Rob Draper
draper-rob.bsky.social
Rob Draper
@draper-rob.bsky.social
🎙️Co-host It Was What It Was https://podfollow.com/1745066482
📰@guardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/profile/rob-draper
📕Author Dear England, The Real Story of the Three Lions Rebirth https://geni.us/DearEngland
Imre Hirschl was the Hungarian migrant who barely played football yet arguably transformed the game in Argentina, Uruguay at #RiverPlate #Peñarol

Peñarol were so good the opposition literally took flight at half time! #ClásicoDeLaFuga

Part 2 with @jonawils.bsky.social

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November 18, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Imre Hirschl had no playing career, lived in poverty when he emigrated from Hungary + blagged his way to become Gimnasia La Plata coach

Yet he changed the game in South America + arguably was brains behind Uruguay 1950 World Cup win
@jonawils.bsky.social

podfollow.com/1745066482
November 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Imre Hirschl had no playing career, lived in poverty when he emigrated from Hungary + blagged his way to become Gimnasia La Plata coach

Yet he changed the game in South America + arguably was brains behind Uruguay 1950 World Cup win
@jonawils.bsky.social

podfollow.com/1745066482
November 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Jürgen Klopp, experience bias, Sadio Mané and how data won @LFC the Premier League

Part 2 of our mini-series on the rise of analytics looking at Ian Graham and Michael Edwards with @jonawils.bsky.social on It Was What It Was

podfollow.com/1745066482
November 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Jürgen Klopp, experience bias, Sadio Mané and how data won @LFC the Premier League

Part 2 of our mini-series on the rise of analytics looking at Ian Graham and Michael Edwards with @jonawils.bsky.social on It Was What It Was

podfollow.com/1745066482
November 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Very enjoyable to spend time in Rotterdam with ex Arsenal + Man Utd great Robin van Persie + @JNorthcroft

Talked about Pep, Fergie, Arsene and how he ended up @Feyenoord coach - thanks to 16 year old daughter Dina…👇

www.theguardian.com/football/202...
November 1, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Very enjoyable to spend time in Rotterdam with ex Arsenal + Man Utd great Robin van Persie + @JNorthcroft

Talked about Pep, Fergie, Arsene and how he ended up @Feyenoord coach - thanks to 16 year old daughter Dina…👇

www.theguardian.com/football/202...
November 1, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
How Data Won the Premier League with the excellent @rorysmith.bsky.social

Today’s It Was What It Was @jonawils.bsky.social traces the long (longer than you think) history of data + football + the rise of Liverpool (Brentford, Brighton + Hearts!)

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October 28, 2025 at 8:51 AM
How Data Won the Premier League with the excellent @rorysmith.bsky.social

Today’s It Was What It Was @jonawils.bsky.social traces the long (longer than you think) history of data + football + the rise of Liverpool (Brentford, Brighton + Hearts!)

podfollow.com/1745066482
October 28, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Never forget your first Barça-Real Madrid classico….mine was watching a 19 year old Leo Messi score a hat trick + dramatic last minute equaliser

Part 2 of the extraordinary Rise of Messi with @jonawils.bsky.social
tracing the dramatic early Barça years

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October 21, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
The extraordinary story of a phenomenon: Leo Messi’s breakout season at Barça

And that beautiful moment Ronaldinho sets him up for his first ever goal at Camp Nou!

Today on @ItWasPod with @jonawils - the making of Messi + building of Barça Dream Team II

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October 14, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The extraordinary story of a phenomenon: Leo Messi’s breakout season at Barça

And that beautiful moment Ronaldinho sets him up for his first ever goal at Camp Nou!

Today on @ItWasPod with @jonawils - the making of Messi + building of Barça Dream Team II

podfollow.com/1745066482
October 14, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Excellent series on Clough at Forest, particularly with regard to football‘s wider socioeconomic place in England and the continent. 1979/80: Thatcher in No. 10, top Bundesliga sides are economically more potent than English clubs, Nottingham play BFC Dynamo and HSV in the European Cup.
The miracle of Nottingham Forest and genius of Brian Clough…

What better way to prepare for tonight’s CL fixs than a look back at the greatest ever achievement in the competition?

@jonawils.bsky.social in masterly story telling mode….

podfollow.com/1745066482
October 2, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Having just finished listening to the superb It Was What It Was (by @draper-rob.bsky.social and @jonawils.bsky.social) series on Forest's European Cup I had the same thoughts, that it would be great to have further exploration of Clough's career and that final season would be really interesting.
October 9, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Rob Draper
The downfall of Brian Clough is the best episode of @jonawils.bsky.social
superb 4-part series on Nottm Forest in Europe

The descent into alcoholism and complexity of his relationship + break up with Peter Taylor provides rich material

podfollow.com/1745066482
October 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The downfall of Brian Clough is the best episode of @jonawils.bsky.social
superb 4-part series on Nottm Forest in Europe

The descent into alcoholism and complexity of his relationship + break up with Peter Taylor provides rich material

podfollow.com/1745066482
October 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Rob Draper
The miracle of Nottingham Forest and genius of Brian Clough…

What better way to prepare for tonight’s CL fixs than a look back at the greatest ever achievement in the competition?

@jonawils.bsky.social in masterly story telling mode….

podfollow.com/1745066482
September 30, 2025 at 8:33 AM
The miracle of Nottingham Forest and genius of Brian Clough…

What better way to prepare for tonight’s CL fixs than a look back at the greatest ever achievement in the competition?

@jonawils.bsky.social in masterly story telling mode….

podfollow.com/1745066482
September 30, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Forest back in Europe! What better time to re-visit the glory years of 78-80 with @jonawils.bsky.social

Today in part 2 of our Clough European Cup special we cover the astonishing build up to the Malmö final as Forest win their 1st European Cup

podfollow.com/1745066482
September 23, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Forest back in Europe! What better time to re-visit the glory years of 78-80 with @jonawils.bsky.social

Today in part 2 of our Clough European Cup special we cover the astonishing build up to the Malmö final as Forest win their 1st European Cup

podfollow.com/1745066482
September 23, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
On It Was What It Was, the football history podcast, we look at Manchester United in 1985-86, when they win their first 10 league games before collapsing to finish fourth.

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September 12, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Man Utd thriving, winning their first 10 matches and surely on course to end their title jinx?

It’s 40 years since Big Ron’s big season, 1985-86

Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well

@jonawils on @ItWasPod on where it all went wrong for Big Ron’s Man Utd

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It Was What It Was
Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was.Each week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper will be talking about the key episodes in football history that have shaped the footballi...
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September 9, 2025 at 9:45 AM
You want a podcast with stories of Gazza, air rifles, a press box and falling through the rotten floorboards, almost jeopardising his career?

Welcome to Spurs, 1990-91

And I have just the pod for you. With star guest Ewan Flynn and @jonawils.bsky.social

podfollow.com/1745066482
It Was What It Was
Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was.Each week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper will be talking about the key episodes in football history that have shaped the footballi...
podfollow.com
August 30, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Reposted by Rob Draper
Sehr gelungene Doppelfolge It was what it was zu Mohammed Salah von @draper-rob.bsky.social & @jonawils.bsky.social, insbesondere Teil 2 zur Frage, welche politischen und gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an einen prominenten Spieler gestellt werden.

podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/i...
Mo Salah: The Egyptian King's Story | Part Two
Podcast-Folge · It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast · 22.08.2025 · 53 Min.
podcasts.apple.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Mohamed Salah, political football….

In today’s @ItWasPod with @jonawils we continue our pod on PFA Player of Year + focus on intense religious + political forces that want to own him

Why doesn’t Salah ever speak out?

Maybe because Egypt is just so complicated….

podfollow.com/1745066482
It Was What It Was
Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was.Each week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper will be talking about the key episodes in football history that have shaped the footballi...
podfollow.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:37 AM