{"podcast":{"title":"It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast","slug":"it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590","podcast_index_feed_id":6903590,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6633aa7d28201200122f5638","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/it-was-what-it-was","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6633aa7d28201200122f5638/1727688311940-b629b5f2-5b0c-4058-9540-42e310dbd6d0.jpeg","author":"The Overlap","episode_count":167,"summary":"Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was. Each week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper will be talking about the key episodes in football history that have shaped the footballing world. The show will be discussing the best stories from football's past, giving insights to the personalities involved. the tales from behind the scenes and the impact they left. Join us at Football University! If you enjoy the podcast please hit subscribe to never miss an episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-09T14:22:37.386183+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590"},"episode":{"title":"Jan Åge Fjørtoft, on Norway + England's Nadir","slug":"jan-ge-fj-rtoft-on-norway-england-s-nadir","published_at":"2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590/jan-ge-fj-rtoft-on-norway-england-s-nadir","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590","url":"https://shows.acast.com/it-was-what-it-was/episodes/the-impossible-job-englands-downfall-under-graham-taylor-par","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6633aa7d28201200122f5638/e/69ba91aeefe096304cc2b51e/media.mp3","summary":"Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. Today co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by a very special returning guest - Jan Fjørtoft! In this episode, we will explore Norway’s remarkable rise in the early 1990s and their famous 2–0 win over Graham Taylor’s England in 1993. Fjørtoft explains how Egil “Drillo” Olsen took a previously struggling national team and built belief through a disciplined, direct style, carefully defined roles, and detailed match analysis using hand-written stats and video. The episode breaks down the key tactical choices that unsettled England, revisits both Norway goals, and follows the qualifier run that took Norway to their first World Cup since 1938. Norway will return to the World Cup this summer for the first time since 1998. This episode will be followed by a three part special on Graham Taylor. 01:12 Norway before the rise 04:09 Olsen arrives and stirs 06:47 Direct football philosophy 14:31 Stats and analysis 20:05 Defined roles and system 23:40 Beating England  28:12 Tactical switch  31:33 Gascoigne fitness factor 32:50 Olsen’s Selection Mind Games 37:20 Two Goals Breakdown 42:41 Road to USA 94 Sealed 45:45 Poland Night and Wild Celebrations 48:46 Heroes Welcome in Norway 52:04 World Cup Heat Prep Fiasco 59:59 Egil Olsen Legacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. Today co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by a very special returning gue…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3766,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590/episodes/jan-ge-fj-rtoft-on-norway-england-s-nadir/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-was-what-it-was-the-football-history-podcast-6903590/jan-ge-fj-rtoft-on-norway-england-s-nadir.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}