's now switched her attention to swimming - and in particular open-water swimming - in LEAP IN. We talk about how to master something as everyday as breathing, the very real dangers faced when you swim in open water and the mental benefits to this activity....

The podcast is back with former F1 driver JOHNNY HERBERT who tells the story of how he came back from a devastating crash at Brands Hatch to become one of the biggest names in motorsport. In WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU.. he describes the crash, how the surgeons told him he would likely never walk again and certainly wouldn't race again. He did, and won 3 Grand Prix as well as Le Mans 24 hour race. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast as we're hoping for at least one more big guest before the...