My Mate's A Footballer

Luke Ayling on Guardiola, Wenger and ‘Trojan’ Bamford

<p>Luke Ayling drops into the pod with Joe and Pat to discuss a storied career that began at Arsenal before ending up under Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough and reveals why he loves playing for the former Manchester United midfielder. Ayling is known as ‘Bill’ so tells Joe why he adopted that nickname, why Pat was known as a ‘Trojan’ after he joined Leeds and how Thierry Henry ‘ended’ his Arsenal career, plus how Pep’s inverted full backs makes the game more complicated for him as a right back.</p>

<p>Joe Wilkinson has always wanted a professional footballer to be his mate. Step forward Patrick Bamford, who has signed up to this podcast to work out if the pair really can become true friends. Joe is a lifelong Gillingham supporter and wants to discover what it takes to play the game at the highest level because you can't support a friend without understanding what they've gone through and the challenges they face. Pat has agreed to answer any question that Joe thinks of so they will cover plenty of ground and you get to hear insight and stories from inside the dressing room at a professional football club as the two hosts get to know each other by spending time together recording this podcast.</p>