BBC Radio Sheffield’s Praise or Grumble, described as football’s longest-running phone-in, is marking its 40th anniversary. The programme helped establish the familiar post-match format in which supporters ring in to celebrate or criticise their teams, and remains a fixture of football culture alongside national shows, local radio and fan podcasts.

The show began at the start of the 1986-87 season after presenter Robert Jackson devised it while on holiday in Cyprus, hoping to retain Saturday listeners after the results were known. Originally called Grumble and limited to 30 minutes, it aimed to fit 35 callers into the programme, giving each roughly 40 seconds; after a supporter phoned in with praise, it was renamed Praise and Grumble. Its South Yorkshire audience includes fans of Barnsley, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, while current presenter Rob Staton says calls are now more balanced than the predominantly critical contributions of earlier years.