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Money can buy you trophies, world-class players and the most celebrated manager in football. A good reputation is proving rather harder to come by. We look at what the future holds for Sheikh Mansour’s Manchester City, whether Pep Guardiola’s standing has suffered and how the supporters are coping with being everyone else’s favourite villains. Elsewhere, Brentford enjoy the unusual pleasure of looking down on Liverpool in the Premier League table, while we rummage through the competition’s enormous archive of match highlights.

There’s a trip back to the days when breaking football news meant ringing ClubCall and watching the phone bill mount up, while Shrewsbury supporters fight to keep their matchday programme alive. Hull City fans reveal the art of winding up the opposition, Burnley relive the nerve-shredding drama of “The Orient Game”, and a signed photograph recalls an Oxford United cult hero.

Harry Pearson has had quite enough of low blocks, while our regulars take in a windswept afternoon at Bridlington Town, Bromley’s 1938 FA Amateur Cup triumph and Marseille’s title-winning season with an unexpected twist. We also examine the changing status of the Ballon d’Or, football’s uneasy relationship with gambling, tensions between clubs and councils in Italy, and Portugal’s growing impatience with Cristiano Ronaldo. Plus reviews, letters and all the usual diversions.

Features
Banana republic The fall-out from the Manchester City verdict
Match of the month Brentford host Liverpool in the Premier League
Speed dial Before the internet, fans turned to ClubCall for their breaking news
Open the archives Delving into the Premier League’s extensive highlights collection
Different pages Shrewsbury fans save the programme
Tiger trap How Hull City fans established the ultimate oppposition wind-up chant
Date with destiny “The Orient Game” still sending a shiver down the spine of Burnley fans
Object lessons A signed photo of an Oxford cult hero

Regulars
Editorial How the Ballon d’Or has changed
Sidelines Cause for concern from the Football Regulator; the key role of academy foster families; new Heysel film; gambling firms target non-League
Shot! A wet and windy day on the coast as Bridlington Town host Curzon Ashton
Harry Pearson column We’re already fed up of your low blocks
The perfect shot Bromley lift the FA Amateur Cup in 1938
World view Clubs and councils in conflict in Italy; Cristiano Ronaldo
Books Real life for a referee; the grip of gambling; Bradford City’s fortunes
Letters With a lot of embarrassment the players did so…
Season in brief Marseille win the second division