Episode 1258: State Of Play, Hiding Your Weaknesses, Threats To Football, Nations League Infinity, Frog And Scorpion
Today we talk to the brilliant Michael Calvin about his latest book, State Of Play, which, taking Arthur Hopcraft’s 1968 classic The Football Man as a model, seeks to get under the skin of the modern game.
Well, this is what all those hours and thousands of words have been about. Hope you enjoy folks. pic.twitter.com/fVuefovj01
— Michael Calvin (@CalvinBook) August 23, 2018
How have football’s values evolved in the last 50 years? Is it now permissible to show weakness, or will hardness always rule? Does football, once described by Hopcraft as “a privileged place of working-class communion”, now stand for the spirit of elitist materialism? Can the game survive its own total commercialisation?
Celebrating victory .. Celebrating together!
Congratulations to @ManCity on winning the English #PremierLeague ????????@Cityarabia #ManCity pic.twitter.com/reikzkBzgz— Etisalat UAE (@etisalat) April 15, 2018
We also discuss the UEFA Nations League, the Harry Maguire Zeitgeist, and the unusual frog-scorpion dynamic of Ireland’s Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane managerial dream team.
Maguire admits he and his England team-mates are struggling to understand what the UEFA Nations League is https://t.co/xRXbBMqvKG
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) September 5, 2018
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.@knbrmurph previews the NFL season, as it lurches from one PR disaster to another, walks a political tightrope, while still maintaining its position as the nation’s most watched sport
????????????????https://t.co/zukPiLZqr4 pic.twitter.com/MWiYvLwm1x— Second Captains (@SecondCaptains) September 4, 2018
Go to PatreonWe discuss the reasons why players play international football: do you have to be a super-patriot like James McClean, or does careerism have its place?
??????????????https://t.co/Y6ZFEYEX7i pic.twitter.com/ohlYyV44Dd— Second Captains (@SecondCaptains) September 3, 2018