Welcome to "Talking Spots Books"

Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our timeFootball is the world's most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game.Investigative journalist Joey D'Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world.  More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China's foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion's; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns.A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game's most universal symbol

Coming up on this edition of "Talking Sports Books"The Scouting Game brings us the inside story of the hidden world of top-level football scouting from a man with 30 years’ experience in the professional game, and more than a decade in the recruitment team at Chelsea FC’s renowned academy.Chris Robinson reveals how scouts work, what they look for and how they report on players, giving practical examples. He sets out the ideal characteristics that scouts search for in every position, and examines scouting at all levels – grassroots, academy, first team and opposition scouting.Chris explains how scouts interact with agents and what parents can expect from scouts and the professional academies, including how trials work and the developing role of data in scouting. He also considers scouting as a career, pointing out the pros and cons and explaining how to get started.

Postcards from Santiago tells the extraordinary true story of George Robledo, the pioneering Chilean footballer whose name has largely been forgotten—despite rewriting the history of English football. Long before the likes of Haaland, Henry, or Cantona made headlines as international stars in England, Robledo was blazing a trail as the first foreign-born player to top the English scoring charts.

Abandoned by his father and uprooted from Chile to a Yorkshire mining village, Robledo's youth was shaped by war and hardship. He toiled underground as a Bevin Boy during WWII before launching a football career that would see him rise from Barnsley to Newcastle United stardom. In the 1951–52 season, his record-breaking 33-goal tally made him the most prolific overseas scorer in English football—a record that quietly endures, often overlooked by official statistics.

From the searing landscapes of the Atacama Desert to a Wembley FA Cup triumph, and from representing Chile at the 1950 World Cup to appearing on a John Lennon album cover, Robledo’s life was nothing short of extraordinary. Through interviews with those who knew and admired him, Postcards from Santiago offers a vivid portrait of a forgotten icon—an immigrant who became both a national hero in Chile and a quiet legend in England.

This compelling biography not only reclaims Robledo's rightful place in football history, but also celebrates the resilience, identity, and impact of one of the game’s earliest global stars.

On this edition of the show

In “The Last Bell,” award-winning author Donald McRae reflects on six tumultuous years in boxing, grief, and redemption—featuring Tyson Fury, Canelo Álvarez, and more it is more than just a boxing book — it's a raw, emotional ringside journey through six years of triumph, tragedy, and truth. From Tyson Fury’s comeback to the heartache of Patrick Day, this is sport at its most human.

Welcome to another edition of Talking Sports Books with Tim Caple! In this episode, we are joined by the legendary Elton Welsby, who takes us through his remarkable career in football and the release of his highly anticipated autobiography, Game for a Laugh.

For over four decades, Elton has woven his love for football into a captivating career—reporting on non-league matches, hosting ITV’s top-flight football coverage, and building close relationships with football icons. His journeys have led him to five international tournaments, including three World Cups in the '80s and '90s, where he witnessed some of the most memorable moments in the sport's history.

In his new book, Elton gives us a candid behind-the-scenes look at his incredible experiences—offering insights into his time with legends like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, and countless managers and players across the country. Join us as Elton shares his personal stories and reflections on a life spent at the heart of the beautiful game.

In this edition of the show Boxing is the main feature with Carl Frampton, Steve Bunce and this editions book choice Steve Hunt's book looking back at the heavyweight Championship Fights of the 1980'S and yes every single one of them .Mike Tyson apart history wasn't kind to the champions of the 80's but we thought it was high time for a re-appraisal of some of those who were crowned "Heavyweight Champion" in this decade so you can expect to hear about Dokes,Weave,Page,Cooney,Holmes,Thomas, Spinks, Witherspoon and of course Tyson.

Welcome to the final show of the year where we look back at some of the best moments from the last 12 months, we will hear from David Pleat, Steve Bunce, Andy Clarke, Maurice Hope, Gary Newbon and we will look back at the greatest football tournaments forgotten by time but bought back to life in the pages of "Tin Pot" by Simon Turner

Tinpot is the story of football's lost tournaments: the strange and forgotten competitions that sparked into life before shuffling off their mortal coil. The book tells their stories, giving them the spotlight they deserve.

It's time for something different. It's time to go somewhere new. It's time to wander off the highways of football history and see where long-discarded paths lead.

England's major football tournaments seem to have been with us forever. The FA Cup stretches back over 150 years, while the Football League is the oldest competition of its kind in the world. They are the survivors - the bright ideas that quickly caught on. Yet, behind these successes lie countless failed experiments. But they still have their stories to tell.

Welcome back to "Talking Sports Books" this is the audio version of the show remember you can watch the video of this edition here as well.

On this show I am joined by the the man who has been the pen and voice of Boxing for close to 4 decades.

Steve Bunce has been a fixture of Boxing coverage over the years and continues to be the most in demand Boxing journalist and broadcaster across not only GB but around the World.

He joins me to talk about his new book "Around the World in 80 Fights" which looks back at the great fighters, fights, managers and personalities Steve has worked with over this lifetime covering the sport.