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PODCAST

World Cup Rambling

One man talking his way through various aspects of the World Cup from tournament retrospectives, to individual stories of teams and players from the great to the not so great, taking in the qualifying competitions as well as the finals themselves. The Greatest Show on Earth is a treasure trove of stories with something always waiting to be mined. Presented by Matthew Okot Twitter @MatthewOkot @WorldCupRamble

sports soccer

All Episodes

00:55:11

A Beautiful Game: France vs Brazil at the 1986 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/11/04

It’s time to dip back into the 1986 World Cup, by looking at the match of the tournament, a mighty, midday clash in the Mexican heat between France and Brazil, two of the most iconic teams of that era. France, the reigning European Champions, had started their campaign slowly but looked to be steadily finding their form. Brazil, underrated in comparison to their 1982 predecessors, were still capable of scoring stylish goals. They had the deadly striker and solid defence that they had been missing

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01:10:08

Can We Not Knock It? Graham Taylor's England and the...

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/10/07

Graham Taylor took over the England job amidst much optimism, following England’s strong Italia 90 campaign. The expectation was that England would continue to be a force at major tournaments. However, the optimism evaporated as Taylor struggled to get to grips with the unique challenge of international football. He failed to develop a playing identity for the Three Lions (beyond a stale version of his beloved direct football) and struggled to manage the erratic talents of Paul Gascoigne.

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02:39:31

Argentina 78 Retrospective: Part 3 - The Second Group...

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/07/01

This month we have the final part of the Argentina 78 retrospective. The format of the competition – a second group stage, with the winners of the two groups reaching the final – is already under scrutiny and this will intensify as this second batch of groups conclude. In Group A, the Netherlands finally find their form, to reach the final at the expense of Italy, who are unable to build on their excellent first round. Meanwhile, West Germany, unable to find a win, surrender their crown, with

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02:39:47

Argentina 78 Retrospective: Part 2 - The First Group...

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/06/03

We’re back with part 2 of the Argentina 78 retrospective. This episode will focus on the first group stage. We have Argentina playing under the weight of domestic expectations, accompanied by a stench of dodgy refereeing. We also have the relative decline of West Germany, Brazil and Holland, the unexpectedly strong performances of Tunisia, Austria and Peru, the resurgence of Italy. There’s also the small matter of Scotland’s craziest campaign ever, as hubris crashes into reality, Willie Johnston

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01:47:45

Argentina 78 Retrospective: Part 1 - Background &...

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/05/06

This month sees the return of the World Cup retrospective, with the focus being on the 1978 tournament in Argentina, arguably the most controversial World Cup in history. In 1966, Argentina were awarded the rights to host the 1978 World Cup – an honour that was long overdue for one of football’s leading nations. However, the deteriorating political, security and economic situation in the twilight years of Peronism, cast doubt over whether Argentina would be able to host the tournament. The

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00:44:52

Pelé: King of the World

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/04/01

This month it’s a tribute to Pelé, who died on 29th December 2022. Pelé burst onto the World Cup scene as a 17-year-old in 1958. A late addition to the starting eleven, he was awesome for a teenager, scoring six goals to help Brazil win the World Cup for the first time. Pelé became the world’s best player, a genuine superstar, a global icon yet his next two World Cups ended unhappily. The price of fame meant overplaying for both club and country, which led to him breaking down with injury in

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01:16:59

Another Load of Merde: France at the 2010 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/03/04

This month we look back at France’s epic capitulation at the 2010 World Cup. From the start, the French campaign was shrouded in gloom and scandal, courtesy of Raymond Domenech’s haphazard management, Thierry Henry’s handball in the play-off against Republic of Ireland, and a prostitute scandal involving some of the squad. The situation was exacerbated by the self-serving behaviour of both the players and the manager, and the weak leadership from the top of the French Football Federation. It all

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00:39:06

The Changing of the Guard: Netherlands vs Brazil at...

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/02/04

When Brazil met Holland in the second group stage of the 1974 World Cup, a place in the final was at stake. It was the reigning champions against the pretenders to the throne. Johan Cruyff and his colleagues were playing 'Total Football', a fluid, aggressive style of play which had thrilled the world. The Dutch were nonchalantly brilliant as they swatted away opponent after opponent. Brazil, by contrast, were struggling to live up to the legacy of the 1970 with so many of the heroes of that triumph

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00:02:31

TRAILER: World Cup Rambling (Series 3)

World Cup Rambling ·

2023/01/07

A tantalising snippet of what you have to look forward to in the third series of World Cup Rambling, which is due to start on Saturday 4th February 2023. Subscribe to World Cup Rambling on your podcast platform. Rate and review the podcast. Twitter @MatthewOkot @WorldCupRamble

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00:32:48

CHRISTMAS BONUS EPISODE: Qatar 2022 Review

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/12/23

A nice Christmas surprise for all you dear listeners - a look back at Argentina versus France, arguably the craziest World Cup Final ever, which ended with Lionel Messi emulating Diego Maradona by captaining the Argentinians to World Cup glory. As well as this, I cast my eye over Qatar 2022 as a whole and revisit some of my forecasts from the preview episode. Make sure to rate and review the podcast and subscribe to World Cup Rambling on your podcast platform. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to

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00:30:11

Qatar 2022 Preview

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/11/18

In this episode we have a look ahead to the 2022 World Cup, the background to the tournament, the controversies, the response to Qatar’s tournament, and a look at some of the teams. This is the last episode of series 2 so thanks for listening the whole way through 2022. Go back and listen to all the previous episodes and continue to subscribe to World Cup Rambling on your podcast platform. TWITTER @MatthewOkot @WorldCupRamble

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00:55:25

Diego's Last Stand: Maradona at the 1994 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/10/07

After four turbulent years, Diego Maradona returned for one last shot at World Cup glory in 1994. After leading a bedraggled Argentina through a qualification play-off against Australia, Diego went all out to regain his fitness for USA ’94. A remarkable physical transformation took place as Diego shed the excess pounds. Looking trim and sharp, Diego declared himself ready to captain Argentina for a third successive World Cup. At long last his troubles seemed to be behind him. Diego scored a wonder

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01:19:13

Fergie's Mexico Mayhem: Scotland at the 1986 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/09/02

In the summer of 1986, for the first and only time, Alex Ferguson took a team to a major international tournament. Ferguson had been Scotland’s assistant manager, working alongside the legendary Jock Stein. Ferguson regarded Stein as a mentor figure and was delighted to be working alongside him. When Stein died tragically at the end of a pulsating World Cup qualifier against Wales, Ferguson took up the reins, guiding Scotland through a play-off against Australia, before taking them to Mexico ’86

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00:40:42

Animals: England vs Argentina at the 1966 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/07/01

"Not so much a football match as an international incident," was how legendary sports write Hugh McIlvanney described the 1966 World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina. England came into the match after a series of solid but unspectacular performances in the group stages - par for the course for an England team. Argentina were in an incendiary mood after some robust displays which had led to a FIFA warning. This warning, combined with the referee-selection process and the so-called

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00:41:06

A Load of Merde: France at the 2002 World Cup

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/06/03

This episode reflects on France’s disastrous World Cup defence in 2002. Roger Lemerre’s team arrived in South Korea as World Champions, European Champions, and Confederations Cup holders. They had Zinedine Zidane in peak form, as well as the golden boot winners from three of Europe’s top leagues. Rarely can there have been such a strong favourite to win a World Cup. What followed was a remarkable capitulation, as France went home without even scoring a

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00:27:40

The Battle of Santiago: Chile vs Italy at the 1962...

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/05/06

Chile feels a burning sense of national pride as World Cup hosts, having suffered a traumatising earthquake in 1960, before losing their key organiser in the weeks leading up to the 1962 tournament. However, some Italian journalists have been disparaging about the host country. This leaves the Italian team in a difficult situation when they face Chile in the group stage. What follows is one of the World Cup’s most notorious matches – described by the BBC’s David Coleman as “the most stupid,

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01:16:35

Spain 82 Retrospective: Part 3 – The Climax

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/04/01

After a mammoth 48 group matches, dragged out over two stages, the 1982 World Cup finally remembers that it’s supposed to be a knockout competition. A resurgent Italy, with Paolo Rossi having found his shooting boots, sweep past Poland. Then in Seville, there’s a night of intense drama as France meet West Germany. It’s billed as a clash between artists and artisans. The match swings one way and then the other, featuring spectacular goals, a blood-curdling foul, and the first ever World Cup penalty

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01:10:00

Spain 82 Retrospective: Part 2 - The Second Group Stage

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/03/04

The first group stage is over, but the unusual format of this competition means it’s time for another group stage. Poland reach the semi-finals for the second time in three tournaments, after shutting out the Soviet Union – a popular result. Elsewhere, the French find their form, ending Northern Ireland’s dream in the process. England, with goals in short supply, scramble Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking into action, in a futile attempt to leapfrog West Germany in the race for a semi-final spot. Yet

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02:15:05

Spain 82 Retrospective: Part 1 – The First Group Stage

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/02/04

Here is the long-anticipated (yeah right) start of series two. We’re going back in time to the 1982 World Cup. Joao Havelange’s conception of the ‘biggest World Cup ever’ came to fruition, as the 24-team extravaganza rolled into Spain, a country that was facing the first global test of its new democratic era. Things didn’t start too well, with an error-strewn draw ceremony and scepticism from the press, both inside and outside of Spain, about the country’s capacity to host the tournament. The action

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00:01:57

TRAILER: World Cup Rambling (Series 2)

World Cup Rambling ·

2022/01/07

A tantalising snippet of what you have to look forward to in the second series of World Cup Rambling, which is due to start on Friday 4th February 2022. Subscribe to World Cup Rambling on your podcast platform. Rate and review the podcast. Twitter @MatthewOkot @WorldCupRamble

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