Back page Football podcasts are brilliant. They inform and entertain us at times that would otherwise be boring; on the commute, walking the dog, doing the groceries. Wherever you are, you can be transported somewhere else. The only trouble is, there are now thousands of pods to choose from, so who is worth your time? The following five podcasts are a great place to start, because we’ve kind of assumed you listen to Football Weekly, weekly.
The Coshcast
What do you get when you put four Canadian football fans in the same room once a week and let them discuss the latest results and big developments in football? Not what you’d think. It’s as diverse as Canada itself, it spans the globe, it’s our country’s best-kept secret – it’s the Coshcast.
Join Alex, Bernie, Mohaned and Rishay and be amazed at how much football they all have time to watch! They can talk about any league with confidence, but supporters of the Premier League and MLS will likely feel best served by the well-informed and often funny takes on the week that was. Not to mention some great interviews with the likes of Bruce Grobbelaar, Paul Stalteri and Richard Whittall. – Ken Frampton
The Final Third
A Dublin-based podcast that was conceived to “rebel against the bland, clichéd and stale way” that the mainstream media cover European football. The lads at The Final Third have achieved their objective. Presented by Rob Canavan, Rob Palmer and Conor Kelly and produced by Adam Kelly, the pod moves at a quick and comfortable pace through the English Premier League, Europe’s major leagues and even MLS without losing an ounce of wit, charm or knowledge.
Let me tell you, these boys know their stuff, and their enthusiasm is as infectious as their occasional and often film or video-game-based tangents are amusing. They’re also great at pulling in big-name guests, so don’t be surprised when you hear Gabrielle Marcotti or Iain Macintosh pop up! If it’s not in your rotation, you’re missing out. – Alexander Nathan
The World Football Phone-In
The World Football Phone-In on BBC Radio Five Live is a weekly two hour phone-in show that is also released as a podcast, and it is an absolute treasure. Host Dotun Adebayo and Brazil-based South American football expert Tim Vickery are joined each week by a rotating cast of authorities on European, Asian and African football, and discussions range from The Copa Libertadores or River Plate’s most exciting youth prospects to George Weah’s doomed political career or why Mauro Boselli was absolutely useless at Wigan.
Beyond the fascinating insight and beautifully broad range of topics, what this show does better than any other is something that only the best radio can do: create a sense of community, friendship and well-being. The easy bonhomie between Dotun, Tim, the second pundit and the callers make this pod as good for your mental health as it is for your football knowledge. – Alexander Nathan
The Big Interview
For those of us who enjoy great storytelling and a dose of nostalgia, Graham Hunter’s “The Big Interview” is a welcome change of pace from the rest of the football podcasting community.
Due to financial restrictions and logistics the podcast is anything but regular but when a new one arrives it’s like the return of a prodigal child. Whether it’s Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Gordon Strachan or Harry Redknapp, each of Hunter’s guests recount stories and deliver anecdotes that satisfy our curiosity while leaving us yearning for more.
With each guest there is a central theme; a love for the beautiful game. We get to see football personalities as human beings as opposed to the detached figures we see chasing down the ball or pointing fingers at players. This podcast comes with our highest recommendation and we are thrilled that the Kickstarter campaign was successful meaning there will many more episodes of The Big Interview. – Bernie Uche
Hold The Back Page
We finish off with another Irish podcast, and this effort from the guys at Back Page Football is great (Ed: we didn’t write this, promise). Eric Cantona features in the intro. I barely need go on…
Presented by Neil Sherwin and Paul Little, there is Premier League and Champions League talk, but there is also a focus on Irish football matters.
There is excellent debate on the Ireland team and I would recommend downloading new episodes around the time of Ireland matches. Impressively, they have also made the finals of the Web Awards for four years running. – Stephen McGovern
