genuinely quite overwhelmed to see such an amazing review of The English Disease in yesterday’s Observer. the response from everyone has been incredible, and goes far beyond anything i was ever expecting. anyway, this one’s getting printed off for my wall.
THE ENGLISH DISEASE is out now - go listen to episodes 1 and 2 (and subscribe and rate it 5 stars)
it’s been a year of graft trying to answer a question i’ve been circling for a decade: what brought men to football violence and what happened when we were told they all went away?
my eternal, exhausted thanks to everyone at Stak for their patient guidance and support. so proud to have this project out in the world.
written and presented by me (which is cool)
produced by @andersonnickyy and @finn_ranson_
sound design by @tom_whalley
original theme music by my mate, @connorpizza
Executive Production by @lukeaaronmoore , Jon Teague and @chazmorgan
We asked Sam Diss, a West Ham fan, cultured centre-back and creative strategist, to tell us where football lives in Hackney.
There, the game runs through the neighbourhood’s identity, from Sunday leagues to the pubs where celebrations or commiserations carry on long after the final whistle. Places change, pitches come and go. But the football culture built in Hackney should be forever.
Follow @_earthfc for more stories about where football lives.
Following documentaries about Amy Winehouse, Ayrton Senna and Diego Maradona, Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia (@asifkapadia1 ) speaks to Sam Diss (@samdiss ) about his latest, and perhaps most personal subject to date—the footballer and former manager Kenny Dalglish, in a film that tracks his journey from the streets of Glasgow to Anfield, first as a player and then as a manager, a role in which he became the face of Liverpool’s grief in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.
“Kenny’s a footballer from a very working-class background who did amazing things as a player but then stood up for people. He left school at fifteen. He’s not a natural public speaker. But he still stood up for his people—against the Prime Minister, the government, the police, the lawyers, the media—because he knew who was telling the truth and who was lying. You can’t help but be like, Wow, what a guy.”
🔗 Read the full story via the link in bio
@samdiss writes about his complicated relationship with @westham . Read more in our bio.
“Matchday doesn’t preserve culture. It refracts it. Through nostalgia. Through subcultural hand-me-downs. Through the aching need to belong, even when everything around you has changed.”
a lovely bit of editorial and creative consultancy for RAIN ON DRY EARTH, a new zine by Petrichor—a grassroots football, coaching, and mentoring organisation for young girls in Cameroon—and photographer Ben Rasmussen.
a real privilege being part of this one.
i had the pleasure of profiling Virgil van Dijk for British GQ. up in Liverpool just a few weeks before they demolished Spurs to sealed the title win, i found the world’s greatest defender in a surprisingly reflective mood - it was probably all of the White Lotus he’s been watching…
last night, our show THE ENGLISH DISEASE was voted the Sports Journalists’ Association’s Podcast of the Year. I was mid-ice cream when our name was announced, and I’m blaming my terrible speech on brain freeze.
but still, to be in a space like that, recognised for a show like ours, is incredible. even if my dessert was all melted by the time I got back to our table, I’m so proud of the show and what it’s achieved. thank you to everyone who listened, everyone who shared it, everyone who sent me a nice message about it that i was a bit too overwhelmed to reply to with something witty.
when I was first starting out, I was regularly told that, to succeed, I would need to change my voice, lose my accent, and shift my perspective on the world around me. it was clear that industry recognition was saved for those who went to schools with long, detailed Notable Alumni sections on Wikipedia, so better wind your neck in.
now it’s kinda mad to me that, a decade later, we won an award by ignoring absolutely all of that.
I cannot thank the tireless talent and endless trust of the Stak team enough, especially Luke, who managed to decipher my stream-of-consciousness pitch emails and saw something worth making, and my producers Finn and Nicky, who helped steer my enthusiasm into something people actually wanted to listen to.
none of this series — a story that sought to ask more questions than answers about a subject that was, for decades, deemed to taboo to touch with a barge pole — would’ve been possible without their graft.
and I’d be remiss if I didn’t finish this spew of sentimentality with saying just how grateful I am to Steffi for her support throughout an 18-month journey from rambling pitches about “this one idea i sort of have about football fans” to table 53 at the Park Plaza.
we don’t really say enough about the emotional labour the people we love put in to help us make our creative projects without our brains exploding, but Steffi was always my first reader, first listener, and the first person to tell me to shut my fucking laptop and go to bed.
she’s the best and I can’t wait to chat her ears off about the next one.
very proud of this short film we made for Sunderland and Green Football, highlighting the effects of climate change on the club and its coast, told through a one-off crest and the story of one extraordinary fan, Maureen: lifelong supporter, Roker local, and pier tour guide.
even with a chest-tightening turnaround and shoestring budget, it was a pleasure to work on the concept and creative direction here, and make this one alongside Aiden and Ben, two great lads and fans of the club.
Director: Aiden Herron (@aidenrherron_ )
DOP: Ben Hale (@benhalefilm )
Creative Director: Sam Diss
Producers: Sam Diss and Aiden Herron
Edit: Ben Hale and Aiden Herron
Storm archive: @digifinsocial
Production Assistant: Imogen Herron (@immy_mg_ )
Thanks to Alex Slater and Alex Middleton at the club, Rich Holmes at Green Football, and, of course, Maureen.
finally came full circle and interviewed Danny Dyer, a genuine icon, about gear, growth, and posh cunts in the run up to the release of his new film, Marching Powder. thanks to GQ for the opportunity. what a pleasure it was.
