Moment of Truth

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BBC Radio 5 Live

Podcasts

Sport: Football

Three months in the life of a manager. This podcast goes where others don't.

A raw, tense and illuminating deep dive into the real lives of football managers. Intimate and unfiltered, this podcast reinvents fly-on-the-wall to take you where cameras can't.

What does it take to be a football manager? We all think we can do it: pick a team to win a game, sign a couple of players who looked good on FIFA....I mean, we've all played Championship Manager right? The reality is very few people can ever truly master it, can deal with the torment, the anguish, the pain of defeat or even the blessed relief of victory. And what about putting their families and friends in the firing line of fans, the media and everyone else who has an opinion on how you do your job?

For the last three months of the 2021/22 League One season, this podcast had unparalleled access to the life of a football manager as two teams battled to change their collective stories forever and win promotion to the Championship. From the dressing room to the training ground, the team bus to the technical area, Rotherham's Paul Warne and Oxford's Karl Robinson have worn microphones to record every single critical moment of the job during the tense and eventful run-in.

You'll get to eavesdrop on how the personal reality of football management is a constant gnaw of sleepless nights, skipping meals and missing out on family life. You'll hear how the wives and children have to tiptoe around their disillusioned husbands following losses and you'll listen in to how they rarely enjoy those hard-fought victories.

Narrated by Jimmy Nesbitt, Moment of Truth is an audio experience unlike any other that will give you an answer as to what it takes to manage a professional football club. This podcast is a love letter to our greatest game spread across 15 episodes. It's a rollercoaster ride through the footballing cauldron of League One where you get to sit on the bench of both teams as they battle to reach their Moment of Truth.

Moment of Truth: 3. Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya?

3. Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya?

BBC Radio 5 Live - Moment of Truth, 3. Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya?

An international break allows both managers to reflect on their footballing journeys.

An international break gives both Paul and Karl a chance to reflect on their footballing journeys before the latter pauses to deliver a crushing blow to two Oxford youngsters.

On the eve of the last international break of the 2021/22 season, both Paul Warne and Karl Robinson were in a reflective mood, discussing their childhoods, footballing journeys and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Paul was a late bloomer as a player who went on to make over 260 appearances for the Millers before taking on the role as fitness coach and then manager. He also used to be a school teacher – something which he credits with helping shape his managerial philosophy.

For Robinson, it was a very different path. He started coaching with Steve Heighway in Liverpool’s academy before working with former England manager Sam Allardyce at Blackburn and eventually taking over from Paul Ince at MK Dons as the youngest manager in the Football League at 29.

Paul’s journey to becoming professional footballer is an emotional one filled with highs and lows. This is mirrored in the discussion with Karl, who has to pause the conversation to do something no first-team manager wants to and deliver a crushing blow to two Oxford youngsters.

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Moment of Truth

3. Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya, Who Are Ya?

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