In this first episode of the new, regular series of Pro Revolution Soccer, we – Tom and Juliet – ask ourselves why we still feel such attachment to football despite our disenchantment with the sport, its governance and finances under late capitalism. We look at how the influx of money has fed into a search for perfection in tactics and refereeing that, combined with FIFA and UEFA’s shameless greed and corruption, has made elite football increasingly joyless for fans and participants alike. Was Rodri – this year’s Ballon d’Or winner – right to suggest high-level players could go on strike against the number of games in the calendar, including FIFA’s new World Club Cup? Might we be able to organise top footballers to left-wing ends? How has the Professional Footballers’ Association, and attitudes of players, changed since George Eastham led the charge against the maximum wage in the early 1960s, when even international stars took summer jobs? Why was the Against Modern Football movement insufficient in mobilising people against the distortions and alienation caused by money, and especially by different forms of modern media?  

In the News section, we discuss the cancellation of Lorton Entertainment’s documentary on Wayne Rooney’s management of Plymouth Argyle after the Championship strugglers parted ways with him. We also reflect on the sad life of Russia’s Euro 2004 defender Aleksei Bugayev, whose alcoholism destroyed his career and led him into drug distribution, and his recent death after Putin offered prisoners an amnesty if they fought in Ukraine. We also start our segment on our own recent engagements with the sport by talking about Tom coaching youth football, and Juliet’s love of Christmas holiday matches, including Norwich City’s 2-1 win that inspired Tom to ask what Frank Lampard might be doing if he were not in charge of Frank Lampard’s Coventry City.

Subscribe to the podcast via Patreon to get a monthly bonus episode for £3 a month, and follow us at @prorevsoccer.bsky.social on BlueSky for new episodes and updates.

Out on the Left: Why do we need a socialist analysis of football?

In our first ever preview of a subscriber-only episode, we're treating you to our regular News section, taken from 'Italy 1990: Football of the Future', recorded in January 2025. Here, Tom, Juliet and guest Keir Miburn discuss some of football's silliest buggers: Elon Musk's desire to buy Liverpool FC and Reds' fans creative responses; David Beckham's frustration at *still* not receiving a knighthood; Lazio's problems with their mascot, and what all this tells us about 21st century oligarchs and contemporary fascism.

PREVIEW: News (from Italy 1990: Football of the Future)

In this preview of our subscriber-only episode Italia '90: Football of the Future, Tom, Juliet and guest Keir Milburn discuss the media coverage of England and how it changed during their surprising run to the semi-final, and how this, combined with the authorities’ handling of the team’s travelling supporters after years of hooliganism and the disasters at Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough between 1985 and 1989, won a new generation of middle-class fans over to football. They look at how good England actually were (and often weren’t), how commentators described their quarter-final opponents Cameroon, how the tournament ushered in the Premier League and Sky TV age, and suggest a hauntological reading of Italia ’90 in which football did not become fully neoliberalised – especially if the Soviet Union’s bid to stage the World Cup had been chosen instead.

For the full episode - and a bonus episode every month - head to https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer/posts and subscribe for £3.50 per month.

Produced by Oliver Kealey with music by Matt Huxley. Made possible with the generous support of the Lipman-Miliband Trust.


PREVIEW: Italia '90: Football of the Future

This week, Jon Mackenzie of Tifo Football joins Tom and Juliet to indulge in some Maoist self-criticism, or at least to talk about the tactical development of football over the last twenty years, its increasing use of data and the rise of media platforms that provide complex analysis of top-level matches and clubs. They discuss the demystification of football with relation to thinkers from Gramsci to Hegel, the current media environment around the sport and how Tifo feed into it, the role of imperialism in the spread of football, and what might be the next big tactical innovations as Guardiola’s Manchester City falter.

Jon and Juliet also discuss watching football abroad, from Freiburg to Northern Cyprus, the insights it offers into different cultures and politics, and the surprising opportunity it sometimes provides to see one-time Premier League stars again.

In the News, we look at UEFA’s decision to award the 2027 under-21 European Championship to a joint bid between Albania and Serbia, and Crawley Town getting accused of violating the Modern Slavery Act. Meanwhile, in our football weekends, Tom talks about his Under-8s team getting promoted and having to learn the harsh realities of playing at a higher level, Juliet describes Norwich’s resurgent form in the absence of “the most talented six-year-old you’ve ever seen”, and Jon talks about going to the Emirates Stadium to analyse Arsenal’s thumping victory over Manchester City.


Has Jon Mackenzie ruined football? (An interview with Jon Mackenzie)

In this preview of our latest subscriber-only episode, Tom, Juliet and guest Kat Sinclair talk to Guardian and When Saturday Comes journalist, and former Orienteer fanzine editor Tom Davies about Leyton Orient manager John Sitton's infamous (and unintentionally hilarious) half-time rant in the BBC documentary Orient: Club for a Fiver (1995).

To hear the rest of the episode, in which we discuss hauntology, 1985 as a pivotal year for English football culture, the influence of When Saturday Comes (the magazine, not the Sean Bean film) and more, subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer.

PREVIEW: Bring Yer Dinner: English football and the media since the 1980s

In this month’s free episode, Juliet and Tom talk to David Wearing, author of AngloArabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain and assistant professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex, about the vexed issue of identity politics as it relates to football, including the Gulf states’ involvement with the sport. We talked about the absurdity and hypocrisy of the demand to ‘Keep Politics Out of Football’, how football is structured upon ‘identity politics’ of region and nation, the importance of symbolism, some histories of racism, homophobia and sexism in football and the successes and failures of attempts to combat them.

In News, we talked about Manchester United’s ludicrously on-the-nose dystopian circus tent and how Profit and Sustainability Rules might usher in another wave of new super-stadia, and congratulated Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund on accruing their first trophy.

In our football weekends, David lamented Charlton Athletic’s ongoing misfortunes, Juliet went to Rapid Vienna and saw a fox delay the kick-off at Tranmere Rovers, while Tom saw his son score five goals across two Under-8 and Under-9 matches rather than watching Southampton.

Read Tom in this month’s edition of When Saturday Comes: https://www.wsc.co.uk/shop/wsc-452/

Subscribe to us on Patreon for £3.50 to get an extra episode every month: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer

Football and Identity Politics

In this preview of the latest bonus episode of Pro Revolution Soccer about the various culture clashes as English football changed in the 2000s, Tom, Juliet and guest Joe Kennedy (author of Games Without Frontiers and Authentocrats) consider the pivotal figure of 'Big' Sam Allardyce, who went from managing Blackpool in the mid-90s to negotiating deals with a 'fake Sheikh' over a pint of wine in a Chinese restaurant as England manager, twenty years later. What impact did Big Sam's persona and footballing style (and especially his Bolton Wanderers team) have on English football? How much did he feed into changes that have apparently professionalised the Premier League, making it far less personality-driven?

Hear the whole episode by subscribing at https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer/ for as little as £3.50 per month.

PREVIEW: 21st Century Boys: English football in the 2000s

Tom and Juliet talk to former Labour Party leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn and his son Ben about their relationship with football – in Ben’s case as a coach, in Jeremy’s as a local and national politician, and in both cases as Arsenal fans and football enthusiasts. Why should people on the left care about football, and the grass roots in particular? What are the challenges facing youth football, and how can community organising and other political action overcome them? Who won when Militant played Labour Briefing in the 1980s, and does Jeremy own any Football Casual gear? Find out about all this and more in our wide-ranging conversation – and subscribe for bonus episodes at https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer.

Recorded by Ilia Rogatchevski at the Resonance 104.4fm in London, and produced by Oliver Kealey.

Football for All: An interview with Ben & Jeremy Corbyn

In this preview of our latest bonus episode about what it means to have a footballing hero, Tom discusses what made Matt Le Tissier so special, and why he was so idolised by Southampton fans (and anyone else who supported a mid-sized provincial club) in the 1990s. To hear the full episode, including Juliet's reflections on Grant Holt as a "working-class hero" and on the UEFA Women's Champions League semi-finals, go to https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer/home to subscribe for as little as £3.50 per month.

PREVIEW: Never Have a Hero

This week, Tom and Juliet talk to writer and Stadio co-host Musa Okwonga about the 2024-25 season. They discuss Qatar Sports Investments finally buying the Champions League, and the disconnection between PSG's beautiful football and ugly ownership; why the Abu Dhabi United Group's project at Manchester City floundered this season; Juliet's interest in grass-roots vs. Musa's fascination with the highest levels; how football has failed Palestine; and the great Ugandan international footballer and poet Okot p'Bitek.

In Our Football Weekends, Juliet has been to a lot of Cup Finals, standing in for Jim Ratcliffe at the Women's FA Cup Final, enjoying Nigeria's Unity Cup triumph, and invading the pitch after FK Vardar's historic victory in the North Macedonian Cup Final. Musa was part of a record crowd at Union Berlin's women, and discusses youth coaching with Tom, who is preparing himself for his son's team's end of season presentation while lamenting Russell Martin's decision to manage Rangers.

For the Love of Football: An interview with Musa Okwonga

In this all-trans episode, Juliet talks to trans writers, activists and footballers Natalie Washington and Arthur Webber about the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on gender identity, and the English and Scottish FA's effective bans on trans and non-binary people playing in their competitions. They discuss the all-channels media campaign against trans people that led to both decisions, the long-term efforts to overturn the Stockholm Consensus of 2004 that allowed for trans participation in sex-segregated sports, the parallels with the English FA banning women's football in 1921, where trans and non-binary people might play now, and how the Court ruling and its consequences might be challenged.

In the News, we touched on Donald Trump keeping the FIFA World Club Cup orb, and in our football weekends, Arthur and Natalie discussed their face-off in the annual Transmasc vs. Transfem match held by trans club TRUK United.

Trans people and football in the UK

In this episode of Pro Revolution Soccer, writer and Stadio co-host Musa Okwonga returns to talk about what’s been happening in English and international football over the summer. None of us cared about the FIFA Club World Cup, but we talked about the Lionesses’ surprise win at Euro 2025, the meaning of Michelle Agyemang being the Young Player of the Tournament, and the racist abuse aimed at defender Jess Carter. We also discussed the death of Suleiman al-Obeid, ‘the Palestinian Pelé’, in an aid queue in Gaza, and Mohamed Salah’s response to UEFA’s non-descript tweet about his murder. We also looked at Villarreal’s weasel-worded statement about their condemnation of gender-based violence after signing Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, days after he was charged with sexual assault, and at the FA’s decision to end the Rainbow Laces campaign and what might replace it.

In Our Football Summers, Musa talked about the simple pleasure of returning to 7-a-side, Juliet spoke about Tamil Eelam’s triumph in the CONIFA Asia Cup in Surrey in July and football’s ability to keep communities together, and looking ahead to the new season, Tom talked of the new to avoid fatalism and remain hopeful in the face of bleak circumstances, be it for your own club, or football as a whole.

If you've enjoyed this free episode, why not sign up to our Patreon? For just £4.50 a month you'll get an extra episode, and other bonus material - join us at https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer/home.

Days of Hope: Football in 2025

Injury Time- David Goldblatt on football in a state of crisis

Podcast version of the full interview with Ian Byrne on the Public Office Accountability Bill, aka the Hillsborough Law, plus Juliet snd Tom catching up at the end.

Ian Byrne on *The* Hillsborough Law

Podcast version of our interview with Franck Magennis and Tasnima Uddin from ELSC on the silencing of advocates for Palestine, Gary Lineker, and Zionism's weaponising of the beautiful game.

Football for Palestine?

This week, Tom and Juliet talk to Momentum co-founder and Progressive International comms director James Schneider about his relationship with football, and especially with Arsenal – showcasing his true ambition to become a Gunners tactics YouTuber. They also discussed potential socialist and social democratic reforms to English football, including TV revenue taxes for grassroots sport, and increasing fan ownership, and the relationship between financial precarity and prevailing styles of football.

In the News section, we discussed the fallout from Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League and from Mary Earps’ book, David Beckham’s knighthood, a conflict of interest around Labour’s Football Regulator, and the agonising wait to see who will win the inaugural FIFA World Peace Prize.

In our football weekends, James is excited about Arsenal, Tom hates international breaks, and Juliet hates everyone involved in running Norwich City.

Subscribe to Pro Revolution Soccer on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer

For the love of the Arsenal: An interview with James Schneider

A football podcast that doesn't leave politics at the turnstile, hosted by Juliet Jacques and Tom Williams, with theme music by Matt Huxley, and produced by Oliver Kealey. Generously supported by the Lipman-Miliband Trust at https://www.lipman-miliband.org.uk. Support us and access extra episodes via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/ProRevolutionSoccer, and follow us on BlueSky at prorevsoccer.bsky.social.

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