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Football Ruined My Life

Football Ruined My Life

By: Colin Shindler Jon Holmes Paul Kobrak (and the late Patrick Barclay)
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About this listen

 When Football Ruined My Life started back at the beginning of 2023 it was the new podcast about old football. In it, distinguished football journalist Patrick Barclay joined with Colin Shindler, author of the best selling Manchester United Ruined My Life, and the Super Agent Jon Holmes (think Gary Lineker, Peter Shilton, Tony Woodcock etc.) to talk about football as it used to be in the days before the invention of the Premier League. For over 80 weekly episodes, the podcast viewed those days fondly - though not uncritically - in comparison to today's game, which it views critically though not unfondly. And it welcomed everyone who wants to remember Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton, Brian Clough and Bill Shankly and the days when you went to a Football League ground to watch your football and didn't wait for it to arrive on television. After the tragic and untimely death of Paddy Barclay in February 2025, Football Ruined My Life took a break to consider how (and if) to carry on. In May 2025 it has returned, with a panel of stars to make irregular appearances to join the regulars, Jon Holmes and Colin Shindler. These now include writer and producer Andy Hamilton, television executive Jimmy Mulville, the sports journalist and columnist for the Daily Telegraph Jim White and stand-up comedian Omid Djalili. But the feel and raison d'être of Football Ruined My Life remains the same. Still nostalgic? Yes. Still well informed? Certainly. But above all, it continues to glory in the football of our youth when the game seemed charmingly innocent, full of skillful, good hearted, kindly men like Norman Hunter, Ron Harris and Peter Storey. Join us every week for a romp through the 1960s, 70s, 80s and beyond that will warm you like a cup of scalding hot Bovril. Produced by Paul Kobrak. Contact the team at footballruinedmylife@gmail.comColin Shindler, Jon Holmes, Paul Kobrak Football (American) Football (Soccer)
Episodes
  • 104. You Don’t Win Anything With Kids

    104. You Don’t Win Anything With Kids
    Aug 29 2025
    In this episode Colin Shindler, Andy Hamilton and Jon Holmes examine Alan Hansen’s notorious observation that you don’t win anything with kids. It’s rather a shame that his reputation as one of the leading pundits has been slightly tarnished by the fact that he said those words on Match of the Day on the day Manchester United had been well beaten by Aston Villa at the start of the 1995-96 season. United went on to win the double that year and we all know what that group of young Manchester United players went on to achieve. Karen Brady when in charge of Birmingham City aroused the ire of all football supporters but claiming there was no point in growing vegetables if you could buy them so readily in the supermarket. We older supporters yearn nostalgically for the days when we could follow the progress of local players through the youth and Reserve teams and into the first eleven. Those were the days when the emergence of 17 and 18 year-olds who cost the traditional £10 signing on fee gave more pleasure to supporters than does the current purchase of endless overseas players for huge sums of money. Or does it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • 103. Creative Midfielders

    103. Creative Midfielders
    Aug 22 2025
    This week the panel discuss that most prized of assets on a football field – what we all used to call the creative or scheming inside forward, now called I suppose the creative midfielder which isn’t as euphonious in my opinion but it’s only my opinion. However it would include players like Danny Blanchflower and Paddy Crerand who both wore the number 4 shirt and played at right half. The point is we all know the kind of player we’re talking about – the one who can break open defences with an inch perfect through ball between two defenders, the player who is more aware than most of the position of everyone on the field, the unselfish creator who brings others into the game, the man with two brains. I think we’re all too young to have seen Wilf Mannion, Raich Carter and Alex James as they played before we started watching the game so we who are still in our 70s have fond memories of Johnny Haynes who is exactly the inside forward who best fits the tag “creative midfielder”. Many names are mentioned. Who would you choose? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • 102. Why Don’t the Top Six Just Bugger Off?

    102. Why Don’t the Top Six Just Bugger Off?
    Aug 15 2025
    We all know that that’s what the foreign owners want. Omid Djalili, Jon Holmes and Colin Shindler discuss the reasons why we shouldn’t just wave bye bye to the top six elite clubs in the Premier League and let them all just bugger off and join what nearly every football supporter fears will be the inevitable European Super League. For them there would then be no fear of relegation but instead there would be trips to Milan, Madrid, Rome, Munich, Paris and Barcelona every other week instead of down the M3 and the M27 to Southampton or up the M1 to Sheffield and Leeds… or even worse up the M65 to Burnley. We don’t suppose in the boardrooms of New York and Paris they look forward to being asked “Hello Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, how did you find the meat pies at Turf Moor last week?” But if they did leave, as they clearly want to, where would that leave the rest of English football? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins
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