The Big Interview With Graham Hunter

This is the second part of my interview with Paul Clement and – if you have got here quickly – it’s part of your preparation for the Champions League final. It’s rare that we get somebody breaking down what matchday is like at that extraordinary level of sport, but that’s what you have here. The tactical presentation that gave Paul palpatations; the reason they can’t leave the hotel as a team; the Ronaldo effect in the tunnel before the game; the staggered nature of the celebrations – and why, at Madrid, they never last too long.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The moments before the Champions League final of 2014: Real Madrid v Atlético. Paul Clement is standing in the tunnel, right behind Cristiano Ronaldo, feeling a little nervous. When this happens... This is a preview of the second part of my interview with Paul Clement, in which he gives us a brilliant breakdown of the entire day of that 2014 final. Listen to the whole thing - and every other episode of The Big Interview with Graham Hunter - for free, wherever you get your podcasts.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Season 2013/14 was a special one for Real Madrid. It was the season of La Decima, their 10th European crown. Paul Clement, assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, saw it all. And this is his account. From a fastidious breakdown of a typical day on the training ground with Ancelotti, Zidane and Hierro (not a bad crew to hang around with) through the positional alterations and squad characters that lifted the team at crucial times. Paul’s going to take us up until the end of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. Part two, which we’ll put out on Champions League final day, is all about that thriller: La Decima.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In December 2015 I sat down with Alan Pardew and we talked a lot about Wembley and the FA Cup. My favourite story from the interview was this: Cardiff, 2006. FA Cup final. Clock ticking down. West Ham 3 Liverpool 2. The inside story of what happened next.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shortly after our interview, Michael O’Neill would be near the front of the field for the next manager of Celtic. It won’t be the last time he’s quoted for headline jobs. We met in Edinburgh and he broke down in fascinating detail the way he shaped and guided a Northern Ireland squad to this phenomenal achievement of qualification for Euro 2016. He carefully separates the message and the delivery and explains why both need to be perfect to get the best results. If you can enlist world champion boxers or stadium rock stars to aid your cause, so much the better.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What Eddie Howe has achieved at Bournemouth is remarkable and after spending an hour with him at that club, it’s impossible to imagine that this is the high-water mark in his young career. Here’s a different kind of football mind: highly analytical, but also reflective, aware of the influence of his work on his life, and the other way around. He started his managerial career operating under a transfer embargo, determined to improve the players he had to work with. It’s become his signature – if you listen to this and try to put yourself in his dressing room, I think it’s easy to imagine how it works.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last summer I interviewed Chris Waddle. He talked about Cantona, Gascoigne, Francescoli and this Mahrez fella he was convinced was about to have a big season. Just listen to this. Chapeau, Magic Chris!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was Joe Jordan's goal - a diving header against Czechoslovakia in 1973 - which helped Scotland qualify for their first World Cup finals in 16 years. That he went on to score in three World Cup finals - West Germany 74, Argentina in 1978 and Spain four years later - is yet another indicator of his elite talent. It seems hard to believe these days that Scotland had a team of such pedigree in the 70s that they travelled to World Cup finals with expectations rather than just hope. In part two of this interview, Joe reflects on Scotland's World Cup campaign in 74, when they went unbeaten but missed out on goal difference and returned home on the first plane. He talks passionately about his immersion in Italian football, first with AC Milan - where he became a cult hero and caught the start of Franco Baresi's career - and then with a spell in Verona. There's insight into his relationship with Harry Redknapp, who he assisted at Portsmouth, Spurs and Queens Park Rangers, and his thoughts on working with... &n

Joe Jordan was a footballer of immense talent and character. A proud Scot who is one of a select band of players to score at three World Cups finals, Joe's club career took him to the very top of the European game with Leeds, Manchester United and AC Milan. Joe's reflection on that immense Leeds team of the 1970s - under Don Revie - is a fascinating insight into a club whose natural talent was often overshadowed by their reputation for physical toughness. There are huge characters in this, Part One, of a conversation I hugely enjoyed. Jimmy Delaney, Bobby Collins, Jimmy Johnstone, Johan Cruyff, Revie, Billy Bremner, John Giles - Joe's reflections on a golden era will captivate you, I'm sure. Part Two will follow on Saturday. Sit back and enjoy. Graham  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So many questions surround Jody Morris' career - and, as I found out during our captivating conversation, the man himself is not short of answers. What was life like under Hoddle, Vialli and Gullit at pre-Abramovich Chelsea? How does he feel about being named as the toughest opponent of Xavi's career? And how did he go from the offer of a five-year contract at Chelsea to, within five years, playing First Division football for St Johnstone? Morris has survived and thrived because he understands football and knows how to break it down. It is no surprise that he is now coaching the Chelsea Under-18s and is determined to establish himself in management. Don't be surprised to see him in the dugout at Stamford Bridge in the future. Enjoy Graham  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was only fitting that we should meet Damien Duff at the Aviva Stadium - formerly Lansdowne Road - the ground where he won so many of his 100 caps for Republic of Ireland. His reflections on his fledgling international career - at the FIFA World Youth Championships in 1997 (in Malaysia, where Ireland finished third in the world) and 1999 (Nigeria) - gives us a remarkable insight into the extraordinary character and talent that would emerge in memorable spells at Blackburn, Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham. From the genius of Brian Kerr to cleaning Tim Sherwood's boots as a youngster at Blackburn Rovers, poring over Mourinho's seven-page dossiers at Chelsea and eliminating Barcelona in an epic Champions League tie in 2005, Damien's insights are golden. Damien remains so in love with football that he recently hired an Astroturf park by himself to have a kickabout. That says it all about a remarkable football man. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-o

It's 30 years since West Ham United's best-ever top-flight finish. That was Frank McAvennie's first season in English football and it was packed full of the most incredible stories. They're all here. The television black-out that made the summer signing from St Mirren almost anonymous in London despite leading the scoring charts; the team meeting that forged Frank's incredible partnership with Tony Cottee; the three-way fight for the title that would have gone down to the wire were it not for a certain Mr Dalglish; there are cameos from Terry Wogan and Denis Law; questions from Russell Brand; a special appreciation of a special man in John Lyall. And 30 years on, a sense of the impact those special seasons have on the footballers and fans who experience them.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meeting Gary McAllister – in Leeds, no less – reminded me of the achievement of the championship team he played in at Elland Road. That midfield: two academy graduates, Gary Speed and David Batty, and two Scottish recruits, Gordon Strachan and Gary himself, is brilliantly explained by Gary here, as is the effect it had on the city of Leeds, and the moment they all knew something special was happening. There’s also insight into how a suspected prank phone call turned into one of the all-time great ‘Indian summer’ signings and a trophy treble with Liverpool. Scotland supporters, be warned: this podcast contains traces of Euro 96.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What a player he was, and what stories Peter Beardsley has to tell us. How a game against George Best led to a one-game Manchester United career; why Tino Asprilla was most certainly not the reason Newcastle United blew the title in 1996; how he ended up cooking for Kevin Keegan in a flat above Harrod's.... there's much, much more in this extra-long interview. I loved hearing Peter's stories - let me know what you think.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Provan is the best co-commentator in football. He's been promoted within the Sky team time and again despite having no real name in England from his playing days - it's all been done behind quick, insightful calls and a fierce commitment to this second career in media. Plenty here on life in the Premier League gantry - but also on his first career, as a talented and winning winger for Celtic and Scotland, and the illness that cut it short. All of you will recognise the voice, but only some will have known the player. It's all here.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How does an elite middle distance runner become an elite footballer? How does a guy who can't trap a ball become European Midfielder of the Year - twice? How does that player adapt his penalty technique to become - very nearly - perfect? Gaizka Mendieta says this: "My talent was learning. I wanted to learn." It's the bedrock of his story but this also includes The Doors and Lou Reed, maybe the best under-21 tournament ever, maybe the best goal ever, maybe the best cup run ever - and loads more. I hope you like it.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this one, Alan Pardew was brilliant on some very big moments in his career, the kind that can go either way and result in very different outcomes. Like, what if Steven Gerrard hadn't hit one of the all-time FA Cup final goals against Pardew's West Ham in 2006 (there's also great insight into how that goal happened)? Or how does the Newcastle United story pan out if Hatem Ben Arfa scores for 2-0 against Benfica in the Europa League quarter-final? There's also loads here about his origins in non-league, man-marking Gazza, the future for Crystal Palace and much more. Alan was a generous host at the Palace training ground, and gave us an open and insightful interview. I hope you like it.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During a brilliant afternoon in the company of Michael Carrick, he took us inside some of the high-pressure situations elite footballers experience and the rest of us can only imagine. Like showing up for your first training sessions at Manchester United and taking on the Class of 92 in The Box, the make-or-break exercise where the ruling cabal at Old Trafford would test the mettle of the rest. Or the long yards between the centre circle and the penalty spot before you take a penalty in the Champions League final (I don't think I've ever heard a better description of that particular ordeal). Or the feeling when you've been hit and you're out of ammo and you're screaming for a fellow soldier to help you as the enemy approach and Sir Alex Ferguson is wondering what all the commotion is about. Honestly, it'll all make sense when you get there.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Graham met Gaizka Mendieta for a Big Interview the day after Gary Neville was named the new boss at the Mestalla, and it would've been remiss not to ask the Valencia legend what his thoughts on the new appointment were. In this exclusive snippet of an upcoming Big Interview, Gaizka discussed what Gary Neville will face in his new job.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part two Terry tackles the best player you never saw - and why he was only third in a sprint race between England's fastest footballers (what a great idea). There's also lots in here about his move to Rangers - Souness the salesman, full-contact training matches (featuring Souness of England) and another super-talented team-mate, Davie Cooper.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.