On Matchday 6 of SACKED! in partnership with The Brain Charity, we sit down with former Chelsea, Leeds United, Stoke City and Reading centre back Michael Duberry to share his powerful story about resilience, perseverance and the realities of life at the top of the game.

But one of the most remarkable moments of his career came when he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy just days before the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final.

Unable to properly move part of his face, Duberry reveals how he handled the diagnosis, earned his place in the starting XI and survived the dressing room culture of the time.

He also opens up about the tougher chapters of his career, including difficult moments when a club no longer wants you and a relationship with a manager breaks down.

Along the way, Duberry shares stories about teammates and life at the top of the game in the late ‘90s and early 2000s — from limo rides with Linda Lusardi to stories about Diego Maradona from Gus ‘Radio’ Poyet.

This episode is a candid and revealing conversation about what it really takes to survive and thrive in professional football.

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On Matchday 5 of SACKED!, we sit down with former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen — and what starts as a chat quickly becomes an identity crisis for the modern game.

Who killed the No.9? Why don’t wingers like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis take on full-backs and whip crosses in for a centre-forward anymore?

Meulensteen reflects on an era when United fans were spoiled by elite finishers such as Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham — a golden generation of No.9s who defined a dominant period in the Premier League.

Those days feel long gone. Today’s game is different — more systems, fewer mavericks — and fans are crying out for creativity, drama and exuberance from modern stars.

Meulensteen also delivers brilliant insight from his time working alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, offering a rare glimpse into the standards, psychology and philosophy behind one of football’s greatest dynasties.

It’s a fascinating, honest and provocative conversation about how — and why — the modern game has changed.

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Bonus section with Neil Ashton reflecting on our episode with John Cross and answering fan questions about our previous episodes.

Each week, SACKED! brings together decision-makers and insiders — owners, chairs, executives, managers and head coaches, sporting directors, former players and leading journalists — to discuss the biggest issues in the game.

Please spread the word and tell the football family there’s a new show in town.

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Fleet Street powerhouse John Cross joins Neil Ashton in the Owner’s Box to discuss football’s biggest crises and the decisions that changed the course of history.

From opposing the European Super League “for the fans,” to the toughest managerial departure he’s covered — the end of Arsène Wenger at Arsenal.

He reveals how Arsenal nearly signed a young Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP — but simply couldn’t afford him because of financial constraints in the years leading up to them leaving Highbury for the Emirates.

In Sackology:

The manager who should never have been fired? Mauricio Pochettino — “he performed miracles.”

Why Poch should never go back.

His most under-appreciated players of the modern era: Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba.

And in one of the most emotional moments yet, John shares what happened at the FA Cup Final in 2014 just days after losing his father — when Arsenal’s CEO Ivan Gazidis and the Kroenke family came over to console him during a period of grief.

Smart. Honest. Unfiltered.

This is SACKED!

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Bonus section with Neil Ashton reflecting on Gus Poyet and answering fan questions about the Dave Bassett and Steve Bruce episodes.

Each week, SACKED! brings together decision-makers and insiders — owners, chairs, executives, managers and head coaches, sporting directors, former players and leading journalists — to discuss the biggest issues in the game.

Please spread the word and tell the football family there’s a new show in town.

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GUS POYET does not hold back when it comes to sporting directors.

Poyet, who coached Brighton and Sunderland in the Premier League, talks candidly about the tension and the power games that exist between manager and sporting director in the modern game.

During one heated dispute he told a sporting director: “I’m answerable to you. Here’s the whistle, go coach the players.”

Gus is incredibly passionate about his work and has a drive, determination and passion for coaching that shines through in every sentence.

As a former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder, he knows the demands at the highest level of sport and has transferred his will to win in his successful coaching career.

It is clear that he has regrets about the end of his spell at Brighton because he holds the owner Tony Bloom in such high esteem.

In this episode Gus also talks about his exit from Sunderland, where fans vented their frustration and fury with performances by banging their fists on the back of his dug out.

Gus is an entertaining and passionate guest, a worldly wise person who has so much to offer the game.

At the end of the episode we felt we only scratched the surface with him, which left us wanting more.

Just the way it should be.

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Steve Bruce is one of the most recognisable figures in English football — a Premier League–winning captain with Manchester United and a manager of more than 1,000 professional games, including spells at Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Hull City.

In this eye-opening conversation — originally recorded as a demo in October 2025 — Steve opens up about his time at St James’ Park in a way few have heard before. He speaks candidly about receiving death threats, needing police protection at his home, and the toll it took on his family — including moving his wife back to Cheshire when the pressure became unbearable.

This is a disarming, deeply human interview that goes beyond results and headlines to understand the man behind the manager — and the real impact of being sacked at the highest level of the game.

Each week, SACKED! brings together decision-makers and insiders — owners, chairs, executives, managers, head coaches, sporting directors, former players and leading journalists — to explore the biggest issues in football.

Please spread the word. Share the show in your WhatsApp groups, leave a review, and tell us how to make SACKED! even better.

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WE are joined by football royalty for SACKED! as Dave Bassett opens up on the art of management, coping with anxiety in retirement, how Elton John sacked him and a very public falling out with Simon Jordan.

With more than 1,000 games in management at Wimbledon, Watford, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest among others, Bassett won promotion seven times during a colourful career.

With such an impressive CV it makes Bassett an unmissable first guest on SACKED! — a high-concept, white-space show that goes inside the power, pressure and politics of the Premier League.

Each week, SACKED! brings together decision-makers and insiders — owners, chairs, executives, managers and head coaches, sporting directors, former players and leading journalists — to discuss the biggest issues in the game.

Please spread the word and tell the football family there’s a new show in town.

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