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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy New World Cup Year! Despite ticket price sandal, Trump hijack, simpering Gianni, there will be actual football to celebrate… From historians to futurologists @jonawils.bsky.social + I look ahead to what will make history in 2026 podfollow.com/1745066482

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It Was What It Was

Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was.Each week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper will be talking about the key episodes in football history that have shaped the footballi...

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

English football is rich beyond imagination And sparks mania from Ethiopia to Ecuador Yet its cultural foundations feel fragile + brittle It Was What It Was with @jonawils.bsky.social and David Goldblatt on the deep history of PL and what to do ‘Don’t get mad - get organised!’

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Imre Hirschl was the Hungarian migrant who barely played football yet arguably transformed the game in Argentina, Uruguay at #RiverPlate #Peñarol Peñarol were so good the opposition literally took flight at half time! #ClásicoDeLaFuga Part 2 with @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

The scandal of Eduard Streltsov, his return from the Gulag and how football forgets the victims @jonawils.bsky.social Part 2 on The Russian Pelé today podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

The Russian Pelé, Eduard Streltsov, an extraordinary player mired in scandal. Streltsov was cocky, charismatic, set to be the star of 1958 World Cup - but ended up in the Gulag after confessing to rape A dark, contested story told by @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Imre Hirschl had no playing career, lived in poverty when he emigrated from Hungary + blagged his way to become Gimnasia La Plata coach Yet he changed the game in South America + arguably was brains behind Uruguay 1950 World Cup win @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Jürgen Klopp, experience bias, Sadio Mané and how data won @LFC the Premier League Part 2 of our mini-series on the rise of analytics looking at Ian Graham and Michael Edwards with @jonawils.bsky.social on It Was What It Was podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Very enjoyable to spend time in Rotterdam with ex Arsenal + Man Utd great Robin van Persie + @JNorthcroft Talked about Pep, Fergie, Arsene and how he ended up @Feyenoord coach - thanks to 16 year old daughter Dina…👇 www.theguardian.com/football/202...

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

How Data Won the Premier League with the excellent @rorysmith.bsky.social Today’s It Was What It Was @jonawils.bsky.social traces the long (longer than you think) history of data + football + the rise of Liverpool (Brentford, Brighton + Hearts!) podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Never forget your first Barça-Real Madrid classico….mine was watching a 19 year old Leo Messi score a hat trick + dramatic last minute equaliser Part 2 of the extraordinary Rise of Messi with @jonawils.bsky.social tracing the dramatic early Barça years podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

The extraordinary story of a phenomenon: Leo Messi’s breakout season at Barça And that beautiful moment Ronaldinho sets him up for his first ever goal at Camp Nou! Today on @ItWasPod with @jonawils - the making of Messi + building of Barça Dream Team II podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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Christoph Becker @chwb.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Excellent series on Clough at Forest, particularly with regard to football‘s wider socioeconomic place in England and the continent. 1979/80: Thatcher in No. 10, top Bundesliga sides are economically more potent than English clubs, Nottingham play BFC Dynamo and HSV in the European Cup.

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Ian Cade @meltwaterfalls.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Having just finished listening to the superb It Was What It Was (by @draper-rob.bsky.social and @jonawils.bsky.social) series on Forest's European Cup I had the same thoughts, that it would be great to have further exploration of Clough's career and that final season would be really interesting.

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

The downfall of Brian Clough is the best episode of @jonawils.bsky.social superb 4-part series on Nottm Forest in Europe The descent into alcoholism and complexity of his relationship + break up with Peter Taylor provides rich material podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

The miracle of Nottingham Forest and genius of Brian Clough… What better way to prepare for tonight’s CL fixs than a look back at the greatest ever achievement in the competition? @jonawils.bsky.social in masterly story telling mode…. podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Forest back in Europe! What better time to re-visit the glory years of 78-80 with @jonawils.bsky.social Today in part 2 of our Clough European Cup special we cover the astonishing build up to the Malmö final as Forest win their 1st European Cup podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

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Jonathan Wilson @jonawils.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

On It Was What It Was, the football history podcast, we look at Manchester United in 1985-86, when they win their first 10 league games before collapsing to finish fourth. podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Man Utd thriving, winning their first 10 matches and surely on course to end their title jinx? It’s 40 years since Big Ron’s big season, 1985-86 Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well @jonawils on @ItWasPod on where it all went wrong for Big Ron’s Man Utd podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

You want a podcast with stories of Gazza, air rifles, a press box and falling through the rotten floorboards, almost jeopardising his career? Welcome to Spurs, 1990-91 And I have just the pod for you. With star guest Ewan Flynn and @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Christoph Becker @chwb.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Sehr gelungene Doppelfolge It was what it was zu Mohammed Salah von @draper-rob.bsky.social & @jonawils.bsky.social, insbesondere Teil 2 zur Frage, welche politischen und gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an einen prominenten Spieler gestellt werden. podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/i...

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Mo Salah: The Egyptian King's Story | Part Two

Podcast-Folge · It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast · 22.08.2025 · 53 Min.

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Mohamed Salah, political football…. In today’s @ItWasPod with @jonawils we continue our pod on PFA Player of Year + focus on intense religious + political forces that want to own him Why doesn’t Salah ever speak out? Maybe because Egypt is just so complicated…. podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

We’ve boldly anticipating Mohamed Salah being name PFA Player of the Year tonight Arguably the Egyptian King is PL Player of Decade We speaks to @edaarons.bsky.social on his extraordinary journey from Nagrig to Liverpool via Cairo @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

It’s 10 years since the (half) season from Hell for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea…the beginning of the end of his genius @jonawils.bsky.social assesses huge impact of his fall from grace + the global fascination with Jose show From PL champion to sacked in just 6 months podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Self praise is no praise BUT …. Our episode with Jan Fjørtoft on the extraordinary Juninho transfer to Middlesbrough that changed English football 30 years ago is one of our best and funniest yet! (Because of our guest rather than @jonawils.bsky.social and me) podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

DIRTY LEEDS! How did they get their infamous sobriquet? And was Don Revie inadvertently responsible for ensuring it stuck? @jonawils.bsky.social explains all with a fascinating insight into Big Jack Charlton + Revie podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

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Jonathan Wilson @jonawils.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Do you like books? Do you like bargains? Then fill your boots at Waterstones by pre-ordering my new World Cup book with 25% off. Offer ends TODAY, so act now... www.waterstones.com/book/the-pow...

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John Ewan @londonhibee.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Another excellent episode of It Was What It Was with @draper-rob.bsky.social & @jonawils.bsky.social telling the story of the great Crvena Zvezda side of the early 90s as Yugoslavia tears itself apart, including how Miodrag Belodedici's escapes from Ceaușescu's Romania & subsequently joins Red Star

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John Ewan @londonhibee.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I've been fascinated with the Colombian El Dorado league since my Dad told me that as a kid, he entered a fancy dress competition dressed as Bobby Flavell with an "off to Bogota" luggage label attached to his lapel. @jonawils.bsky.social & @draper-rob.bsky.social provide lots of historical context

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DG @redbeard17.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

In the week where I became a dad, one thing I never envisaged happening was washing and sterilising bottles listening to @jonawils.bsky.social and @draper-rob.bsky.social on It Was What It Was but here we are. Thanks for the company lads 👏

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

‘A gunman pumped two bullets into head of the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates’ Man City takeover story: so much more than football It’s rooted in Abu Dhabi history + childhood tragedy of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak Today’s It Was pod with @jonawils.bsky.social podfollow.com/1745066482

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

The downfall of Diego Armando Maradona Part 1 This week on It Was What It Was @jonawils.bsky.social starts a two-part series on the extraordinary circumstances that culminate in Maradona testing positive at the 1994 World Cup A truly compelling story that starts with a 0-5 defeat to Colombia 🇦🇷

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

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Rob Draper @draper-rob.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

It’s FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP week! 🙌🇺🇸 🥳 But it’s nothing new Clubs have tried to create a World Cup for more than 100 yrs Without much success *Trigger warning* contains distressing scenes as @jonawils.bsky.social bangs on about Sunderland winning this title in 1895 podfollow.com/1745066482

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