Book reviews

Bottom of the pile. Fewest goals scored, most conceded. Fewest games won, most lost. Keith Butterick summarises a tough season in Division Three for Halifax Town

Well, at least we have secured our place in the history books. Not, though, for anything as em­otionally gratifying as being the first Third Division club to win the FA Cup. No, typical of Halifax Town, our entry will be the type that no one wants – the first club to be promoted from the Conference and then relegated again. Quite an achievement even by our standards.

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After 70 years, Tooting & Mitcham United are moving home. Andy Lyons reports

A Ryman League First Division fixture be­tween Tooting & Mitcham United and Wealdstone wouldn’t normally draw a thousand peo­ple, or anywhere near. Most of the crowd on April 20 had come specifically to see the last competitive match at Sandy Lane, Too­ting’s home since 1932 and the last of the big non-League grounds left in London. Chair­man John Buffoni has taken the brave step of striking a business deal with Ron Noades, as a re­sult of which the club will begin next season at a new stadium built on Crystal Palace’s old training ground two miles away across south London.

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Manchester City would tell you that their championship has been very well earned. Their city neighbours on the floor above, who risk being outdone in the Manchester trophy count, would probably beg to differ. Two writers air their views

Yes~
The First Division in 2000-01 was notable for the presence of two outstanding teams (Ful­ham and Blackburn), one that was just that bit better than the rest but not quite as good as the two above (Bolton) and then a whole host of similar teams (perm any three from about eight for the remaining play-off places).

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Ian Farrell reflects on the sad trajectory of Georgi Kinkladze's career, from mistrusted genius at Man City to occasional tubby cameos at Derby

In these troubled times for football, it’s comforting to know that some things never change. The “Ellis Out” pro­tests, the fixture congestion complaints and, of course, the Winter Panic Of The Bottom Six Manager. As sure as night follows day, February sees Ginolas and Djorkaeffs arriving at the sharp end amid talk of “having a little bit of something extra” and how “he can make all the difference for us”. They are then us­ually benched within a month amid talk of being “a luxury we can’t afford” and how “this is a battle and we need warriors” as the even-more panicky manager de­cides instead to try to Colin Hendry his way out of the relegation zone. Derby under John Gregory did not dip into the Cranky Maverick bargain bin, but that’s be­cause they didn’t have to. Step forth from the sha­dows, Georgi Kinkladze.

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David Wangerin looks not too far back and remembers when Tony Barton's Villa were the the Kings of Europe. If only they had built upon that success

Twenty years on, it still makes for a hell of a story. Eng­lish underdogs face German superstars in the final. They see their injured goalkeeper come off with the match barely under way. His substitute, with one first-team appearance to his name, proceeds to keep Rum­menigge and Co at bay for 81 minutes, thanks to a combination of deft goalkeeping and a four-leafed clo­ver he must have tucked into a sock. With 23 minutes to go, a team-mate shins in a goal, and Aston Villa hang on for dear life to lift the 1982 European Cup.

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