Football Journeys Podcast

A B5 Consultancy podcast telling the untold stories of the beautiful game - the pain, the graft and the rejection. Media lawyer Matt Himsworth and former Luton, Stevenage and Newport County footballer Fraser Franks meet with those who have lived extraordinary football journeys. Not necessarily the top stars who have the accolades and the attention but those who have been through the mill, lived the struggles and come out of the other end to tell the tale. Series One focuses on the Academy journey at the Premier League champions, Liverpool FC, as we meet the class of 2013/14, a group of young men that came so close to living the Anfield dream but have had to come to terms with an alternative pathway. As well as interviewing the players and hearing their emotional stories we speak to those who knew the players and their journeys, including fans, coaches and a Liverpool legend.

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Football Journeys Podcast

S03 Ep07: Shadab Iftikhar

June 04, 2025 • B5 Consultancy • Season 3 • Episode 7

Shadab Itikhar, a lad from Preston, fell in love with the strategy of football as a child playing Football Manager. He has had a determination to coach - "I was made to manage" - and, since turning up at Wigan Athletic's training ground seeking a meeting with Roberto Martinez he has worked with the Spaniard (at Wigan and Belgium) and has managed himself in England, Scotland, Mongolia, Pakistan, Samoa and now in Bhutan with Thimpu City. His story is a remarkable one of a dream that he has been determined to make happen.

This series we are partnering with University Campus of Football Business and have recorded episodes at their Media City studios in Salford and at their studio next to Wembley Stadium.

For more information on UCFB visit their website here - https://www.ucfb.ac.uk/

You can follow us on our social media @journeyspod on Instagram and Threads and we're still hanging around on X for a while! You might even find us on TikTok too!