Scotland travelled to Spain with arguably their strongest ever World Cup squad desperate to atone for the humiliation of Argentina but with a devilish group to overcome.

Author Tom Brogan joins Martyn as they find some catharsis from an interesting campaign and try and rank the five World Cup efforts from 1974 to 1990.

As of Monday 23 December Episodes 3 to 7 of this series - covering Northern Ireland, Algeria, Cameroon, the resonance of this Brazil side, the two greatest World Cup games of all time and a full roundup of the tournament - are all available to download, ad-free, at patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast for $3.99.

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As the nights grow longer and colder, settle in with some blistering Spanish sun as Nessun Dorma goes back to the 1982 World Cup for eight episodes. This week, Martyn is joined by Gary Naylor and Rob Bagchi to look back at England's campaign. Ron Greenwood's management, a stumbling qualification, the injured talismen and how it could have been better starting a little slower are all on the agenda.

If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month.

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Between 1981 and 1984, something odd was happening in Spanish football. You wouldn't find either Barcelona or Real Madrid at the top of La Liga at the season's end. Nor even Valencia.

Instead, the power was centred in the Basque region - San Sebastian and Bilbao to be precise - as Real Sociedad and Athletic won two league titles each. Scott Oliver joins Martyn to tell this fascinating tale and explain what was going on, the political backdrop, how both sides were put together and the subsequently more vicious rivalries with the bigger Spanish sides.

If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month.

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Before England and Serie A, before Ulrika and Nancy and before "Life Kaiser, life" there was winning the UEFA Cup with IFK Gothenburg. Rob and Martyn recount arguably the most remarkable triumph of Sven-Göran Eriksson's career as well as looking back at a very enjoyable competition as a whole.

If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month.

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Martyn sits down with the legendary Elton Welsby and Gary Cook of Retro Football Network fame to discuss a fascinating career anchoring English football in the 1980s.

Elton's new book 'Game For A Laugh' is available for sale at eltonwelsby.com and this episode looks at his breakthrough into the media, international tournaments, the pressure of live television, ITV's coverage of the Football League, the impact of Sky and his friendships in football.

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Gary, Mac and Mike are back to do battle to try and convince Martyn how well they know the sporting year of 1981. The year of Ian Botham and Steve Davis. Liverpool and Aston Villa. Bob Champion and Ricky Villa. And, of course, Maxi Gnauck.

Who do you think has the best draft card? Who did they boys miss out on?

Head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast later in the week to cast your vote!

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With the Spanish World Cup on the horizon and the Argentinian flag being raised in Port Stanley, fears were high that England may not even get to go. Trouble off the field - both historical and hypothetical - would shape the English game in the 1980s.

In his brilliant new book 'Go To War: Football On The Brink In The '80s', Jon Spurling brings out both the light and shade of a turbulent decade for the national game. From trouble to tragedy and inflatables to fanzines, he sits down with Martyn to discuss the fan experience of the 1980s.

Jon's book can be found here https://amzn.eu/d/c56EFo9  and all good bookshops.

If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month.

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After the Christmas freeze of 1981, Liverpool sat 12th in the First Division table with John Toshack's Swansea City leading the way. How they reeled in the field to ultimately grab the title, the psychological impact of a feared chaser, Luton and Watford's rise out of the Second Division, QPR's plastic pitch and much more are on the agenda for a roundtable episode on the season with Gary Naylor, Mac Millings and Scott Murray.

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After every football season deep dive we will take a short break into the wider world of sport and in 1981 there really was only one story for us to pick up. That summer's Ashes series has forever been synonymous with one man: Ian Terence Botham. His heroics with bat and ball transformed the prospect of another miserable summer into a famous win.

How simple a story was it in reality? Do we laud the main character at the expense of the rest of the cast? And do we do that in history as a whole?

To reflect on this legendary tale, Martyn is joined by Rob and Gary as they look at the loss of the England captaincy, the miracle of Headingley and the other actors who shared the stage. Before that, The Rest Is History's Dominic Sandbrook discusses the cultural importance of Botham in Britain at the time and the acute need we have for heroes in storytelling.

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With a schedule so in keeping with recent events, this week's episode is about the sacking of a Manchester United manager in 1981 but with so much relevance to the current day. The author Wayne Barton joins Martyn and Rob to talk about the weight of the job in difficult times, the tension between the technocrat and the force of personality and how brand of football and fan power are nothing new...

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In order to add more colour and cultural relevance to our trip through footballing history, the Draft has been applied to popular culture. Lawrence Donegan, David Edgar and Jonny McFarlane battle it out to try and pick the strongest card from 1980 containing a film drama, film comedy, band, album, tv show and news story.

Three strong cards to choose from but hear their arguments first and enjoy conversations about living close to George Lucas, the Elephant Man as a Marvel character and why you don't get any famous assassinations anymore...

If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for as little as $3.99 a month.

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