The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life

The 2026/27 season sees the fortieth iteration of the end-of-season Play-Offs in the Football League.   Since their introduction to in 1986/87, the Play-Offs have provided a great deal of ‘Agony and Ecstasy’ (a perfect title for Richard Foster’s 2015 book chronicling the history of the Play-Offs).  They haven’t always been popular with managers, supporters or traditionalists, but there can be little doubt that they have stood the test of time and have become firmly engrained in the fabric of the English Football calendar.

The Play-Offs were introduced as part of the so-called 'Heathrow Plan' devised and implemented by English fo...

In this episode of the Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life, Chris and Nathan
return to the Roaring Twenties; the decade in which, according to F. Scott Fitzgerald, “the parties were bigger, the pace was faster, and the shows were broader.”   From the glittering fashion of the Flappers, through the fun beat of the Charleston, to the Golden Age of Cinema, your hosts take you on a journey into the world of Gershwin, Armstrong, Gehrig and Ruth.

Yet beneath the glitz and the glamour, 1920s America was also a place of rural
p...

In 2017, the ECB publicised plans for a new cricketing showcase – 'The Hundred'.
Eight city-based franchises would compete in innings lasting just 100 balls – the
shortest format the game had ever seen. Almost a decade down the line, 'The
Hundred' has now become engrained within the English cricketing summer. The
tournament has attracted millions of pounds in investment, and produced a greater platform for the women’s game than had ever existed before.

Yet, 'The Hundred' still comes in for criticism from established cricket fans. With some franchises struggling to attract supporters through the gate...

As the dust settles on another World Cup, Chris and Nathan reflect on the performance of Scotland at International Tournaments.  The most recent competition saw the Scots make unwanted history as they became the first nation to be eliminated from the competition at the Group stage nine times!

In 'Why Does It Always Rain on Scotland?', we explore why Scotland seem destined never to progress beyond the Group stage and discuss whether this has now become a self-fulfilling prophecy and if Scotland and their hordes of 'Tartan Army' followers are forever doomed to never progress to t...

The 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy has long been heralded as something of a 'Year Zero' moment for football.  The tournament itself set to the strains of 'Nessun Dorma' in the BBC's coverage, Gazza's tears, the emergence of 'Toto' Schillachi and the collaboration between EnglandNewOrder have all achieved iconic status in the years since the tournament.  

With respect to football in England, the performance of the national side at Italia 90 is seen as the catalyst for a step-change moment; one that changed the way in which the national team and its supporters were perceived and led to a...

The summer of 1966.  England had made good on the promise that Alf Ramsey made upon his appointment as the national team manager and become World Champions.  The Beatles and The Rolling Stones led a 'British Invasion' that topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and Harold Wilson's Labour Party secured a historic landslide victory.  It seemed that Wilson's Britain was set to be at the forefront of the 'White Heat' technological revolution he had proclaimed three years earlier and that Ramsey's England side had claimed the position many had long felt was rightfully theirs - in spite of...

In 1932, the Austrian football team had the world at their feet. A glorious victory in the Central European International Cup had seen them conquer the best teams that mainland Europe had to offer. With many South American heavyweights refusing to travel to the 1934 World Cup, it seemed highly possible that the so-called Wunderteam might soon be crowned the best football team on the planet.

Yet just six years later, that same Wunderteam was no more. Despite successfully qualifying for the third edition of the World Cup in France, by 1938 Austria no longer had an international football team...

In 1994, America stood triumphant as the world’s sole superpower. The Berlin Wall had fallen, the Soviet Union had collapsed, and 9/11 was still seven years away. Fukuyama declared the end of history, and scriptwriters began crafting a speech to be released two years down the line, through which the fictional President Whitmore would rally the human race to defend the earth against alien invasion. In short, liberal democracy had triumphed.

It was against this backdrop that the USA prepared to hold the World Cup final at the Rose Bowl in California – the pinnacle of a tournament that had...

In the second part of our two-parter released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation, we take a deeper dive into the relationship Mental Health has with three specific sports:

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In the first of a two-part special released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week - Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation - Chris and Nathan explore how attitudes towards understanding Mental Health have evolved within the world of sport over the past 30 years or so.

The episode begins by analysing what constituted old-school attitudes towards the concepts of Mental Health in sport.  We explore how mind games and mentality have been part of sport as long as we can remember, embarking on a journey that takes us through Kevin Keegan's famous 'I'd Love It' rant a...

Nowadays, barely a day passes by during a transfer window without hyperbolic transfer speculation amongst both the traditional Tabloid media and 'fan media' outlets.  However, in the summer of 1989, a transfer saga ensued that was genuinely seismic.  

The signing of Maurice Johnston by Glasgow Rangers turned a century of tradition upside down, led to potential boycotts amongst Rangers fans and saw fans on the other side of The Old Firm divide shattered by 'an almighty blow' that Graeme Souness had delivered to Celtic through securing Johnston's signature.

Johnston was presented as the first high-profile Roman Ca...

In the opening chapter of 'Down Under', the account of his epic journey across Australia, Bill Bryson once wrote that Europeans and Americans pay "shamefully scant attention" to their Antipodean cousins. It is hard to argue with his conclusion. While Ashes Syndrome might strike the UK every few years, and those nostalgic for teenage memories might occasionally bop along to the music of Kylie Minogue, it is rare that news of political wranglings in Canberra or the sporting agenda at the Adelaide Oval engender much attention in the media beyond Australia's shores. Yet Nathan and Chris have long held...

In our last episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', 'Clough, Revie and The Perfect Debate', we explored how the infamous televised clash between arch rivals Brian Clough and Don Revie at the end of Clough's tumultuous 44 day reign in charge of Leeds United represented TV gold and an illustration of what constitutes a great debate.

Inspired by the theme and content of our previous episode, Chris wanted to explore why the decision to appoint Clough was such a shock in the first instance and why (in spite of Clough's obvious talents...

On September 12th 1974, Brian Clough walked into the Yorkshire Television news studio less than 24 hours after being sacked as manager of Leeds United. What followed was 30 minutes of TV gold, as the ever forthright Clough went toe-to-toe in discussion with his predecessor at Leeds, Don Revie in a 'Calendar' Special entitled 'Goodbye Mr Clough'.  It was an interview that became infamous and provided much of the inspiration for David Peace to write 'The Damned United', a fictitious account of Clough's turbulent 44 days in charge at Elland Road.

The art of debate is the topic under discussion in t...

There is little doubt that Donald Trump is a completely different President to anyone who has held that office before him. As mendacious as he is, Trump possesses a talent at hogging the limelight and an unparalleled skill for crafting his own political narrative. Attempts to explain Trump’s success in the 2016 and 2024 elections, after ricocheting through scandals that would’ve finished any other candidate, usually centre around his history with the media – in particular, his connection to the U.S version of 'The Apprentice'.

Yet in this episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See...

Sir Martyn Oliver, the Chief Inspector of Schools in England, says he wants Inspections to be “done with” schools rather than “done to” them. This suggests that the latest manifestation of Ofsted has learnt lessons, and is keen on ensuring that its most recent inspection framework is fit for the modern world. Yet, both within the teaching profession and wider society questions remain about whether anything fundamental has actually changed, and if it is ever possible to provide objective terms on which to gauge the quality of something as complex as education?

In the first episode of the late...

In the second of our festive double-header, Chris and Nathan investigate the history, traditions and future of Festive Football.  

The inspiration for this episode came during a WhatsApp conversation between the two hosts in which Chris highlighted how this Boxing Day sees only one fixture taking place in the Premier League (between Manchester United and Newcastle United), as opposed to the usual full calendar.  As ever, Nathan was keen to remind Chris that football does exist beyond the top-flight with a full league and non-league programme taking place on Boxing Day!

Within this second Christmas sp...

What is the most famous football match of all time? Geoff Hurst's hat-trick in 1966? Pele's demolition of Italy in 1970? Huddersfield Town's 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest to secure their first league title back in 1924? All worthy contenders, but it is probable that they all play second fiddle to a game that took place in front of no fans, with makeshift goalposts and on pockmarked, uneven terrain. We speak, of course, about the Christmas Day football match of 1914, played between German and British soldiers who were at war with one another, on a battlefield full of shell craters.

...

In football, much is often made of the Lisbon Lions – a Celtic side that conquered Europe in 1967, with a team in which the majority of the starting eleven were born within a mere 12 miles of their Parkhead ground (the exception being Bobby Lennox, who was from Saltcoats, 30 miles from Glasgow). Yet decades after the Glasgow side had long embraced the contributions of national and international talent, one European side holds true to a strict policy of regional recruitment – Athletic Club of Bilbao.

In this, the second episode of a two-part special, Chris and Nathan continue to explore the...

In 1968, Yorkshire County Cricket Club were untouchable. No other team in the country could compete with their ethos, their production line of England greats, or their roll of honour. Seven league titles in the previous decade had confirmed their position as titans of the county game. Yet the next two decades would yield the most barren spell in the team's history. As other counties welcomed an array of global talent, Yorkshire held true to the belief that they shouldn't select any player born outside of the county's borders.

In this, the first of a two-part special, Nathan...

In the latest episode of 'The Way We See Sport', we return once again to the sport of Rugby League, focusing on the transformative role played by Maurice Lindsay, a divisive, yet visionary figure whose influence developed during the Thatcherite period, initially as the figurehead of 'The Gang of Four' directors who helped to transform the fortunes of Wigan during the 1980s.

Embracing the pro-market values that were at the heart of Thatcherism, Lindsay reshaped the Wigan club recruiting big money signings such as Ellery Hanley, Joe Lydon and Andy Gregory, alongside putting in place measures that...

In the wake of the release of 'Original Sin', a book by Jake Tapper and Alex
Thompson detailing the deterioration of President Biden between 2020 and 2024,
Nathan and Chris explore the one opponent no sportsperson can defeat - age.

This episode looks at three sporting icons who, arguably, pushed on too long beyond the peak of their powers. Michael Schumacher was the all-conquering motor racing champion, but his return to Formula 1 was somewhat underwhelming. Muhammad Ali was a boxing icon, but the later fights of his career may well have done him untold damage...

During the 1974 World Cup, the tournament featured a clash between the hosts (West Germany) and their Communist neighbours (East Germany) during the Group Phase.  'The Bruderduel' between the two Germanys was heralded as "The most politically charged football match of all-time".  It represented a fascinating clash of cultures and ideologies, with the Communist East (appearing in their first World Cup) being drawn alongside the hosts, the more famed West Germans, who had cemented their standing as a footballing powerhouse winning the European Champions of 1972.

Before 'The Bruderduel', the expectation and fear amongst those in The East was th...

From Martina Navratilova to Serena Williams, few sports have provided as many
iconic female icons as tennis. Yet, this does not mean that the sport has been
immune from criticism over the manner in which it treats its female stars. The fact
that tennis Grand Slams showcase female players alongside the men makes it all
the more apparent when inequity exists.

In the latest episode of The Way We See Life, The Way We See Sport, Nathan and
Chris delve into the twentieth century’s three waves of feminism, identifying tennis as...

When Merseyside's footballing titans (Everton and Liverpool) were drawn together in the 5th Round of the FA Cup in 1991, the stage was set for the latest instalment of a gripping rivalry, one that had dominated English Football for much of the previous decade, when the First Division title seemed to reside permanently on Merseyside - with Liverpool claiming six titles and Everton emerging from the shadow of their bitter rivals to claim the league championship on two occasions.

In addition to the sides domestic dominance, they also both claimed European prizes; Liverpool adding two further European Cups...

In February 2018, double World Champion, Evgenia Medvedeva, skated onto the ice to pursue the one medal that had up to that point eluded her: Olympic Gold. What followed was a routine so mesmeric, so creative, and so moving that it astounded everyone who watched it…including one of your hosts from 'The Way We See Sport, the Way We See Life'. For one short moment, the Huddersfield Town fan became a devotee of ice-skating! Yet for all its beauty, the routine did not yield the gold medal Medvedeva desired.

In this latest episode of TWWSS, TWWSL, Chris an...

In this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Sport, The Way See Life’ we continue our deep dive into the sport of boxing assessing whether its historical standing as ‘Sport of Kings’ rings true in modern society.

In the first part of our two-episode special, we focused on how during the sport’s growth in the early to mid-twentieth century, boxing had offered shady characters from the mob and criminal underworld an opportunity to muscle in via promotional and management opportunities.  The apex of the underworld’s influence perhaps came with the coronation of Sonny Liston as Heavy...

Following the end of our second series, we have developed another long-form special over two parts.  This time, assessing the sport of boxing and whether it is truly a ‘Sport of Kings’ or merely a brutal blood sport that has provided the platform for shady characters to make untold riches often through exploitation of fighters.

The notion of boxing as a ‘Sport of Kings’ stems from the sport’s historic links with the nobility.  In this first part of our journey, we chart boxing’s progression from the barbarism of bare-knuckle prize fighting to the modern-day sport governed by th...

In October 1993, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis made history when they met in Cardiff with the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title on the line.  The contest was the first time that two British born heavyweights had contested a world title, but the build-up to the bout was overshadowed by a bitter war of words between the fighters.  

Bruno questioned both Lewis's legitimacy as a champion - he had won the title when Riddick Bowe refused to face him and had dumped the WBC title in a waste bin - and perhaps more acutely Bruno questioned how Br...

On one particularly glorious afternoon of rugby, the French national team conquered opponents from the British Isles to be crowned Champions of Europe.  Yet, the year was not 2025, and the code of rugby was not Union; the year was 1939, and the code was Rugby League.

A love of rugby is surely in the blood of any Gallic sports fan, but it may come as a surprise to those who follow France in the Six Nations Championship that, for a brief
time in the late 1930s, it seemed as though League might well supplant Union in the a...

In 1895, Rugby's Great Split occured.  Working class players situated largely in Northern England broke away from the sport's governing body - The Rugby Football Union (RFU) - due to the fact that the RFU's unwillingness to compensate players for the "broken time" incurred through playing the sport.

The RFU and Rugby Union were very much synonymous with the English Public School system from which the game of rugby stemmed and the breakaway 'Northern Union' that ultimately became the Rugby Football League (RFL) was clearly aligned with the working classes.  Therefore, a schism that lasted for a century wa...

Is it possible to think of England’s 1966 World Cup win without hearing Kenneth
Wolstenholme describing how "some people are on the pitch” before he delivered the immortal line "They think it's all over, it is now!" as Geoff Hurst slammed the ball home, completing his hat-trick and securing the English National side's greatest triumph?

 Would the Asheswin at Edgbaston in 2005 have been as iconic without Richie Benaud’s call of“Kasprowicz…Jones…Bowden”? 

If your memories and perceptions of sporting events are best recalled through the prism of the commentary that brought those moments to life...

In 1987's FIFA Youth World Cup, a dynamic and exciting young Yugoslav side featuring multiple players (Robert Jarni, Igor Štimac, Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinečki, Predrag Mijatović and Davor Šuker) that would go on to have stellar careers in the game, defeated the likes of Brazil and West Germany en route to claiming the prize.

Numerous members of this side went on to represent Yugoslavia at Italia 90, where the side recovered from a chastening 4-1 defeat to eventual winners West Germany in their opening Group game to reach the Quarter Finals where they were eliminated on penalties by A...

There are few sports which elevate the importance of the so-called “spirit of the game” quite as much as cricket, but in the Antipodean summer of 1932-33 relations were decidedly frosty between the national teams of Australia and England.

This episode of ‘The Way We See Sport’, The Way We See Life sees Nathan and Chris launch series 2 with a deep-dive into the infamous Bodyline Ashes Series. As tempers flared between the Australians and an England team desperate for revenge after defeat in 1929, it looked for a time as if a Test cricket match in Adelaide might erupt in...

When we left the story exploring the parallels between the tenures of Graham Taylor and John Major at the end of Part One in the summer of 1992, both men were perhaps at the peak of their powers.  Taylor’s England were looking forward to that summer’s European Championships having already comfortably seen off one of their Group Stage opponents (France) 2-0 in a friendly at Wembley earlier in the year and were on a run which had seen them record only a single defeat (against World Champions, Germany) in Taylor’s opening 21 matches.  

However, England completely flopped...

During the autumn of 1990, the winds of change were blowing with respect to two of the most prominent positions in British culture, the England National team manager and the Prime Minister.  Two long-standing incumbents, Bobby Robson and Margaret Thatcher were both swept from power and replaced by less experienced and notably lower key successors (Graham Taylor and John Major).

Taylor and Major had both risen rapidly through the ranks during the late 1980s and both had seen off perhaps more celebrated candidates en-route to securing ‘The Top Job’.  The similarities between the two men were clear.  They had bot...

29th May 1985.  A date that has gone down in infamy due to the tragic events that occurred ahead of that season's European Cup Final at Heysel.  39 fans (mostly Italian Juventus supporters) lost their lives when a wall collapsed as they were trying to flee from an attack from Liverpool fans.  

The event was the culmination of a decade or so in which hooligan activity had come to be seen as 'The English Disease' as fans of many English clubs and the national side were involved in rioting and behaviour during European competition.  This brought shame upon the nati...

In the shadow of the Gulf War, two teams of golfers met at Kiawah Island in 1991 for what soon developed into the most explosive and ill-tempered Ryder Cup ever to be held.

In this latest episode of 'The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life', Nathan and Chris delve into an event which is often considered to be an example of when healthy sporting rivalry crossed the line into disrespectful jingoism. They consider whether the Gulf War was the true cause of the increased levels of animosity between the American and European golfers, and dig...

During this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Life, The Way We See Sport’, Chris and Nathan look back upon the forays of both of Ireland’s football sides during the successive World Cup competitions of 1982, 1986, 1990 & 1994.  At a time when day-to-day life on the Island of Ireland was beset by the sectarian conflict, the participation of Northern Ireland (1982 & 1986) and The Republic of Ireland (1990 & 1994) in “The Greatest Show on Earth” provided a welcome distraction from the everyday horrors of ‘The Troubles’.

The successes of Billy Bingham’s Northern Ireland and Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland sides threw up some o...

In this week’s episode of ‘The Way We See Sport, The Way See Life’, we are going back to a sunny Autumn afternoon in 1972.  Three years after Woodstock, The Moon Landing and the New York Jets' stunning victory in the third iteration of the Super Bowl, the team from the Big Apple met once more with their vanquished opponents from that day - the Baltimore Colts.

What followed was one of the finest examples of duelling quarterback play in the history of American Football. Records tumbled as touchdown followed touchdown, and all those in attendance knew they we...