The Big Interview With Graham Hunter

Hi, My bet is that the vast majority of Big Interviews you listen to are with footballers whose names you recognise. I'll forgive you for not knowing Ally Dick. But I promise you, this is a must-listen. The reason you don't know his name is that his short career at Spurs and Ajax was punctuated by debilitating injuries which forced him to retire aged 23. But he won European trophies at both of those great clubs, and his talent burned brightly ever time he stepped onto a pitch. This second part of the interview focuses on Ajax, where Cruyff signed him from Spurs. And all the big names are here. Muhren, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Bergkamp, the De Boer twins, Koeman. Ally more than held his own in that esteemed company. If you want to know the secrets of Ajax's success in this season's Champions League, it's all in this fascinating conversation with Ally Dick EnjoyGraham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or g

HolaA bonus episode for you! I was at the Camp Nou last week for an extraordinary Champions League semi-final first leg which finished Barcelona 3 Liverpool 0. Ahead of the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday, I talk about Valverde's tactical acumen, Messi's increasingly vocal brand of leadership and whether Liverpool can find their shooting boots in front of goal. Enjoy!Graham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hi,Let me tell you about Ally Dick. Because unlike our other episodes, I know most of you probably don’t know the name this time - and I want to make sure you don’t skip over this interview. As you listen to this hopefully just before the second leg of Spurs v Ajax, here is a player who links those two great football clubs. As a youngster, Ally was an electrifying talent, a winger who had his pick of the top clubs in Britain and chose Spurs. He was a UEFA Cup winner with Tottenham – he came off the bench in the 1984 final but ended that game, which went to penalties, unable to run due to badly damaged ligaments in his knee. He was signed by Johan Cruyff at Ajax to play in the same team as Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, the emerging Danny Blind and a young thruster called Dennis Bergkamp.The reason that you don’t know his name as well as you know those of his teammates is the debilitating series of injuries that punctuated his short career as an elite footballer. But listen to this, the first part of our in

Reflecting on from Liverpool’s epic Champions League win over Milan in Istanbul, Jamie Carragher talks about how it felt to play through the pain barrier against the best team in Europe.He’s great on another historic final – the UEFA Cup win over Alaves, and why Liverpool couldn’t celebrate it. If you want to know more about the myth of ‘continental’ management and what Jamie thinks of recruitment at Liverpool over the last 10 years, then I think you’re going to enjoy this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola!In the second half of my fascinating chat with Gus Poyet, we discuss his days playing in London for Chelsea and Spurs, and his love for the old Wembley Stadium. Gus also speaks about his transition into management, notably leading Sunderland to a League Cup final and missing out on signing defensive genius Virgil van Dijk.I am certain you will enjoy this, one of the greatest Big Interviews we have done so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola!Gus Poyet is a prime example of how Uruguayans provide the never-say-die ingredient for many European clubs.In the first half of our fascinating conversation, Gus speaks about the influence of basketball on his development, and about his annus mirabilis of 1995, when he won the Copa America and was an integral part of the Real Zaragoza side who defeated the mighty Arsenal in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final.I am certain you will enjoy this, one of the greatest Big Interviews we have done so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

As the city of Barcelona welcomes Manchester United 20 years after they won the European Cup at the Camp Nou in the most dramatic finale imaginable, I thought I would record my own memories of that time. I was chief football reporter on a national newspaper then, following United as they closed in on the treble. So here's my recollection of the football, the personalities, the work and the general craziness of the end of season 1998-99. I hope you like it.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

HolaIt's the business end of the season so we've decided to record some extra shows.Here's my preview of the Man United v Barcelona quarter-final first leg tie on Wednesday (April 10).EnjoyGraham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

HolaWe bring you the one and only Shaun Maloney.I grew up in the same village and went to the same school as Shaun. He's came a long way from Bieldside in Aberdeen, though. After an excellent career at Celtic, Wigan, Aston Villa, Chicago Fire and Hull City, he is now assisting Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team.Martinez once said Shaun has an 'elite brain'. You're about to find out why. Sit back and enjoy the company of Shaun Maloney.Graham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Here's the second part of our Q & A for March 2019. Includes questions on Messi, Scotland and what I would change if I headed up La Liga and the Spanish football federation.Enjoy!Graham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Here's the first part of our monthly Q & A - questions on Barcelona and Ajax; Man City and Liverpool; Zidane and Madrid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola!Here's a classic from The Big Interview archives. Back in 2015, I sat down with Gaizka Mendieta, a man whose devotion to artistry on the field of play is matched by his obsession with music.Gaizka describes his conversion to a total footballer at Valencia, his second life as a DJ, and scoring what should be considered one of the best – if not the best – goals of all time. Oh, and he also mentions meeting Lou Reed, the Johan Cruyff of music.Gaizka, you are a class act.Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola!In the concluding part of our interview, Don Hutchison brings the trauma of a relegation dogfight vividly to life, and tells how survival caused a grown man to weep – this time the late, great Howard Kendall. Don also speaks about how the mind games of another Everton manager, Walter Smith, brought out the best in him.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

This is one of the audio versions of the columns I write for ESPN that go out to our socios - at patreon.com/grahamhunter - every week. I was on commentary for Betis v Barcelona this week. I had already seen hundreds of Leo Messi goals in person, thousands of moments of genius from him. But I was still surprised by his hat-trick, still gawped at his talent and audacity, still laughed out loud at his invention.But this time there was something else. The reaction of the Betis fans made me think about what everyone who watches Messi gets from him. And as I say here - that puts him in an elite bracket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola!I recently met with Don Hutchison, a miner’s son from Gateshead whose loyalties lay north of the border.In the first part of this fascinating interview, Don describes how his formative years playing in the local church hall led to a contract with Hartlepool and soon Liverpool. Don talks about his midfield heroes, including Jan Molby and Patrick Vieria, and how he played without fear and with 360-degree vision. The episodes ends with Don describing scoring the winner for Scotland against England at Wembley, a moment that reduced his tough father to tears.I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Kevin Kilbane's insight as a pundit mirrors his intelligence as a footballer. In our second episode, Kevin describes playing with a golden generation of Irish talent, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup... and the infamous bust-up between boss Mick McCarthy and talisman Roy Keane. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Before Kevin Kilbane played in the Premier League and at a World Cup and then became one of the best analysts in the game, he came through a no-holds-barred football upbringing on the streets of his hometown of Preston. In the first of a two-parter, he talks about his journey from there to the high of being selected for the Republic of Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

This is Simon Stainrod, the kind of footballer we sometimes call mavericks - Simon uses the term 'bullfighters'. From George Best to Tony Currie; Le Tissier to Cantona. They are, as he says, the kind who takes the ball, stares into the defender's eyes and says 'come and get me'.Simon talks about what makes that kind of player - himself included - special and whether he found a rare modern incarnation of that anarchic talent when he scouted Ousmane Dembélé before he had played a single game in France. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Back in the summer of 2015 we visited Chris Waddle, the man I refer to as England’s Zidane. The encounter was one of the original Big Interviews, and remains one of the best. Chris spoke about being bullied at Newcastle, the art of the step over and making a big hit at Marseilles.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Listen up for the second half of my preview of tomorrow's Copa Del Rey semi-final second leg between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. I'll also be touching on this Saturday's Clasico.Graham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com