Football's Greatest Folding Pocket

Over the next few weeks we'll bring you some of the best moments from the Football's Greatest series so far. This episode focusses on the greatest managers.

James Milner recalls the change at Liverpool from Brendan Rodgers to Jurgen Klopp, his first impressions of the German and their conversation about converting him into a full back.

Gordon Strachan discusses Sir Alex Ferguson's impact at Aberdeen, his desire to win above all else, how the players were afraid to get injured because of the consequences, and what it was like to be the target of the manager's anger.

German legend Michael Ballack talks about the charisma of Jose Mourinho and how he got his Chelsea players to follow him.

Paul Merson compares the qualities of George Graham and Harry Redknapp, how Redknapp could be tougher than you think and the hilarious conversation that persuaded him to drop a division to go to Fratton Park.


ANNOUNCEMENT: Coming soon - Football’s Greatest: Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. Join the pair as they take you inside one of the most dominant periods ever seen in the Premier League. Expect tales about Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, the rivalries and the inside track on some of the biggest games and players from the 90s and 00s.


Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

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Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.
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It’s the final episode of Football’s Greatest: Euros and Merse and Jeff are rounding it off with one last Q+A.

They tackle questions from you like: is Declan Rice is overrated? How will Arne Slot get on at Liverpool? And did Merse really ask a team-mate to injure him so he could go to the races?

They also discuss how news journalists could be ruthless, whether Sean Dyche should be on the shortlist for the England job, the Dutch revolution at Manchester United, if Aston Villa can stay in the top 4 next season and Merse explains why Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze were like a pair of shoes.


ANNOUNCEMENT: this may be the last Euros show but coming in August - Football’s Greatest: Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. Join the pair as they take you inside one of the most dominant periods ever seen in the Premier League. Expect tales about Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, the rivalries and get the inside track on some of the biggest games and players from the 90s and 00s.

Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/footballsgreatestpod
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ftblsgreatest
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Facebook: www.facebook.com/footballsgreatestpod

Football's Greatest: Euros is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios
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Gareth Southgate has stepped down as England manager so Merse and Jeff debate who should follow him in the top job.

Graham Potter or Eddie Howe? Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp? Merse picks out another contender and argues passionately why it should not be a foreign manager.

They also discuss Southgate’s legacy, give their thoughts on why England lost to Spain in the Euros final, wonder if Jude Bellingham is a problem and whether Harry Kane still has a future at international level.


If you want to get in touch and ask the guys a question, here what to do:

Email: mailto:footballsgreatest@foldingpocket.co.uk
What's App: tel:02039519653 (tel:+442039519653 from outside the UK)


Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/footballsgreatestpod
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ftblsgreatest
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/footballsgreatestpod


Football's Greatest: Euros is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arsenal legend Paul Merson and Jeff Stelling preview the Euros final: player-for-player, who has the better squad? Is Lamine Yamal the best 16 year-old footballer Merse has ever seen? Will it be seen as a failure if England don't win it?

They also discuss whether Harry Kane really is, as Gary Neville suggested, the best England player ever, if Gareth Southgate is an elite football manager, how Merse enjoyed Ronald Koeman suffering at the hands of karma on Wednesday and why he thinks England make the pitch look like a Power League one...


If you want to get in touch and ask the guys a question, here what to do:

Email: footballsgreatest@foldingpocket.co.uk
What's App: 0203 951 9653 (+44 203 951 9653 from outside the UK)


Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/footballsgreatestpod
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ftblsgreatest
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Facebook: www.facebook.com/footballsgreatestpod


Football's Greatest: Euros is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's another Q&A with Merse and Jeff and among the questions in this episode: should Ivan Toney start for England? Who was the strongest footballer Merse played with or against? And what do they love and hate about modern football?
Merse also names the clubs he would have liked to play for during his career and gives his take on Enzo Maresca and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's moves to Chelsea.

If you want to get in touch and ask the guys a question, here what to do: 

Email: footballsgreatest@foldingpocket.co.uk
What's App: 0203 951 9653 (+44 203 951 9653 from outside the UK)

Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/footballsgreatestpod
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ftblsgreatest
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Facebook: www.facebook.com/footballsgreatestpod

Football's Greatest: Euros is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How come Merse is so confident England will beat the Swiss and win the Euros? Why should Gareth Southgate have no excuses for the quarter-final? And who needs to have a word with Jude Bellingham?

Merse and Jeff discuss all of that plus whether the Euros have harmed Southgate's chances of landing a job with a top club, the enduring drama that is Cristiano Ronaldo, why France are dull to watch, their top 5 players of the tournament so far and whether Erling Haaland would score 60 goals in the National League.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Our next episode on Saturday is another Q&A with Merse and Jeff. Has Merse asked out any more pop stars (see last episode)? We can't promise more revelations like that but you can ask them about almost anything to do with football or themselves.
Send us a voicemail or message at:
Email: footballsgreatest@foldingpocket.co.uk
What's App: 0203 951 9653 (+44 203 951 9653 from outside the UK)

Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/footballsgreatestpod
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ftblsgreatest
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@footballsgreatestpod
Facebook: www.facebook.com/footballsgreatestpod

Football's Greatest: Euros is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices