Book reviews

Martin Edwards' unpopular reign at Old Trafford is reassessed by Ashley Shaw, putting forward another side of the argument

Martin Edwards is a misunderstood figure. The well publicised attempts to sell his controlling interest in Manchester United have clouded supporters’ judgements of the progress made at the club under his chairmanship. Fans consistently forget his key role in est­­ablishing the club as the dominant economic power in British football, making Manchester United a res­pected name from the City to the Champions League.

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with some schadenfreude as Chris Lynham looks back on Gillingham's darkest hour

In 1993, Gillingham celebrated 100 years of chronic underachievement with a cam­paign so inept it even failed to meet the very limited expectations of our band of world-weary supporters. Having put up with five years of steady decline, we could all cope with the boredom of inoffensively squatting in the lower half of the old Fourth Division, but the et­ernal agony of the 1992-93 season was a step too far.

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Duncan Young looks back on Leeds' darkest hour

Keith Mincher. Carlisle United fans know who I’m talking about, but most Leeds supporters have never heard of the former youth-team coach who very nearly became manager when Eddie Gray was sacked during 1985-86, which saw the club’s lowest league finish since Don Re­vie’s first full season in 1961-62.

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with some schadenfreude as Graham Lightfoot looks back on Sheffield Wednesday's darkest hour

Sheffield Wednesday’s fall from grace over the last few years has been more plummet than decline. Ask any supporter under the age of 30 to name their worst ever season and our most recent campaigns in the Na­­t­ionwide League would undoubtedly figure. Wed­nes­day­ites with the odd silver hair curling out from under their blue and white bobble hat will have mem­ories of darker days. In the 1970s, for the first time that most of us could remember, we would have to grudgingly admit that Sheffield United were actually a better side than us.

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Barney Ronay scrolls through the list of Britain's highest earners and finds it an incriminating document in the case against football's economic competence

Benito Carbone, Mark Bosnich and Winston Bo­garde have something in common. Draw up a list of controversial transfers, and all three would un­doubtedly feature. But Beni and the boys appeared on another list this month: the Sunday Times Pay List 2002, which sets out the 500 highest earning individuals in Britain. The List includes 46 footballers, only one of whom – Steve McManaman at No 213 – is em­ployed outside the domestic leagues. At first glance the temptation is merely to gawp at the presence of such high profile failures as Fabrizio Ravanelli and the notoriously overpaid cheeky boys of Chelsea.

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