Barney Ronay, author and football writer for The Guardian, sat down with Laurence McKenna of EPL Talk recently for a one-on-one interview from the Guardian studos in London. Ronay discusses several topics including his favorite football manager, his favorite football writer, how he got into football journalism, what he did before he became a writer at The Guardian and much more.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe to EPL Talk’s YouTube Channel. During the past, we’ve released video interviews with Patrick Barclay, Millwall Football Club, Ray Hudson, Phil Schoen and others. Plus we’ve published video previews and videos, too.

Watch for part two of the interview with Barney Ronay coming within the next couple of weeks where Ronay dives into the topic of the World Cup.

EPL Talk has partnered with BigSoccer, one of the biggest soccer sites in the United States and one of the most well known in the world. BigSoccer will be distributing three soccer podcasts from the Talk family of sites on its’ BigSoccer.com website.

BigSoccer is the leading independent online destination for soccer fans in the United States. Described by Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated as “arguably the nerve center of American soccer”, BigSoccer is read by prominent members of American soccer, including players, officials and coaches, as well as members of the media.

The three podcasts which will be distributed on BigSoccer are:

• EPL Talk Podcast: The daily football talk show features interviews and analysis of the world’s most popular sports league, the Premier League. Launched in 2006, the free podcast features interviews with the biggest names in the sport including Martin Tyler, Simon Kuper, Steve McClaren, Tim Vickery, Andy Cole and more than 200 other guests. The EPL Talk Podcast will continue to be distributed via iTunes and this site.
• World Cup Buzz Podcast: World Cup Buzz, the only daily World Cup podcast, debuted in mid-May and has already become a runaway hit after featuring interviews with some of the best world soccer pundits such as Andy Brassell, Raphael Honigstein, Simon Hill, Jonathan Wilson, Andy Gray, Sean Wheelock, Grant Wahl and others. Listen to the World Cup Buzz Podcast on BigSoccer.com, the World Cup Buzz website or via iTunes.
• MLS Talk Podcast: The MLS Talk Podcast is a twice weekly show that switches between interviews with MLS stars and analysis of the league. Previous guests have included Dwayne De Rosario, Jimmy Conrad, Sacha Kljestan, Alexi Lalas, Thomas Dooley and many others. Available at MajorLeagueSoccerTalk.com, via iTunes and now on BigSoccer.com.

In the past few weeks, the EPL Talk Podcast has undergone some major changes. Kartik Krishnaiyer was replaced by Richard Farley. We’ve since increased the quality and quantity of episodes. And we’ve published interviews with some of the biggest names in soccer including Dwight Yorke, Andrew Cole, Martin Tyler, Barney Ronay, Jonathan Wilson, Claudio Reyna, Paul Dempsey, Guy Mowbray, Tim Vickery, David Goldblatt, Shaka Hislop, Tommy Smyth, Andy Brassell, Gary O’Reilly, Oliver Kay, Stewart Robson and Simon Hill, just to name a few. Plus, we’ve changed the format where Monday’s (and Wednesday’s, when applicable) have become review shows.

The big question for you is, how are we doing? And what can we improve?

Please share your feedback as it’s important to get your valuable input. We can’t promise we’ll act on every suggestion, but we appreciate any and all feedback as long as it’s constructive.

Founded in 2006, the EPL Talk Podcast is the only Premier League interview podcast on the Internet.

Don’t miss a single episode of the EPL Talk Podcast. Automatically get each new episode by subscribing via iTunes, subscribing to the RSS feed or you can find the EPL Talk Podcast on the Zune.

Also, please take a second and write a review of the EPL Talk Podcast on iTunes by going here. After clicking the link, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Having followed the top flight of English league soccer for 32 years and having spent 26 of those years in the United States scrambling to find the best and most reliable sources of soccer news and information, I have the experience necessary to share with you what every supporter of a Premier League club should have to survive a season and enjoy it in style.

Whether you’re a veteran soccer fan or a newbie, you’ll find several helpful tips for you in this article. Consider it your Swiss Army knife guide to following the Premier League.

Here are my top 10 picks for what every supporter should have:

1. If you live in the United States, you need to subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, ESPN2 and GolTV. Some of you may argue that GolTV isn’t as necessary, but the channel does show some Europa League games and offers a lot of La Liga and Bundesliga games if you ever feel burned out from watching too much Premier League soccer. And be sure to follow EPL Talk’s Premier League TV Schedule to stay up-to-date on which Premier League teams are going to be on television in the States.
2. HD television and HD service from your TV provider. The beautiful game was meant to be enjoyed in HD. And now that more Premier League games are being shown in HD than ever before, it’s important you get the equipment necessary as well as check to see if the TV networks you need (see above) are available in HD on your provider. As of press time, DISH Network is the only one showing Fox Soccer Channel in HD in the United States. No TV providers are yet broadcasting Fox Soccer Plus in HD (SD only, for now). And GolTV may be in HD later this year.
3. A DVR (digital video recorder). This is an absolute must-have for any soccer fan. There are so many games on each week featuring Premier League teams that you have to tape many of them for viewing at a later date.
4. Subscribe to FoxSoccer.tv, if you’re in the States. While the relaunched broadband site experienced a few growing pains since it’s relaunch last week, the sheer volume of live Premier League games it features makes it a must-have. This coming Saturday alone, it has four live games being featured at 10am ET. If you want to see as much Premier League as possible, you need FoxSoccer.tv
5. Get ESPN3. ESPN360, which will be renamed ESPN3 in April, is another must-have specifically because of the broadband matches it’ll show such as the Carling Cup, summer friendly tournaments and World Cup. ESPN360.com is a free service but it’s available through most ISPs in the United States. Visit ESPN360.com to see if you have it.
6. Get an iPhone or Android phone. You’re not always going to be near a computer or television set to stay on top of the news about your favorite Premier League team, so be sure to have a mobile phone such as the Apple iPhone or any of the Android phones which will give you the edge when you’re trying to stay on top of things. For the Apple iPhone, must-have apps include iCarRadio Lite (for live radio broadcasts of Premier League matches from the BBC), EPL Live! or iFooty World (for up-to-the minute latest scores), ESPN 2010 World Cup (for everything World Cup related) and a Twitter app such as Twitterrific for the latest EPL news and discussion. Of course, there’s also the free EPL Talk iPhone app which features blog posts, comments, podcast episodes and more.
7. Subscribe to podcasts via iTunes. Be sure to subscribe to the best Premier League-related podcasts such as The Guardian’s Football Weekly, the EPL Talk Podcast, TheGame Podcast, BBC’s World Football Phone-In Show, the official Barclays Premier League Podcast and more than 50 others.
8. Buy Soccernomics, the book. I’m re-reading Soccernomics for the second time and it is without a doubt one of the best soccer books I’ve ever read. The reason why I feel it should be part of your survival kit is because the way it discusses globalization and the impact that has had on soccer and primarily the Premier League. It’s a fascinating read and it really feels as if it was written for the Internet age in terms of how it combines amazing facts with the way it makes you see soccer in a whole new way.
9. Sign up for Twitter. No, Twitter isn’t just for kids. And no, Twitter isn’t just for telling your friends what you’re eating for dinner. For soccerholics such as us, it’s an incredibly useful tool to find out late breaking news and to participate in an underground soccer culture that spans the globe (at least it feels like we’re in the underground at times in the States). After you’ve signed up for Twitter, be sure to follow EPL Talk.
10. Bookmark 101 Great Goals. While there have been significant advances in technology and the quantity of games available on television and the Internet, there remains one last bastion where the Premier League and its partners don’t serve us well and that’s in the form of goal highlights. Yes, there is a weekly highlights show from the Premier League and TWI. And yes, there are often nightly news shows that feature highlights. But there isn’t anything legal for immediate on-demand access to goal highlights. Thankfully, 101GreatGoals.com is the best alternate source available.

Optional:

• Slingbox. With Slingbox, you can watch programming from your television on the Internet or a mobile device. Imagine you’re at work but you want to “tune” into your TV from your work computer and watch a live or pre-recorded Champions League game, you can do this with Slingbox.
• Audible. A great way to expand your knowledge of the Premier League is by listening to audiobooks of several soccer titles on Audible. Get a free audiobook from Audible today.
• Fantasy Premier League. To make the season more interesting, I highly recommend that you enroll for free and play the Fantasy Premier League game with hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world. It’s even more fun when you play in a private league such as the EPL Talk Fantasy Premier League, which is in the top 50 of the best leagues in the world.
• Pub Finder. Last, but by no means least, it’s important to go see a Premier League match on television in a nearby pub every once in a while so you can get a completely different perspective on the beautiful game. Use Setanta US’s handy-dandy pub finder tool which still works.

Other than the list of the best soccer blogs and news sites, what did I miss? What things do you feel should be a part of a survival kit for soccer fans who watch Premier League matches on TV that aren’t listed above? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

I’m really proud to announce that EPL Talk has just launched a brand-new iPhone app today. If you’re a regular reader of this site and you own an iPhone app, it’s definitely a must-have.

The EPL Talk iPhone app features:

• The latest blog posts (updated as soon as new articles are published),
• A comments feed (updated whenever someone adds a new comment to any thread),
• The latest episodes of  the EPL Talk Podcast (updated daily),
• The latest Premier League-related news items from the EPL Talk Twitter feed (updated throughout the day), and
• EPL Talk’s Flickr feed, which is updated whenever there are new Premier League-related photographs uploaded to the EPL Talk Flickr account.

The best part about the iPhone app is that it’s completely free. Plus it’s advertising free.

If you have an iPhone, get the EPL Talk iPhone app today either through iTunes or the App Store feature on your phone.

We’re also working on getting an EPL Talk app created for phones that run Android so stay tuned for news about that in the near future.

If you have the EPL Talk Podcast iPhone app, which was released a few months ago, we will still continue to support that.

Enjoy the app and feel free to post your feedback about it here.

Bhavesh Patel, vice president of interactive media for Fox Sports International, is the latest guest on the EPL Talk Podcast. Responsible for FoxSoccer.tv and FoxSoccer.com, Patel answers many questions from you, the readers, that you’ve posted on EPL Talk.

During the interview, Patel answers questions about:

• whether FoxSoccer.tv will add additional Premier League content other than games,
• what the delay is for Premier League games shown on Fox Soccer Channel that are made available on demand on FoxSoccer.tv,
• whether you can watch two Premier League games online at once on FoxSoccer.tv,
• what we can expect to see on FoxSoccer.com during this summer’s World Cup,
• if there are plans to make FoxSoccer.tv available on the iPad, iPhone or similar devices, and more.

Don’t forget that the EPL Talk Podcast is the only Premier League interview and analysis podcast available for free. In the past few weeks, we’ve interviewed legends of the game such as Dwight Yorke, Andrew Cole, Steve McManaman, Gary O’Reilly and Robbie Earle as well as experts such as Declan Hill, Simon Kuper, Misha Sher, Andy Brassell, Tim Vickery and many others. Why pay $40 a year to rival podcasts when you can subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast for FREE featuring interviews with the biggest names in football?

If you’ve ever had a question you’ve always wanted to ask Andrew Cole, Dwight Yorke or Shaka Hislop, here’s your opportunity.

Later this week, I’ll be sitting down separately with each of the three football legends for one-on-one interviews to discuss their careers, their work in broadcasting and some of the highlights of their life such as, for Yorke and Cole, winning the treble in 1999 (including the Champions League) with Manchester United, and, for Hislop, playing in the 2006 World Cup. All of the interviews are being recorded for the EPL Talk Podcast, the free daily podcast that features interviews with some of the biggest names in football.

The best questions posted below in the comments section will be asked to Cole, Yorke and Hislop. And your name will be mentioned on air.

The deadline to submit your questions is Thursday, February 4 at 5pm ET/10pm GMT.

In the meantime, stay tuned to EPL Talk for exciting news in the next 24-48 hours including even more interviews with football celebrities as well as news regarding a special trip EPL Talk is embarking on. Plus, we have another scoop regarding Fox Soccer Channel, which will be announced tomorrow morning.

It’s incredible to see the number of soccer podcasts continually grow. A few years ago it was only a handful. Now, there are more than 55, many of them excellent in quality, and there’ll be several more added in time for this summer’s World Cup. The choices seem almost endless, so I thought I’d compile a comprehensive list of the soccer podcasts available. If I’m missing any, please post them in the comments section below.

Whether you enjoy football discussions, interviews, coaching tips, tactical analysis, laughs or rants, there are plenty of soccer podcasts for everyone.

Here’s the complete list of soccer podcasts (in alphabetical order). Each links directly to the iTunes page for you to subscribe. Drumroll please…

• Premier League
  • General:
    • A Game Of Two Halves (free, weekly)
    • Barclay’s Premier League Podcast (free, weekly)
    • Chappers’ Premier League Podcast (free, weekly)
    • EPL Talk Podcast (free, daily)
    • ITV Football Podcast (free, weekly)
    • MOTD Xtra! (free, weekly)
    • 606 Football Phone-In (free, twice weekly)
    • Sunday Supplement (free, weekly)
    • The Danny Baker Show (free, weekly)
    • The Football Ramble (free, weekly)
    • TheGame Podcast (free, weekly)
    • The Twofootedtackle Football Podcast (free, weekly)
    • The Mirror Football Podcast (free, weekly)
    • The Offside Podcast (free, weekly)
  • Specific clubs:
    • Arsecast (free, weekly)
    • Arsenal 02 Podcast (free, weekly)
    • Aston Villa (free, weekly)
    • Chelsea Football Fancast (free, weekly)
    • The Chelsea in America Show (free, weekly)
    • Cock On Ball: The Tottenham Hotspur Unofficial Podcast (free, weekly)
    • Everton (free, weekly)
    • Inside Chelsea FC (free, weekly)
    • Inside Fulham FC (free, weekly)
    • Inside Tottenham Hotspur FC (free, weekly)
    • It’s Up For Grabs Now (free, weekly)
    • MP Red (free, weekly)
    • Over The Bar (free, weekly)
    • Pompey Talk (free, weekly)
    • RedCafe.net (free, weekly)
    • Stoke City Etc (free, weekly)
    • Stop! Hammer Time (free, weekly)
    • The ManYoo Redcast (free, weekly)
    • The Spurs Show (free, weekly)
    • United Rant (free, weekly)
• US Soccer
  • Major League Soccer Talk Podcast (free, weekly)
  • The American Soccer Show (free, weekly)
  • The MLS Show (free, weekly)
  • Waiting For Gaetjens (free, weekly)
  • Winning Ugly (free, weekly)
• World Soccer
  • BBC World Football (free, weekly)
  • ESPNSoccernet (free, twice weekly)
  • 5 Live Football Daily (free, daily)
  • 5 Live’s World Football Phone-In (free, weekly)
  • Football Fancast (free, various)
  • Football Weekly (free, twice weekly)
  • Forza Futbol (free, weekly)
  • Inside The Six (free, three times per week)
  • Set Piece Analysts (free, daily)
  • SI Soccer Podcast (free, weekly)
  • Soccerlens Podcast (free, weekly)
  • The Dugout Podcast (free, weekly)
  • The Football Pub (free, weekly)
  • The Hal and Paul Football Log (free, weekly)
  • The Off The Ball Football Show (free, daily)
  • The Other Side Of The Pond World Football Program (free, weekly)
  • The Sound Of Football Podcast (free, weekly)
  • Totally Football (free, weekly)
  • World Football Daily ($40/year, daily)
• Miscellaneous:
  • Football Small Talk (free, weekly)
  • Football Partnerships (free, weekly)
  • Glory, Glory Leeds (free, weekly)
  • Italian Serie A Football Fancast (free, weekly)
  • Jared Montz Soccer Podcast (free, weekly)

Again, please let me know if there are soccer podcasts I’ve missed that are still being published.

Simon Hill is a broadcaster for Fox Sports in Australia, where he covers the Premier League was well as the A-League and major competitions throughout Asia. This weekend, he joined Kartik Krishnaiyer to talk about the Premiership and broadcasting the league in Australia.

Don’t forget that the EPL Talk Podcast is the only Premier League interview and analysis podcast available for free. In the past few weeks, we’ve interviewed legends of the game such as Steve McManaman, Efan Ekoku, Martin Chivers and Robbie Earle as well as experts such as Declan Hill, Simon Kuper, Misha Sher, Matt Dickinson and many others. Why pay $40 a year to rival podcasts when you can subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast for FREE featuring interviews with the biggest names in football?

EPL Talk has been named the best website in the 2009 Soccerlens Awards picking up both the readers’ choice and editor’s choice awards in the Best Competition Site category. Plus EPL Talk came in third place in the Best Football Podcast of 2009 award beating World Football Daily.

“Over the years, EPL Talk has become a football blogging icon – coupled with the podcast, it’s quite possibly one of the best football blogs around,” said Ahmed Bilal, owner of Soccerlens and organizer of the 2009 Soccerlens Awards. “EPL Talk edges out mainstream media sites like the BBC and the Guardian by giving you proper football analysis and wide-lens coverage of the English Premier League.”

In the Best Competition Site category, which featured sites that focused on leagues and cup tournaments, EPL Talk won 65% of the votes.

As for the Best Football Podcast of 2009, The Football Ramble won the readers’ choice award followed by The Guardian’s Football Weekly and then the EPL Talk Podcast, which features daily interviews with some of the biggest names in football including David Conn, Jon Champion, Joe Royle, Jan Molby, Steve McManaman, Robbie Earle, Martin Tyler and many others.

On behalf of EPL Talk, I’d like to thank you — the soccer community — for making EPL Talk number one. And also thanks to the bloggers at EPL Talk who make the articles possible. And thanks to EPL Talk Podcast host Kartik Krishnaiyer for getting the bronze medal in a competitive category.

Be sure to check out the complete list of winning blogs, podcasts and football websites on the Soccerlens Awards page.