The full audio of the Blizzard's Q&A at the Old Queen's Head in London on 11th February, 2015. Featuring a panel comprising editor Jonathan Wilson alongside contributors James Horncastle and Miguel Delaney, chaired by the Football Ramble's Marcus Speller, the fellas chewed the fat on various topics of footballing import in our traditional Q&A of two halves.

You can hear their ruminations on a range of topics, including (but not limited to) the recent Cup of Nations, the likelihood and impact of a European Superleague, the downfall of Serie A, the romance of the FA Cup, Louis van Gaal's long balls, and the panellist's favourite footballing bastards in just under 90 minutes' worth of footballing chit-chat. Enjoy!

Old Queen's Head, London (11th February 2015)

“His memory was gone, ravaged by Alzheimer’s, but when I told him, I saw a flicker in his eyes. ’Do you remember Clough?’ I asked, talking, to be honest, for the sake of talking; he couldn’t have told me, by then, what day it was or what he’d had for lunch. ‘Of course I do,’ he snapped, and went to describe a hat-trick Clough had scored against Grimsby. Although I continued to visit every day, that was probably the last ‘proper’ conversation we had.”

In Episode Two of the Blizzard Podcast we look back at one of the articles for which we have received the most feedback - Jonathan Wilson's editorial from Issue Three, in which he talks about the death of his father, and what fandom means to him. 

We also spoke to Jonathan after our live event in Manchester to find out a little more about the article and how it came about, whether he's getting any better at judging which pieces will generate the most reaction while he's editing each issue, and ask him for some of his highlights from Issue Eighteen. 

We're keen to hear your feedback on these new podcasts - email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Jonathan Wilson is the editor of The Blizzard, and author of Inverting the Pyramid. He writes for the Guardian, the National, World Soccer, Fox and Sports Illustrated. He is writing a book on the history of Argentinian football. Twitter: @jonawils

Issue Three, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6  + postage (RRP £12). 

Tales of My Father (with Jonathan Wilson)

International football is ceasing to be treated as a reenactment of Europe's horrible past. Is the age of football as a substitute for war coming to an end? 

"A World Cup without Germany would be like Star Wars without Darth Vader," remarked David Winner, and Germany were the perfect villain: the bad guy who killed the beautiful teams, like Hungary in 1954, Holland in 1974, France in 1982. But the new, reunified Germany has ceased to be Darth Vader, and just don't provoke the same hatred anymore. 

In Episode Four of the Blizzard Podcast we look back at Simon Kuper's 'Where's Darth Vader Gone?' from Issue Five, published in June 2012. 

We're keen to hear your feedback and suggestions on these new podcasts - email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Simon Kuper is author of Football Against the Enemy, a winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and Ajax, The Dutch, The War. His latest book, The Football Men, was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2011. He is a columnist with the Financial Times. A new expanded edition of Soccernomics (previously called Why England Lose in the UK) was published last summer.
Issue Five, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Where's Darth Vader Gone?

John ‘Jack’ Slater, Bolton full-back between 1905 and 1914, would go on to own one of Britain’s largest industrial conglomerates. He survived financial crashes of many millions of pounds and went on to become football's first (and to date only) MP.

In Episode Nine of the Blizzard Podcast we bring you John Harding's story of football's first millionaire from Issue Fourteen. The son of a mill-worker went from signing a £4 a week contract for a provincial club to completing business deals worth hundreds of millions of pounds in today's money, and would go on to rub shoulders in the House of Commons with Aneurin Bevan, Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden. 

If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

John Harding is the PFA's official historian, and writes on a variety of topics ranging from literary and sporting biography to cultural history and criticism.

Issue Fourteen, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Football's First Millionaire

“Xavi’s movement is a kind of reverse sheepdog trick — instead of penning a flock in to an enclosed space, his darting, nipping and barking is about spreading them around the field, into unexplored, unpredictable spaces.”

In Episode Thirteen we bring you ‘The Inverted Sheepdog’ by Graham Hunter, which looks in detail at how the Spain international became the creative hub of the all-conquering Barcelona team of the early twenty-first century. 

As Graham himself puts it “Sublime player, top man. A footballer who epitomises what has gone right at Barcelona over the last couple of decades.”

If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Graham Hunter moved to Barcelona in 2001. He is a journalist of international reputation and covers Spanish football for Sky Sports, the BBC and newspapers and magazines across the world. Twiter: @bumpergraham.

Issue Four, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Inverted Sheepdog

“What you see is 90 minutes of action treated almost as a distraction from the real business of sport: the narrative of news… Reality is not enough, so it is expanded, meaning is extrapolated, significance is assumed. And all of it around a structure to ensure maximum exposure, maximum interest.”

In Episode Fourteen we bring you ‘Is Football Still Sport? by Rory Smith. Channelling the ‘structured reality’ of ITV’s documentary soap-opera The Only Way Is Essex, and the ‘sports entertainment’ of WWE wrestling, Rory asks, seeing as it unfolds like a soap opera for the entertainment of millions and the profit of a few, what has football in the age of Sky and Super Sunday become?  

If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Rory Smith writes about football for The Times, as long as someone with a foreign-sounding name is in the news. He has previously worked at all three Mirror titles, both of the Telegraphs and, briefly, a pair of Independents. He ghosted Rafael Benitez's first memoir, Champions League Dreams, and moved some commas around on The Numbers Game. He was once nearly on Blockbusters. Twitter: @RorySmithTimes. 

Issue Two, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as a 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Is Football Still Sport?

"One good season is now usually enough to earn a big move, but football’s current landscape is claiming more and more victims of the game’s Peter Principle – 'everyone in an organisation keeps on getting promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. At that point, they stop being promoted.'"
 
In Episode Fifteen we look ahead to Rupert Fryer’s ‘The Peter Principle’ from the upcoming Issue Nineteen (available to subscribers now, and on general sale from 9th December). Does the Peter Principle apply in football as well as in the business world? Who are the footballers hoping to avoid becoming the Peters of 2014-15?
 
If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk, or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.
 
Rupert Fryer is a freelance journalist and co-founder of SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk. He has written on South American football for the likes of Fox Sports, the Guardian, the Observer and Sport360. Twitter: @Rupert_Fryer
 
Issue Nineteen, like all issues of The Blizzard, will be available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Peter Principle

"It is a cringe-worthy advert produced by Qatar Airways, starring the players of Barcelona. It is 40 seconds of distilled ideology at its purest. Messi and the gang roll up to the check-in desk in their rock-star gear. Behind them lies a void of squeaky clean airport marble, like a hospital for rich people. It is notable how the 105,000 fans who attend each home game have been erased from this fantasy. And all of this with Samsung suitcases."

In Episode Sixteen we look back at Alexander Shea's 'Against Sanitised Football' from Issue Seventeen. Can fans fight back against clubs who seek to ignore their history for bland branding?

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Alexander Shea researches football ultra groups who mobilise as paramilitaries during international warfare. Based at the University of Oxford, he is currently researching the phenomenon in the former Yugoslavia, contemporary Ukraine and Armenia. Twitter: @Alexander_Shea.

Issue Seventeen, like all issues of The Blizzard is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores. 

Against Sanitised Football

“As a result of not smoking I’m now fitter and have more money. And that works just fine, until you see a picture of Berbatov or Özil or Socrates puffing away on a cigarette and looking like the coolest bastard in the world. Berbatov is not only cooler than me, but is also fitter and has more money. So what was the point of giving up?”

In Episode Twenty One we feature ‘Literally on Fire’ by Jonathan Liew, looking at the complicated history of smoking and football. From collectable cigarette cards in the late 19th century to Dixie Dean and Stanley Matthews endorsing cigarette brands, to long-lens paparazzi snapping pictures of stars on holiday taking a puff on a cheeky fag, the relationship between sport and smoking has changed completely.

Jonathan Liew writes about sport for the Daily Telegraph and is a former Young Sportswriter of the Year, as wistfully sepia-tinted as that sounds. Twitter: @jonathanliew

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Ten, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.


Literally On Fire

"There's something spectacularly silly about fans policing other fans for their adherence to the laws of fandom, as if not having one favourite club or preferring to watch from a seated position, is a VERY SERIOUS INFRACTION that should be SWIFTLY AND MERCILESSLY DEALT WITH. Because, you know, the economic recovery can't gather steam if Kyle in Ohio thinks it's fun to watch Chelsea on television."

In Episode Thirty One we look at Brian Phillips's 'The Real Problem' from Issue Five, which tackles the thorny subject of 'the real fan'. Aren't they just a rhetorical device deployed by someone to strengthen their particular argument? 

The culture of sport is changing, and with it the way we access and support our favourite sides. Is there such a thing as a 'real fan' anymore?

Brian Phillips was a staff writer for Grantland and the editor of the football blog The Run of Play. His writing has appeared in Slate, Deadspin, Poetry, and The Hudson Review, among other publications. Twitter: @runofplay

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Five, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Real Problem

"There are pictures of the weeping comeback captain and Divine Ponytail consoling each other while Brazilian players dance in the background. No one did more on the pitch to drag Italy to the final than Baggio. No one did more off the pitch than Baresi."

In Episode Thirty Two we look at 'In Appreciation of Franco Baresi' by Sheridan Bird, first published in Issue Eight in 2013. 

The article touches on the Italian captain's unusual journey to the finals - from his orphaned upbringing and rejection by Inter, through to an abortive international retirement - and his remarkable recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery to play the full 120 minutes in the blazing Pasadena Rosebowl sunshine.

Sheridan Bird writes for Champions, World Soccer, Creative Review, Sporting iD, FourFourTwo and the Manchester United and England match programmes. He has written for Gazzetta della Sport online and appeared on Italian state radio RAI 1 during Euro 2012. Twitter: @SheridanBird

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Eight, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

In Appreciation Of Franco Baresi

"By the ashtray lay a single sheet of paper and an unopened bottle of Scotch. Joao Rocha turning to his interlocutor without as much as a smile, said 'I'm afraid it's one or the other, Malcolm'.  His time leading Portugal's famous green and white hoops, brief and glamourously successful, was over in one simple, dramatic Dartford Gunslinger moment."

In episode Thirty Three we look back to 'The Whisky Option' by Simon Curtis from Issue Seventeen, which details the often unmentioned Portuguese successes of the larger-than-life boss Malcolm Allison. 

His brief and successful stay at Sporting, and subsequent mixed spells at Vitoria de Setubal and Farense mirrors the domestic career of one of football's great coaching innovators, and his legacy lasts to this day thanks to the impact he made on the son of Vitoria's goalkeeping coach. 

Simon Curtis is a freelance football writer based in Lisbon. He contributes regularly to ESPN and Champions, and has written for FourFourTwo, Reuters, Worldsoccer.com, Portugoal.net and a variety of official Uefa publications. He is currently co-writing a book on the history and influence of Portuguese football. Twitter: @Bifana_bifana

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Seventeen, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Whisky Option

“Well, I can say hand on heart that I went for the ball — it’s just that I caught him with my elbow. And what made it worse is that his actual tooth stuck in my elbow. I wouldn’t mind but it was a big one, like a fuckin’ horse’s tooth. I suppose that if that happened in the Premier League now, they’d have a fuckin’ field day over it — the fuckin’ cameras would be right on top of it.”

In Episode Forty Four we look back at 'The Kennedy Conundrum' by Paul Doyle from Issue Three, telling the undocumented side of an unheralded international tournament win for the Republic of Ireland, and the reasons behind Mick Kennedy's sparingly short international career. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Three, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while print versions are available from £6 + postage (RRP £12). You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Kennedy Conundrum

“Europe seemed much bigger in the early 1970s. Iberia was governed by fascist dictators. There were two Germanys, West and East. With no rolling news, Blackberries nor Twitter, a plausible sit-com episode could be written based on the Likely Lads avoiding knowledge of the result of an England match for half a day. Europe’s airlines were almost exclusively national carriers. Countries had unique coins and banknotes. Speedy boarding was an oxymoron, speedy disembarkation even more so; you needed visas to cross most borders.”

In Episode Forty Six we look back at ‘Why the Away Goals Rule Must Be Abolished’ by Ian Hawkey, first published in our pilot edition Issue Zero in March 2011. 

He looks at the ‘historical anachronism’ that was originally brought in to encourage attacking play away from home, but thanks to the changes in the modern game now has the effect of encouraging defensive performances from home sides. 

Arsene Wenger and Jorge Valdano, among others, agree with Ian, as he explores the changes in the modern landscape (travel, the fall of the iron curtain, tactical shifts) that have seen the number of away wins in Europe’s top competition double in little over 3 decades. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Zero, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis fromwww.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a limited edition print version is available from £12 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Why The Away Goals Rule Must Be Abolished

"The stairwell where they were crushed looks horrifi cally tiny. The gates that had eventually sheered away from their concrete pillars still lay discarded on the floor 12 months on. It looked as if it had happened yesterday. I take some pictures but I’m chased out of the stadium by a security guard shouting that I am an Israeli spy."

In Episode Forty Nine we look back at "In Memoriam" by James Montague, first published in Issue Eleven in December 2013.

Set against the backdrop of the Egpytian revolution, 72 Al Ahly fans were murdered in the Port Said stadium disaster, causing the suspension of the league and a long campaign for justice, all the while Al Ahly tried to win the African Champions League to honour their fallen fans. 

Head to www.theblizzard.co.uk/events for news of our next Q&A - at the Manchester Football Writing Festival. Also note - next week's Episode Fifty is a 'listener's choice' - email, tweet or Facebook us your suggestions for an article you'd like to appear on the podcast. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Eleven, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

In Memoriam

"Towards the end of the game I began to wonder how many of the devoted fans we had met would be able to name the Earthquake’s starting XI. At times the Ultras reminded me of Orsino from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, more in love with the idea of being in love than with the object of his desire."

In Episode Fifty Three we look at "Do You Know The Way?" by Sam Wetherell, published in the newly-released Issue Twenty Two in September 2016.

In the article he witnesses first hand the behaviours of arguably the most passionate set of MLS fans in North American - the San Jose Ultras - while also musing on the differences in supporter culture between the US and UK/Europe, and the growth of ultra culture in American soccer.

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Twenty Two, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Do You Know The Way?

"Hysen, Careca, Southall, Van Basten, Lentini... Even football’s most diligent historians might find it difficult to fathom how these 13 seconds of action were possible. How were these players on the same pitch at the same time? 

"This was no charity match, nor a friendly played for dubious benefits in a country with a questionable human rights record."

In Episode Fifty Six we revisit 'Serie A v The Football League' by Tom Collomosse, originally published in Issue Twenty in March 2016. He looks back to the days when leagues would field genuinely competitive sides against each other in representative fixtures, and asks whether the process ought not be reinstated to settle the tedious 'Premier League v La Liga' arguments. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Twenty, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Serie A V The Football League

"In the past, the football of results tended to refer to a physical or cynical style but the recent success of Spain awoke a new realisation: technically excellent football could be dull. In decades to come, as the specifics of their triumphs fade into the yellowed pages of history, how will Spain’s era of tiki-taka dominance be remembered?"

In Episode Fifty Seven we bring you 'Hearts and Minds' by Greg Johnson, first published in Issue Thirteen ahead of the 2014 World Cup. 

Drawing parallels between Spain's somewhat sterile dominance of major tournaments around the turn of the first decade of the 21st century with Lennox Lewis's spell at the top of heavyweight boxing's tree, he asks whether Vicente del Bosque's all-conquering side, like Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, run the risk of going down in history as unloved champions. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Thirteen, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Hearts And Minds

"At that point the Italian Marco Barlotta, 42, was named as the oldest player still in action. Robert had already turned 48 at that point. Determined to see his own name among the world’s tallest and shortest men, the biggest omelette and the longest beard, he requested his registration from the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF)and began the quest to gain recognition as the sport’s eldest of elder statesmen."

In episode Seventy Four of the Blizzard Podcast we look back to Dan Edwards' 'Senior Citizen' from Issue Twenty, first published in March 2016, which details the remarkable life and career of a world record setting Uruguayan player. 

From early beginnings in Montevideo to a 12 year semi-professional career in the United States, joining his original club 40 years after making his debut to a failed rabona in front of Diego Maradona, Robert Carmona's is a career well lived.

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Twenty, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Senior Citizen

"Only a month before the 8-1 defeat in Amsterdam, the government had announced its plan to host European Championship games in 2020... News of the grand seven-year plan was all over the state media for days. As in the Communist era, irreverent political jokes abounded: what’s the difference between Orbán and Platini? One’s an autocratic, ageing, overweight midfielder and the other one was European Footballer of the Year in 1984. 

"In truth, Orbán’s political destiny has been linked to football from the start. Some of the most powerful members of his government  including the president and leader of the House — played in the same five-a-side team as the prime minister in the late 1980s."

In Episode Seventy Five of the Blizzard Podcast we look back to 'Orbán Planning' by Dan Nolan, originally published in Issue Fourteen in September 2014. 

In the piece, he looks at the divisive Hungarian leader's relationship with football, which led to his government spending vast sums on stadium expansion while a significant proportion of his population lives in poverty. How can he explain the Ferenc Puskas Academy and its 3,500 seater stadium only 20m from his back-door in the small village of Felcsút?

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Fourteen, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Orban Planning

Now glance at the name “Europa League”. What information does it convey? It’s a league for… the abstract concept of Europe? For women who ride off on divine white bulls? Uefa can’t call the competition what it is, since “The Second-Tier Distribution of Teams as Apportioned by Mathematical Coefficients Cup” lacks a certain Heineken Factor."

Episode Eighty of the Blizzard Podcast, and Brian Phillips's 'The Other Cup' from Issue Four, first published in March 2012. 

Uefa's second competition lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, and Brian's not only got the keen eye to skewer its problems, but also suggestions as to how it can be improved, from single elimination knock-out fixtures and neutral venues to add drama.

We're taking a short break from the podcast for a couple of weeks, to work on Issue Twenty Five and some top secret behind-the-scenes projects at Blizzard HQ. We'll be back in early June with news of what we've been up to, but in the meantime please subscribe and give us a nice rating on iTunes, to help others find our little podcast. 

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

Issue Twenty Two, like all issues of The Blizzard, is available on a pay-what-you-like basis from www.theblizzard.co.uk. Digital downloads cost as little as 1p each (RRP £3), while a print versions are available from £6 + postage. You can also find us on the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Other Cup

“Leyton Orient Football Club is not my life, but it has been the only constant in it. I realise that every major event, every stage, every shifting moment, is connected in some way to this daft, infuriating football team.

“It defined my childhood, inspired my education, gave me my sense of humour, united my family. It has brought some joy, but mostly pain. Yet it has always been a wonderful, happy distraction from life’s trials and tribulations. I did not have to support Orient, I could have chosen any team in London, but where my dad trod, my brother and I held his hand and followed.”

Episode Eighty Four of the Blizzard Podcast features Setting Sun, Luke Edwards’ emotional article on what Leyton Orient means to him, and how it charts alongside the ups and downs of his own life, first published in Issue Twenty Five in June 2017. 

As a post-script to the article, since publication the club’s divisive owner Francesco Becchetti has sold up to a consortium led by lifelong Orient fans, so things are thankfully looking up for the club. 

Issue Twenty Five, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats. 

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Setting Sun

"At some point we probably need to grow up and agree what we will and will not allow in our football grounds. Right now, anything goes, except for racist, anti-Semitic and — but seemingly only if Rangers or Celtic are playing — sectarian abuse. And, at some point, we need to ask ourselves why we ban certain speech in football grounds. Is it to make some sort of social statement? Is it simply a commercial decision, to make our stadiums more inviting and pleasant? Is it to make ourselves feel better?

"Increasingly, much of the anti-racist stuff in the mainstream media is motivated primarily by the latter two. Nothing wrong with that, of course, unless it lulls us into a false sense of achievement, a sort of "pat-on-the-back" self-congratulatory attitude which leads us to ignore the reality that racial prejudice — if not outright racism — is real and all around us."

Episode Eighty Six of the Blizzard Podcast revisits Gabriele Marcotti's 'The Race Card' from Issue Three, originally published in December 2011, which tackles the tricky subject of abuse in our stadiums, and the double standards that sometimes surround it. 

This article contains some language that may not be appropriate to all listeners, so discretion is advised. 

Read the full article here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/race-card

Issue Three, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Race Card

"On 14 April 1937, the BBC studios at Alexandra Palace played host to the first television demonstration of snooker, an exhibition of play by Horace Lindrum and Willie Smith. The programme lasted 10 minutes, whereupon it made way for Daffodils (“a display of various types of daffodils from the Daffodil Show” — Radio Times). Another couple of months down the line, and the BBC were off to Wimbledon for the first time. And then, on Thursday 16 September, it was the turn of football, and the world’s first live televised match. 

"The game had admittedly limited appeal — George Allison’s Arsenal were taking on Arsenal reserves at Highbury — but then only a few hundred houses close to Ally Pally in north London could receive BBC pictures anyway. Arsenal were the natural choice for the BBC’s experiment anyway: Highbury was the closest ground to Ally Pally and had a bespoke gantry for telly cameras in its fancy new East Stand."

Episode Eighty Seven of the Blizzard Podcast looks back at 'Football on TV' by Scott Murray, our Eight Bells feature from Issue Eight, originally published in June 2013. It looks back on 8 key moments in the history of televised football, from the first broadcasts in the 1930s to bigger nationwide changes in later decades, via pay-tv and a little bit of controversy along the way. 

Read the full article here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/football-tv

Issue Eight, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Football On TV

"Watson, described by the Scottish Football Association Annual of 1880-81 as “one of the very best backs we have”, represented two of the 19th century’s most prestigious clubs in Queen’s Park and Corinthians, forging a successful career on both sides of the border as he won multiple domestic trophies and attracted widespread admiration for his robust but proficient style of play. Yet until only recently, Watson’s story had been allowed to fade into history’s murky depths, obscured by supposition and inaccuracy."

Episode Eighty Eight of the Blizzard Podcast revisits 'The Unmarked Grave' by Tom Adams, originally published in Issue Ten in September 2013. It looks back on the unknown story of one of football's pioneers - the first black international, Andrew Watson

Read the full article here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/unmarked-grave

"A revered three-time Scottish Cup winner and international captain, Watson had carved out his place in football’s history; having done so as a man of mixed race, he has a strong claim to being one of the most important figures in the early decades of the game.  Yet even in his own time, his legend faded.

"Following the conclusion of his playing career, Watson moved to Surrey and died there of pneumonia and cardiac arrest at his home in Kew on 8 March 1921 at the age of 64, his occupation simply stated as marine engineer. Watson’s humble grave is even less voluble about the life and career of this remarkable footballer. He surely deserves a richer eulogy."

Issue Ten, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

The Unmarked Grave

“I am going to be a brilliant player,” Bebé said. He wasn’t. To our surprise, given his mediocre showing for the reserves, he made his United debut six days later in a Carling Cup win at Scunthorpe (Ferguson, scouting Champions League opponents Valencia, didn’t see Bebé play then either). It was the first of seven senior appearances. Two even brought goals, albeit in fortunate fashion; a shot that looped up off the Wolves defender George Elokobi and over the goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and a Champions League goal against Bursaspor, courtesy of a deflection off Ali Tandoğan."

Episode Eighty Nine of the Blizzard Podcast looks back on 'Bye-bye Bebé' by Richard Jolly, originally published in Issue Fourteen in September 2014. In it he explores one of the most mystifying transfers of recent years - that of the unknown Portuguese forward Bebé to Manchester United. 

Read the full article here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/bye-bye-bebe

"Yet his shortcomings were apparent and his United career came to an abrupt halt after the 2011 FA Cup win over Crawley. Ferguson’s team were dreadful and Bebé and Obertan, the two wingers, were the worst of a poor bunch. Their non-league counterparts looked more accomplished players."

Issue Fourteen, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Bye Bye Bebe

"The first full international match between France and England was played on 15 May 1923 at the Stade Pershing in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris. It was an interesting game, attended by an impressive 30,000 spectators, despite driving rain and hail. France had beaten an England Amateurs team at this same venue in 1921, but a similar result was not expected against the full England side.

"The French team was all amateur, drawn from the regional Paris league, and its best player, Paul Nicolas of Red Star Paris, was out injured. The England team, captained by Charlie Buchan, was mostly professional but included three amateurs and six debutants. An injury to the forward Frank Hartley meant England played much of the match with 10 men. Nevertheless, the English dominated throughout and won 4-1, thanks in part to an early own goal from the French defender Pierre Mony – the footballer who got away with murder."

In Episode Ninety Four of the Blizzard Podcast we look back on "Crime of Passion" by Paul Brown, first published in Issue Twenty Three in December 2016.

Read the full article here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/crime-passion

Issue Twenty Three, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Those who want to buy one-off eBooks can still do so – from the Kindle and Google Play stores.

Crime Of Passion

For this week’s episode we present the most recent offering from By Association, an award-winning narrative podcast about football, based in Australia.

They took inspiration from Davidde Corran’s article ‘Tour of Duty’, originally published in Issue Three of The Blizzard in December 2011.

For a brand new audio documentary each month, subscribe to By Association on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your audio output. Learn more about the show at their website – byassociation.audio

To find out more about that article head back to Episode 22 of the podcast, or search it out on  theblizzard.co.uk

Davidde Corran is an England-based Australian football journalist who works across TV, radio and print. Twitter: @DaviddeCorran

If you have any feedback comments or suggestions email podcast@theblizzard.co.uk or find us on Twitter @blzzrd.

3nil

Tour of Duty (with By Association)

The first half of our live event in Manchester on Thursday 30th August. Yes, we know the sound quality isn't the greatest throughout, and we apologise, but would like to bring you at least some of the evening's discussion for those who couldn't make it along. 

The panel, hosted by Rory Smith, featured Jonathans Wilson and Northcroft and Miguel Delaney, and in the first half of the evening focussed pretty much exclusively on developments over on the red side of Manchester.

Live In Manchester (Jose Mourinho edition)

Everton have had two Alex Youngs: one’s the subject of a Ken Loach film, the other killed his brother.

In episode One Hundred and Ten we take a look back to "Namesakes" by James Corbett, first published in Issue 17 in June 2015.

Read the full article here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/namesakes

Issue 17, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.

Namesakes

Copa del Rey Final, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, 17 March 2004.

In the first episode of The Greatest Games, Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by European football correspondent and author of Di Stéfano, the Alfredo Di Stéfano biography, Ian Hawkey to discuss the 2004 Copa del Rey final.

In the 2003/04 season, Real Madrid were hurtling towards their first ever treble. With a four-point buffer at the top of La Liga and a Champions League semi-final against Monaco coming up, they went into the Copa del Rey final against Real Zaragoza full of expectation.

What happened next sent the club on a downward spiral that signalled the end of the Galácticos...

Subscribe now: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/subscriptions
Recorded at: https://outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – Real Madrid 2 Real Zaragoza 3

FA Cup semi-final, Wembley Stadium, London, 16 April 2011

Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by football journalist at The Independent, Jack Pitt-Brooke, to discuss the 2011 FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The expectation of silverware was beginning to stir at Manchester City as fans and pundits looked for justification for the millions being spent by the relatively new ownership regime led by Sheikh Mansour.

The game not only set City on their way to their first FA Cup final since 1981 but also represented a significant moment in the development of the modern Manchester City and the landscape of football in Manchester today.

Subscribe now: www.theblizzard.co.uk/subscriptions
Recorded at: outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0

Champions League Final, Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, 25 May 2005.

Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by freelance sports journalist, John Brewin, to discuss the 2005 Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool.

It was the last match that the Liverpool squad at the time would play together, many aware that they were soon to be replaced. Standing in their way of a Champions League winners medal were Milan who could boast a squad full of superstars. 

Despite the disparity between the sides, it turned out to be one of the greatest finals of all time.

Subscribe now: www.theblizzard.co.uk/subscriptions
Recorded at: outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – AC Milan 3 Liverpool 3

Brazil won the Copa América but their triumph was hijacked by Jair Bolsonaro.

In Episode One Hundred and Nineteen, we take an early look at "Mediocrity and the Beast" by Ewan MacKenna, to be published in Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can preorder Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Mediocrity and the Beast

What Reading's attempts at a club song tell us about the hollowness of modern football.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty, we take a look at "Royal Dissent" by Edward Sugden, published in our latest issue, Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can order Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Royal Dissent

Adama Traoré dribbles more than almost anybody else in the world. But what is he actually good for?

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty One, we take a look at “The Dribber” by Sam France, published in our latest issue, Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can order Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – The Dribbler

Why a certain level of cynical fouling is essential for football's balance. 

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Two, we take a look at “The Yoshida Defence” by Mark Thompson, published in Issue 28, in March 2018. 

You can order our latest edition, Issue 35, here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/issue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – The Yoshida Defence

Globalisation, the Third Way, the Premier League and the Brexit backlash against the elites.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Three, we take a look at “Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?” by Anthony Clavane, published in Issue 28, in March 2018.

You can order our latest edition, Issue 35, here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…ue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?

How fans fought back against the rise of the far right on the Elland Road terraces.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Four, we take a look at “Leeds United v the National Front” by Gary Hartley, published in Issue 35, in December 2019. 

You can order Issue 35, our latest edition, here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…ue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Leeds United v the National Front

The night in 1962 when third-division Crystal Palace pushed Real Madrid to the limit.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Five, we take a look at “When Puskás came to Selhurst Park” by Jo Harman, published in Issue 37, in June 2020.

You can order Issue 37, our latest edition, here: theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/issue-thirty-seven

Unlock our archives with a subscription from just £20: theblizzard.co.uk/subscriptions

Read by: Tim Adams (@TimAdams76)
Produced by: Ryan Arnold (@_RyanArnold__)

From The Pages Of – When Puskás came to Selhurst Park

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors. These podcasts feature some of the best articles from our back catalogue, and recordings of live Q&A events we hold with our writers around the UK. 

Our main aim is to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them.

For more details – www.theblizzard.co.uk

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