Between The Lines

To celebrate the publication of Andriy Shevchenko's autobiography, My Life, My Football, we break down the story behind the book: why it took three years for the English language edition to reach bookstores, the significance of the war in Ukraine, what matters most to an elite footballer like Shevchenko when he tells his story, and what happens when you get two world-class strikers in the same room.This episode features Martin and Neil from BackPage and the Ballon d'Or of translation, Mark Palmer.Find out more about Sheva's book, including where to buy it, here. Find out more about our cover designer, Kulbir Gharra Michael Cox's Athletic piece on Shevchenko, My Game in My WordsGary Lineker's interview with Shevchenko Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Neil and Martin talk to Mark Palmer, the translator of The Immortals, Arrigo Sacchi's memoir of Milan's 1988-89 season, which ended with the first of two back-to-back European Cup triumphs for the great team of Baresi, Maldini, Rijkaard, Gullit and Van Basten. The Immortals brings to life the training diaries of Sacchi and captures in time one of the greatest club teams in football history. In this interview, we talk about why this – and not an earlier Sacchi autobiography – was the right one for us; Mark's task in bringing the eccentricities of Arrigo Sacchi to life; and what happened when we went to Sacchi's hometown to meet the man himself. Buy The Immortals here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author Daniel Gray and photographer Alan McCredie toured Scotland collecting pictures and that form a charming and true portrait of football in that country, from a European night at Ibrox to the Highland League. This is Martin's conversation with Daniel about how he and Alan found their subjects and what he learned from his travels. Find out more about Snapshot and Nutmeg, the Scottish football periodical that Martin and Daniel mention, here. And please also check out the new BackPage title on Liverpool's Premier League campaign, At The End Of The Storm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Returning to Between the Lines is Ben Reiter, author of Astroball, to talk about how the story he reported took a shocking turn - and how he went after it in a brilliant new six-part podcast, The Edge.The incredible rise of the Houston Astros from the worst team in baseball to world champions is the story that made Ben's name. When, in November 2019, news of a cheating scandal engulfed the organisation and tarnished their achievements, Ben decided he had to return to the story to discover what happened and what, if anything, he had missed.The result is, in our opinion, the sports podcast of 2020 and you don't need to be a baseball fan to understand or enjoy it.Finally, please check out our latest title, produced in association with The Athletic: At The End Of The Storm - stories from Liverpool's historic title win. It's the perfect gift for the Liverpool fan in your life - and it's out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Henry Winter returns to Between The Lines to talk about an interview he did with Nigel Pearson, in which the two men went hiking across Dartmoor and swam in a chalk pit. It makes for great copy and is testament to Winter's skill at relationship building and what he sees as the power of The Times, under whose masthead he writes. Aspiring and developing sportswriters listen up - Henry's breakdown of his intro to this piece is a lesson from the best in how to set up what he calls 'the shop window'.Finally, please check out our latest title, produced in association with The Athletic: At The End Of The Storm - stories from Liverpool's historic title win. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Martin talks to Sebastian Moffett about Japanese Rules, his examination of the intersection of Japanese culture and its emergent football scene at the start of the 21st Century.It's a book Martin leant on while researching his own work on Shunsuke Nakamura and he asks Sebastian about the time he spent living and working in Japan, the techniques he used in the interviews for the book and how it impacted his life and career.Find out about our latest book - At The End of the Storm: Stories From Liverpool's Historic Title Win See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is the story behind our first Spotify Original podcast, which is out today! It is called 'Mutiny at Hearts' and tells the story of arguably the most explosive press conference in British football history in October 2006 - when three Hearts players led by club captain Steven Pressley turned on the club's megalomaniac owner, Vladimir Romanov.The episode is available exclusively on Spotify.EnjoyLISTEN TO MUTINY AT HEARTS ON SPOTIFY NOW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin’s chat with Oliver Kay about Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football’s Lost Genius. It’s one of Martin’s favourite sports books of the last decade and that’s why this episode is a bit longer than most… plenty to cover!EnjoyBuy Forever YoungBuy At the End of the Storm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt McGinn, author of Against the Elements: The Eruption of Icelandic Football, picks Don McRae's boxing classic Dark Trade as his all-time favourite sports book See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with Matt McGinn about his excellent book Against the Elements: The Eruption of Icelandic Football. This is one of the most well researched and interesting sports books of 2020 and if you’ve ever wondered why Iceland have enjoyed such recent success at international tournaments, then this will tell you how it happened. And here’s a clue: it’s not just the indoor facilities. As always, the story behind the story is what we focus on and you’ll hear how Matt interviewed Icelandic musicians and powerlifters, and even spent time aboard a fishing trawler as he sought to capture the elements of Icelandic characters which have bred their sporting success.EnjoyBUY AGAINST THE ELEMENTSBUY AT THE END OF THE STORM See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Martin's chat with James Pearce, the brilliantly connected Liverpool writer for The Athletic. A lot of James' writing makes up our latest book, At the End of the Storm, which also featured in last week’s episode – and is released today. The book is a collection of pieces from The Athletic telling the story of Liverpool’s historic title triumph, and James is the star of the show.You’re going to hear a little bit about James’ background and how his years at the Liverpool Echo primed him for taking his coverage of the club to a new level when he joined The Athletic in the summer of 2019. You’ll also hear him break down a piece he wrote after Liverpool’s Super Cup win over Chelsea in August. This is a brilliant episode with a writer at the peak of his power. EnjoyBuy At the End of the Storm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're back, listeners!Apologies for the extended hiatus. We were publishing a book... and this is a peek behind the scenes of how it all came together in double-quick time.It's called At the End of the Storm: The Stories Behind Liverpool's Historic Title Win, and it is in partnership with The Athletic. It's out a week today - October 15.This is Martin and Neil from BackPage chatting to Polaris' Pete Burns (the book is a co-publication between BackPage and Polaris) about how it all came together.PRE-ORDER HERE See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just a quick one to say that we are taking a break till August, when we will be back with more weekly episodes.Meantime, if there's a book or piece you'd like to see us feature, drop us a line backpage@backpagepress.co.ukSign up the BackPage mailing list. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Spiro is an English football writer, broadcaster and commentator who has lived in France for the past 18 years.Matt has used that experience, access and perspective to write Sacre Bleu: From Zidane to MBappe, a football journey.It’s a book that tells the story of the modern history of the French national team, from one World Cup win, in 1998, to another, 20 years later. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you ever wondered how a book makes its journey to being a movie? Well, if you have, then this episode of Between the Lines is for you. This is Martin's chat with John Carlin whose magnificent book Playing the Enemy was made into the Clint Eastwood directed film Invictus starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.The story of how that came to be is frankly one of the most amazing tales you'll ever hear. Enjoy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with John Carlin who wrote Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that made a Nation.John’s book was later made into a Clint Eastwood film called Invictus starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. Much more of that to come in tomorrow’s bonus episode.Playing the Enemy tells the story of how Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a political tool to help build and consolidate the extremely fragile democracy in South Africa at the time. It is a portrait of Mandela the politician. The great persuader.As always, we focus on process: we talk about John’s audiences with Mandela and how his six years working in South Africa informed the book and lots more.John is based in Barcelona and if you listen closely, you might just be able to hear the waves lapping gently on the shore as he talks. Spain’s lockdown was particularly severe and it’s nice to think about people in that beautiful country beginning to be able to live their lives again. EnjoySign up to the BackPage Mailing List See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with award-winning sportswriter Ian Ridley. If you listened to last week’s episode you will have heard Ian discuss his excellent book Floodlit Dreams.This conversation is about Addicted, Tony Adams’ groundbreaking autobiography, first published in 1998. Ian ghostwrote the book with Tony and breaks down that process in impressive detail.The book is a brutally honest account of Tony’s descent into alcoholism, his spell in prison and subsequent recovery with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.Addicted was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and it is no wonder. The book is on most lists of the best football books of all-time and had a huge impact on popular culture in the late nineties.Enjoy.Check out Floodlit DreamsJoin the BackPage Mailing List See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with award-winning sportswriter Ian Ridley about his book Floodlit Dreams, which documents his spell as chairman of his hometown club, Weymouth FC. We’ve wanted to have Ian on the podcast for a while and when a previous guest, Neil Forsyth, chose Floodlit Dreams as his all-time favourite sports book, we thought it was time to get him on. If you’ve ever dreamed of taking over your own club, then this is for you. As usual, we also dive into the writing process and the behind-the-scenes stories that go into making a book.EnjoyCheck out Floodlit DreamsJoin the BackPage Mailing List See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Publisher and writer Pete Burns tells us why FitzSimons on Rugby, by Pete FitzSimons, is his all-time favourite sports books. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. Our guest this week is Pete Burns, MD of Polaris Publishing, who have a growing list of authors including Tom English, Nick Cain, Stuart Barnes and Seth Burkett. Polaris brought out Matt Jansen's brilliant autobiography last year and we also co-published our Pep's City title with them in 2019.In this episode, we discuss how COVID-19 has impacted sports publishing. As Pete says, the cost of the pandemic could be severe for publishers and booksellers in an increasingly challenging industry. Here, Pete explains his own strategy for surviving the crisis, by supporting writers and tailoring his list to suit the shifting landscape.Polaris PublishingBuy Pep's CitySign up to BackPage mailing list See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist and author James Morgan tells us why Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open, and David Winner's Brilliant Orange are his all-time favourite sports books. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. Our guest this week is James Morgan, who wrote the first book we ever published as a company, back in 2010. It was called In Search of Alan Gilzean and it was nominated for Football Book of the Year.Our conversation this week is on a piece he wrote for The Herald about the day in 1964 when a bunch of Celtic players turned up in a small Donegal town to play in a lucrative summer cup competition called The Kennedy Cup. Incredibly, they actually played in disguise to protect their identities. This was less than three years before they became champions of Europe in Lisbon.It’s a fantastic, distinctively Irish tale, but the story behind it is also interesting. James’ work is always built on extensive research and I think you’ll enjoy hearing about the way he goes about building up the story.EnjoyRead James' pieceBuy In Search of Alan GilzeanSUBSCRIBE TO THE BACKPAGE MAILING LIST See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to … a shorter episode of Between the Lines.We had a technical issue with the episode scheduled for this week, so we will be back next week with a full-length episode.In the meantime, here's some links to stuff mentioned in this mini-episode...James Morgan's piece for next week's showBackPage's definitive list of sports documentaries and moviesEat Sleep Work Repeat - The 4-Day RevolutionSUBSCRIBE TO THE BACKPAGE MAILING LIST See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Children's authors Matt and Tom Oldfield tell us why Mike Calvin's The Nowhere Men and Playing for Keeps, by David Halberstam, are their all-time favourite sports book.SUBSCRIBE to BackPage mailing list See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with Matt and Tom Oldfield, two brothers who between them have written the Ultimate Football Heroes series of books for children aged between 7 and 12.The series features stars such as Messi, Ronaldo, Virgin Van Dijk, Kevin De Bruyne and many more. As always with Between the Lines, we focus on the story behind the books - the path to publication, writing style and the enormous commercial success of the books which have now sold over 400,000 copies.We think you’ll really enjoy this one. And if you have young children at home at the moment, this might be the perfect time to introduce them to this series.EnjoyUltimate Football HeroesSUBSCRIBE to the BackPage mailing list See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Screenwriter Neil Forsyth tells us why Ian Ridley's Floodlit Dreams is his all-time favourite sports book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with the acclaimed screenwriter Neil Forsyth about an amazing feature he wrote for Nutmeg Magazine on Jim McLean, the legendary Dundee United manager. Neil is a very talented writer who started off in journalism and went on to write the Bob Servant books which were made into radio and TV series starring Brian Cox.He's now predominantly a screenwriter and has had some notable successes in recent years, including the one-off BBC drama 'Eric, Ernie and Me' about Morecambe and Wise. He also wrote the brilliant four-part crime series Guilt which screened on BBC Two in 2019 to huge critical acclaim. Neil's piece on Jim McLean is a real labour of love and is one of the best pieces of sports feature writing in recent years.Read Neil's articleNutmeg Magazine See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. We asked you, the listeners, to submit your favourite sports docs and movies. The response was phenomenal. Listen right to the end for a great bit of movie trivia! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to another episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's chat with John Greechan, chief sports writer of the Scottish Daily Mail, about a piece he wrote on his favourite sports movies and documentaries. If you are stuck for something to watch during this period of lockdown, get ready for an exhaustive list of brilliant suggestions.Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eight years ago, BackPage produced Football Manager Stole My Life, an epic journey through 20 years of fandom around a computer game (Football Manager, nee Championship Manager) that has become part of football culture. Kenny Millar was our detective, tracking down the scouts and real-life players that combine to create a database that is unmatched in global football. Iain Macintosh brought the funny, including a stint on the psychologist's couch. They both looked back on the work behind a book that helped fans of Football Manager realise they were not alone. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Like James Montague's previous books – When Friday Comes; Thirty One Nil; and The Billionaires Club - 1312: Among The Ultras is the result of this writer’s determination to track down his story wherever it leads him – in this case to just about every corner of the football world, from where he reports on the Ultra culture – that hardcore of football fandom that we often see from the outside, but very rarely from within.This time, for Montague that meant securing dark-alley meetings with far-right capos, late night sprints to avoid Indonesian thugs and Swedish cops and a sample of the atmosphere inside some of the most colourful and passionate football crowds on the planet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Martin BackPage speaking on another book podcast - yes, they do exist! - called Read All About It, where the host Paul Cuddihy asks guests to choose their five favourite and not so favourite books.There’s some BackPage chat at the start where Martin talks about the development of the company and our Astroball book, then goes on to discuss his five choices.Hope you enjoy and we’ll be back next week with a more regular episode of Between the Lines.Subscribe to Read All About It Follow on Twitter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

BBC Scotland's chief sports writer Tom English tells us why Michael McCambridge's The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine is his all-time favourite sports book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tom English’s book The Grudge, first published in 2010, tells the story of the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England in March 1990. Memorably, Scotland beat their old rivals at Murrayfield to win the Grand Slam. But this was more than a match. And more than a rare Scottish sporting triumph. It was one of the most memorable rugby matches in modern history, set against a wave of anti-English sentiment fuelled by Margaret Thatcher’s imposition of the Poll Tax on Scotland. History, politics, class, it is all brought to life through incredible interviews with not just the victorious Scots, but controversial figures such as Will Carling and Brian Moore. Tom breaks down his audience with those key characters and reveals the agonising structural and stylistic decisions which made this one of the best sports books of the last 20 years. And one which has now been updated for a special 30th anniversary hardback edition. Buy the new hardback edition of The Grudge See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

German football expert Raphael Honigstein tells us why David Remnick's King of the World is his all-time favourite sports book See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the transfer of Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund was announced at the end of 2019, Raphael Honigstein set about uncovering the decision-making tree that brought the hottest young striker in football to the Bundesliga. It was, as he remembers, something of a detective story, and he spoke to almost every participant: scouts, agents, directors, and people close to the brilliant footballer himself.A little over two months later, it already seems like a seismic pieceof business for Dortmund, and it's rare to read an inside account of a deal of this level. Raphael's piece is still available at The Athletic. If you haven't subscribed but are considering it, you can go through his own landing page to let them know who brought you in: https://theathletic.com/author/raphael-honigstein/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In these bonus episodes, we ask our guests to talk about their favourite sports book. Tim Lee, a producer on the official film of the 2019 Champions League final, chose The Damned United, by David Peace. Watch Tim's remarkable film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG3C-R7D5s See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Lee was one of the producers of UEFA's official film of the 2019 Champions League final. Sometimes - often - these things can be a little sterile, but this one is an artful and uplifting look at the pinnacle of club football from every angle. Tim talks us through every one of them - the pressures the film makers were under, their mission to see the fans and the stadium workers as well as the superstars and the accidents that ended up producing some of the film's most memorable moments. Watch the film online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG3C-R7D5s See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. It is nearly six years since we published Andrea Pirlo's autobiography, I Think Therefore I Play. It has been our bestselling book by a distance and made a huge impact on football culture. Here, Martin and Neil from BackPage tell the origins story of the book - how they got the rights, their growing excitement as translated chapters arrived in their inbox and how they knocked Mary Berry off the top of the charts!Mark Palmer also takes us inside the process of translating the book from its original Italian into English.Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines.This is Martin's conversation with Tim Parks about his 2002 book A Season with Verona.It is a classic of football literature and one of the most referenced whenever we ask for people's all-time favourite sports books.Tim is not your average sports writer. He is a celebrated author of fiction and was once shortlisted for the Booker Prize.He brought all his creative imagination to this project, attending every home and away Verona game in the 2000-2001 season. That it turns out to be a dramatic campaign like no other, only adds to the story.Enjoyp.s. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our documentary on another classic, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, just a few episodes down on this feed See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In these bonus episodes we ask our guests about their favourite sports book. In our last episode, we spoke to the director Mat Hodgson and producer Patrick Nathanson about their documentary film, I AM DURAN, about the boxer Roberto Duran. Patrick and Mat both cheated by selecting a short list of books, but the focus is on Fever Pitch for Pat and Mike Tyson's autobiography, Undisputed Truth for Mat. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Director Mat Hodgson and producer Patrick Nathanson discuss the making of their film, I Am Duran, a brilliant documentary about Roberto Duran, who won world titles in four weight classes and was part of the legendary Four Kings of boxing during the 1980s. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a bonus episode of Between the Lines. Here. guest Si Lloyd, picks his favourite sports, Jonathan Wilson's Angels With Dirty Faces. And if you haven't heard our full episode with Si, on his amazing piece, United with Dad, then check it out. It's the one below this episode on the feed.Neil and Martin See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Neil's conversation with Si Lloyd about a piece he wrote for Joe in December 2019 under the headline 'United with Dad'. It was written a few weeks after the death of Si's father, with whom he had spent most of his life going to watch Manchester United. Si was overhwelmed by the response he received from what he'd written - and it was no surprise. Si connected with some deep truths about our relationships with the people who take us to the game, and also about the way football can sometimes be one of the last lights to dim inside the memory of someone living with dementia. It reminded us of the work of Alzheimer Scotland's Football Memories project and others like it that use football reminiscence to improve the lives of people living with that disease.EnjoyRead United with Dad, by Si LloydPlease leave a quick review of Between the Lines wherever you listen to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this bonus episode, we asked Guardian football editor Marcus Christenson for his favourite sports book of all time. Here he is talking about The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, by Joe McGinniss.Enjoy*And if you haven't heard our mini-documentary on Castel di Sangro, check it out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. In this one, the Guardian's football editor, Marcus Christenson, breaks down the herculean task of compiling the newspaper's list of '100 best footballers in the world'. The latest list, 2019, also saw the introduction of a women's top 100.Enjoy and please check out the series below.The 100 best footballers in the world See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you've not watched the Andy Murray documentary, Resurfacing, on Amazon Prime, you need to check it out. It's exceptional. Brutally honest and with astonishing access to the man himself. I chatted to tennis commentator and host of The Tennis Podcast, David Law, about how the documentary came together and his thoughts on how Murray came across.EnjoyMartin BackPage See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a short end-of-seaon wrap where we reflect back on season two and recommend a book and a pod from 2019. Oh, and ask you all to leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts!Have a great festive season.Martin & Neil See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This final episode of this season of Between the Lines is a documentary about one of the most beloved of all sports books, Joe McGinniss's 1999 hall-of-famer, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro.McGinniss - an American who had previously written landmark books on US politics and true crime - read a magazine piece about an Italian team's improbable rise to Serie B and decided to spend a year of his life embedded with them. The resulting book has it all: tragedy, crime, glory and despair, hope and disillusionment.This special episode would not have been possible without the co-operation of Joe's widow, Nancy Doherty. We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, and also your own thoughts and memories of this great book. Search for @BackPagePress on Twitter and Facebook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the ninth episode in this new season of Between the Lines, 26-year-old Catalan journalist Pol Ballus tells us how he went from full-time waiter and part-time freelancer to inside the machine of Pep Guardiola's Man City.Enjoy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the eighth episode in this new season of Between the Lines, Martin and Neil from BackPage take you behind the scenes of their latest bestseller, Pep’s City: The Making of a Superteam. They talk about the huge editorial challenges they faced and their productive relationship with both authors, Lu Martin and Pol Ballus. Part two, Martin's chat with Pol, is out tomorrow. Enjoy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.