Moment of Truth

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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: 8. This Ain’t no Sunday B*stard League

8. This Ain’t no Sunday B*stard League

BBC Radio 5 Live - Moment of Truth, 8. This Ain’t no Sunday B*stard League

In a drastic move, Paul calls his players in to train on a Sunday after Charlton defeat.

The episode starts at the training ground before the players head to the stadium on the Monday ahead of Tuesday’s critical game away at Portsmouth.

Out of form striker Joshua Kayode is given reassurance from the manager about his performances but there’s bad news elsewhere as The Millers best player - midfielder Ben Wiles - apparently needs blood drained from his inflamed knee. Top goalscorer Michael Smith also needs an injection in his toe before the Pompey game if he’s to be able to play.

Later in the episode, Warne discusses his relationship with the chairman Tony Stewart and Robinson does the same with his boss Sumrith ‘Tiger’ Thanakarnjanasuth. Tony Stewart talks about the responsibility of running the club, the team’s wavering form, his own long term expectations and whether or not they include his current manager.

At Fratton Park for the game Gilpin injects Smith minutes before kick-off and on the pitch The Millers go a goal down. The episode ends with Warne dishing out a scathing half time attack on his players and their dreadful performance. Can they turn it - and their stuttering season - around?

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Moment of Truth

8. This Ain’t no Sunday B*stard League

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