WSC 355 & 2016-17 Season Guide out now

September issue available online

wsc355The new WSC is out now, available to order from the WSC shop.

– England appoint Allardyce
– Premier League 2 is here
– The story of replica shirts
– “I was an intern at Crystal Palace”
– Pitfalls of Panini collecting
– Naples’ other clubs

wsc355 preview2016-17 Season Guide
Club-by-club guide for Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, Scottish Premiership
Predicted league tables
How will your team do?
Who did you like and dislike?
What were the best and worst moments?
Alternative club merchandise
National League roundup
Buy here to read the full guide

 After the facts Club historians
“You will have read his articles in the programme. You might have bought some of his books, or heard him reveal, in hushed tones, the real reason why the manager was let go in the middle of that winning streak in 1967. How does he know? Because he is… the club historian. Thirty-five years ago when I, a recent history graduate, started researching football grounds, club historians were a rare breed. In fact there were precious few sports historians of any ilk. In the lofty realms of academia, sporting history was considered then as shallow; irrelevant to the solemn pursuit of historical truth.” Buy here to read the full article

355 MOTMHartlepool United 0 Sunderland 3
Sam Allardyce’s farewell friendly
“It’s been baking hot all day in the north-east, but by early evening dark clouds have rolled in from the west and a sulphurous yellow light pours down on the static caravans of Crimdon Dene. The windows of the southbound train from Sunderland are apparently welded shut, the air sticky as chewed toffee. In the crammed Northern Rail carriage fans in replica shirts fan themselves with their iPhones.” Buy here to read the full article

Voluntary sector Crystal Palace work experience
“For one season only, Crystal Palace experimented with writing two lines of information below each player’s name in the team line-up in the matchday programme. Something along the lines of ‘Back in form with a goal at Norwich following a lean spell’. Inane? Possibly. Try writing them for every player 21 times a season. The aim by the end was to think of something to write about Phil Barber that didn’t contain the words, ‘Mr 110 per cent…’ It wasn’t until Mark Bright accosted me at the club’s Mitcham training ground to find out why I thought that he’d been out of form prior to his aforementioned goal at Norwich that I realised that the players actually read those lines. Buy here to read the full article

355 StickersCollect em all Sticker albums
As part of my 50th birthday present I received the Euro 2016 Panini sticker album. I also received a banjolele and a seascape, but it was the Panini sticker album that really fired the imagination. The last of these that I remember completing non-ironically contained Sam Allardyce as a player and the St Mirren squad, all gritted teeth and flyaway hair, captured hurriedly in a vicious wind. I never finished that album, partly because I could not the entire season land Kenny Dalglish by swap or purchase.” Buy here to read the full article

Plus
How cortisone damaged players long-term
Liverpool’s first title
Maidstone’s remarkable return
Kosovo set for international debut
Clampdown on football in Turkey
Hull sound the Allam
The death of non-League press coverage
Luton’s power trip
Supporters get serious
New owners Swan in at the Liberty
Up early for the Cup
Birkirkana break Hearts – photo feature
Focus on Eamon Dunphy
Book reviews ~ Rocky’s mountain; light Reading; Grecian philosophy; Man Utd’s lost talent

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. orders@wsc.co.uk">Email us 
5. Ask your local newsagent to order it for you

Photo by Paul Thompson, illustration by Adam Doughty