Welcome back to It Was What It Was the football history podcast. In today’s episode, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper bring this Graham Taylor series to a close with the Oslo qualifier that defined his reign: a chaotic, tactically muddled 2–0 loss to Norway at the peak of their ‘golden age’, captured in painful detail by The Impossible Job. Unpacking Taylor’s mounting stress, tabloid caricature and “no‑win” selection calls—especially the dilemma of persisting with an undercooked Paul Gascoigne—before explaining how the back-three plan collapsed, England’s structure unravelled, and Norway’s alertness (including a quick free kick) punished them. The episode breaks down England’s chaotic structure, Norway’s tactical calm under Egil “Drillo” Olsen, and Taylor’s famous touchline outbursts, before tracing the fallout: “Norse Manure” headlines, concerns the players had stopped responding, and a demoralising US tour. England briefly revive by beating Poland, but lose in Rotterdam and, despite winning 7–1 in San Marino after conceding almost instantly, miss out as the Netherlands win in Poland. They assess Taylor’s broader legacy, his misfortune with timing and player form, and his later rehabilitation at Watford.

01:51 Norway’s Golden Generation

04:51 Tabloid Mockery Era

06:11 Psychology and Pressure

08:18 The Gaza Fitness Dilemma

18:30 Paranoia and Tactical Switch

22:50 System Collapse in Oslo

25:57 Quick Free Kick Nightmare

29:41 Norway Strike Again

30:32 Tabloid Backlash

32:07 Tactics And Trust

35:18 Bigger Picture Failings

42:56 USA Tour Fallout

43:49 Last Chance Qualifiers

45:36 San Marino Shock

48:28 Reassessing the Taylor Legacy

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Welcome back to It Was What It Was. In today's episode, co-hosts Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson continue Graham Taylor’s England story as the 1994 World Cup qualifying begins to wobble, with Paul Gascoigne’s talent and volatility dominating the narrative. They examine how Taylor’s pragmatic, direct style—shaped by lower-league realities and later linked (often unfairly) to FA long-ball doctrine—collided with more technical European approaches, and how internal battles involving Charles Hughes and data pioneer Charles Reap poisoned the backdrop. England’s campaign lurches through a Norway draw at Wembley after a late stunner, a Gascoigne-inspired win over Turkey, and a damaging 2–2 draw with the Netherlands featuring an undetected elbow and a late penalty. With Gascoigne returning in a mask, England then stumble in a hostile Poland away match and escape with a late equaliser, before Taylor’s brutal “headless chickens” verdict leaves his team heading to Oslo under growing pressure.

00:24 Setting the Scene

03:08 Taylor’s Pragmatic Roots

06:50 Pressing vs Possession

10:04 Charles Hughes and the Winning Formula

13:55 Reap vs Hughes Fallout

19:31 Norway’s Long Ball Irony

21:59 Back to Qualifying Hopes

24:10 Gazza’s Norway Controversy

26:50 Taylor’s Gaza Dilemma

28:22 Norway Opener Heartbreak

30:53 Turkey Win and Dependence

32:53 Too Honest With Press

40:12 Dutch Clash at Wembley

44:13 Mask Return and Mania

45:52 Poland Chaos and Critique

49:03 Headless Chickens Finale

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Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper continue on from last week’s episode with Jan Fjortoft to delve into how things went wrong for Graham Taylor during his time as England manager. In this first part of a three part series on Graham Taylor (following our episode with Fjortoft) we take a look at the high of Italia ’90 to the early warning signs of Graham Taylor’s troubled England reign, setting up the wider story of his eventual downfall. Central to the episode is Paul Gascoigne’s rise into “Gaza mania,” the off-field chaos and disciplinary problems that followed, including the 1991 FA Cup final knee rupture and subsequent setbacks. Taylor struggled to manage both the player and the circus around him. England qualified for Euro 1992 but drew twice, lost to Sweden and Taylor’s substitution of Gary Lineker became emblematic as tabloid ridicule culminate in a reputational collapse for Taylor.

01:05 The Impossible Job Era

07:39 Referees And Rotterdam

12:47 Italia 90 Reality Check

20:02 Gaza Mania Begins

25:31 Euro Qualifiers Begin

28:24 Ireland Away Selection

30:08 Taylor Press Tightrope

35:48 Cup Final Knee Rupture

41:46 Euro 92 Sweden Turning Point

42:55 Lineker Sub Controversy

47:50 Fitness Gap And Refuelling

49:32 Turnip Taylor Tabloid Sting

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Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. Today co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by a very special returning guest - Jan Fjørtoft! In this episode, we will explore Norway’s remarkable rise in the early 1990s and their famous 2–0 win over Graham Taylor’s England in 1993. Fjørtoft explains how Egil “Drillo” Olsen took a previously struggling national team and built belief through a disciplined, direct style, carefully defined roles, and detailed match analysis using hand-written stats and video. The episode breaks down the key tactical choices that unsettled England, revisits both Norway goals, and follows the qualifier run that took Norway to their first World Cup since 1938. Norway will return to the World Cup this summer for the first time since 1998. This episode will be followed by a three part special on Graham Taylor.

01:12 Norway before the rise

04:09 Olsen arrives and stirs

06:47 Direct football philosophy

14:31 Stats and analysis

20:05 Defined roles and system

23:40 Beating England

28:12 Tactical switch

31:33 Gascoigne fitness factor

32:50 Olsen’s Selection Mind Games

37:20 Two Goals Breakdown

42:41 Road to USA 94 Sealed

45:45 Poland Night and Wild Celebrations

48:46 Heroes Welcome in Norway

52:04 World Cup Heat Prep Fiasco

59:59 Egil Olsen Legacy

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Today, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper take you back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

On home soil in England, the hosts claimed their first and only World Cup title. Captain Bobby Moore marshalled the side with composure, while Geoff Hurst rose to immortality with a historic hat-trick in the final. England’s triumph, sealed in a dramatic victory over West Germany, remains one of the most iconic moments in football history and the nations greatest footballing day.

You can listen to the full episode on Patreon, along with the below privileges:

Exclusive deep dives, specials & extended conversations from one-off specials to extra episodes that expand on our weekly free shows, you’ll get fresh, members-only content - including our “Bonus Editions” strand where Rob and Jonathan go deeper into football’s biggest stories and hidden histories.

Our countdown to 2026 - every tournament revisited Join Rob and Jonathan as they walk through every World Cup from 1930 to today, exploring the drama, evolution, legends, controversies and cultural impact of each tournament.

Flicking through the archives of classic football culture A nostalgic series diving into the pages of Shoot! and other retro football magazines - revisiting the stars, forgotten features, and football fandom of decades past.

Your chance to ask two of football’s leading writers anything. Submit your questions about recent episodes, football history, their journalism, or upcoming projects — and hear their answers in our LIVE members-only Q&A.

Connect with fellow fans & nostalgia lovers Meet other members who share your passion for football history. Be part of the conversation and help shape the future of the show.

What’s included

• Exclusive content
• Q&As
• Ad-free episodes
• Private community

Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was

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Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. This week, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by an extraudinary guest - Clyde Best. An absolute pioneer to the game, born in Bermuda, Clyde would become one of the first black players in First Division football in England. His new film, ‘Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story’ will be shown for a week at Sadler’s Wells East from 25th March.

In this episode, Clyde recounts arriving in England as a teenager, getting lost at West Ham station and being taken in by the Charles family. He reflects on his rise at West Ham, getting his debut against Arsenal under Ron Greenwood in 1969 and playing alongside the likes of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Clyde talks of the his Bermuda upbringing, national team breakthrough and the influence that his father had on him. Best reflects on being one of the first prominent black players in English football, enduring racist abuse and an acid-attack threat and playing against Pelé. He also discusses NASL moves to Tampa Bay and Portland Timbers and the inspiration he provided players such as Ian Wright.

01:29 Lost at Heathrow

03:23 The Charles Family

06:59 Bermuda Beginnings

10:20 West Ham Dream

13:20 Ron Greenwood Impact

15:22 Fast Track Debut

18:35 Breaking Barriers

24:06 Facing Racism

31:03 Scoring Against Pelé

35:20 Leaving West Ham for the NASL

37:17 American Soccer Showmanship

43:01 Legacy as a Pioneer

46:57 Honorary Doctorate

49:44 His love for West Ham

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Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this final part three of our three-part special on Colombian football and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar.

Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper tell the story of the 1994 World Cup and its devastating aftermath. This episode explores the immense and impossible pressure placed on the Colombian squad, from death threats delivered to hotel room TVs, to the chaos of a nation in civil war pinning all its hopes on eleven men. The discussion covers the Romania defeat, the fateful own goal against the USA, and the senseless murder of Andrés Escobar outside a nightclub. Rob and Jonathan also examine the legacy of Escobar 'the gentleman of football' and his remarkable fiancée Pamela Cascada, before reflecting on Colombia's long road to recovery and redemption.

You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan.

01:00 Andrés Escobar's Posthumous Column in El Tiempo

01:55 Setting the Scene: The Narco State & Pablo Escobar's Death

06:55 Pablo Escobar's Deep Love of Football

10:55 Francisco Maturana on the Narcos: "Like an Octopus"

16:30 Andrés Escobar: El Caballero del Fútbol

20:25 A Move to AC Milan & The Burden of Representing Colombia

23:30 Higuita's Exclusion & The President's Calculations

26:00 The Romania Defeat: Hagi's Moment of Magic

27:45 Death Threats, Kidnappings & Maturana in Tears

33:00 The USA Game: Playing Under the Shadow of Snipers

35:30 The Own Goal & Colombia's Elimination

37:15 The Murder of Andrés Escobar

41:00 Who Killed Escobar? The Galón Brothers & the Cover-Up

44:45 The State Funeral & Pamela Cascada's Dignity

48:15 The Aftermath: Colombia's Slow Road to Redemption

51:45 2014 & The Restoration of Colombian Football Pride

54:15 Closing Thoughts

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In this sneak peek to a bonus episode of It Was What It Was on Patreon, hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by Professor Matthew Brown (University of Bristol) to deepen the series on Andrés Escobar by tracing how Colombian history, political violence and the drug economy intersect with football. Brown rejects Gabriel García Márquez’s claim that three events defined 20th-century Colombia, while explaining why the 5–0 win over Argentina in 1993 became a tipping point for football as a national identity marker. The discussion covers football’s emergence alongside other sporting cultures, the role of sport after the 1948 Bogotazo and during La Violencia, and Colombia’s later shift into guerrilla conflict and cocaine trafficking. They explore cartel money’s social and sporting influence, the effects of Pablo Escobar’s death and subsequent violence, the symbolic damage of Colombia’s 1994 World Cup collapse, Copa América 2001, and how the 2014 team helped build trust during negotiations leading to the 2016 peace deal, while noting ongoing violence tied to the illegal drug trade.

You can listen to the full episode on Patreon

On Tuesday, Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson return to round off the Colombia series and bring that story to a close.

On Wednesday, on Patreon only, the co-hosts continue the World Cup countdown series with an episode on the 1962 World Cup in Chile, looking back at the tournament and some of its key moments.

Then on Friday, also on Patreon only, we look back at when Northern Ireland faced Italy in the 1958 World Cup qualifiers. With Northern Ireland preparing for their 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy, Rob and Jonathan revisit the meeting where Northern Ireland qualified for their first World Cup and discuss the background to Ireland’s football split in the 1950s.

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