wsc_user | When Saturday Comes

Three hundred club

To commemorate the 300th issue of WSC here are a few notable moments from our history, along with some WSC trivia

A new issue had just been unloaded from the printer’s van. We opened one of the bundles, each of which had been covered with a sheet of paper. On the front cover, where a picture of Graham Taylor is supposed to be, is a close up of a studded black leather boot with an enormous heel. It is Skin Two, an S&M magazine. A phone call to the printers confirms that the wrong bundles had been loaded on to the van. A few miles away, Skin Two staff unwrap their new issue, stare at Graham Taylor and wonder if they have gone too far this time.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Heart problem

Mark Poole explains that even though their club is owned by a millionaire, one group of SPL players are not having their wages paid regularly

Last month the Scottish Sun reported that Hearts midfielder Ian Black had taken on casual work as a painter and decorator to pay for his children’s Christmas presents. It was perhaps the most evocative example so far of the current turmoil at Scotland’s third biggest club. For three consecutive months, the players’ wages have not been paid on time. Their October wages weren’t paid until weeks after they were due, and their November pay arrived in their accounts a month late. At the time of writing they are still waiting for their December pay.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - Book reviews

Evans above

Gavin Barber looks at how, despite experiencing major changes in recent years, Ipswich are no closer to getting out of the Championship

When Preston were relegated from the Championship at the end of last season, pub quiz aficionados made note of the fact that Coventry took over as the longest-serving team in the second tier of English football. It is a mantle that seems to sit uneasily on Sky Blue shoulders, given the apparent hurry with which they are setting about the task of following their predecessors out through the trap door. Should they do so, the title will pass to Ipswich Town – assuming that they too can stay out of League One.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - Book reviews

Critical mass

If referees are as awful as claimed, we should help them out with some some extra body parts – or a microphone. Ed Wilson reports

There are some sections of society that it is difficult to feel sympathy for, even when you know they have been treated harshly. Reality TV stars fall into this category, as do Tory MPs – Edwina Currie is the point of intersection in that particular Venn diagram. Previously, I would have lumped referees into this demographic too. You only need to hear the enthusiasm that greets a referee falling over to grasp their standing among most football fans. But in recent months, my attitude to them has softened. I no longer see them as slightly absurd pantomime villains. Referees are people too.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Power struggles

When team selections are made by senior players rather than managers things can only end badly, writes Mark Brophy

To an outsider, it seems mad that a club that has been in the top four of the Premier League pretty much all season should be rumoured to be in turmoil and on the verge of dismissing their manager. Yet that is exactly the situation Chelsea and Andre Villas-Boas have found themselves in at various points, usually coinciding with a marginal dip in performance level or results. These are not the chief reasons for the speculation, however. Constantly looming in the background is the over-confident shadow of player power.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - Book reviews

Author Archive

Three hundred club

To commemorate the 300th issue of WSC here are a few notable moments from our history, along with some WSC trivia

Heart problem

Mark Poole explains that even though their club is owned by a millionaire, one group of SPL players are not having their wages paid regularly

Evans above

Gavin Barber looks at how, despite experiencing major changes in recent years, Ipswich are no closer to getting out of the Championship

Critical mass

If referees are as awful as claimed, we should help them out with some some extra body parts – or a microphone. Ed Wilson reports

Power struggles

When team selections are made by senior players rather than managers things can only end badly, writes Mark Brophy