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Taking a break from considering the highbrow works of The Clitheroe Kid, magazine editor Andy Lyons, writer Harry Pearson and host Daniel Gray discuss Old-Fashioned Wingers – or ‘offensive laterals’ – from low-socked loco Rene Houseman to scuttling Leighton James via Eddie Gray’s pineapple arms. Magazine Deputy Editor Ffion Thomas previews WSC issue 435, Record Breakers brings us a banger from Bremen, and we continue our sprightly feature The Final Third, in which a guest contributes a match, a player and an object to the WSC Museum of Football. Joining Dan as our visiting curator this time is Jon Harvey, comedy writer, producer and performer, and author of the new book A Fan For All Seasons: A Journey Through Life and Sport.

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Clitheroe 0 Consett 1, 20/08/2016, Shawbridge, FA Cup preliminary round – Images by WSC Photography

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Dear WSC
I have just about learned to cope with the inevitable moaning of Alex Ferguson every time so much as a throw-in is given against his little angels, but now we have to put up with Manchester United fans blathering on about how their “football club” is not for sale. Well, I hate to break it to you, lads, but it is. Manchester United (they dropped the football club bit some time ago) is first and foremost a plc and a stock market entity. So it is for sale every day of the week. And it was this state of affairs that led to Man Utd winning all those titles and cups back in the 1990s. It was the international money markets (along with a great many Roy Keane duvet covers being shifted in the Far East) that allowed Man Utd to spunk millions of quid on Van Nistelrooy, Rooney, Ferdinand and the rest. I didn’t hear Shareholders Uni­ted up in arms when this happened, nor when they receive their fat dividend cheques every year. Best of all, it was their club’s rampant commercial exploitation of the game that dragged football into the sorry state we currently have to put up with. Man­chester United’s supporters have got no­thing whatsoever to complain about. If they think they have, maybe they could pop down the road and visit Oldham, or Bury, or any number of clubs in the north-west and beyond who really are being exploited and run into the ground.
Alex Marklew, London (ex-Nottingham, so not a Gooner before anyone says otherwise)

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