Football Uncovered by SPORF, with Sporting Intelligence's Nick Harris will peel back the curtain on the business of football.
We bring to life true tales of the most weird and wonderful football owners in football history, that will have fans of all clubs scratching their heads as to how some of this was even possible!
Sporting Intelligence's Nick Harris says;
"English football has long felt like a soap opera. But in the "monied" Premier League era, the episodes of farce - involving a global cast of characters - have become ever more frequent and ever more bizarre."
"Working as an investigative sports reporter for 25 years, I've followed
lots of these stories from the inside, from Blackburn and Leeds to
Liverpool, Portsmouth and many points in between."
"Now, with the Football Uncovered podcast series with SPORF, we delve deeper into them, recalling the simply odd, to the barely believable."
Make sure you subscribe and follow for new episodes on Fridays.
S2 Ep9: Sunderland - Life after the Premier League
This week’s episode brings to an end Season 2 of Football Uncovered.
Sporting Intelligence’s Nick Harris alongside the ever-present Will Brazier are joined by Sunderland fan Chris Wetherspoon who also iso n the Wise men say podcast.
We are looking into what happens to clubs once they fall out of the Premier League and how it effects the fans and the clubs themselves.
As well as this we get the inside scoop at what really happened behind the scenes at Sunderland during the Netflix documentary.
13 May 2021
S2 Ep8: Chelsea: How Roman Abramovich created a London Empire.
Sporting Intelligence’s Nick Harris and Will Brazier are joined by Jake Cohen to talk about the ins and outs at Stamford Bridge.
We look into how Roman Abramovich’s approach to football, Chelsea’s continued success and the loan system has helped the club.
The gang also look into what is next for the Blues and how Thomas Tuchel can drive the club forward.
6 May 2021
S2 Ep7: Manchester United - The men behind an English football powerhouse.
This week on Football Uncovered we open a few doors on one of the biggest clubs on the planet, Manchester United.
The Athletic’s Lauri Whitwell joins the usual gang of Nick Harris & Will Brazier to talk about the ins and outs at Old Trafford.
We talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Glazers as well as what is next for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the reds.
Is there a better time to be lifting the lid on the men at the top of Manchester United.
29 Apr 2021
S2 Ep6: Arsenal: How Arsene Wenger revolutionised English Football
This week on Football Uncovered we are hedging to the Emirates to talk about everything Arsenal.
Sporting Intel’s Nick Harris and Will Brazier are joined by Phil Wall, a member of the Arsenal Supporters Trust.
We are covering everything from the highs and lows of the Arsene Wenger era as well as how Stan Kronke’s impact on the football club.
In addition to all of this we are looking at what the future holds for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta at the helm.
Another huge episode covering one of the clubs involved with the European Super League!
23 Apr 2021
S2 Ep5: The future of club football - The quest to find who really runs football
We’ve hit the halfway stage of Football Uncovered Season 2! In this episode we leave no stone uncovered as we look at the very future of club football.
Nick Harris & Will Brazier are joined by New York Times’ Tariq Panja as they delve deeper into the subject that has been on everyone’s lips, The European Super League.
From what makes you a big club to why these clubs want to be involved in a closed league we spill the beans on it all.
As well as all that we look at what the future could hold for the Champions League and why football will never be the same.
We couldn’t think of a better time to be lifting the lid on what could have been!
Join us to find out more about what has been a crazy week in the world of football.
*Tariq Panja's interview was recorded before recent events.
15 Apr 2021
S2 Ep4: Everton - The trials and tribulations of the Toffees.
This week Everton get the Football Uncovered treatment. Will Brazier and Nick Harris are joined by James Corbett about the Toffees.
In series 1 we uncovered plenty about the Red side of Merseyside, now it is time for the blue.
The gang go through the David Moyes era at Goodison as well as who really pulls the strings for the Toffees.
We also look forward to what the future holds for the Blues with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm and a new stadium on the horizon.
Could the glory days be coming back to Everton? Kick back and find out as we unlock the secrets from down the years.
8 Apr 2021
S2 Ep3: Southampton - The rollercoaster ride that is Southampton FC
In Episode 3 Nick Harris and Will Brazier are joined by Ben Stanfield to talk Southampton.
The Saints always seem to be on a rollercoaster both on and off the pitch. In this episode we uncover all the secrets from behind the scenes at St Marys.
From the Saints’ rise under Markus Liebherr to the highs and lowes under Rupert Lowe, Nick, Ben and Will dig a little deeper into Southampton’s recent history.
We are talking Matt Le Tissier, Graziano Pelle & Mauricio Pochettino as we give you the inside scoop on Southampton!
1 Apr 2021
S2 Ep2: Manchester City - We’re not really here...
Episode 2 covers all things Manchester City with the man in the know, The Associated Press’s Rob Harris
Known as one of the biggest and influential clubs on the planet we uncover some of the hidden stories behind the ‘Noisy Neighbours’.
We are talking about the potential transfer of Brazilian icon Kaka, Financial Fair Play, CAS and of course the impact of a certain Pep Guardiola.
Join us as we find out that it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the blue side of Manchester.
26 Mar 2021
S2 Ep1: Leicester City - The Foxes fantastic fairy tale.
Welcome back to Football Uncovered, an investigative podcast series from SPORF.
Will Brazier and Sporting Intelligences Nick Harris are joined by a new guest each week to shed some light on some of the biggest clubs in world football.
Episode 1 lifts the lid on one of most exciting clubs in English Football, Leicester City. Will Brazier, Nick Harris alongside Leicester fan and Mail on Sunday’s James Sharpe.
We are talking about the odd defying 2015-16 title winning season, the charismatic owners and how the Foxes are looking to break into the ‘Top 7’.
As well as all of that James uncovers some first hand accounts of the miracle season and his run-ins with Nigel Pearson.
Sit back and relax as we talk about the unlikely story which has unfolded at The King Power Stadium.
8 Jan 2021
S1 Ep8: FIFA - The trials and tribulations of those who brought shame on the global game
In the final episode of the series we delve deeper into one of the biggest and well known organisations on the planet, Fifa.
Notorious for scandals and rackets throughout the years we are talking about the most colourful characters behind the organisation. From Michel Platini’s ‘Disloyal Payments’ to the mega money bribes behind massive World Cup bids and how could be forget the behind the scenes doping scandal.
Join Richard Johnson, Will Brazier and Nick Harris as they countdown the top 10 biggest fraudsters behind the beautiful game, who will take the number one spot?
2 Jan 2021
S1 Ep7: QPR – The cautionary tale of reaching for the stars.
This week we look into the untold truths behind the rise and fall of QPR. One of the more recent cases of well meaning owners getting it wrong at the top of the English game.
When F1 tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore handed the keys to Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, Ranger’s fans thought the sky was the limit but that wasn’t the case. Fernandes all starry eyed had his sights set on Champions League football with his ambitious Four Year Plan.
We are talking huge transfers of Rio Ferdinand and Loic Remy, record breaking losses and undoubted ambition as we pull back the curtain at what has gone wrong at Loftus Road.
26 Dec 2020
S1 Ep6: Gretna & Hearts – The incredible story of two mavericks creating a big impact on Scottish football
In this episode we head North of the border as we focus on two lesser told stories in Scotland, Gretna and Hearts. The pair will forever be entwined by the 2006 Scottish Cup final but that is where the similarities end.
Gretna, Scotish minos rising through the ranks thanks to Brooks Mileson’s injection of ambition and a fair bit of cash ending in a red letter day at Hampden Park. Tragedy followed for Gretna but the ride is something from a fairytale.
Hearts on the other hand led by Vladimir Romanov with his eccentric, endlessly quotable antics driving the Jam Tarts to the top. The drama filled-story of two well meaning owners who took too much on.
18 Dec 2020
S1 Ep5: Aston Villa & Birmingham City – A tale of one city and two clubs with rollercoaster ownerships
There are 4 major football clubs within 14 miles of each other in Birmingham and West Midlands that have been or are owned by Chinese businessmen: Birmingham, Aston Villa, West Brom and Wolves.
Two of these have largely been success stories with Wolves under Fosun and West Brom under Lai Guochuan. However, Villa and Birmingham didn’t have the same fortunes.
This is the story of Carson Yeung’s and Tony Xia’s time in the West Midlands. Yeung will forever be remembered by Birmingham fan’s for pushing them to League Cup success in 2011 but his tenure wasn’t always fairytale stuff. Relegations and prison sentences followed for the pair as the cracks in the road began to show.
Xia on the other hand with his outlandish ideas looked to make Aston Villa a Premier League powerhouse. From the bright lights of China and an Aston Villa theme park on the cards to winding up orders. This is the turbulent tale of Villa and Birmingham.
4 Dec 2020
S1 Ep4: Liverpool FC - The incredible tale of Hicks & Gillett's rollercoaster reign, and Kenny 'The Conman' Huang
This week we get the inside scoop on what could have been one of the biggest mishaps in world football history. Of course we are talking about the ill-fated tenure of Tom Hicks and George Gillett at Liverpool FC.
We are opening the door to what really happened behind the scenes at Anfield. From broken stadium promises and bank injections to flirting with administration the pair took the Reds through the mill both on and off the pitch.
Hear about a near-miss with Thaksin Shinawatra and the inside track on how Kenny Huang locked himself in a toilet to avoid the press, This is the incredible tale of Liverpool FC's turbulent pass-the-parcel ownership.
27 Nov 2020
S1 Ep3: Portsmouth FC - The astonishing story of Pompey's notorious ownership history and rapid fall from grace
Portsmouth’s fall from the pinnacle of English football has been well documented over the years but the untold truths are really hard to believe.
Much remembered for the 2006 FA Cup triumph Portsmouth have been on a rollercoaster journey leading to the present day. We are talking about 6 owners, 2 administrations, arms deals, mobsters and ‘fictional’ characters all connected with Pompey.
We are lifting the lid on one of the most unbelievable stories in the world of football told by the man with the inside knowledge, Nick Harris.
19 Nov 2020
S1 Ep2: Leeds United - The untold tales of financial ruin, CCTV stings, goldfish wages and half-time sackings
Leeds United are one of the most decorated football clubs in England with a dazzling history. This episode we cover some of the stories that Leeds fans wish would have been kept under wraps. Nick Harris opens the door to some of the most outrageous years in history books of Leeds United.
We are talking the attempted sacking of Brian McDermott at half time via the phone, outrageous spending habits and goldfish monthly wages?!
From Peter Ridsdale's financial gambles, through the turbulent Ken Bates era, the infamous GFH takeover and the crazy Cellino times, we pull back the curtain on one of the most unbelievable stories in football ownership.
12 Nov 2020
S1 Ep1: Blackburn Rovers - The incredible story of the Venky's turbulent ownership
Introducing Football Uncovered, a new investigative podcast series from SPORF.
Together with Sporting Intelligence's Nick Harris, we’re shedding light on some of the most notorious tales of football ownership.
Episode one covers a very turbulent time in the history of former Premier League champions, Blackburn Rovers.
Often remembered for the heroics of Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton and Kenny Daglish this is a very different type of story. We are talking about the Richest people in India taking over at Ewood Park. From talks of Premier League talent joining the club to the likes of Raul, Ronaldinho and David Beckham being branded around.
It wasn’t clean sailing for the Venky’s in Blackburn as they brought with them crafty middlemen and mega money agents. This is the story of the yo-yo tenure of the Venky’s as told by Nick Harris, Will Brazier and Richard Johnson.
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28 Oct 2020
Football Uncovered: Weird and Wonderful Owners - Trailer
Football Uncovered by SPORF, with Sporting Intelligence's Nick Harris will peel back the curtain on the business of football.
We bring to life true tales of the most weird and wonderful football owners in football history, that will have fans of all clubs scratching their heads as to how some of this was even possible!
Our first episode launches early November, so ensure you are following or subscribed to ensure you don't miss these amazing untold stories.
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