The new WSC is out now, available from all good newsagents or dispatched on the day of order from the WSC shop. Including:
Why football can't save the world, despite what the sponsors may say
With the Glazer family showing no signs of moving on, Man Utd fans face a difficult choice
Tracking down and photographing every World Cup final ball
Austrian footballers fight against deportation while French stars turn out for charity
Liverpool & Portsmouth face financial meltdown
Fall out from the Daily Mail's trapping of Lord Triesman
The real reasons for the Champions League final's weekend move

 
Also in this issue:

Spot of bother The problems with penalty shoot-outs, and why they continue to survive
"As a system it has variously been labelled as 'public flogging', 'a lottery', 'gripping drama', and even 'racist'. Even Sepp Blatter professes to dislike its use, yet August 5 marks 40 years since Denis Law stepped up in the first-ever penalty shoot-out in England and demonstrated its potentially humbling effect." Buy here to read the full article

Wayne's wrangles A contentious biography is finally released
"John Sweeney tries so hard to avoid sounding snooty that his arse almost bursts through the top of his head, but as he waxes lyrical on Croxteth – the grim suburb from which Rooney emerged – there's always that sense of bemused distance, as though describing some distant tribal region, or the moon. Sometimes it seems his brave sojourn in the dark lands of English football has instilled a sense of White Man's Burden." Buy here to read the full article

Blackpool 3, Cardiff City 2 An unexpected triumph at the Championship play-off final
"Wembley, on a luridly hot day in May. Almost lost among the blue and tangerine hordes, down for this afternoon's promotion showdown, glimpses of everyday north London life – the dreaming bouncers outside pubs, the Wembley branch of the school-age outdoor drinking club soliciting help to buy alcohol, the brightly-plumed, chirpy Lidl in the retail park. For the most part, though, this pocket of London is just Cardiff and Blackpool, ribbons of blue and tangerine filing magnetically towards the Wembley arch." Buy here to read the full article

Snakes and ladders Three regular watchers review the Football League in 2009-10
"The FA's decision to hold England matches around the country during the rebuilding of Wembley is generally agreed to have been a great success. Football's heartlands got to see the national team in their own backyards while the players benefited from performing in front of passionate, knowledgeable crowds. Fans in League One are now enjoying a similar scheme involving former Premier League clubs." Buy here to read the full article

Plus
Robbie Ryan – from Cup final to Croydon
North Korea reaches out
England analysed; World Cup worries; the "fans' chairman"; crazy Chic Charnley
Season in brief Belgian Jupiler League 2000-01

Availability
WSC is the only nationally available independent football magazine in the UK, and you can get it monthly for a very reasonable £2.95. You should be able to find a copy in your local newsagent, otherwise outlets that stock WSC include WH Smith, mainline train stations plus selected Tescos. If you're having trouble finding the magazine, you could do one of the following:

1. Ask your local newsagent to order it for you
2. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
3. Subscribe now
4. Buy the latest issue direct from WSC
5. Sign up for our digital edition

Illustration by Tim Bradford, photo by Simon Gill

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