In this exclusive WSC Supporters’ Club edition of the podcast, magazine editor Andy Lyons, writer Harry Pearson and host Daniel Gray discuss all things autographs, from tetchy players to the New York Fred Trueman. There is talk of new Pelés, new Maradonas and the Latvian Michael Owen, plus a sensual Wolverhampton Wanderers press release and Peter Marinello’s pseudo up-market interior. Record Breakers takes us to Corsica, Bern and Nottingham and provokes a comprehensive chat about footballers in spectacles.
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Thursday 1 “Toshack hates me, I can handle that,” says Robbie Savage, soberly conceding that his international career is over after being left out of the Wales squad and not called up when others pulled out. Northern Ireland drop Jeff Whitley and Phil Mulryne for going on an all‑day drinking session.
The birthplace of Napoleon is enjoying a football revival. Dan Brierley reports on how Ajaccio and Bastia are getting on in the French first division
Football isn’t the first thing you associate with the island of Corsica, but this season, for the first time since 1972-73, SC Bastia were joined by AC Ajaccio in the French first division. Fifty-two thousand people took to the streets to celebrate.
No one else would do it, so Neil McCarthy felt compelled to hand out some awards to the French presidents who have so enriched the past season
Each season, the French Players’ Union stage Les Oscars du Foot, televised live and attended by the squads of all 38 professional clubs. This year, Bordeaux’s striker Pauleta won player of the season and Djibril Cissé won best young player. For some reason, though, none of the 38 club presidents turned up for the Oscars and only two sent apologies. France Football magazine remarked on this and suggested that perhaps the organisers would have more success in attracting them if they awarded an Oscar for president of the season.
Newcastle don't have happy memories from their last European campaign. Ian Cusack explains why
The last trophy Newcastle United won was the 1968-69 Fairs Cup, now the UEFA Cup. Defending the trophy the next season, The Toon went out on away goals to Anderlecht in the quarter-finals. Most people probably imagine that was the extent of Newcastle’s European experience until 1994’s comedy defending allowed Athletic Bilbao to come back from the dead to win on away goals.