Book reviews

Charles Morris interviews John Bowler, chairman of the club which, in these uncertain times, many see as an example to the rest, Crewe Alexandra

Nine years ago Crewe Alexandra lost a Third Division play-off final at Wembley on penalties to York City. Today, Crewe are enjoying their fifth consecutive sea­son in the First Division, while York flounder near the bottom of the Third, having only just been saved from bankruptcy and oblivion. The contrasting fortunes of these two small clubs could not be more marked, and fans of York, Bury, Swindon and other clubs now fear­ing for their futures must wonder what particular magic Crewe worked that escaped their own directors.

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Paul Tracey reflects on the Football League sanction which has made life particularly hard for one of football's stalwart clubs

Uncertainty has surrounded QPR for the past year, ever since chairman Chris Wright put the club up for sale and placed it into administration. With no new owner emerging, fans and staff alike have had the pos­sibility of the club folding hanging over their heads for the best part of a season.

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Former professional footballer Dai Thomas is given a custodial sentence in Cardiff v Leeds FA Cup fall-out, reports Paul Ashley-Jones

The aftermath of the Cardiff v Leeds FA Cup tie has seen the conviction of a number of Cardiff fans including one hooligan, David (Dai) Thomas, who received a custodial sen­tence for his part, which included throwing an advertising hoarding at Leeds supporters. What has made Dai Thomas the subject of media attention is that he was a former professional footballer with Cardiff City. It was also not his first offence.

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Stephen Wagg reflects on the achievements of the first man to manage England in a World Cup finals and how he cultured a generation of managers

Walter Winterbottom lived until he was nearly 90, so a lot of English football lovers below a certain age have probably never heard of him. Still fewer among the club’s global “fan base” will have known, until this month’s obituaries, that he played for a season in Manchester United’s first team. He coached England when the team was no more than a series of grainy and occasional black and white images on the nation’s TV screens and he was gone before the medium got seriously involved with Eng­lish football.

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Ken Gall tries to unravel the preposterous chain of events that has turned the affairs of Dundee FC into something akin to the plot of a TV gangland fantasy

Of all the weird and wonderful tales associated with British football, can any boast a cast as varied and a storyline as fantastic as that of Dundee FC?

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