How Great Were Liverpool 1968–1974? | Bill Shankly’s Last Great Liverpool Side

Were Liverpool 1968–1974 the most important bridge in the club’s history — the side that not only won major honours, but carried Bill Shankly’s revolution from one great era into the next?

In this episode of By Far The Greatest Team, Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined once again by regular guest Declan Clark to explore the final great Liverpool side built by Bill Shankly.

This was a team in transition, but not in decline. As the giants of the mid-1960s faded, Shankly rebuilt again — reshaping Liverpool around new energy, new partnerships, and a new attacking edge. Out went some of the old certainties, and in came a side driven by Kevin Keegan, transformed by the arrival of John Toshack, and held together by the standards, steel, and emotional force that Shankly had embedded into the club.

The episode dives into Liverpool’s tactical evolution in the late 60s and early 70s, the growing importance of players like Emlyn Hughes, Tommy Smith, and Ian Callaghan, and the way this side adapted to a changing English game. We look at the domestic title battles, the near-misses, the rise of fierce rivalries with Leeds United, Arsenal, and Derby County, and the breakthrough of 1972–73, when Liverpool won both the league title and the UEFA Cup.

But this is also the story of endings. Shankly’s shock resignation in 1974 remains one of the most emotional departures in football history, and this episode reflects on what he left behind: not just trophies, but a culture, an identity, and the foundations of the Liverpool dynasty that followed.

Was this simply Shankly’s last great team — or one of the most important in Liverpool’s entire story?

Takeaways

• How Bill Shankly rebuilt Liverpool for a second great cycle
• Why Kevin Keegan and John Toshack became such a devastating partnership
• How Liverpool evolved tactically during the early 1970s
• Why the 1972–73 season was such a major moment in club history
• What Shankly’s final team left behind for the Liverpool sides that followed

If you enjoy football history, tactical evolution, and the stories behind the teams that shaped the game, this is the episode for you.

Listen / Watch

🎧 Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7erZQ9qQEsa2Xq8Rg843Gv

🍎 Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/by-far-the-greatest-team-football-podcast/id1678832405

📺 YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BFTGT

If you enjoy these podcasts, please don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating and also tell everyone about them!

If you enjoy these podcasts, please don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating and also tell everyone about them!

How Great Were Stoke City 2008–2013? | Tony Pulis, the Britannia Fortress, and the Art of Being Horrible to Play Against

Were Stoke City 2008–2013 one of the most misunderstood teams of the Premier League era — dismissed as brute force, but actually brilliant at becoming exactly what they needed to be?

In this episode of By Far The Greatest Team, Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined by regular guest Stuart Burgess to dig into one of the most distinctive and divisive sides in modern English football: Tony Pulis’ Stoke City from 2008 to 2013.

This is the team that made the phrase “a cold, wet Tuesday night in Stoke” part of football folklore. But beyond the joke, there was something serious going on here. Stoke were not trying to win beauty contests. They were trying to survive, compete, and make themselves absolutely miserable to play against — and in that, they were wildly successful.

The episode explores how Pulis took Stoke up to the Premier League in 2008 and turned them into a top-flight force with one of the clearest identities in the country. We look at the power of the Britannia Stadium, Rory Delap’s weaponised long throw, a back line built for combat, and a team that understood territory, pressure, chaos, and momentum as well as anyone. This was football stripped back to nerve, discipline, and edge.

But there was more to Stoke than the caricature. We also assess the balance in the side, the underrated quality of players like Matthew Etherington, Jonathan Walters, and Ricardo Fuller, the 2011 FA Cup Final run, and a remarkable first taste of European football. Was this simply a functional side with a gimmick, or a genuinely great example of a club maximising every ounce of its potential?

It’s a story about identity, defiance, and the value of making no apologies for who you are.

Takeaways

• How Tony Pulis built Stoke into one of the Premier League’s clearest tactical identities
• Why the Britannia became one of the most psychologically difficult away grounds in England
• The truth behind Rory Delap’s long throw — and why it was far more than a novelty
• How Stoke combined physicality, organisation, and underrated attacking quality
• Whether this team should be remembered as anti-football caricature or modern overachievers

If you enjoy football history, tactical identity, and the stories of teams who built success their own way, this is the episode for you.

Listen / Watch

🎧 Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7erZQ9qQEsa2Xq8Rg843Gv

🍎 Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/by-far-the-greatest-team-football-podcast/id1678832405

📺 YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BFTGT

If you enjoy these podcasts, please don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating and also tell everyone about them!

If you enjoy these podcasts, please don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating and also tell everyone about them!

How Great Were Arsenal 1925–1939? | Chapman’s Super Club Revolution

How does a London club go from obscurity to dominance — and, in the process, invent the blueprint for the modern football super club?

In this episode of By Far The Greatest Team, Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined by super guest Phil Craig to explore Arsenal 1925–1939 — the era where Herbert Chapman and George Allison transform Arsenal into English football’s first true powerhouse, combining tactical innovation, commercial vision, and cultural identity into something entirely new.

We trace Chapman’s arrival from Huddersfield, his revolutionary ideas, and the moment English football changes shape — literally — with the introduction of the WM formation, a tactical shift that reshaped the game. But this isn’t just about tactics. It’s about control, planning, and vision: from floodlights and European ambition to marketing, media presence, and the transformation of Highbury into a football theatre.

On the pitch, this Arsenal side becomes relentless. League titles, FA Cups, iconic players like Alex James, Cliff Bastin, Ted Drake, and a team that blends structure with attacking brilliance. Off the pitch, Arsenal begin to look like something new — a club thinking bigger than the rest.

We also explore the deeper layers: the Chapman vs Allison legacy debate, the impact of Chapman’s death in 1934, and how Arsenal continued to win without their architect. And, to close, we touch on one of football’s most surreal cultural moments — The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939) — where the club quite literally steps into cinema.

This is where modern football begins.

Takeaways

• Why Herbert Chapman is one of the most influential figures in football history
• How the WM formation revolutionised tactics and reshaped the game
• The blend of innovation, planning, and identity that made Arsenal dominant
• The importance of players like Alex James, Cliff Bastin, and Ted Drake
• The Chapman vs Allison debate — who deserves the credit?
• How Arsenal became England’s first true “super club”
• Why this era still shapes how modern football clubs operate

Listen / Watch

🎧 Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7erZQ9qQEsa2Xq8Rg843Gv

🍎 Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/by-far-the-greatest-team-football-podcast/id1678832405

📺 YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BFTGT

If you enjoy these podcasts, please don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating and also tell everyone about them!