On this edition of the show I am joined by award winning writer and journalist Don Stradley to talk about his new book "Immortals of American Boxing" so who are they who were the fighters who transcended the sport in this edition we will focus on a selection of ring legends.
Welcome to "Talking Spots Books"
Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our timeFootball is the world's most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game.Investigative journalist Joey D'Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world. More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China's foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion's; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns.A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game's most universal symbol
Coming up on this edition of "Talking Sports Books"The Scouting Game brings us the inside story of the hidden world of top-level football scouting from a man with 30 years’ experience in the professional game, and more than a decade in the recruitment team at Chelsea FC’s renowned academy.Chris Robinson reveals how scouts work, what they look for and how they report on players, giving practical examples. He sets out the ideal characteristics that scouts search for in every position, and examines scouting at all levels – grassroots, academy, first team and opposition scouting.Chris explains how scouts interact with agents and what parents can expect from scouts and the professional academies, including how trials work and the developing role of data in scouting. He also considers scouting as a career, pointing out the pros and cons and explaining how to get started.
Postcards from Santiago tells the extraordinary true story of George Robledo, the pioneering Chilean footballer whose name has largely been forgotten—despite rewriting the history of English football. Long before the likes of Haaland, Henry, or Cantona made headlines as international stars in England, Robledo was blazing a trail as the first foreign-born player to top the English scoring charts.
Abandoned by his father and uprooted from Chile to a Yorkshire mining village, Robledo's youth was shaped by war and hardship. He toiled underground as a Bevin Boy during WWII before launching a football career that would see him rise from Barnsley to Newcastle United stardom. In the 1951–52 season, his record-breaking 33-goal tally made him the most prolific overseas scorer in English football—a record that quietly endures, often overlooked by official statistics.
From the searing landscapes of the Atacama Desert to a Wembley FA Cup triumph, and from representing Chile at the 1950 World Cup to appearing on a John Lennon album cover, Robledo’s life was nothing short of extraordinary. Through interviews with those who knew and admired him, Postcards from Santiago offers a vivid portrait of a forgotten icon—an immigrant who became both a national hero in Chile and a quiet legend in England.
This compelling biography not only reclaims Robledo's rightful place in football history, but also celebrates the resilience, identity, and impact of one of the game’s earliest global stars.
On this edition of the show
In “The Last Bell,” award-winning author Donald McRae reflects on six tumultuous years in boxing, grief, and redemption—featuring Tyson Fury, Canelo Álvarez, and more it is more than just a boxing book — it's a raw, emotional ringside journey through six years of triumph, tragedy, and truth. From Tyson Fury’s comeback to the heartache of Patrick Day, this is sport at its most human.
Welcome to another edition of Talking Sports Books with Tim Caple! In this episode, we are joined by the legendary Elton Welsby, who takes us through his remarkable career in football and the release of his highly anticipated autobiography, Game for a Laugh.
For over four decades, Elton has woven his love for football into a captivating career—reporting on non-league matches, hosting ITV’s top-flight football coverage, and building close relationships with football icons. His journeys have led him to five international tournaments, including three World Cups in the '80s and '90s, where he witnessed some of the most memorable moments in the sport's history.
In his new book, Elton gives us a candid behind-the-scenes look at his incredible experiences—offering insights into his time with legends like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, and countless managers and players across the country. Join us as Elton shares his personal stories and reflections on a life spent at the heart of the beautiful game.
In this edition of the show Boxing is the main feature with Carl Frampton, Steve Bunce and this editions book choice Steve Hunt's book looking back at the heavyweight Championship Fights of the 1980'S and yes every single one of them .Mike Tyson apart history wasn't kind to the champions of the 80's but we thought it was high time for a re-appraisal of some of those who were crowned "Heavyweight Champion" in this decade so you can expect to hear about Dokes,Weave,Page,Cooney,Holmes,Thomas, Spinks, Witherspoon and of course Tyson.
Welcome to the final show of the year where we look back at some of the best moments from the last 12 months, we will hear from David Pleat, Steve Bunce, Andy Clarke, Maurice Hope, Gary Newbon and we will look back at the greatest football tournaments forgotten by time but bought back to life in the pages of "Tin Pot" by Simon Turner
Tinpot is the story of football's lost tournaments: the strange and forgotten competitions that sparked into life before shuffling off their mortal coil. The book tells their stories, giving them the spotlight they deserve.
It's time for something different. It's time to go somewhere new. It's time to wander off the highways of football history and see where long-discarded paths lead.
England's major football tournaments seem to have been with us forever. The FA Cup stretches back over 150 years, while the Football League is the oldest competition of its kind in the world. They are the survivors - the bright ideas that quickly caught on. Yet, behind these successes lie countless failed experiments. But they still have their stories to tell.
Welcome back to "Talking Sports Books" this is the audio version of the show remember you can watch the video of this edition here as well.
On this show I am joined by the the man who has been the pen and voice of Boxing for close to 4 decades.
Steve Bunce has been a fixture of Boxing coverage over the years and continues to be the most in demand Boxing journalist and broadcaster across not only GB but around the World.
He joins me to talk about his new book "Around the World in 80 Fights" which looks back at the great fighters, fights, managers and personalities Steve has worked with over this lifetime covering the sport.
Welcome back to "Talking Sports Books" and this is the very first video edition of the show you can also access the audio only version as well if you prefer.
On this show I am joined by the the man who has been the pen and voice of Boxing for close to 4 decades.
Steve Bunce has been a fixture of Boxing coverage over the years and continues to be the most in demand Boxing journalist and broadcaster across not only GB but around the World.
He joins me to talk about his new book "Around the World in 80 Fights" which looks back at the great fighters, fights, managers and personalities Steve has worked with over this lifetime covering the sport.
So we have a first with this edition or preview of "Talking Sports Books" as this is the first edition to appear in both video and audio formats. Here's a preview of the upcoming show later this week with the legendary Boxing writer and broadcaster Steve Bunce as we look at his new book "Around the World in 80 Fights" which looks back over Steve's career in Boxing and highlights some of the most memorable events he has attended over the years and in this clip we talk about the night Sugar Ray Leonard made his MSG debut against Terry Norris the fuill show will be out this Thursday
Welcome back to the new edition of the show and coming up we head back to the 1980's when the goundworks were underway for the biggest changes in the history of football as the balance of power began its shift from to associations to the tv companies when the era of commercialism really got underway.
Set against a backdrop of economic recession, rampant hooliganism and suspect fashion, Go To War tells the story of how triumph and tragedy shaped English football during the 1980s. It was a decade in which some fans died watching the game they loved, and at times, the ‘slum sport’ seemed set to implode. Yet, remarkably, the game was on the cusp of morphing into the behemoth it has become today.
Throughout this explosive book, author Jon Spurling delves into the stories behind the successes and strife at clubs including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, investigates the trials and tribulations of the England team and explores how ‘small-town boys’ from Luton, Watford and Wimbledon made their mark. The decade also heralded the arrival of artificial pitches and fanzines, and Spurling introduces us to the new breed of high-profile executives, like Irving Scholar and Martin Edwards, who soon got busy changing the face of football.
Thirty years in the making, Go To War draws heavily on interviews conducted with ’80s icons including Terry Butcher, Graeme Sharp and Ray Wilkins, managerial legends like Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson and FA Cup heroes Ricky Villa and Norman Whiteside. Like its precursor, the bestselling Get It On: How the ’70s Rocked Football, Go To War provides a unique insight into a pivotal footballing decade.
On this edition of the show I am joined by David Pleat to look back at his 6 decade life in Football as chronicled in his new book "Just One More Goal".
We look at how his playing career began including a memorable England schoolboys debut and on through a playing career which was cut short due to injury before he took on his first managerial role at Nuneaton, following on from that we journey with David through times with Luton Town, Sheff Wed's Leicester and a lengthy association with Tottenham Hotspur.
Think back as well to the players David has worked with over the years from Hoddle to Di Canio, and finding raw talent and nuturing including the moment he saw a 16 year old Dele Ali .
Andy Bollen joins me on this edition to delve into football's most fiercely contested matches in "Classic Derbies and Epic Rivalries"
Andy Bollen explores the history, tradition and violent nature of football's biggest clashes.
In unravelling the history of these infamous feuds, Bollen gets to the crux of each conflict, exploring why the fans dislike each other so vehemently.
Football is often a search for political identity, as in Spain's El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, while in Buenos Aires' Superclásico, it's poverty and privilege at the heart of the rivalry between working-class Boca Juniors and bourgeois River Plate.
Whether it's the Cairo derby with Al Ahly and Zamalek, the Croatian chaos of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split or Turkey's Intercontinental derby with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, these clashes are a potent mix of fanatical zealot, political rally and crazed ultras preparing for war.
Showcasing and detailing football's great games, names and most memorable moments, Bollen has penned an important work on classic derbies and epic rivalries.
On this show we are joined by former WBC LM World Champion Maurice Hope to talk about his new book "Land of Hope and Glory" which looks back on his life from humble beginnings in Antigua to competing in the Munich 72 Olympic Games, winning a World Title, becoming an MBE and having a private audience with Queen Elizabeth.
It was a time when football was a television luxury the BBC had MOTD and that was it you were allowed the FA Cup Final a few home internationals and the World Cup and that was your lot, until ITV unveiled "The Big Match" with Brian Moore and football in the ITV regions was born and along with it some iconic broadcasters including Brian Moore , Hugh Johns, Gerald Sinstadt, Gerry Harrison, Martin Tyler and Roger Malone.
So Brian Moore literally did save our Sundays and this is the story of that time with Matt Eastly the author of the book.
Welcome back to the "Talking Sports Books" show and coming up in this edition we are joined by Sky Sports Boxing commentator Andy Clarke to talk about his new book "The Knockout" which looks in depth at sport's most decisive moment the book features comment from Deontay Wilder, Carl Froch, Tony Bellew, Ricky Hatton . The book looks at the effects of "The Knockout" on those who deliver the moment those who suffer receiving it and the role of referees, coaches and trainers.
More from the "Best of Talking Sports Books" the fist 50 editions. In this clip we talk to George Sephton the "Voice of Anfield "about how he came to get the job as Anfield stadium announcer for Liverpool FC and some of his early memories and the affection in which he is held by the club and in particular Kenny Dalglish. George's book "My 50 Years with Liverpool FC " is available now and you can hear the full edition of the show with George on any streaming provider's platform or the website www.talkingsportsbooks.com
In this edition of the show we will be going back to the European Championships of 1988 with author Steven Scragg who will release his new book detailing the tournament the matches the players and the coaches.
Also we will hear from the producer of "Test Match Special " for over 30 years Peter Baxter about the early days of commentary and broadcasting legends , Arlott Johnston and Blofeldt.
From the best of "Talking Sports Books" where we look back at some of the great stories told over the first 50 editions of the show, in this extract former BBC Radio Head Football Correspondent Mike Ingham remembers his early days and dealing with Brian Clough at Derby County .
To listen to the full feature with Mike head to the website or stream from any streaming provider