It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was. In Part One, journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper set the scene for the qualification of the 1972 Euro quarter-final, where England were knocked out by West Germany. We now delve into the continuing years of decline as England failed to qualify for the following three major tournaments. Having won the World Cup in 1966, Sir Alf Ramsey’s England side descend into struggle as Jonathan and Rob provide an in-depth look at where it goes wrong for England and how it came to the point where a World Cup winning manager was sacked by his country.  We look into England’s failure to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in their group with Wales and Poland, as Ramsey’s tactics and style of play led to his sacking, as well as the aftermath for the Three Lions. If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.  In this week’s episode, we take an in-depth look into the decline of England's most successful manager Sir Alf Ramsey, exploring how his 1966 World Cup winners were beaten by a much-improved West Germany side over two quarter-final qualification legs for Euro 1972.  Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper delve into the tactical revolution of England under Alf Ramsey, from their World Cup win in 1966 to their descent in Euro 1972, as West Germany’s positional intelligence show that England were no longer the best in the world.  Jonathan and Rob provide a detailed analysis of Ramsey’s style of play, the build-up to the first leg quarter-final defeat at Wembley, the changing relationship between England and West Germany from 1966 to 1972 and the key players in those tournaments.  Our second part is out on Thursday 4th July. If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode. 

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.In this week’s episode, on its 40th Anniversary, we dive into Euro 1984, a tournament that marked a pivotal moment in French football history as they lifted a major tournament trophy for the first time.Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper delve into the impact of Michel Platini, whose footballing prowess and leadership played a crucial role in guiding France to victory on their home turf. They also analyse how the tournament shaped European football and paved the way for future international competitions.Jonathan and Rob provide a detailed analysis of the group stages, revisit the historic knockout stage clashes, including the semi-final regarded as the Euro’s greatest ever match between France and Portugal, which culminated in France’s triumphant 2-0 final win over Spain.If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

In this week’s episode, we take an in-depth look at Euro 2012, a tournament fondly remembered as the crowning moment in Spain’s era of dominance, marking their third consecutive major win following Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper kick things off by delving into the politics behind the decision to host the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, exploring how the host cities managed the logistical challenges and the lasting impact of the event.Jonathan and Rob provide a comprehensive overview of the group stages, highlighting memorable moments such as Danny Welbeck’s back-heeled winner against Sweden. They then move on to iconic knockout stage moments, including Andrea Pirlo’s masterful penalty, Mario Balotelli’s unforgettable performance against Germany and Spain’s utterly dominant 4-0 victory over Italy in the final.If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

Welcome back to The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.In Part One, journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper set the scene for the Euro 2004 knockout stages. Now, we delve into the life of Greece manager Otto Rehhagel, who orchestrated one of football’s greatest miracles at Euro 2004.The tournament was a landmark for many nations, especially England, who dramatically lost on penalties to hosts Portugal in a thrilling match after Sven Goran-Eriksson’s star 18-year-old Wayne Rooney was injured.Jonathan and Rob provide an in-depth look at the knockout stages, detailing how Greece astonishingly dethroned France, then defeated the Czech Republic in silver-goal extra time, before beating Portugal for the second time in the competition, having never previously won at a major international tournament.If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.With Euro 2024 approaching this week, we present a special two-part episode on Euro 2004, a tournament where underdogs Greece achieved one of international football’s greatest upsets.Regarded as the one that got away from Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Golden Generation England team, journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper set the scene with a full detailed look on the group stages.From Portugal’s preparation as hosts to their opening defeat by eventual winners Greece and an 18 year-old Wayne Rooney propelling himself to an international icon, part one delves into the story surrounding the nations before the knock-out rounds.  Join us for part two on Thursday 13th June where Rob and Jonathan tell the story of Greece manager Otto Rehhagel and the path that led the way to one of football’s biggest ever shocks.If you enjoyed the podcast please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was. Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper delve into the sliding doors moments that lead to the Manchester United treble win in 1999. In the years leading up to Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest achievement, we take a look at some of the key moments that could have changed the course of history: from Maurice Watkins recommending Alex Ferguson as the manager to replace Terry Venables as Barcelona manager in 1986 to Alan Hansen’s infamous comment on Match of the Day as well as United's youth system and signing Eric Cantona.  It Was What It Was gives a detailed look into the changes that took place at Old Trafford that paved the journey to the treble; including building the squad after the 1994 Champions League loss to Barcelona, new revenue at Old Trafford and the tactical and financial changes at the club.  If you enjoyed the podcast please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.  

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.In part two of our Reds in Rome story, journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper delve into the events of the day of the 1984 European Cup final between Roma and Liverpool.Having set the scene in part one of our two-part special, Jonathan and Rob reveal insightful stories from inside the Liverpool camp, the real hostilities their fans dealt with and how Joe Fagan’s side managed to win the first ever European Cup penalty shoot-out, which also unearthed Bruce Grobbelaar’s spaghetti legs. If you enjoyed the podcast please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.This week we have a two part special focussing on Liverpool’s 1984 European Cup victory, 40 years on from one of the finest nights in the Reds history.Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper discuss the events leading up to the final where Joe Fagan’s side beat Roma in their own stadium as they lifted their fourth European Cup in seven years having already won the league title and league cup in the same season.In part one Jonathan and Rob explore where Liverpool were as a club and city along with reliving famous knockout stage contests, including dramatic wins over Benfica and Dinamo Bucuresti where tempers flared on and off the pitch. Join us for part two on Thursday 30th May to listen to the historical European Cup final where Liverpool became the first side to win the final on penalties. If you enjoyed the podcast please hit subscribe to never miss an episode.