The Halcyon Podcast

We Lose Every Week author Andrew Lawn is joined by Football Cliche's Adam Hurrey to discuss myriad elements of football chanting: including but not limited to origins, tunefulness, relevance, outlook and favourites. Get your copy of We Lose Every Week from us at Halcyon Publishing and check out Adam's excellent Football Cliches podcast on the Athletic

Andy reads another extract from We Lose Every Week, focusing on the origins, humour and art of self-deprecating football chanting.

A fascinating extract from We Lose Every Week, read by Andy Lawn, covering the naming, evolution and singing of Liverpool's famous Kop End.

It's another Halcyon podcast mini-series and in this one, we're focusing on the brilliant We Lose Every Week by Andrew Lawn. We Lose Every Week is a history of football chanting, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century to its growth across the game and its effect on the people, clubs and societies in which it takes place. In this episode, Andy reads from the introduction of the book itself; we've got another couple of extracts hot on its heels and also a brilliant chinwag between Andy and the legendary Adam Hurrey of Football Cliches. You can get We Lose Every Week at a special price direct from the Halcyon website, or if you're particularly interested in monumental acts of self-sabotage to your own wallet, publishing and the world at large, you can also buy it in other places too. And if you'd like to be criticised about your inherent life choices further, why not follow us on Twitter or whatever it is now @HalcyonPublish1.

An exclusive chat with Jonathan and The Stadio Podcast's Ryan Hunn.

An exclusive audio chapter from Soul: Beyond the Athlete, read by Jonathan Harding.

An exclusive audio chapter from Soul: Beyond the Athlete, read by Jonathan Harding.

Welcome back to the Halcyon podcast and more specifically to another exclusive mini-series in which we're (re-)introducing the magnificent 'Soul: Beyond the Athlete' by Jonathan Harding. Soul investigates how much football cares about developing the person as much as the player, and (spoiler alert!) how much more there is to do to address the real cost of being in football and the unhealthy playing field that currently exists. In this short introduction Rob does some blethering and then Jonathan shares the Prologue. We've also got two exclusive audio chapters, and then an extended conversation between Jonathan and Ryan Hunn of the Stadio podcast about some of the issues around people and performance raised in the book. Soul is NOW AVAILABLE ON SALE FROM US! Less than a tenner for a little more soul in your life - what's not to love about that. Special thanks to Ryan and also to Jonathan for all their audio efforts. Don't forget to like and subscribe to the podcast for more features and interviews, and follow us on social media for announcements, new titles and special offers.

Ad and Rob are joined by polymath, brilliant footballer, writer and broadcaster Pat Nevin for a thoroughly enjoyable chat for which we had loads of questions written down, but ultimately asked none of them (that's a good thing, honest). We talk to Pat about the latter part of his football career, most notably his time as a player AND Chief Executive at Motherwell. There's a lovely meander into the fate (and slow resurgence) of 'proper #10s' in British football, books, Ted Lasso and of course, the transcendental beauty of football. Pat's new book, Football and How to Survive It, is out very soon and if it's anything like his first, is well worth a read. Don't forget too that despite us interviewing some of the greatest people around, we also sell really good books. If you enjoyed the podcast, do feel free to subscribe and leave us a nice complimentary review. Cheers! x

Joining Rob and Adam on this episode of the Halcyon Podcast is two-time William Hill Sports Book of the Year and THREE-time Sports Interviewer of the Year Don McRae, who very kindly put up with us/being on the other side of the mic for a little while. Don talks to us about his upbringing and routes into football and boxing growing up in South Africa, his move to London to 'be a writer', whatever that meant, and his early years in the industry. We also get an amazing insight into the development of Don's career as the Guardian's sports interviewer (20 years and counting), as well as his processes, preparation and experiences of talking in such depth with sportspeople at their peak. If you like this episode please do sling us a like and/or a review and subscribe to the podcast. You can find Don's website at donaldmcrae.com, and our books at halcyonpublishing.co.uk

Rob and Adam sit down with commentating legend (and the gaming purists' favourite) Jon Champion for a hugely enjoyable and engaging chat, covering everything from escaping the orchestra to be with York City, to the 2026 World Cup, and a lot of stuff in between. Jon tells us about his unlikely journey into the commentary box and we discuss the life and times of a commentator alongside other diversions into TV rights, working (or not) for Sky and hot-sauce-sponsored red cards. Thanks so much to Jon for appearing - this one could have been twice as long! As it is, if you enjoy it and want to automatically get lots of other episodes like this one, please like and subscribe to the podcast. You can even leave us a review if you're feeling generous (or even if you're not).

Rob and Adam are joined by podcaster, writer and author Sam Delaney for a comprehensive journey through football fandom past, present and future (albeit not necessarily in that order). We discuss Sam's lifetime of supporting West Ham, the fan experience or otherwise at London Stadium and our favourite topic, 'legacy fans'. Sam also talks to us about his illustrious writing career and his new book, the superb and affecting Sort Your Head Out: Mental Health Without All the Bollocks, which is well worth a read, especially if you're a 'legacy man'. For more from us (imagine!), don't forget to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, or follow us on Twitter @HalcyonPublish1

Ad and Rob are joined by football writer and author Ian Plenderleith to kick off a special series of podcast episodes inspired by Ian's latest book, Reffing Hell. As well as this interview, we're posting a series of exclusive audio chapters from Reffing Hell, in which Ian documents the (occasional) highs and (very much more frequent) lows of being a referee in amateur football. The interview, the podcasts and the book are vital listening and reading for anyone involved with the game, and match officials, at any level. We discuss how Ian became a referee in the first place, his experiences of refereeing in different countries and whether it looks like discipline on the pitch and the sidelines shows any signs of improving (spoiler... not likely). If you enjoy this series you can get a copy of Ian's book from us at Halcyon Publishing. Please also like and subscribe to the podcast to ensure you're getting all the good stuff as soon as it appears.

Danny, Part 1: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

Danny, Part 2: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

Danny, Part 3: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

Danny, Part 4: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

Danny, Part 5: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

Come on you reds: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy

No cards on Valentine's Day: An exclusive audio chapter from Reffing Hell, read by author Ian Plenderleith. Click here for your copy