Reviews from When Saturday Comes. Follow the link to buy the book from Amazon.
Manchester City fans have high hopes for the Millennium Stadium. Ashley Shaw wonders why
At one stage Maine Road possessed the tallest floodlights in English football, but with the advent of super stadia the place has come to resemble a relic – a reminder of the club’s glory days.
Despite a successful season, not everyone is impressed with Sunderland. Joe Boyle looks at how the club has reacted to accusations of racism in the stands
Perhaps Sunderland have had it a bit too good recently: top of the league by miles, a cup semi-final, a media-friendly boss, a superb, packed stadium and a favourable press.
Cris Freddi's examination of cheque book blunders continues our series looking at the worst of football in the 20th century
Might as well get Stan out of the way: he was always going to feature here. At the time, it was hard to know how an individualist like that was going to fit into a passing team like Liverpool, and he didn’t really – you can say that despite a crashing goal on his debut and 26 in 81 league games. At Villa, of course, he’s simply been an embarrassment. “It was a surprise to me when he [Brian Little] signed Collymore. It was a shock given the problems he’d faced at Anfield and the problems he was having off the field.” (John Gregory, February 1999). Hard to think of £15.5 million worse spent. Even Paul Stewart’s various moves can’t compare.
They may be rushing the exits at Loftus Road thse days but, as Anthony Hobbs explains, at least they're doing it in comfort thanks to an enigmatic stroller
Littered around the country are grounds and bits of grounds bearing the name of a local hero. Preston have even put a picture of theirs on the seats in case you forget who he is. What fine tributes these are to the skills of past masters, lovingly constructed to ensure that the memory of a great player lives on long after he has gone.
From a Luton dream to a Luton disaster, David Kohler's plan for a new stadium has finally come to an end John Earls reports
David Kohler was fighting a losing battle for Luton fans’ respect the moment he stopped being chairman and instead called himself chief executive. The latter title meant he could draw a wage we could not afford to pay him. Not that this forgives the moronic way Kohler was persuaded to resign in late February – an unlit petrol bomb and box of matches were posted through his letterbox with an accompanying letter making it clear what would happen “next time” if Kohler did not get out.