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Declan talks us through the lives he led before breaking into journalism, and then how he earned his break. We talk about Ulster football: what drives the rivalries, and what makes the competition so fierce? We talk about the biggest controversy of his career, when Jim McGuinness kicked him out of his press conference after the 2012 All Ireland final victory, in the aftermath of writing a book with which Kevin Cassidy collaborated. Why did McGuinness do what he did? What’s their relationship like now? And did he feel any guilt on behalf of Cassidy, who was dropped from the Donegal panel before they won the All-Ireland? We also talk about the extraordinary will of Mickey Harte, the craft of writing, and music. A lot of music.

Declan’s picks:

• The Bloodied Field by Michael Foley
• Hanging from the Rafters by Kieran Shannon
• Catch a fire by Timothy White
• Not Long Now by Paddy Heaney

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Adam is a football reporter with the Athletic, and you’ll recognise his byline on some of the biggest stories in the sport across the last few years. Adam talks about how and why he got into journalism, and how one of his earliest jobs involved rocking up to watch a Chelsea game with their then-striking striker, Diego Costa.

We chat about what drew him to the sports news beat, along with some of the biggest stories he has reported. He reflects on a heady, strange experience at the World Cup in Qatar, and also takes us inside his recent sit-down interview with Jordan Henderson, in which Henderson tried but struggled to justify his move to Saudi Arabia. Adam also takes us inside the Mason Greenwood story, in which his reporting proved influential, if not decisive. Why did Man United want to bring Greenwood back? What ultimately prompted their u-turn? And without Adam’s reporting, would Greenwood be playing for United this weekend?

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We chat about some of the outstanding memories and stories from his career so far, and how difficult it has been to deal with declining access to GAA players. Vincent takes us on a tour through the glory days in that respect, including when he sat in the dugout alongside Babs Keating for an All-Ireland hurling final.

Vincent also reflects on the experience of writing Paul McGrath’s autobiography, taking us into the challenges and the emotions of writing one of the greatest-ever Irish sports books.

We also talk about his rallying days with Michael Lyster and his days working with Richard Keys in London. 

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We also discuss the present Limerick team: what makes them so special? And where do they rank among the all-time greats?

We also discuss the modern game, and whether hurling really was better in the Good Old Days. We also discuss Denis’ time among the galacticos at the Sunday Tribune, and days covering Munster rugby and the Irish soccer team.

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Henry’s picks are:

• Journalism: A Love Story by Nora Ephron
• King of the World by David Remnick
• The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuscinski
• The Football Men by Simon Kuper

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Paul explains why ‘sportswashing’ does not adequately explain the involvement of nation states in modern sport, and we also discuss how the GAA adopted convenient but false stories in its early decades to align itself with political nationalism.

Why did the GAA do this, what damage did it cause, and what is the legacy of this mythmaking today? Paul also lays out the difficult questions the GAA must ask itself to make itself fit for purpose in modern-day Ireland.Paul also defends the spectacle of modern-day Gaelic football, explains what everyone got wrong about Saipan, and runs us through his lecture series on Muhammad Ali and picks the sportsperson whose career and life could be used to explain the world today.

Writing-wise, Paul recommends:

• The Pursuit of Perfection: The Life, Death and Legacy of Cormac McAnallen by Dónal McAnallen
• The Hurley Maker’s Son by Patrick Deeley
• The Grass Ceiling by Eimear Ryan

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Simon covers Merseyside football for The Athletic, and is the author of several books about Liverpool including a trilogy of players’ stories from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. He has also written a social history of Liverpool city, titled There She Goes: Liverpool, A City on Its Own. The Long Decade: 1979-1993.

He joins us ahead of the Champions League final to discuss what it has been like covering this relentless Liverpool season, and gives us an insight into the true character of Jurgen Klopp along with what Liverpool have planned to keep pace with Erling Haaland’s Manchester City and where on earth Everton go next.

We discuss journalism, and what differs about working for The Athletic, and the city of Liverpool: why does it consider itself separate and distinct from London?

Simon’s picks were: All Played Out by Pete Davies; As I Walked out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee; 43 Years with the Same Bird by Brian Reade

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Colin also talks about writing, his process, his inspirations, and gives advice on how to get published.

His picks were:

• “Atlantic City” by Kevin Barry
• “Go Owls” by Adrian Tomine
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

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We discuss the scale of the media coverage, and how the fight attracted such attention in the first place. Gavan also takes us ringside and behind the scenes at Madison Square Garden, and gain insights into the influential figures of Eddie Hearn, Brian Peters, and Jake Paul.

Gav also talks about Katie herself, how she had adapted her style for the pro game, and the likelihood of a rematch at Croke Park.

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Colm talks about the one sport he loves: tennis, recalls his recent meeting with Roger Federer and tells us why he actually likes Novak Djokovic. Colm has written very little about sport but he has penned one of the great pieces about Diego Maradona: he recalls his trip to Argentina to report the story.

He also remembers his days editing Magill magazine, and his friendship with Eamon Dunphy: which led him to the coalface of Italia 90 and the remarkable national scorn Dunphy attracted.

There’s also chat about sport in fiction: who has written it well, and why hasn’t it happened yet with the GAA?

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Rob explains why he believes Irish sports coverage is generally better than English coverage, and how instant social media feedback has changed journalism, writing and punditry.

On football, he explains why his outlook on Alex Ferguson is different to that of most Manchester United fans, and we also get into the hugely enjoyable business of deciding which World Cup is our favourite.Plus: Shane Warne, and what sportswriting can learn from Tony Soprano.

Rob’s picks were:

Mike Selvey’s profile of Viv Richards for _WisdeScott Murray’s Guardian Liveblog of the 2003 Cricket World Cup meeting of India and New ZealandOn Warne by Gideon Haigh_Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution by Brett Martin

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James covers football, politics and society for the New York Times, CNN and the BBC World Service. His books include Thirty One Nil: On The Road With Football's Outsiders, a World Cup Odyssey and The Billionaires Club: The Unstoppable Rise of Football's Super-Rich Owners.

James has covered football in the Gulf and Middle East extensively - we discuss the Qatar World Cup, how migrant labour rights have not sufficiently improved and whether the whole enterprise is an effective sportswashing project.

We also discuss the ramifications of Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea, and the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United.

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet: @gcooney93.

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We talk about Eamonn’s love for Derry City, what the football club means to the city, and why GAA hasn’t taken root in the city to the same extent. We also discuss about James McClean’s principled stand against wearing the poppy, why he does it, and the reaction he has received for doing so.

Eamonn’s generation in Derry also produced some great writers - Seamus Heaney and Seamus Deane among them - and he explains why the abrasion of the times helped spark their genius. We also discuss his journalism and his campaigning work, particularly in relation to Bloody Sunday, at which he was present. Eamonn’s work was crucial in finally outing the truth, but as he explains, justice has still not yet been delivered for the families of those murdered in the atrocity.

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He has met and interviewed all of the greats in the game, and he recently made time to sit down and chat with me in his Dublin home and, as you’re about to hear, everything could have turned out very differently.

Dermot talks openly about his drinking problem, how it spiralled out of control, and how he managed to wrestle his life back. We also discuss his remarkable family history: his father served with Michael Collins in the War of Independence.

And, of course, there is lots of golf talk: on meeting Tiger Woods, and Arnold Palmer, the truth behind the public image of Jack Nicklaus, and the maddening genius of Rory McIlroy.

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If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, considering contacting-

Pieta House 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie

- Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

- Alcoholics Anonymous (01) 842 0700

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Chris has served as writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, for whom he has won two National Magazine Awards and saw one piece adapted for the 2018 Netflix series, Away.

He is also the author of several books, and his latest is called The Eye Test: A Case for Human Creativity in the Age of Analytics.

We discuss the thesis of his book: the limitations of relying solely on analytics in sport and elsewhere in life, showing how Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics along with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool actually prove his belief.

We also hear how Chris almost told the _Moneyball _story before Michael Lewis, and how he is responsible for the debacle that was Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather.

Chris’ picks were:

• “Resurrecting the Champ” by JR Mohreinger for the LA Times 
• “The Stud” by Charlie Pierce 
• “Death of a Racehorse” by WC Heinz 

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He is also a very successful music journalist, editing _Melody Maker _in the 1970s. We discuss his time at that paper, and he recalls the time he spent with John Lennon, explaining why, if were alive today, Lennon would be an obsessive Twitter user. 

We discuss Richard’s move to sport, and some of the highlights from his long career, including the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona, and the time he almost came to blows with Hugh McIlvanney at the 1994 World Cup, over whether Georghie Hagi had lost weight or not.

Richard has written several books about motorsport including the acclaimed The Death of Ayrton Senna, so we talk about Senna’s life and legacy and then focus on the very recent past, as Richard decries the ‘farce’ that became the end of this year’s F1 World Championship.

Richard’s picks were:

• Hugh McIlvanney on Johnny Owen’s last fight for The Observer 
• With Moss in the Mille Miglia by Denis Jenkinson for MotorSport Magazine 
• ‘Lewis Versus Christie: The 100-Meter Rivalry Is One-Sided’ by Ian Thomsen for the Herald Tribune 

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Here are their picks. 

Gavan 

• “Roy Keane: ‘I’m way down the pecking order in my own home. Even the dog tells me what to do’” by David Walsh for the Sunday Times 
• “'Once an Olympian, always an Olympian' - A farewell to a friend Jerry Kiernan” by Peter Collins for RTE 
• “After Covid-19 took his father, son fights to keep iconic dive bar in Times Square alive” by Kevin Armstrong for The Washington Post 
• “The unlikely story of how 'Dundee United' became an insult in Nigeria” by Liam Kirkaldy for Nutmeg Magazine 

Emma 

• “This guy has a pattern’: Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion” by Meg Linehan for The Athletic 
• “The moral of this inspirational Meath story? Stick with it” by Mary Hannigan for The Irish Times 
• “We know Justin Fashanu died. Now let us hear how he lived” by Adam Crafton for The Athletic 
• “The Volunteer will always be King” by Conor Galvin
• “Once In A Lifetime, Da” by Philip O’Connor 

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In addition to covering sport, John has also been writing about HBO's TV hit Succession: we discuss of how a glitzy world filled with terrible-but-with-no-less-watchable people was presaged by the English Premier League.

And is that how we should talk about the very elite of the game now, as a ludicrous but highly entertaining television show?

We discuss several of the biggest names associated with Manchester United: Matt Busby, George Best, Alex Ferguson, Eamon Dunphy, and Roy Keane.

John also passes on his writing tips, and how Hugh McIlvanney channeled his inner Arsenal Fan TV to sum up a typical Champions League disaster against Bayern.

John's picks were:

• Hugh McIlvanney's obituary of George Best
• Best and Edwards by Gordon Burn
• Only A Game? by Eamon Dunphy
• A Strange Kind of Glory by Eamon Dunphy

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Listen as George Hamilton reveals his 1980s pseudonym; John Feinstein discusses Rory McIlroy's legacy and his harsh treatment by American television; Tim Vickery explains how football protests gave momentum to the terrible rise of Jair Bolsonaro; Tom English clarifies why the '95 World Cup win did not instantly unite South Africa; and Brendan Fanning shares some Vincent Browne war stories.

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George has written his memoirs, The Nation Holds Its Breath, and we discuss his early life growing up in Belfast and chart his path to RTE, via stints alongside a recognisable cast of character at BBC sport and a time presenting current affairs show Good Morning Ulster at the height of the Troubles.

We also talk about the art of commentary: what makes a good one and what makes a bad one? And what is the difference between good radio commentary and good TV commentary?

George remembers his best moments and recalls one or two less-favoured moments, along with the best and worst commentary positions in the world of football.

Plus we talk of his love of Germany, meeting George Best, and how he once wrote a newspaper column under an assumed name...only to annoy one Ronnie Whelan. 

George’s picks were: Hugh McIlvanney’s report of the 1979 FA Cup final; Tor _by Uli Hesse; Back from the Brink _by Paul McGrath

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet: @gcooney93.

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He has twice been longlisted for the Booker Prize, has won four Irish book awards along with the European Union Prize for Literature and the Guardian First Book Award. His novel The Spinning Heart was voted as Ireland’s Book of the Decade in 2016.

He continues to write novels, alongside his job teaching creative writing at the University of Limerick.

We talk about overcoming rejection as a writer, and how he deals with reviews and online criticism. Donal also discusses his writing process and his tips on how to overcome writers’ block.

There’s also plenty of talk about sport. Why is it so difficult to weave sport into fiction? How was it to grow up in Tipperary while being “no use” at hurling? And does Paul McGrath better embody the Irish national story than any other sportsperson?

Donal’s picks were:

• Fields of Fire by Damian Lawlor
• Back from the Brink by Paul McGrath and Vincent Hogan
• The Fight by Norman Mailer

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Eimear is writer-in-residence at UCC, and writes brilliantly on sport every week for the Irish Examiner.

Her first novel, Holding Her Breath, was published earlier this year by Penguin Sandycove. 

Here she offers some great tips for writing and insights into the publishing process. 

We also discuss sport: do you have to play a sport to offer a true insight into it? Are the demands placed on elite sportspeople by the media wrong? And will Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles go down in history for standing up to that pressure? Eimear also discusses the societal pressures on women to look a certain way and act a certain way, and how playing a team sport like camogie can be a rebellion against those pressures. Eimear’s picks are: 

• 'Always Be Optimising' by Jia Tolentino for The Guardian
• 'Roger Federer as Religious Experience' by David Foster Wallace for the NY Times 
• Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton
• The Club by Christy O'Connor

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Dave has always written about the intersection of American sport and politics, and his latest book follows that lineage: The Kaepernick Effect. 

We discuss what exactly The Kaepernick Effect is, and Dave contextualises Kaepernick in the lineage of the great American activist athletes that went before him. We talk about how Kaepernick has been shunned by the NFL, what he is doing now, and how comfortable Kaepernick is with his commodification by corporate America. (Ben and Jerry’s have released a Colin Kapernick ice-cream.) 

We also discuss whether Kaepernick’s gesture has lost its power, as Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso has claimed. 

Plus: The remarkable influence of LeBron James, whether athletes have a responsibility to speak out on political issues, and the next big divide in US sports: vaccines. 

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet: @gcooney93.

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Brendan has ghostwritten the brilliant new autobiography of Willie Anderson, Crossing the Line, and we talk about some of the stories in the book, including the harrowing tale of how Anderson spent three months in prison and under house arrest in Argentina, having been detained by the military junta.

We also talk of Brendan’s career, of how he began at the Irish Press and landed at the Sunday Indo, via an occasionally mad stint at Vincent Browne’s Sunday Tribune.

Brendan has written an acclaimed book on Irish rugby’s journey to professionalism, From There to Here, and we talk about the influence of the IRFU’s long-serving CEO Philip Browne, and whether everything was more fun in the amateur days.

We also widen our scope to talk about the state of the game internationally, and the existential risk that now faces the sport.

Brendan’s picks were: Stick it Up Your Punter: The Uncut Story of the Sun Newspaper by Chris Horrie, A Rough Ride by Paul Kimmage, Open by Andre Agassi (and JR Moehringer), The Rugby War by Peter Fitzsimons, Confessions of a Rugby Mercenary by John Daniell

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The Football Family crew of Paul, Gav and Dave look back on a happy (?) night at Lansdowne Road as Stephen Kenny's Ireland closed out this International window with a draw against Serbia.

Normal BTL service resumes tomorrow.

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Gavin joined Paul Dollery and David Sneyd to look ahead to Tuesdays World Cup qualification encounter at home to Serbia.

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But Gavin joined Paul Dollery and David Sneyd to look ahead to this week's World Cup qualification encounter away to Portugal on a special episode of the Football Family.

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John is a columnist with the Washington Post and a prolific author: his 45th book, R_aise a Fist, Take a Knee_, is published on 16 November later this year.

John discusses his start in journalism at the Post, where his boss was Bob Woodward, he of _All The President’s Men _fame. Listen in for memories of Woodward, and what he learned from one of the most famous American journalists of them all.

We chat about golf, specifically Bryson DeChambeau’s latest bizarro comments, his chequered history with Tiger Woods, and we discuss Rory McIlroy. If it ended tomorrow, would McIlroy’s career be a success? And is he ruthless enough to return to winning majors again?

John also reveals how the Golf Channel deliberately exaggerated their attack on McIlroy over his 2016 comments about the Olympics.  

We also chat about two of his famous books, A Good Walk Spoiled, and A Season on the Brink.

John’s picks were:  “The Rabbit Hunter”, a profile of Bob Knight by Frank Deford for _Sports Illustrated ; _Ball Four by Jim Bouton ; Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam

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Séamas is one of 11 children, and his mother died when he was five. He talks about the process of writing about and remembering his mother’s death, and he explains his belief that “memory is treacherous.” 

We also discuss the hero of the book, his Dad, and the Catholicism that surrounded him as he grew up in Derry, which included a travelling priest blessing the family caravan. 

We do discuss sport, specifically Steve Bruce, given Séamas is an expert in his bewildering series of murder mystery novels. We talk about those bizarre books, and how and why they came about. 

Plus: what sport will look like in 17776, how Alan Shearer was the Oscar Wilde of the Newcastle dressing room, and find out whether Noam Chomsky believes dogs’ barking should be considered a separate language. 

Séamas’ picks were: 

• The murder-mystery novels of Steve Bruce 
• “The Champion Who Picked a Date to Die” by Andrew Keh for the New York Times
• “17776: What Football Will Look Like In The Future” by Jon Bois for SB Nation

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For obvious post-Euro 2020 reasons we take a deep dive into Italian football, as John explains his thesis that “it is almost impossible to comprehend Italy without understanding football.” 

We talk of how the best way to understand Italy is to look at their treatment of referees, and why, in Italian football, there is no such thing as fair play. We discuss in what esteem Italians hold the World Cups they won under fascism, and the politics behind the adoption of the ‘calcio’ name. 

There’s also talk of the newly-crowned European Champions: what separates Roberto Mancini’s team from those who went before? 

Plus: the decline of Italian cycling, Silvio Berlusconi, and the legacy of John’s famous father. John’s picks were: Brilliant Orange by David Winner; The Age of Football by David Goldblatt; Paolo Sollier’s autobiograph; The cycling writing of Dino Buzzatti 

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We discuss Tom’s new book about the 1997 Lions Tour of South Africa: the chaos and dysfunction that engulfed South African rugby after the famous 1995 World Cup win, why they nonetheless expected to beat the Lions, and how the Lions upset the odds. 

We talk about the famous Jim Telfer, and how he has now redirected his demonic rugby energy into...gardening. 

Tom also reflects on where things went wrong for Scotland at the Euros.

Plus: the misery of Irish rugby in the 1990s, and what it is like to cover the Old Firm divide. 

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Tony explains why he considers himself “Scouse, not English”, and why that identity derives from Irish migration to Liverpool. He recalls his days following Liverpool across Europe, and recalls the shame of the Heysel Stadium disaster of 1985. 

We talk about the reaction of Margaret Thatcher’s government to that night - the banning of English teams from European competition - and why that decision was motivated by far more than just football. 

Tony was also present at the Hillsborough disaster four years later: he talks about why he has been determined to keep on talking and writing about the establishment’s cover-up of the tragedy. 

And what of football now? Is it really still the best example of working class culture in Britain? 

Plus: how he ended up in The Farm, why Rafa Benitez would be a good Everton manager, a Celtic fan’s confrontation with Dida, and an unsettling night in Donetsk. 

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Pat is covering the Euros for BBC Radio, and he reflects on the distressing Christian Eriksen situation, during which he was providing live commentary. We also discuss whether the television broadcasters were wrong to show as much footage of the incident as they did, and whether Uefa were right to restart the game. 

We also discuss Pat’s new book, The Accidental Footballer, in which looks back at his remarkable football career. As a fan of post-punk and classic literature, Pat was an outsider in 1980s English football, and we discuss the impact that had on his career, and also the many principled stands he took throughout his career on racist abuse and discrimination. 

Plus: playing for Scotland in that Gary Mackay game, how he might have played for Ireland, music tips, David Luiz’ daft car and waiting in the searing heat for Saddam Hussein.

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You can now listen back to the full conversation, as we reflect on the days of Football Italia, and hear a few tales of how it was to be working with Paul Gascogine.

There are also plenty of other Italian stories, including how the show ended up being criticised in the Italian parliament, a Monty Python skit with Roberto Mancini, and how James once tried teaching Italian to a young Robbie Keane. 

We also talk about the show’s brief return with Pierluigi Collina on Bravo, the roots of its success in the first place.

And we discuss podcasting: did he ever think the Guardian Football Weekly would become as successful as it became? And why did he decide to split from the show to start his current venture, the Totally Football Show? 

Plus there’s TIME Man of the Century Ronnie O’Brien, Tino Asprila, Charlemagne, and the ethics of drinking as a Mormon.A

nd a reminder to get in touch with us. Email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet @gcooney93. You can join the WhatsApp group too, by adding our number 0833930229 on WhatsApp and sending us a message. Please include your email address so that we can confirm your membership.

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We talk about the respective failures of the Manchester clubs in the last week, and then delve into the bigger issues at each club. For how much longer will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last at Man United? And does Guardiola still enjoy the total support of his players?

We also discuss what it’s like working around Guardiola, and what he does and does not respond to in the press.

And we talk England at the Euros, and why we don’t have to worry about them winning the thing.

Plus: Birdwatching, Mike Tyson, the art of a bad movie review, and how Mark’s life has intimidated art.

His picks were: Entourage and the Slow-Burning Death of the American Dream by Kaleb Horton; Lookon Mike Tyson, Ye Mighty and Despair by John Saward; I Played 'The Boys Are Back in Town' on a Bar Jukebox Until I Got Kicked Out by Timothy Faust

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We talk to Tim about how and why he ended up in Brazil, and why the idea of Graham Taylor convinced him he had to start writing about football. 

We talk about the biggest personalities and stories he has covered in his time in South America, and why Jair Bolsonaro may never have come to power had it not been for the swell of protests that took place around the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup. 

Tim also frankly shares his disappointment in Ronaldinho having campaigned for Bolsonaro along with his fears for the country’s future. 

Plus: why Lionel Messi won’t be returning to Argentina, and the lessons all writers have to learn from John Coltrane. 

Tim’s picks were: 

• The work of Brian Glanville 
• The work of Hugh McIlvanney 
• Y el futbol, donde esta? by Angel Cappa 
• McCoy Tyner piano solo on John Coltrane's version of My Favourite Things

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Ger is a former sports editor of the Sunday Tribune, and has been mentioned as an influence by many of our guests thus far. We discuss how he ran the Sunday Tribune’s truly innovative sports department, and the one common characteristic shared by all of his best writers.

We also talk about the ‘genius’ of Vincent Browne, and the origins of Ross O’Carroll Kelly.

Elsewhere, there’s lots of cricket talk, as Ger recalls the remarkable life story of John Mooney and explains how cricket was once the most dominant sport in the country...and why it has been making a revival.

Ger’s picks were:

• The cricket writing of Mike Atherton
• “If You’re Expecting One-Liners, Wait, a Column” and "She Took the Magic and Happy Summer With Her” by Jim Murray of the LA Times
• “At Lord’s”, a poem by Francis Thompson
• "Scarlet and Gold" and "Let it Be Told" by Phillip Greene.

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So, listen as Simon Kuper explains the influence of Eamon Dunphy and details what a night out with an elite footballer is really like nowadays; Stephen Jones defends himself from our listeners’ charge that he is “anti-Irish”; and ESPN’s Wright Thompson reveals why Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan have fallen out. Plus, Marcela Mora y Araujo tells an extraordinary tale of how the victims of the military junta were treated during the 1978 World Cup , and Michael Calvin reflects on the profoundly moving experience of co-writing Gareth Thomas’ autobiography.

If you want to gain access to the full 75-episode back catalogue of_ Behind the Lines, _along with a new episode every week, then subscribe for €5 a month or €42 a year at members.the42.ie.

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Michael is a multi-award winning journalist who has covered virtually every major sporting event, including seven Olympic Games and six World Cups. His books have won a host of major awards too, including The Nowhere Men, Living on the Volcano, and No Hunger in Paradise. 

He has also co-written the autobiographies of Dylan Hartley, Alistair Cooke, Joey Barton and Gareth Thomas, and it’s the extraordinary story of writing the latter book we discuss on this show. We also talk about his new book, Whose Game is it Anyway?, in which he reflects on why he first fell in love with football, and how he reconciles that with the ugly state of the modern game. 

Plus there’s the harsh treatment of Sam Allardyce, the lessons learned watching Muhammad Ali watching his dughter in the ring, the intractability of Margret Thatcher and a story involving interviews with members of Poland’s Solidarity movement in confessional boxes. 

Michael’s picks were: 

• The Football Man by Arthur Hopcraft 
• Back from the Brink by Paul McGrath and Vincent Hogan 
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie or find me on Twitter, @gcooney93.You can also join the Behind The Lines WhatsApp group by adding our number 0833930229 on WhatsApp and sending us a message. Please include your email address so that we can confirm your membership.

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Éamon is a Shamrock Rovers fan, so we discuss his memories of following the club, the intersection of sport and music, and whether Dublin clubs in the League of Ireland are tapping into the city’s music scene. We also discuss some of his favourite chants, and the Hot Press interview in which Mani of the Stone Roses proposed killing the monarchy. Éamon’s picks are: 

• “Why I Write” by George Orwell 
• Spitalfields Life: In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London by The Gentle Author 
• The Foghorn's Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast by Jennifer Lucy Allan

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Michael now writes for The Athletic, having risen to prominence by covering football tactics on his blog, Zonal Marking. Since launching that blog, he has written for the Guardian and ESPN and published two books on the history of tactics in the Premier League and European football, The Mixer and Zonal Marking.

We talk about why he start writing about tactics, and why he wouldn't do so if he was trying to break into journalism today. We talk about the incredible influence of Pep Guardiola, why his ideas have spread so quickly and so widely, and whether this is a good thing.

Plus: the tactical illiteracy of the England 'Golden Generation', the trends and statistics we will be talking about in a couple of years' time, and why the end of the Super League does not mean the end of football's major problems.

Michael's picks were:

• Gabriele Marcotti's article on Pep Guardiola for _The Times_ in 2004
• Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson
• Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper

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This week’s guest is writer and visual artist Adrian Duncan.

We talk about his new collection of short stories, Midfield Dynamo, and why he arranged the stories in a 4-4-2 formation. We also talk about his football career: he spent a year at Longford Town under one Stephen Kenny.

Adrian shares his memories of working under Kenny, how he always thought he was destined for something big. We also talk about the basic appeal of football, and why VAR is one of the game’s worst-ever impositions.

Plus: the geopolitics of collecting football stickers in rural Longford, and the similarities between Andy Lee and Hadrian.

Adrian's picks were:

• The Orbis 1990 World Cup Sticker Album
• Fighter by Andy Lee and Niall Kelly

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Last month Kate detailed the shocking physical and emotional abuse to which she has been subjected to as a woman covering rugby. We discuss the experiences she has chronicled in the piece, why she wrote it, and the reaction she has received to it. 

We also talk more broadly about rugby: why Chris Robshaw is one of the most interesting players she has met, and the snobbery that exists in some circles toward Owen Farrell. 

Plus, we chat about golf and the backwards nature of much of Augusta National, their attitude to women and the absurd moralising of club chairman Billy Payne. 

Kate’s picks were: 

• “Touchy Day at Augusta” by Karen Crouse for the New York Times
• Slaying the Tiger by Shane Ryan 
• Irons in the Fire by Russel Brand

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We chat about each of Johnny’s two main passions: Racing and League of Ireland football. How can racing make itself appeal to a more general audience and break from its reliance on the gambling industry?

Has the sport got an image problem? And was Gordon Elliott harshly dealt with? Johnny also tells a couple of stories about the horses he has owned. We also get into the appeal of the League of Ireland, and whether it is now mainstream. 

There’s much more besides, including the greatest quality of Con Houlihan and what is to be learned from a former Minister for Health, Noel Browne. Johnny’s picks were: There’s Only One Red Army _by Eamonn Sweeney; Not By a Long Shot A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track_ by T.D. Thornton_; A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng; Against the Tide _by Noel Browne; “Con Houlihan uncovered the possibilities of Ireland’s sporting landscape” by Arthur O’Dea for Off the Ball.

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Paul Dollery is joined by Gavin Cooney and David Sneyd to assess the current state of affairs for the Irish team, its manager and what lies ahead.

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But Gavin joined Paul Dollery and David Sneyd to look ahead to this week's World Cup qualification opener away to Serbia on a special episode of the Football Family.

The lads discuss our hopes of coming second to Portugal in the group, the prospect of getting amongst goals at last and the selection decisions facing the manager.

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In the course of a wide-ranging conversation, Wright, Gavin and our members discussed the essence of what Wright tries to achieve as a sportswriter, the fallout from his reporting on some of the biggest names in world sport, including Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, the athletes and writers that have influenced him, and much, much more.

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We also discuss the three great players in Argentina’s history: Alfredo di Stefano, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi. We talk about why Maradona was so important to his country, which brought a level of fame and reverence to which he became addicted - for better and, largely, for worse. 

Marcela also abolishes a few myths regarding Lionel Messi’s standing in Argentina, traces his similarities and differences to Maradona, and explains why managing Brand Messi is as big an enterprise as anything seen before in football.

Plus: is Messi just a boring guy, or is he holding something back? She also shares extraordinary stories of the entanglement of the 1978 World Cup with the brutal military dictatorship, and how its legacy is a lot more complex than you may think. 

Her picks were : Hoop Dreams and _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas _by Hunter S. Thompson. 

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We discuss how Stephen started out in rugby journalism, and cover a range of topics from the modern game: Why is Warren Gatland a better coach of the Lions than Joe Schmidt would be? Why has professionalism not worked out for Welsh rugby? And why does he think Eddie Jones is occasionally a prat?

Stephen also elicited more listener questions than any of our previous guests (by a mile). There was a unifying theme behind most of the questions: Is he really anti-Irish?

Stephen also recommended a host of sports books: Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh; Stand Up and Fight _by Alan English; _Lions on Trek by J B G Thomas; Sevens Heaven _by Ben Ryan; The three "best of" compendiums of the work of Hugh McIlvanney on boxing, racing, football; _Exe Men by Rob Kitson; Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado; _Up and Over _by Dave Hadfield.

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We discuss some of the findings of his book: why are younger siblings more likely to make it at the top?

Why does growing up in a mid-size town help your chances of making it big? And what kind of impact does the month of your birth have on your prospects? We also discuss why England have been so bad at penalty shootouts and how Gareth Southgate changed it, get into the thorny debate around early specialisation and when it is best for a child to focus on one particular sport, and explain why tennis players scream and grunt their way through matches.

Tim's picks were: "Fly Lara Fly" by Rahul Bhattacharya for ESPN; "The String Theory" by David Foster Wallace for Esquire; and Jonathan Liew writing about the 2018 Champions League final for The Independent.

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We catch up with John on how his life has been since the book, and talk about the book’s reception. We also chat about the process of writing it, and his plans for the future.

There’s also talk about the Dubs: what makes Stephen Cluxton tick? What was it like under Paul Caffrey? And what does he make of the eternal funding debate around Dublin?

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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Thanks for your support!

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In 1979, as a postgraduate student at Cambridge, he revived the famous literary magazine Granta, which he then edited until 1995, at which point he returned to the United States to become the fiction editor at The New Yorker. 

He has also written a number of books, including Among the Thugs. Published in 1992, the book tells of Buford’s experience of spending six years embedded with English football hooligans, with whom he ran across the country and the continent. 

He shares his wildest memories from those days, and we chat more broadly about football violence: why do people do it? What does he make of how football has changed?  Did the themes of his book foreshadow the Brexit vote? And did the book inspire Fight Club _and _Green Street?

We also talk about his time at Granta - at which he first published the likes of Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie - and his work with the _New Yorker, _as Bill explains the challenges of editing Philip Roth. 

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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Anna is an Australian writer, poet, essayist, and journalist. In 2014 she became only the second-ever female winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award for her book, Night Games: Sex, Power, and a Journey to the Dark Heart of Sport. 

The book centres on a rape trial involving a young woman and a minor league Australian rules footballer, but also exposes a history of sexual violence against women and a culture of misogyny in Australian Rules football and National Rugby League. 

We talk about the sports culture exposed in the book, and of how macho sports culture doesn’t just permit misogyny, but is actually sustained by it. We also discuss the book’s legacy. Why was Anna discredited in parts of Australian public life following its release? And to what extent have attitudes to women changed in elite male sport?

There’s plenty more in the conversation besides, including her overcoming early reading difficulties to become an award-winning writer, and what life is like post-lockdown in Melbourne. 

Anna’s picks were: _Underworld _by Don DeLillo; _Barracuda _by Christos Tsolkias; and the work of Australian artist, Tracey Moffatt. A reminder to get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, you can contact the national 24-hour helpline run by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre at 1800 77 88 88.

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We chat about his early days in journalism, his decision to move to London, and, of course, his experience of covering Roy Keane. He also argues back against the notion (pedalled largely by me) that Jack Charlton’s Ireland team has been freighted with too much meaning over the years. 

We also talk about John Delaney and the Irish legal environment which allowed him weather so many damaging stories about the FAI before he was finally brought down by the Sunday Times in 2019. 

Dion’s picks were: _Dead as Doornails _by Anthony Cronin; _American Pastoral _by Phillip Roth; The work of cricket writer Martin Johnson. 

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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Simon shares a couple of the stories behind Football Against the Enemy with us, and explains why he railed against the “stupid” environment of the football beat. We also talk about footballers, how they are portrayed and discussed differently by the media in different countries, why players are necessarily detached from supporters...and why it’s supporters’ fault. 

He also discusses a couple of the things he and Stefan Szymanski got wrong in the first edition of _Soccernomics. _

Simon’s picks were: Beyond the Boundary _by CLR James; _Only a Game? _By Eamon Dunphy; and “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”, by John Updike for the _New Yorker 

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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We talk about his music - including the song he wrote and played for George Best - along with lots about football.

Who was the real Eric Cantona, and how was he misportrayed by the UK press? How hurt was Arsene Wenger by the vitriol and the criticism of his final years at Arsenal, and will he ever work as a manager again?

And why is the French national team so boring to watch?

Plus, Philippe delivers his conclusions on a treatise he has written about the impact Brexit is going to have on football. (Spoiler: the only real loser is...Ireland.) 

Philippe’s picks are:

• Jonathan Wilson writing about what it means to support Sunderland;
• Jonathan Liew’s 2017 piece for the Independent titled, “Burnley, Brexit and Britishness: The Premier League's most interesting club and how it represents society's split”

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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Listen to Paul Howard discuss Gary Smith’s stunning evocation of Muhammad Ali’s entourage and Paul Kimmage’s affecting piece on the life and death of his one-time friend and team-mate, Thierry Claveyrolat.

David Walsh doffs his cap to Damien Ressiot, another journalist crucial in the chase of Lance Armstrong; Malachy Clerkin recounts Paul Howard’s meeting with Daniel Timofte, the man who helped to make a legend of Packie Bonner; Jonathan Liew waxes lyrical about Wright Thompsons’s stunning 2016 profile of Tiger Woods...and then Wright Thompson comes on air to explain how he did it. 

Get in touch with us - email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93.

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Your BTL host Gav Cooney turns from interrogator to the interrogated as he answers Kevin Brannigan's questions on Stephen Kenny's opening months as Irish manager.

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A long-time Sports Illustrated columnist, USA Today once said Rick is the closest thing sportswriting has ever had to a rock star: he’s an 11-time National Sportswriter of the Year and has been inducted to the sportswriting and sportscasting hall of fame. 

We talk of The Reilly Rules for Writing, his fame at Sports Illustrated, why he loved it and then why he left, before retiring early as the industry changed in an online age. 

We also talk about his recent book, Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Donald Trump, and he reflects on his initial support of Lance Armstrong, and how he has felt cheated himselfPlus, we talk about his competing at Ferret Legging and the World Sauna Championships, the time he spent with Mexico’s famous wrestling priest, and the Red Hand of Ulster he’s got tattooed on his back. 

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We speak about how he left his job in bank to break into television, and how Virgin Media put together a soccer panel to rival RTE’s. We also discuss the influence of the likes of Bill O’Herlihy and Des Lynam, and Tommy assembles his fantasy panel of football pundits. 

He also recalls what has become a definitive story about John Delaney.

Tommy’s picks were: “Hero worshipped by his people”, Hugh McIlvanney’s obituary of Jock Stein for the Observer, September 1985 ; Ball Four by Jim Bouton; A Strange Kind of Glory by Eamon Dunphy 

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This week’s guest on Behind the Lines is critic and novelist Anthony Quinn. Anthony was the film critic for the UK Independent from 1998 to 2013, and has written six novels. The first, The Rescue Man, won the 2009 Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award. 

His latest book is of relevance to this show: Jurgen Klopp: My Liverpool Romance. 

We talk about Klopp and about Liverpool; how a city that suffered ruinously during World War II have found their modern-day figurehead to be from Germany. 

Anthony also has a host of terrific tips on writing, and he also talks of his high-profile stint as a judge of the Man Booker prize, which once saw him publicly disagree with the chosen winner. 

Anthony’s picks were: Francis Thompson’s poem 'At Lord's'; John Updike’s short essay on golf, “Tips on a Trip”; The Sun’s headline after Celtic were shocked in the 2000 Scottish Cup by Inverness Caledonian Thistle

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We talk about the magic behind Cavan’s Ulster Championship success, what it means and how it came about. 

Paul’s picks were:

• “Ulster Final Day: A Big Wedding...A Grand Funeral” by Tom McIntyre for the Anglo-Celt, July 1995
• Tom McIntyre writing on the death of Tony Tighe for the Anglo-Celt, 2005
• Declan Bogue’s interview with Johnny McGurk for the Irish Examiner, September 2018
• Dermot Crowe’s interview with Joe Connolly for the Sunday Independent, July 2020

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He also writes for a range of outlets including the Athletic, the Sunday Times, the BBC and is editor-at-large of FourFourTwo magazine.

We talk about how and why he founded United We Stand while he was still in school, and how it has changed over the decades. It was one of many fanzines to give supporters a voice in the 1980s and 1990s, and we talk of how supporters’ voices have influenced and changed modern football writing. 

The interview is also packed full of stories, featuring encounters with Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane along with a trip to Mexico to find Diego Maradona. 

Andy’s picks were:

• Are You Watching Liverpool? By Jim White;
• ‘Keeper of Dreams and A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke, both by Ronald Reng;
• All Played Out by Pete Davies 

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We also hear how Ross O’Carroll Kelly was partly inspired by the time Paul was sued over getting a tryscorer’s name wrong in a schools rugby match, and of how he may have accidentally contributed to a defeat for Steve Collins in a European title fight in Italy. 

Paul’s picks were:  “Paddy Moore” an essay by Sean Ryan in the Book of Irish Goalscorers; “Johnny Owen’s last fight” by Hugh McIlvanney; “Ali and his Entourage” by Gary Smith for Sports Illustrated ; “The fatal attraction of Claveyrolat” by Paul Kimmage for the Sunday Independent.

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Damian is also the author of seven books, and his most recent, When the World Stops Watching, charts the retirements and afterlives of a range of Irish sports stars. We talk about the extraordinary story of former footballer Paul McGee, whose life was sent into a spiral by a horror injury sustained on the eve of a multi-million pound move and an international call-up by Jack Charlton.  We also hear stories from Niall Quinn and Tommy Bowe, and explore the common themes and challenges of an athlete’s retirement. 

There’s also chat about his career, the importance and value of persistence, and how Coronation Street’s Les Battersby gave said career an early boost. There’s also some GAA talk, and the virtues of these abnormal championships. 

Damian’s picks were: The work of Donal Ryan ; “Hurling has never been less important. Hurling has never been more important” by Enda McEvoy for the Irish Examiner; “Kindness”, a poem by F Scott Fitzgerald

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We talk about what truly drove Jordan, and what it was like to cover his iconic career as a reporter.

Roland is also a teacher, and was teaching a media class in Virginia Tech on the day a student opened fire and killed 32 people in the deadliest school shooting in the history of the United States. Roland and his students’ reaction was remarkable: they crouched beneath their desks for safety...and then began reporting. Their live reporting became the basis for all of the national and international coverage of the horrifying event.

Roland’s picks were: The work of David Halberstam; The work of Kurt Vonnegut; The work of Robert Caro

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There’s also a lot of Liverpool talk, as she has just released a new book delving into how Jurgen Klopp masterminded that long wait for a league title. What is it that makes him special? How does he motivate his players? And does he really have a Brendan Rodgers-style self-portrait?

We also talk about how this season will pan out for Liverpool, and if they will cope without Virgil van Dijk.

Melissa’s picks were: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby; The work of Hugh McIlvanney; “Man..Superman...Leo Messi” by Sid Lowe for The Guardian

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Racquet has a more literary quality than most sport magazines, and that’s the thrust of our conversation, as we talk through work by David-Foster Wallace, Zadie Smith and film director Werner Herzog.

We also talk tennis, and Maria Sharapova: what legacy does she leave? What came first: Sharapova the player, or Sharapova the brand? And, ultimately, is she happy?

Also - why does nobody like Djokovic? And who really is the GOAT?

Caitlin’s picks are:

Derivative sport in tornado alley by David Foster WallaceThe (Re)selling of Maria Sharapova by Sarah Nicole PrickettFences: A Brexit Diary by Zadie SmithWerner Herzog has never thought a dog was cute by David Marchese

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Daniel has had a stellar career: he’s written books on Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson and won a series of awards for his reporting of the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked British football.

We chat about how Daniel got his break in football reporting, and about the characters of Clough and Ferguson. Daniel covered Ferguson’s United extensively and so is well-placed to talk about just how fearsome Ferguson was like at close quarters...particularly given he was banned from Ferguson’s press conferences for six years.

We also discuss how he reported the sexual abuse story, the bravery of Andy Woodward and the other victims who came forward, and how working on the story affected him.

We also talk about the Athletic, and of how Daniel was once road-raged by Roy Keane.

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Mark and Paul have built on their award-winning series of stories for the Sunday Times by writing a book, titled Champagne Football: John Delaney and the betrayal of Irish Football.

This week they join us for a chat to explain how their initial stories came to light - which included a dramatic late-night sitting at the Four Courts - and they reflect on those extraordinary weeks in 2019, from Delaney’s becoming Executive Vice-President in Gibraltar, and the tennis ball protests at the Aviva Stadium, to that remarkable appearance before the Oireachtas Sport Committee.

We also reflect on deeper questions about an extraordinary tale. How did Delaney become untouchable at the FAI? What exactly motivated Delaney? Was it greed, ego, or did he just want to do right by his father?

And, above all, what the hell was the John the Baptist documentary all about?

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You’ll probably know Wright from his famed longform pieces for ESPN, which includes famed profiles of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

You’ll definitely know Wright from the almighty controversy he kicked off with his description of Dublin in a 2017 profile of Conor McGregor. We address that at length in this chat, and also discuss how he ended up judging a baby contest in Dublin city.

We talk about the heartland of the American South where Wright grew up, and the impact his town’s racist history left upon him.

Plus, we talk about some of the sporting greats he has profiled, including Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. What makes each of them unique? And do they share any characteristics?

Oh, and there’s also a long love letter to Grogan’s.

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We talk of how he found his way into broadcasting, the drama of his and colleagues’ exit from Newstalk and the huge success they have made of Second Captains, their latest project being an investigative series made with BBC Sounds, Where is George Gibney.

Although the true reason you should listen to this is to hear Murph go fully Larry David around Domhnall Gleeson.

His picks were: “The Silence”, by Roger Angell for the New Yorker; “Steven Gerrard and the 'top, top' chop” by Ken Early for The Guardian; Malalchy Clerkin’s Irish Times report on Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary; The Bogey Man by George Plimpton; “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nahesi Coates for the Atlantic.

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Jeff is special features writer with Sports Illustrated and the Woods book is one of 16 he’s written. His most recent is out today - The Dynasty, the inside story of the New England Patriots.

We chat about the Patriots and what made them so successful, we dig into the relationship between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and Jeff also explains the integral role played in the entire dynasty by, em, Jon Bon Jovi.

We also talk about Jeff’s career, and how he ended up beating Donald Trump in court.

And there’s plenty of Tiger talk, too.

Jeff’s picks were: Open by Andre Agassi ; Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand; Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger

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In the meantime, we are looking back at a few highlights from our third run of episodes. Last Dance contributor Sam Smith talks of how and why he wrote The Jordan Rules, the insider account that revealed hitherto secrets of Michael Jordan’s true nature, and Howard Bryant reflects on sports' role in laundering the image of a militarised police force that is now facing calls to be defunded.

Separately, David Walsh reflects on his much-criticised coverage of Team Sky and discusses where his friendship with Paul Kimmage now stands, while Diane K.Shah reveals the shocking harassment she faced as a pioneering sportswriter in the 1970s.

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Nicky English gave Tadhg some bohemian mystique when he described him as “ a skinhead with a donkey jacket who adopted a very nonchalant attitude to life” but Tadhg was in his fifties before he became a published author, finally finding the confidence to make good on a decades-long desire to be a writer.

We discuss how that came about, and how aspiring writers can overcome their fears and misgivings to go and become the real thing. We also talk about the basic importance of sport, and why Gavin’s mid-lockdown shrieks about why professional sport shouldn’t be rushing back were, well, a crock of shit.

Tadhg’s picks were: “Sport”, a poem by Paul Durcan; “Prosinecki”, a short story by Adrian Duncan in a 2018 edition of Stinging Fly; A Natural, a novel by Ross Raisin; The Throwback Special, a novel by Chris Bachelder

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In school she was told to get real when she said she wanted to be a sportswriter...and then became the first female sports columnist in an American daily newspaper. To get there she battled absurd sexism, and in the early days she was excluded from games and press events, to the point that a staff member at the Boston Red Sox told her she would be responsible for the “death of the American family.”

She talks here of some of those encounters - including how she was sleazily propositioned by her childhood hero Mickey Mantle - and how she dealt them. Would she have dealt with them differently today?

There are also a few tales of her amazing career, including a falling-out with Paul Newman and an interview with Larry Bird that ended with him warning, “If I see that girl again I’ll spit in her face.”

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In this part, we chat a little more about Lance and a lot about Team Sky. David did a 2013 book called Inside Team Sky and his coverage of the team has been heavily criticised, which David reflects on in this episode. The most high-profile of that criticism came from his friend Paul Kimmage, who said on radio four years ago that their relationship was finished. David discusses where that relationship is now, along with plenty of other topics, including whether soccer and rugby have the same doping problem that seems endemic in cycling and athletics.

We also discuss the third and final of his picks - Paul Kimmage’s Engage.

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Here’s the first part, in which we chat about his new book, The Russian Affair along with his fraught early days as editor of the Leitrim Observer. There’s plenty of chat about Lance Armstrong in this part along with a whole lot else, including David’s deeply poignant recollections of his late son, John.

We discuss two of David’s three picks in this episode: William Nack’s pursuit of Bobby Fischer for Sports Illustrated and Damien Relliot’s superb investigative story for L’Equipe, which proved Lance Armstrong took EPO on the ‘99 Tour de France.

We’ll play out part two next week.

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We chat about the importance of local and provincial news, the ways in which it differs from and trumps national reporting, and the threat posed to it as Covid-19 exacerbates an already fragile industry.

There’s plenty of chat about the O’Donovan brothers, of course, and we also dig into a couple of great GAA stories: the sometimes-too-fierce rivalry between Castlehaven and O'Donovan Rossa in Cork, and the Kerry school that produced a bewildering number of Gaelic football legends.

Kieran’s picks were: Larry Ryan’s 2016 interview with Gary O’Donovan for the Irish Examiner; his own feature on the 1994 Cork football final and the intense rivalry between O’Donovan Rossa and Castlehaven, which he was warned not to write; and Paul Brennan’s McNamee Award-winning piece on St Brendan’s College in Kerry for The Kingdom newspaper.

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We’ve spoken with two journalists who covered the Charlton Years extensively - RTÉ commentator George Hamilton and Phillip Quinn, Chief Football Writer at the Irish Daily Mail.

The Irish management team mixed a lot more closely with the media in Charlton’s time, so George and Phillip have a treasure trove of memories and stories to excavate. (Jack once told Pavarotti to pipe down ahead of the quarter-final!)

We also discuss what made him successful, his mistakes, whether the job changed him, and above all his legacy.

We hope you enjoy it.

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Garry's picks were, Tony Cascarino's autobiography Full Time, Brendan Fanning's From Here to There and Denis Walsh's Hurling: The Revolution Years.

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Robert has spent decades as a highly-regarded reporter and columnist and has written tens of fiction and nonfiction books. He has won awards in fields other than just sportswriting: he was a Pulitzer Prize runner-up in 1992, an Emmy winner for his current affairs work on television with PBS, and in 2001 was recognised for making a lasting contribution to Young Adult Literature.

He began his career at the New York Times in 1957, where he quickly rose to become a reporter at the age of just 21, his biggest break coming when he was assigned to cover a fight between reigning champ Sonny Liston and an Olympic medalist called Cassius Clay.

We talk about his first meeting with Ali - whom he met with the Beatles - and of how he evolved and changed over time. Ali, says Robert, was not initially a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, but saw how his political awareness evolved and changed over time.

There’s lots more in here too. Robert explains what he learned from Gay Talese at the Times, he discusses sportswriting’s successes and failures in tackling American politics and society, and how it must now change, and he remembers his very first interview with Donald Trump, and how even then he evinced the lies and the narcissicm that now come from the White House.

Robert’s picks were Farewell to Sport, by Paul Gallico and Ball Four, by Jim Bouton.

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Prior to joining RTÉ, Marie was a staff writer at the Sunday Independent.

Here she talks us through how she got her break in the industry, how to build up contacts, and the best advice she’s received. We also talk about the transition from writing to broadcasting, and how, exactly, you go about putting together a nightly sports radio during a once-in-a-century pandemic that has forced the cancellation of sport across the world.

There’s a couple of cheerier topics in there too.

Marie’s picks were: Con Houilihan’s report on the 1978 All-Ireland football final; Jonathan Liew’s report on Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona; Wright Thompson’s famed 2016 profile, The Secret History of Tiger Woods; and Eamonn Sweeney’s column revealing the 50 characteristics of Hurling Man.

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He is an outstanding writer on racial issues in America, and we explore the problems and the divides that have led the country to the point at which it stands today and how they have played themselves out in sport and in sportswriting.

Howard talks about the reality of being black in America and the challenges of writing about it, how the militarisation of the police was normalised by a deceptive and secret deal with the nation’s major sports, how Colin Kapernick was right all along and why the NFL’s apology didn’t go nearly far enough.

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(We also learn a bit about Lineker’s fledgling sportswriting career before he got on with the business of being one of the greatest goalscorers in English football history.)

McIlvanney is the most-cited writer across our 29 episodes to date, and this episode also features contributions from Donald McRae, Alan English, Miguel Delaney and Danny Kelly.

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We talk about a couple of the hideous experiences she had when starting out as a journalist, how the attitude to female sports reporters have changed in the subsequent 15 years...and how they haven’t.

We also talk about the progress made by women’s sport in the last few years - and her fear that the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will undermine most of that work - how women’s athletes are covered differently to male athletes, and why the perceived ambition to recognise women’s sport as solely ‘sport’ is not necessarily something to be aimed for.

Anna’s picks were: The Fan, by Hunter Davies; “Corruption and Abuse Still Block Women From Soccer” by Shireen Ahmed for Time Magazine; The work of Amy Lawrence and Don McRae; and Lyn Barber’s 2011 interview with Rafael Nadal for the Sunday Times.

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The book caused a sensation by lifting the curtain and showing the world a very different version of Michael Jordan than had been marketed to that point: not the the wholesome, all-American character he had been marketed as to that point, but a guy as flawed as the rest of us, who was often nasty to team-mates. The book’s headlines caused a sensation, with Smith receiving threats and told to take a week off work, which led to his being reported missing.

We discuss how he reported the book and what he made of its reaction, along with talking at length about Jordan’s character: of what drove him as an athlete and how the kid Smith spent a weekend with when he first joined the Bulls was changed by talent, success, fame and scrutiny.

We also learn how Jordan reacted to Smith when they met after the book’s publication, and whether such a book could be written today.

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Keith’s picks were: Feature writing: “Team Spirit: Memories of being a Freshman Cheerleader by Donna Tartt; “Ireland’s Calling: A Journey into the Heart of a Rugby Powerhouse” by Donald McRae; “A Comedy of Errors: Ireland’s Ill-Fated South American Tour by Emmet Malone; “Hillsborough Disaster: Deadly Mistakes and Lies that lasted a decade” by David Conn; Column writing: “Last bell sounds for lion-hearted Finnegan” by George Kimball; Live writing: “An Anfield miracle transcribed from the pages of pure fantasy” by Jonathan Liew.

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Liam’s career is unique: he became Chief Sports Writer with the Sunday Press while he was playing inter-county football with Meath, meaning he had to write about games in which he played, along with profiling and interviewing opponents, team-mates and, at one point, his own manager.

We also talk about his iconic autobiography, Out of Our Skins, which has been remembered as the book that changed the genre in Ireland. He explains why he felt he could have done a better job on the book, and also the cathartic process of writing about his brother’s tragic suicide.

Liam also remembers his poignant meeting with a fading Kevin Heffernan, at which he told him he would be writing his biography, and we also talk of Liam’s own battle with cancer, and the novel that was part-inspired by his treatment and his thoughts on mortality.

Liam’s picks were: Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger; Open by Andre Agassi; Ali: His Life by Thomas Hauser; The Damned United by David Peace

As always, you can get in touch with us: email behindthelines@the42.ie, tweet @gcooney93, or join the WhatsApp group.

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If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast episode, please contact Samaritans - call 116 123 or text 087 2 60 90 90 - or Pieta House, by calling 1800 247247 or texting HELP to 51444.

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Joanne O’Riordan reveals her curious meeting with Man City’s uber-powerful chairman, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak; Graham Hunter explains how Alex Ferguson’s wife helped to kit him out while supporting Scotland at the ‘82 World Cup; Jeff Pearlman explains what he learned from the great names at Sports Illustrated; Jonathan Wilson explains how Roy Keane once changed the weather; and Danny Kelly recalls his friendship with Hugh McIlvanney.

There’s plenty more in there, too.

We will be back to normal with another great guest from next week.

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He moved into sport as editor of the monthly Total Sport and then founded the 365 Corporation, the kernel of which was Football365, which remains extremely popular to this day.

He has also written a range of books with his long-time radio collaborator Danny Baker, and he can now be heard on TalkSPORT.

He’s had a pretty amazing career and we skimmed through some of it, including his formative experience in the NME’s glory days, trying to explain rock and roll to Hugh McIlvanney and defending the print media by literally eating paper and drinking ink.

There’s lots more there besides, including great insight into his dual Irish/British identity and how Brian Clough inspired working class kids in Britain.

His picks were: NME in the 1970s; Down with Skool by Geoffrey Williams and Ronald Searle; and The work of Hugh McIlvanney

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We talk about how he got his break to become the most notable Irish-Spanish name in this country since Eamon De Valera, what it’s like to work at the biggest events in sport, the characteristics of the English press pack, and his use of Twitter.

He also reveals himself as the nation’s foremost academic on Saipan (he wrote a thesis on it) so we naturally chat quite a bit (possibly too much) about that.

Miguel’s picks were: Hugh McIlvanney’s tee-up of the 1970 World Cup final; “Will somebody tell David Beckham it’s time to go away” by Barney Ronay; and Paul Howard’s Sunday Tribune piece with Raul Nazare

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We figured it would be interesting to get another perspective on writing: what is it like to write columns having been the subject of others’ for years?

We also figured Dara might be able to dispel a few myths: has he ever actually seen newspaper headlines and articles pinned to the dressing room wall? And do players really not read what’s written about them in the press?

He answered those questions and a lot, lot more across the course of the conversation: he remembers some of the great characters from his playing career, including Páidí Ó Sé and Ciarán McDonald; he recalls his sole, prophetic meeting with Con Houlihan; and we also chat about the growing sterility in players’ dealings with the media.

Dara’s picks were: The Lifelong Season by Keith Duggan; Over the Bar by Breandán Ó hEithir; and “Gareth Edwards and Ireland’s Century” by Con Houlihan

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Jonathan writes for a host of outlets including the Guardian and Sports Illustrated, is the editor of quarterly football magazine the Blizzard and has written 11 books, including the acclaimed Inverting the Pyramid.

You may also recognise him from his regular appearances on Second Captains and the Guardian’s Football Weekly (apparently there are other podcasts?

In a remarkably wide-ranging chat, we talk about how he came to football writing in the wake of a thwarted academic career, the process of founding and editing the Blizzard, being sued by Walter Zenga and watching Roy Keane literally part the clouds.

Jonathan’s picks were: Grand Slam by Christopher Martin-Jenkins; Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper; The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt; Underworld by Don DeLillo.

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Kieran talks of the transformative effect Magill magazine and the Sunday Tribune had on Irish sportswriting, and whether we speak with too much reverence of the American tradition of longform writing. (Guilty.)

He deliberately picked four Irish pieces of writing, all but one of them written recently:

“Gut yer man” by Patrick Kavanagh ; “The Irish running rivalry fueled by hate” by Cathal Dennehy; “Life under Trapattoni” by Stephen Hunt; “Spurned, bombed and maimed by his own kind” by Joe Brolly

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He’s had quite a life: from playing rugby against Brian O’Driscoll to ending up in the Spanish dressing room after the 2010 World Cup final, via the amazing tale of how Jean-Marc Bosman helped to make his career and of how Alex Ferguson’s wife kitted him out with a Scotland top at the ‘82 World Cup.

There’s also some great advice in here on working at the coalface of journalism, and breaking stories.

His picks were the writings of:

• Katharine Whitehorn
• Clive James
• Hugh McIlvanney

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He chats to us about his brash arrogance as a young writer and the mistakes he made as a result, what he learned from working with the likes of Gary Smith and Rick Reilly as SI and how he ended up in the NBA draft.

His picks were pretty eclectic: the lede to a 1994 college paper review of a New Kids on the Block album; a magazine piece titled Of Monuments and Men by Steve Buckley of Boston Magazine; and Roger Ebert’s 2009 review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

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We also talk of how media coverage of politics has become like sport, and whether that’s a good thing, how he once scandalised a swathe of Her Majesty’s Press with a piece on the London football journalism scene last year, George Lucas, and his days on the trail of America’s infamous Piggyback Bandit.

Bryan’s picks were: The Rocky Road of Pistol Pete, by WC Heinz; Dan Jenkins’ 10 rules for journalists, from You Call It Sports But I See A Jungle Out There; King of the Sports Page, by Rick Reilly

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For those unaware, Joanne was born without limbs, and became a high-profile activist in Ireland when publicly challenging then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny over a cut to disability services.

She is also a sportswriter, and has a weekly column with the Irish Times.

We cover a pretty wide range of topics: of how interviewing Rena Buckley left Joanne far more nervous than addressing the United Nations; her experience on the Tommy Tiernan Show, and the talents that make him such a good interviewer; meeting Lionel Messi; and being invited to Manchester City by Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

There’s plenty more in there too.

Joanne’s picks are: Jimmy Breslin’s famous column on the death of John F Kennedy;

A piece published on These Football Times by Jamie Hamilton asking, What is Good Football?

Graham Hunter’s piece for Uefa.com on Barcelona’s miracle Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

Get in touch with us, email behindthelines@the42.ie or you’ll find me on Twitter, @gcooney93.

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Listen for the story of how Dave grew up playing football against Roy Keane but only felt his fury once he was working as a journalist, of being befriended by Ossie Ardiles in Zagreb, and an electrifying experience with a one-time piano prodigy who ended up running from the mob as one of Muhammad Ali’s promoters.

Dave’s picks were: WP Kinsella’s novel, Shoeless Joe, which later became the script for Field of Dreams; Frank Deford’s legendary Sports Illustrated story, The Boxer and the Blonde; And a five-part Sports Illustrated series by Steve Rushin called How We Got Here, tracing how sport changed in the 20th century.

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Paddy has been living in Italy since 1985, and in that time has covered some of football’s greatest names. We discuss his experience of following a few of them, including Diego Maradona, Liam Brady and, eh, Sven.

We also chat about what it’s like to jet around the world with the Pope, his experience of writing about the Troubles for Magill magazine, and of growing up as the neighbour whom Martin O’Neill wouldn’t meet until football brought them together.

His picks were all books: Gunshots and Goalposts, The story of N.I. football by Benjamin Roberts, A Season With Verona by Tim Parks, Calcio by John Foot, Hand of God by Jimmy Burns, and Obsessed, by Richard Dunwoody with David Walsh.

Get in touch by emailing behindthelines@the42.ie, or by joining our new WhatsApp group.

We’ve set up a group in which listeners can share pieces of writing they’ve loved, along with submitting questions for upcoming guests and suggesting potential future guests.

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It's another chance to hear Alan English talk Lance, get sartorial advice from one of the all-time greats, learn a valuable lesson through Malachy Clerkin... and much more.

Thanks for your support of Behind The Lines this year. Send any feedback to @behindthelines@the42.ie.

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We cover a lot of ground in an entertaining chat, including the startling tale which caused him to leave Brazil, one of his most infamous interview experiences, the effects of sportswashing and his own infamous use of Twitter.

Plus, there’s a fairly wild tale in there about Jimmy White drinking with his dead brother.

His picks are: Paul Howard’s piece with Nicolae Linca for the Sunday Tribune; Wright Thompson’s Shadow Boxing, for ESPN; Paul Kimmage’s famed interview with Greg LeMond; and “Trollerball” by Nicholas McGeehan.

Thanks for supporting the show, and send any and all feedback to behindthelines@the42.ie.

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Hope you enjoy the show - and get in touch with us by emailing behindthelines@the42.ie or tweeting @gcooney93.

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David has written one of the most authoritative books on football, The Ball is Round, and has this year published a follow-up called The Age of Football.

We talk about what it is like to write a book of such enormous heft and research - its endnotes fill more pages than most football books do by themselves - and also recount some of his favourite encounters with football’s terrible men, which include an hours-long meeting with Victor Orban and delivering a speech about Fifa in front of which Sepp Blatter literally fell asleep during the bit about corruption.

David’s picks are: The opening chapter of Don DeLillo’s novel Underworld; Only A Game? By Eamon Dunphy; When Saturday Comes; and The Damned United by David Peace.

Hope you enjoy the show - and get in touch with us by emailing behindthelines@the42.ie or tweeting @gcooney93.

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Don has twice won the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, and his latest book - In Sunshine or in Shadow: How Boxing Brought Hope in the Troubles - is shortlisted for this year’s award.

He has written 12 books in all, and has also conducted more than 2,500 interviews for the Guardian.

Don talks to us about his atypical route to sports journalism: born in apartheid South Africa, he moved to London in exile to escape a jail sentence for his unwillingness to serve military service back home.

There are also some outstanding nuts-and-bolts tips on how to conduct and write a great interview, the kind of advice university courses charge thousands for.

His picks are: A Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes; Hugh McIlvanney’s report on the tragic turning point in the life of Welsh boxer Johnny Owen; David Remnick’s book about Muhammad Ali, King of the World.

Get in touch - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet @gcooney93.

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Hear Michael talk of his former life listening to people argue about “the width of a drain in Mayo” as a Dáil stenographer; how to write a great column; and a revealing conversation with Gay Talese.

Talese’s iconic piece on Joe DiMaggio - The Silent Season of a Hero - features among his picks, along with WC Heinz’ short 1949 column, Death of a Racehorse; Brendán O’hEithir’s book Over The Bar: A Personal Relationship with the GAA; and Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch.

There’s also a very special spin-off pod adventure involving Gay Talese that we need your help with, so listen in for that.

Get in touch - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet @gcooney93.

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Many of you will know Jonathan’s work - and he has been frequently cited on this podcast to date. Here he tells us how he became so good at what he does, along with telling us that Liverpool/Barcelona report wasn’t even that good.

He also tells of his spat with BBC Cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew, how he sees writing as a science, and how he came to write a conversation between Alexis Sanchez’ dogs.

His picks are: Ed Smith’s deep dive on cricket batsmanship for The Cricket Monthly; Brian Phillips’ imagined email conversation between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic; Wright Thompson’s famed profile of Tiger Woods for ESPN.

Get in touch with the show - email behindthelines@the42.ie, or find Gavin on Twitter @gcooney93.

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His picks were really interesting, all by writers we haven’t heard of yet. We drilled down into what makes great writing, heard of Tommy's writing process and also talked about sport generally. As exhilarating as watching the likes of Leo Messi and Roger Federer is - how much excellence do we actually need?

Or is sport better for its flawed heroes?

Enjoy it, and if you want to get in touch with the show, email behindthelines@the42.ie.

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Glenn tells us his simple principle for putting pieces forward for inclusion in the anthology, along with giving plenty of nuts-and-bolts advice for writers and editors, be they aspiring or established.

Given his role with the anthology, there’s few better on the planet to recommend some great pieces - and he didn’t disappoint.

The stand-out is a piece by JR Moehringer called Resurrecting The Champ. It’s quite the journey, so we recommend reading it before listening to a spoiler-heavy chat.

There’s also a lovely column by LA Times’ Bill Plaschke about a meeting with a remarkable reader; the 19th-century baseball poem which Glenn says set the template for the modern match report; and William Nack’s ode to Secretariat, called Pure Heart, which appeared in a 1990 edition of Sports Illustrated.

Get in touch with the show - behindthelines@the42.ie.

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Alan’s is an amazing career, and he delves into what it was like working with Hugh McIlvanney, and his experience at the centre of the Sunday Times’ pursuit of Lance Armstrong.

Alan has also written a series of books, and he talks of working with Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell on their respective autobiographies.

His nominated pieces include: Hugh McIlvanney’s tribute to the late Matt Busby; an amazing 17,000-word epic in Playboy about the saga of getting Bobby Fischer on a plane for his chess world championship clash with Boris Spassky in Iceland; Paul Kimmage’s multi-part oral history of Ireland’s 2001 win over Holland for the Sunday Independent, The Team That Mick Built; and Jonathan Liew’s live report of Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona for the Independent.

Get in touch with the show: email behindthelines@the42.ie, or tweet @gcooney93.

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His nominated pieces were: Hugh McIlvanney’s iconic report from the Rumble in the Jungle; a remarkable 1997 All-Ireland hurling final preview by Denis Walsh for The Sunday Times; David Halberstam’s short piece on the traditions of baseball’s opening night; and Jimmy Breslin’s famous column about the death of John Lennon.

If you’d like to get in touch with the show, or want help in sourcing the pieces we spoke about, email behindthelines@the42.ie.

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We talk about what readers want from good sportswriting, profile writing, chasing Pete Doherty through London on a moped, Djibril Cisse and finding a zombie in Russia.

The pieces Rory brought along were: Robert Andrew Powell’s book, This Love is Not For Cowards; Ken Early’s Irish Times column on how quickly football has changed; and the broader notion of ‘David Remnick on Boxing’, with reference to his 1997 profile of Mike Tyson.

If you’d like to get in touch with the show, email behindthelines@the42.ie.

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We talk about he got he broke into journalism, what makes a great intro, the “insane discipline” of live reporting, the best piece of advice he has been given and the cliché he avoids like the, er, plague.

The pieces Malachy brought along were: an interview with Daniel Timofte by Paul Howard of The Sunday Tribune that, sadly, is not available online; Rick Reilly’s 1994 piece for Sports Illustrated called When Your Dream Dies; and Denis Walsh’s report of the 2018 All-Ireland hurling championship final for The Sunday Times.

If you’d like to get in touch with the show, email behindthelines@the42.ie.

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