After 3 months or so without live football, I realised how much my days and life in general revolves around the beautiful game. Sure, we’ve had the Belarusian Premier League and a bit of K-League action to keep things ticking over, but like millions around the world I have been having to get my daily fix of football content in alternative ways.

To fill in the void of watching football, I have been massively reliant on alternative ways to consume the sport and fill the additional free-time that lockdown provided. In this post, I will discuss some of ways I have managed to satisfy my craving for the sport.

Enjoy!

Game: Football Manager 2020

As actual work circumstances change for millions around the world, I personally have thrown myself into what I could possibly refer to as my 2nd job, managing a group of virtual individual players and an email inbox telling me that they keep getting injured in imaginary training sessions.

I have played Football Manager for years now, and have always put their games as my ‘go-to’ football video game series, ahead of FIFA and PES, mainly because I can handle the spreadsheet style gameplay better than getting abuse from children and losing 5-0 repeatedly online playing Ultimate Team. However, during lockdown, I have played the game for so long that I know my squad of players better than most of my family at this point.

Over the weeks and months of lockdown, it has been ever-present on my laptop, just hovering in the background most of the day. A little game here and there, between actual work and daily chores has certainly added up. I haven’t checked the actual numbers for how long I’ve played, but I’m sure it would depress me a little bit if I did.

Leading Sunderland to the Premier League, 1860 Munich to the Champions League and the Ivory Coast to an AFCON trophy are just some of the achievements I have reached in 2020, and I’m sure my virtual manager character has many more “Demand More” and “Get Creative” instructions left in him.

Listen: Football Ramble Daily

How do you create daily podcast content about football, while the footballing world has been at a standstill?

Well, the Football Ramble team certainly know the answer. The Ramble group have excelled over these lockdown months, expanding their presenting squad and putting out great podcast content which has kept me occupied as I tried to force myself to take advantage of Boris’ luxury 1-hour exercise allocation. From their Friday preview shows, through to their European ‘On the Continent’ show, the daily episodes have provided a thoroughly entertaining football fix.

On top of all the daily episodes the team put out, I’ve also found myself going on a little nostalgia trip back to some of their older episodes. I started listening to the Ramble in 2017 but going back over some older episodes reminded me of some of the good, bad and completely ridiculous stories of the past 10 years of football. From Leicester’s incredible season, through to World Cup and Euro’s heartache, reliving these moments from their initial reaction and discussion has made a great soundtrack to running, baking, tidying and other thrilling lockdown activities.

The Football Ramble is the perfect podcast for any football fan, who wants solid analysis, discussion about key talking points, a quiz hosted by a man who puts his head in a box and plenty (and I mean plenty) of Kevin Keegan/Sven-Göran Eriksson chat.

Read: Suddenly a Footballer (Juan Mata)

Incase you weren’t aware, Juan Mata is a top quality footballer, who appears to be a bloody lovely human being. This is reiterated throughout his autobiography ‘Suddenly a Footballer’.

Jumping through anecdotes, emotions and stories through the Spaniards career, this book just demonstrates how Mata is living his dream as a top footballer and it’s great to have a football autobiography which is centred around the love of the game, and not necessarily just the off-field antics.

Manchester United’s No.8 is admittedly one of my favourite players to watch, and has been since he first came to my attention in 2010/11 at the end of his time at Valencia. Despite the desire to play quick, non-stop football in recent years, I always enjoy seeing a player who can control the game, slow things down while the players around him are appearing frantic, and then pick out a pass which none of the players (or myself) could even have imagined. Juan Mata has done this to perfection, and I believe he may be one of the Premier League’s most underrated talents with some of his career achievements and game changing moments.

Admittedly, this autobiography certainly doesn’t contain the drama, gossip and ‘exclusive stories’ that may be expected from some other footballers life-stories. However, reading through the tales of growing up in Spain, Real Madrid’s youth setup, life in La Liga and switching to the Premier League and all the trophies that he has picked up along the way makes this book a thoroughly uplifting read.

When I started reading this book, I managed to get through it in a few days (I’m admittedly not the quickest reader), and I enjoyed every story and chapter. To top it off, Juan has donated 99% of proceeds from the book to his charity ‘Common Goal’, who do some incredible work around the world, which cements him as one of football’s top ‘nice guys’.

Watch: Bobby Robson – More Than A Manager

I am ashamed to say that I don’t personally know too much about Bobby Robson as a manager due to being a ‘millennial’ and far too young to have witnessed any of his successes around Europe. And I’m equally as ashamed to have skipped over this documentary from 2018, until it popped up on my Netflix recommendations, and I sat down for an afternoon of great football clips from the 90s.

Despite my naivety, after 100 minutes of brilliant footage, interviews and discussion from some major football icons, it’s clear to see why football fans of any club who watched the beautiful game in the 90s have immense respect, admiration and acknowledgement of his work both on the pitch, and his legacy off-field through incredible charity contributions which are continued to this day.

With insight from the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho and Ronaldo playing over great footage of Barcelona, Newcastle and of course Italia 90, the film documents one of football’s great innovators, characters and simply a footballing legend. Everybody appears to have purely positive memories of Robson and it’s clear to see why.

This film is worth the watch for any football fan, or a re-watch for anybody who has already watched it. For a documentary based around football, it provides humour, sadness and a genuine passion for the sport. I’m certainly no film critic but even Michael Owen should add this to his list of 8 films he’s ever seen.

Listen: The Offensive

They’re bigger than Gillingham!

Ashwood City, a club that have never been relegated from the Premier League, yet filled with all the drama and controversy of a soap opera. Think Everton meets EastEnders and you may begin to understand what you’re in for.

With the humour of ‘The Thick of It’ and ‘The Office’, The Offensive is a podcast series which follows the trials and tribulations of the ‘Super Whites’ as they implement their 5 year plan for on-field and off-field success, known as ‘the offensive’. Over the 2 seasons and 85 episodes (to date), the podcast takes you on a journey behind the scenes of the fictional workings of a top-flight club, with dodgy management, fairly aggressive staff and big egos. Add in to that, a superb adaptation of R.E.M.s ‘End of the World’ track and you’ve got a must-listen podcast series.

This podcast is genuinely great listening, it provides humour and entertainment in abundance whilst creating imaginary scenarios which most fans (myself included) can envisage occurring in my club and many others. Without any spoilers, the latest season 2 finale was filled with tension and I am very excited to see what next season brings for Ashwood.

#NolanOut

Read: Mundial Magazine

As I write this, I have just seen that unfortunately, Mundial are moving to an online only publication for the future, which is a shame as I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through their magazines over the years; on the beach, public transport and generally sat at home waiting for midday kick off’s. Despite this change to their product, like many of their readers I am excited to see what they’ve got planned.

Over the lockdown weeks, I have managed to work my way through the latest few issues, which despite being a quarterly magazine, I have failed to sit down and properly enjoy. Additionally, I have found myself going back through older issues that I have picked up over the past year. Due to their unique articles covering football from around the world, fan culture and unheard football stories, it is a great read to flick through or sit down and enjoy and even come back to months later.

I will happily admit that since I began reading their magazine, it has encouraged me to sit down and write on this blog. For anyone with an interest in footballing culture, whether that’s via clothing, non-league football or even football in the middle of Armenia, the magazines will have something of interest. Although, finding copies of older issues will require some serious eBay bidding wars.

Watch: Warnock (Documentary)

Neil is back in football, and as a result I had the perfect opportunity to get on YouTube and re-watch an hour of football gold. The documentary follows Warnock through the 2004/05 Championship season in charge of Sheffield United, and provides an incredible insight into the life of one of England’s most charismatic figures.

Most of us will have seen the Manchester City documentary on Amazon Prime, with their multi-million pound training facilities and frantic Guardiola tactical sessions, and in complete contrast, this documentary shows the stereotypical ‘English’ management style of the lower leagues. With miserable, rainy Sheffield playing conditions, a no-nonsense Yorkshireman bellowing orders and a couple of on-field and off-field scraps, this TV Movie will remind fans of some of the lost art from English football.

Neil is very much a ridiculed manager who has become almost a caricature on the touchline with his antics at times, however I think it’s safe to say that the entertainment he provides makes him one of the most well-loved managers that English football has ever seen. With his latest appointment to try and salvage Middlesbrough’s season, this may be one of his last job opportunities, so what a perfect time this could be for a sequel to the 2005 masterpiece.