In our first episode this year, we review our first football novel, David Peace’s The Damned United 📖⚽

Having already reviewed both Clough and Taylor’s autobiographies, this was Alistair’s way of cramming in more Clough 😄

The book has been described as the best novel about football 🏆📚 — a fictionalised account of what happened during the 44-day reign of Clough (and don’t forget Taylor) at Leeds United ⏳⚽

It’s also been made into a film 🎬, which we discuss too.

🚨 Spoiler alert: the 44 days didn’t go well…

Happy New Year, folks 🎉 Have a smashing 2026! 🥂✨

To mark the festive season 🎄, we discuss some of the weightier religious and historical topics 📜✝️ such as the cause of Herod’s death ☠️ and the schism between the Catholic and Protestant churches ⛪️⚔️⛪️. Yes indeed, it’s a Christmas 5-a-side ⚽️🎅.

Join us as we find ever more tenuous and tangential ways 🧵🤔 to connect top footballers to the 25 December 🎁🎂 and find out if Al can get a nice early present for himself 🎁😬 with a long-overdue win in the ongoing Injury Time draft series 🏆.

And as it’s the season of goodwill to all men 🤝✨, please do give us a nice rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Merry Christmas, folks! 🎄🍷🎙️

Pour yourself a very very large glass of wine 🍷, sit back 🛋️, and enjoy Episode 52 of the Dynamo Football Bookclub.

This week, we are taking a lesson in humility from Big Sam Allardyce. 📘

The Premier League’s original innovator turned reactionary, Big Sam elbowed his way up and down England as a player before becoming one of the most noteworthy managers of the Premier League era. His Bolton team really were something back in the day ⚪️⚽ with flair, grit 💪, and no shortage of long punts up the field despite what Sam might say.

It was a management career that started with humble Limerick FC 🇮🇪 and hit some memorable high notes 🎶 before ending on the sour notes of England and Leeds 😬.

It was a heck of a journey for the Big Man Brute who is not, as it turns out, from the north of England 😂.

Join us for Sam’s rose-tinted view of it all. 🌹👓