The Anfield Wrap

Neil Atkinson speaks to several writers, from the Merseyside patch and beyond, about books on Liverpool, Everton and more that have been released recently. Featuring Melissa Reddy on her book 'Believe Us', Simon Hughes on The Athletic's 'At The End Of The Storm', the Magic Spongers on 'From The Jaws Of Victory', David Prentice on 'A Grand Old Team To Report' and Dan Gray on 'Extra Time'. Believe Us: How Jürgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool Into Title Winners Journalist Melissa Reddy reveals the inside story of Jürgen Klopp’s astonishing revival of Liverpool, culminating in the club’s first domestic league trophy in 30 years. Featuring incisive and insightful reporting, and the thoughts of players, management and club hierarchy, 'Believe Us' paints a vivid picture of this titanic sporting success. Reddy’s unparalleled access to the club brings interviews with everyone from fans and key backroom staff to players including talismanic captain Jordan Henderson, and of course Klopp himself. At The End Of The Storm - Stories From Liverpool's Historic Title Win This is the story of Liverpool's title win in the longest season, as told by the writers of The Athletic, with their blend of inside access and expert analysis; great ideas and beautiful writing. Articles include profiles of each of Liverpool's title winners by their former youth team coaches; Oliver Kay watches Sadio Mane score against Manchester City in the company of the striker's family, in his hometown in Senegal; James Pearce spends 90 minutes analysing Virgil van Dijk; plus there are exclusive interviews with Jürgen Klopp, and the club's US owners. Read the stories behind a unique and historical season from a team of writers every bit as good as the footballers they were following. From The Jaws Of Victory: A History Of Football's Nearly Men Through the eyes of the UK's finest sports writers, 'From the Jaws of Victory' pays homage to club and international sides who captivated, inspired and astounded in equal measure, only to fall short of football’s biggest prizes. The destination of these stories may be the same, but the journeys are equally glorious. The three best teams never to have won the World Cup can be found here - Hungary’s Golden Squad of 1954, the Netherlands’ Total Football exponents of 1974 and Brazil’s celebrated 1982 vintage - along with brilliant club sides through the ages, from Bolton Wanderers, humbled in the Matthews final of 1953, to Liverpool, devastated as the Premier League slipped from their grasp in 2014. This comprehensive history ensures that though these teams might not have their names on the trophies, their influence on the game remains undimmed. A Grand Old Team To Report: 45 Years Of Following Everton Football David Prentice is the Sport Editor of the Liverpool Echo, the city's famous newspaper. His fascinating book charts almost half-a-century of Everton Football Club's history - from a unique insider. It is a fan-fare and a news report. A travelogue and a social comment - and a poignant reflection of how football and journalism has changed forever. Extra Time: 50 Further Delights of Modern Football Despite its flaws and excesses, modern football is still sprinkled with simple yet beguiling delights. In his previous book Saturday, 3pm, Daniel Gray captured many of them. Now he is back with a further 50 short essays of prose poetry dedicated to the game's charming, technicolour minutiae. From club lottos to undeserved wins, and from pitch-invading animals to the roar after a minute's silence, Extra Time is another romantic celebration of football fandom and its shared joys, habits, eccentricities and peculiarities. It is a salute to keepers going forward for corners, match balls landing on stand roofs and goals scored in quick succession. These chapters offer a gleeful antidote to disillusionment with modern football, VAR and all. They are reminders of why we care and justifications for our devotion. Each warmly evokes this sport's blessed capacity to offer escape and diversion. Let us share the delight once more. For more reaction to all the news and events that matter to you, including interviews with special guests and documentaries about players and staff past and present, subscribe to TAW Player… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Gibbons is joined by Philippa Smallwood, Leanne Prescott, Jo Goodall, Neil Atkinson and the BBC's Emma Sanders to assess the season so far for Liverpool Women... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gareth Roberts speaks to Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool, about the mass testing for COVID-19 that was exclusively introduced in the city over this past weekend... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neil Atkinson is joined by John Gibbons, Rob Gutmann and Mike Kearney for our free podcast looking back on the draw with Manchester City and what's to come next... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's Weekender podcast, Gareth Roberts is joined by Damian Kavanagh, Jay McKenna and Paddy Fitzsimons to look back over the last week, after a huge win over Atalanta BC inspired by a hat trick from summer signing Diogo Jota, and ahead to the title six pointer against Manchester City. Also on the show, the lids from Lost Dock Rum talk to John Gibbons about the support from the city during the pandemic, there's a preview of Steven Gerrard on the High Performance Podcast talking about his relationship with former teammates, and social justice charity Micah Liverpool speak about their work in the community. [podcastplayer fetch_method='link' mediasrc='XXX' accent_color='#222222' hide_social=true] Press play to listen to this show in full or alternatively you can listen for free on Audioboom, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or The Anfield Wrap's free app available on IOS and Android... Lost Dock Rum Three Lids Rum Ltd and launched Liverpool Lost Dock Rum in 2019 to celebrate the most significant moment in the history of this great city. Lost for two centuries, Liverpool’s revolutionary Old Dock transformed the city into one of the most innovative, ambitious and multicultural ports in the world. Daily shipments of Rum, Tea, Sugar and Spices would flow through the dock. With notes of Vanilla, Ginger, Cardamom, Tea, Orange and a hint of Smoke, this Rum is a fitting tribute to the Lost Dock of Liverpool. High Performance Podcast The High Performance Podcast brings you an intimate glimpse into the lives of high-achieving, world-class performers who have all excelled in their field with first-hand experiences and lessons to share. Find out what non-negotiable behaviours they employed to get them to the top and keep them there. Hosting every conversation is sports broadcaster Jake Humphrey and leading organisational psychologist Damian Hughes. Jake is currently BT Sport’s Premier League anchor and former lead presenter of BBC’s Formula One coverage. Damian is an author and professor who continues to work with leading sports organisations to create a high-performing culture. Micah Liverpool Micah Liverpool is a social justice charity that has been set up by Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and St Bride’s Church to relieve Liverpool residents from social injustice and poverty. They are currently running projects to combat unemployment and deliver emergency food aid and affordable food. They aim to do this by: Providing food and other household items Providing advice and support to overcome financial problems and maximise their income, including the development of Recruitability programmes to assist individuals to contribute productively to society Raising public awareness of issues relating to poverty, both generally and in relation to social exclusion Signposting to relevant information and advisory services The preservation and protection of good physical and mental health of individuals, families and the wider community of the area of benefit Micah Liverpool aims to achieve justice, fairness and wellbeing for Liverpool residents by working in partnership with Liverpool Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, as well as their employer partners and local churches; St Bride’s & St Vincent’s. For more reaction to all the news and events that matter to you, including interviews with special guests and documentaries about players and staff past and present, subscribe to TAW Player… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earlier this month, Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs around the world were given the challenge of coming up with creative ways to support their local communities during the pandemic. Thirty-four OLSCs across five continents took up the challenge, delivering a wide range of activities supporting vulnerable people where they live. Yesterday, the four winners were announced and John Gibbons spoke to all of them to find out what they did and the difference they made together. (Check out the #TMMChallenge, the LFC Foundation, OLSC Myanmar, Madrid Reds, Kop Kenya and LFC Vegas on Twitter.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neil Atkinson is joined by Emma Sanders and John Gibbons to react to Liverpool Women's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City Women at Prenton Park. After being put under a lot of early pressure from Man City, Liverpool were defending well but were struggling to take control of the ball. Man City then took the lead after an outstanding goal from Laura Coombs, though Liverpool will have felt slightly unlucky to have been behind after putting in a solid defensive shift for the best part of the first half. Man City then doubled their lead after a pass from former Liverpool player Lucy Bronze found Rose Lavelle unmarked in the box and the American fired home with ease. Man City rounded off their win over Liverpool with a third goal in injury time as Jess Park scored at the back post. Despite defeat, there were lots of positives for Liverpool to take from the game against a well-drilled Man City side. The focus now turns to Sheffield United Women’s visit to Prenton Park this Sunday. (Report with thanks to Caoimhe O'Neill @CaoimheSport and @LiverpoolFCW on Twitter.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neil Atkinson is joined by Rob Gutmann, Siobhan Biggane and Jamie Webster to look back on the victory over West Ham United and ahead to the Champions League clash with Atalanta... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's Weekender podcast, Gareth Roberts is joined by Lizzi Doyle, Siobhan Biggane and Mike Kearney to look back over the last week, with the win over FC Midtjylland overshadowed by injury to Fabinho leaving The Reds with one fit senior centre back, and ahead to the visit of an in-form West Ham. Also on the show, Paul Riley from Transition Liverpool talks to John Gibbons about the new project they're looking to launch next summer called 'sPark It Liverpool', and author Dave O'Brien speaks to Neil Atkinson about the book he has co-written called 'Culture is Bad for You: Inequality in the Cultural and Creative Industries'. sPark It Liverpool Inspired by Park(ing) Day - an event that has fired the imagination all over the globe - 'sPark It Liverpool' is taking over the streets of our city, celebrating imagination, fostering collaboration, and starting a conversation about what we want from our urban landscape. Launching next summer, 'sPark It Liverpool' will allow community organisations and independent businesses to create pop-up installations in on-street parking bays in order to engage, inspire and entertain the people of our city. The project aims to: Provide a platform for community groups, independent businesses and creatives Excite, inspire and challenge through inspired reinterpretations of land use in urban areas Build stronger community networks, provide opportunities for training, employment and volunteering Click here for more information on the project or to make a pledge towards the development. If you want to keep up to date with the latest you can follow Transition Liverpool on Twitter, Facebook or visit their website... Culture is Bad for You: Inequality in the Cultural and Creative Industries Culture will keep you fit and healthy. Culture will bring communities together. Culture will improve your education. This is the message from governments and arts organisations across the country; however, this book explains why we need to be cautious about culture. Offering a powerful call to transform the cultural and creative industries, 'Culture is Bad for You' examines the intersections between race, class, and gender in the mechanisms of exclusion in cultural occupations. Exclusion from culture begins at an early age, the authors argue, and despite claims by cultural institutions and businesses to hire talented and hardworking individuals, women, people of colour, and those from working class backgrounds are systematically disbarred. While the inequalities that characterise both workforce and audience remain unaddressed, the positive contribution culture makes to society can never be fully realised. You can purchase your copy of 'Culture is Bad for You: Inequality in the Cultural and Creative Industries' from Amazon, and follow the author Dave O'Brien on Twitter... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy Heaton speaks to actor Rahul Kohli about his career, his latest role in the Netflix series The Haunting Of Bly Manor and his love of Liverpool Football Club... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices