It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The OverlapWelcome 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 footballing world.
The show will be discussing the best stories from football's past, giving insights to the personalities involved. the tales from behind the scenes and the impact they left.
Join us at Footb... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 179 | Founded | 2 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | SoccerHistorySports | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
The fourth and final episode in Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper's Total Football series explores Ajax’s remarkable success under Stefan Kovacs and the Netherlands’ unforgettable 1974 World Cup campaign.
Kovacs inherited Rinus Michels’ European champi... more
In part three of our Total Football series, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper arrive at Ajax’s golden age.
They explore Johan Cruyff’s development: the precocious teenager shaped by Ajax, Vic Buckingham and Rinus Michels; a player whose extraordinary u... more
*You can listen to the full episode on our Patreon*
Rob Draper hosts a bonus edition of It Was What It Was with Jamie Carragher stepping in to pay tribute to the late great Franco Baresi .
Carragher explains why Baresi’s name is passed down through... more
In part two of our Total Football series, Jonathan and Rob explore the ideas behind football’s great tactical revolution.
From the structuralist architecture and social change of 1960s Amsterdam to Johan Cruyff’s place within a collective system, th... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Hosts
Reviews
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fantastic episodes on Dutch football, don’t forget to mention who was the first Dutch side who reached a final;) ❌❌❌
Apple Podcasts5legend143433
Netherlands25 days ago - I love Football History
I’ve only recently discovered this brilliant podcast and am enjoying the massive back catalogue. The hosts are so knowledgeable and add a dash of humour to the shows. The 1966 four-parter was perfect for me - I was a 14-year old in 1966 - and brought back so many happy memories. As a football history podcaster myself (Skyblue history podcast) this is a show to aspire to for me.
Apple Podcasts5Astral weaks
United Kingdoma month ago - My views
Hi there. Aussie listener here. Was born in the UK and emigrated to Australia in the 70’s . So avid watcher of 70’s football until we left. Little harder to keep track of English football in the late 70’s / early 80’s. Practically not reported on in Australia during those times.However did improve gradually from then on. Now of course it’s brilliant. My knowledge though has gaps especially between those years. The detail these guys provide is excellent and 2nd to none. Loving the episodes and re... more
Apple Podcasts5DownunderChris
Australiaa month ago - another great interview/discussion
The Jordi Cruyff talk was great
Apple Podcasts5ian_rev
United Statesa month ago - A podcast for all seasons
This is a dream podcast for me. Huge fan of Jonathan Wilson, and he dovetails delightfully with Rob Draper as football nostalgia combines with historical context. Love hearing their views on stories that I am both familiar and unfamiliar with, while learning about the theory and political aspects that go with them. This podcast must never end!
Can’t believe Rob has never seen Goal! The official 1966 WC film. This is a scandal up there with the Balogun affair!
Apple Podcasts5A fan of no importanceUnited Kingdoma month ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #114 | United States/Sports/Soccer |
Apple Podcasts | #47 | United Kingdom/Sports/Soccer |
Apple Podcasts | #85 |  Canada/Sports/Soccer |
Apple Podcasts | #104 | United Kingdom/Sports |
Apple Podcasts | #68 | Australia/Sports/Soccer |
Apple Podcasts | #133 |  France/Sports/Soccer |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast
What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?
A historically grounded football podcast that blends deep tactical analysis with rich storytelling. Episodes trace the evolution of football ideas—from Total Football and its Dutch roots to iconic World Cup finals and club legacies—through long-form conversations between two knowledgeable hosts. The show stands out for its archival approach, weaving cultural, political, and social context into football history, and it often pairs rigorous analysis with entertaining anecdotes. Listeners can expect thoughtful dives into coaching philosophy, legendary characters, and pivotal matches that shaped the game beyond contemporary Premier League discourse.
Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does this podcast get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for this podcast?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?
To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?
These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:
1. Libero
2. The Totally Football Show with James Richardson
3. Football Cliches
4. Football Weekly
5. The Brazilian Shirt Name Podcast
How many episodes of this podcast are there?
this podcast launched 2 years ago and published 179 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact this podcast?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on this podcast?
Recent guests on this podcast include:
1. Jamie Carragher
2. Jordi Cruyff
3. Tim Vickery
4. Michael Grant
5. Jonathan Northcroft
6. Clyde Best
7. Matthew Brown
8. Bill Buford
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.