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The Socially Distant Sports Bar
Moulding Young Minds
Welcome to the second half of this week's Socially Distant Sports Bar, where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero turn their attention to the documentary and book of the week.
This time we're travelling back to 1988, when England's future football stars were being moulded at a residential school in Shropshire, before heading across the Atlantic to meet a man who helped create the only perfect season in modern NFL history.
Two very different approaches to sporting excellence. Both involving a considerable amount of shouting, presumably.
Elis: 1988 — Life at the FA School of Excellence
Elis has uncovered a wonderful piece of BBC archive footage from 1988, following a group of 14-year-old footballers arriving at the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall.
More than 400 promising youngsters are offered trials, but just 16 are selected for two years of intensive football training, schooling and life away from home.
Under the watchful eye of FA Technical Director Dave Sexton, the boys are being prepared for careers in professional football at a time when the modern academy system was still a distant dream.
It's a fascinating glimpse into football development in the late 1980s, complete with the hairstyles, training gear, coaching methods and extraordinary confidence that only British television of that period could capture.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=viEnIRCR0hU&pp=ugUHEgVlbi1HQg%3D%3D&ra=m
Mike: Head On by Larry Csonka
Mike heads to America with Head On, the autobiography of legendary Miami Dolphins fullback Larry Csonka.
A Hall of Famer, two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the toughest players of his generation, Csonka was at the heart of the Dolphins' extraordinary undefeated 1972 season.
But this is about considerably more than American football.
Csonka recounts his complicated relationship with legendary coach Don Shula, the personalities and excesses of the NFL in the 1970s, and a life away from sport that was frequently every bit as eventful as anything that happened on the field.
It's a story of toughness, ambition, larger-than-life characters and an era when professional athletes appeared to live by an entirely different set of rules.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Head-Memoir-Larry-Csonka/dp/1637743254
Sixteen teenage footballers in Shropshire. One enormous American footballer in Miami. And three middle-aged Welshmen discussing how it all went.
Thanks for listening.
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804. Blood and Guts
01:14:48||Ep. 804Another week at The Socially Distant Sports Bar, where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero once again tackle the big sporting issues of the day. Or at least watch some clips and see where the conversation takes them.This week we're heading across the Atlantic for a bit of ice hockey, digging out some tennis rackets that should probably have stayed in the garage, and bringing together two of football's greats.Mike takes us to NHL opening night, where the Americans once again demonstrate that nobody does sporting spectacle quite like them.Steff has found Andy and Jamie Murray attempting to play tennis with some decidedly old-fashioned rackets, proving just how much technology has changed the game — and how difficult it is to look like a world-class tennis player when your equipment belongs in a museum.And Elis brings us Roy Keane and Zinedine Zidane. Two footballing legends.ClipsMike: NHL Opening Nighthttps://x.com/Buccigross/status/2105017215724798320Steff: Andy and Jamie Murray Hitting With Old Racketshttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/hVnyflisJN8https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oJdm7PL-GcIhttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/bd-bTgqOPHsElis: Keane and Zidanehttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DeJ9KWQsF7T/?hl=en-gbIce hockey. Wooden rackets. Roy Keane. Zinedine Zidane.Blood and guts. And probably quite a lot of nonsense.Thanks for listening.For even more from The Socially Distant Sports Bar, including extra episodes, bonus content and everything else from the Distant Pod universe, join us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/distantpod803. Champions League Final: Pint Size
15:02||Ep. 803Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.This clip is taken from "Episode 293: George Lewis"801. Kurt Cobain Had Been Dead For Two Years
38:06||Ep. 801Welcome to this week's Socially Distant Sports Bar with Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero.This week we're taking a trip back to the golden age of television game shows, before heading into the tactical revolution that has changed football from the Champions League to the lowest reaches of the non-league pyramid.Two very different approaches to sport. One involving meticulous tactical planning. The other involving Jimmy Tarbuck and a set of rules nobody appears to understand.Documentary of the Week (Sort Of)Steff: Full SwingIn place of the usual documentary, Steff has unearthed an absolute gem from the golden age of British television: Jimmy Tarbuck's Full Swing.It's a glorious car crash of a golf-based, general knowledge-adjacent game show, featuring celebrity contestants, questionable production decisions and a format whose rules the audience are apparently expected to work out for themselves as the programme unfolds.If the idea of Jimmy Tarbuck presiding over a golf quiz that appears to have been designed during a particularly long lunch doesn't make you want to watch it immediately, we're not sure this is the podcast for you.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6svRbCgDm8w&t=45sBook of the WeekElis: The Spectre of Pep — How Guardiola Haunts Modern Football by Jon MackenzieElis brings in Jon Mackenzie's fascinating examination of Pep Guardiola's influence on modern football.From his tactical philosophy and obsession with controlling space to the way teams across Europe's biggest leagues have adopted versions of his approach, the book explores how one manager's ideas have fundamentally changed the way the game is played.And it's not just the elite. From Manchester City to the lower reaches of non-league football, everybody now seems determined to play out from the back, regardless of whether the centre-half is entirely comfortable with the idea.Has Guardiola made football better? Or has he simply made everyone believe there's only one correct way to play it?Plenty for Elis, Mike and Steff to get stuck into.https://link.amazon/B0aGXHEoUJimmy Tarbuck and Pep Guardiola. Two men who have approached the organisation of sport in very different ways.Thanks for listening.And if you want more from The Socially Distant Sports Bar, including exclusive episodes and extra content, join us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/distantpod800. Those Bloody Hams
01:06:09||Ep. 800Another week at The Socially Distant Sports Bar, where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero once again prove that talking about sport is entirely optional on a sports podcast.This week, Mike reveals how his habit of leaving his audio recorder running might eventually prove to be his downfall, the boys uncover some deeply unpleasant Roman bathroom techniques that will put you off your dinner, and Mike explains just how far he'd be prepared to go if someone offered him a bit of land.And it's quite a length.There's also the small matter of ham radio enthusiasts. Those bloody hams.Eventually, sport manages to force its way into the conversation.Mike brings us the extraordinary photographic memory of LA Rams head coach Sean McVay, Steff provides further evidence that Tony Pulis knows absolutely everyone in football, and Elis revisits Tony Sibson's wonderfully honest assessment of his defeat to Marvin Hagler in 1983.ClipsMike: Sean McVayhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DdINQ3SSp9w/?stkn=MW1mNXplaTQyNHNzdQ==Steff: Tony Pulis Knows Everyonehttps://x.com/nozza_/status/2102743956207370391?s=61Elis: Tony Sibson After Losing to Marvin Haglerhttps://www.facebook.com/share/v/18PhbK458m/?mibextid=wwXIfrRoman toilets. Ham radio. A suspiciously ambitious land deal. And Tony Pulis knowing everyone.Sport. Eventually.Thanks for listening.And remember, if you want even more from Elis, Mike and Steff, including extra episodes and Bonus content, you can join us at:https://www.patreon.com/distantpod799. The Liver King: Pint Size
11:45||Ep. 799Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.This clip is taken from "Episode 160: Parking The Bus"797. Rory
37:46||Ep. 797This week’s Socially Distant Sports Bar with Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero sees Mike choosing the Documentary of the Week.And it’s a story that took more than two decades to reach its conclusion.Documentary of the WeekMike: Rory McIlroy — The Masters WaitRory McIlroy: The Masters Wait traces McIlroy’s relationship with Augusta National from watching Tiger Woods win there in 1997 to arriving as a 21-year-old capable of winning the tournament himself.What follows is a story of talent, expectation, heartbreak and missed opportunities as the Masters becomes the one prize McIlroy needs to complete golf’s career Grand Slam.The documentary explores the mental burden of repeatedly returning to Augusta, the weight of global expectation and the ticking clock as McIlroy arrives for his 17th attempt to win the Green Jacket.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0GPXXCNN2Book of the WeekSteff: It’s Only Drowning by David LittSteff’s choice takes us from the golf course into the water with David Litt’s It’s Only Drowning — a funny, thoughtful memoir about learning to surf and the peculiar combination of fear, failure and obsession that comes with trying to get better at something that regularly dumps you into the sea.https://link.amazon/B0ail8xnoFor more of Steff’s book recommendations and reviews, follow @distantbookshelf on Instagram.Owain’s ChallengeSteff’s mate Owain from The Running Channel is taking on Ephraim’s North to South Wales Challenge.If you’d like to support him and donate:https://givestar.io/gs/ephraims-north-to-south-wales-challenge?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAUwxp9wZG9mAmZkaWQWUO464ncYiar-yUbqQJHbEkGRzIhKsmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp2wZb_2BYw_cnAko3qNDsPSb0Kvz9zL8TAmio-e0r7ROcd_X1eSCY2D_YQFh_aem_3rXA_KnYlcle250i9Kk5dgGolf, surfing and running the length of Wales. An unusually sporty second half by our standards.Thanks for listening.796. Chemical Tommy
52:31||Ep. 796Another week in the life of the world’s most fearless podcasters at The Socially Distant Sports Bar, as Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero once again manage to just brush the shoulder of actual sports chat.Mike tells the tale of an unexpected night on the town with Chemical Tommy — and the fairly inevitable consequences — while the boys tackle one of the great technological questions of our age:If AI is so clever, why can’t it make your laptop turn on faster?Eventually, sport does make an appearance.In the clips this week, Elis brings us the universally funny sight of a bloke getting kicked in the bollocks, Mike returns — again — to Vince Lombardi for a genuinely inspiring story, and Steff has the sheer, uncomplicated joy of a kid discovering that running very, very fast is brilliant.ClipsElis: Bloke Gets It In The Bollockshttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DdhKiJ_uUAc/?stkn=cTh1aGVrY2Ftb3liMike: Lombardi. Again.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdcOe-7gIcq/?stkn=MXNuM3ZpNGJjZHd5ag==Steff: Fast Kidhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DdNUm5SARql/?stkn=aXZyZ2lrM3U5N29mChemical Tommy. Artificial intelligence. Vince Lombardi. And a kick in the bollocks.Donate to Steff’s mate Owain from The Running Channel https://givestar.io/gs/ephraims-north-to-south-wales-challenge?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAUwxp9wZG9mAmZkaWQWUO464ncYiar-yUbqQJHbEkGRzIhKsmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp2wZb_2BYw_cnAko3qNDsPSb0Kvz9zL8TAmio-e0r7ROcd_X1eSCY2D_YQFh_aem_3rXA_KnYlcle250i9Kk5dg Sport. Sort of.Thanks for listening.795. Is Penny Morris Fit? Pint Size
10:21||Ep. 795Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.This clip is taken from "Episode 120: That's Earnie From the Two Ronnies"