I must confess that this is a difficult episode for me. It’s with a previous guest Alex Fynn, he’s the former Saatchi & Saatchi executive who ‘s been called the spiritual "spiritual godfather" of the Premier League That is because he wrote the commercial section in the FA’s original “Blueprint of the Future of Football”, the document that supported the new breakaway competition in the early 90s.

So far so good.

The problem is Alex has just co-authored a book on Tottenham’s progress on and off the field in recent years.

As most podcast listeners will know I grew up in a house called Highbury, led content strategy for Arsenal between 2002 and 2015 and struggle to think positively about a team called Pat Rice would only call “that lot from the down the road”.

So don’t expect BBC impartiality on this one.

All joking aside, Alex always has interesting viewpoints on football’s finances, marketing, ethics and governance.

You can hear him talk about Tottenham and Arsenal at Birkbeck College in London on September 23.

TOPICS

Creating the first ad selling tickets for Tottenham in the mid-80s with “Mrs Riddlington and Peter Cook”

But “advertising can’t compensate for a poor product”

The story of Spurs in the Champions League last season

Is Mauricio Pochettino the fulcrum of the club?

The usefulness of an ‘English culture’ at the Premier League club

What is the ‘Spurs Way’ and is it a help or a handicap?

Assessing Daniel Levy

Why it is wrong to sell the naming rights to White Hart Lane

Why it is NOT wrong to treat your club as a brand

The strength of Man United’s brand and having the ‘Theatre of Dreams’

Why the football system is wrong and fans pay too much

The inmates, ie the players, have taken over the asylum, which is the Premier League

How Tottenham have bucked the trend on paying player wages and keeping a team together

The Man United v Manchester City comparison

Are local rivalries a distraction these days?

The news stories about the Champions League re-organisation and the need for change

“No-one cares about the second-rate clubs”

Why the German set-up could be the basis for a new Champions League structure

Why it is optimistic and unrealistic to expect sporting institutions like the EFL to change themselves in light of recent crises

Alex’s plan for regional football and why it will never be implemented

Does English sport have a particular problem is reforming itself?

And then we diverted on to a bit of cricket chat for some reason!!!!

LINKS

Alex Fynn on Twitter | LinkedIN

Alex Fynn’s bibliography on Amazon