WSC 378 out now ~ Biggest ever issue! New season guide, World Cup review & extra pages

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September issue available now online and in stores

The new WSC, which is out biggest ever issue and includes the 2018-19 season guide plus our World Cup review, is out now, available from all good newsagents or to order now from the WSC shop.

2018-19 Season Guide
Premier League | Championship | League One | League Two | Scottish Premiership | National League | Women’s Super League & Championship | Fan predictions | What would make your club more popular

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Plus World Cup review
Tournament diary | England’s social media stars | Mixed emotions for a part-time fan | Beers spill: watching on a big screen | France’s plan for victory | Success from chaos in Croatia | Where now for Messi and co? | BBC v ITV – who said what | How Germany got it wrong | Why the hosts were happy

AND…
Writers’ competition winners | YouTubers invade non-League | Name change at Birmingham | Bobby Robson remembered | The sounds of football | Money madness | Lego club under construction

378 England

A new England Confessions of a part-time fan
It’s Rule One: you support your local team. And if you don’t, or can’t, you’d better have a damn good reason. But it’s the World Cup, and it’s England. It’s complicated. In the 1970s, you knew exactly where you stood with England and the World Cup: they never bothered with it, so you watched Scotland, who probably had more players from your favourite team in any case. If you wanted to see the home nation facing off against foreigners, you made do with club sides in Europe, or It’s A Knockout. Buy here to read the full article

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Production values  France’s endless line of talent
Within 24 hours of France clinching World Cup victory in Moscow on July 15 media from around the world had concluded that this was unlikely to be an isolated triumph. Didier Deschamps’ squad was one of the youngest in Russia. The average age of the ten outfield players that started in the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final was 25.3. A remarkable 15 of the 23 players who made up Les Bleus’ squad were aged 25 or under. Buy here to read the full article

378 TV

The ITV crowd  World Cup TV review
“Welcome to the greatest show on earth,” proclaims ITV’s ringmaster, beckoning us, with his frightening and yet alluring Russian accent, into his mysterious tent. Inside the lights go up, revealing the alarming sight of Mark Pougatch in contact lenses; ten yards of tangerine face, made-up with an impassive meticulousness usually associated with the mortician’s art. Next to Mark are three men who have been harvested to talk about football for a month. But first, a warning:“As the football begins, the Russians are well aware that the eyes of the world are watching.” Buy here to read the full article

378 WritersComp

Highest bidders Writers’ competition winner
In 2012, Great Britain’s women’s football team played at Wembley in front of 70,000. Last week I played at a ground with three corner flags, half a dugout and no changing rooms in front of over-competitive Megan’s over-competitive mum. As I proudly pull on the damp, men’s extra-large size yellow and black striped shirt of Witnesham Wasps (because nothing says top-quality women’s football team like a good bit of alliteration), I can’t help but agree with Sepp Blatter when he said that female footballers should wear tighter kit. Buy here to read the full article

Availability
WSC is the only nationally available independent football magazine in the UK, and you can get it monthly for a very reasonable £3.95. 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. Subscribe now and also get access to the complete digital archive
2. Buy the latest issue direct from WSC
3. Sign up for our digital edition and apps for iPhone, iPad and Android
4. Email us
5. Ask your local newsagent to order it for you

England illustration by Gary Neil; ITV illustration by Matt Littler; Writers’ competition illustration by Adam Doughty