Book reviews

Newcastle 's decision to sack Ossie Ardiles heralds the return of Kevin Keegan, reports Ian Cusack

It was Liam O’Brien who diverted a 91st minute own goal past a bemused Tommy Wright to completed the unsavoury metamorphosis of a 3-0 lead into a humiliating 4-3 defeat against Charlton on 18th January 1992. The 15,663 crowd, less say 500 Robins, screamed and howled at the injustice of it all and more importantly the inadequate defending that had lead to this sorry outcome. Little were we to know that this game, give or take a defeat on penalties in an FA Cup replay against Bourne-mouth the following weekend, would be the last home humiliation under Ardiles’ stewardship. Apparently, Ardiles entered the dressing room after the team, stood facing the door, presumably expecting an irate John Hall to come and punch his lights out, lit a cigarette and burst into tears.

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Mansley Allen chronicles Brentford's darkest hours as personified by two players

With the exception of this season and a handful of others, following Brentford for thirty years has pretty much been a matter of perpetual struggle. Two seasons in particular stand out: 1983-84, when we just avoided returning to the basement division we’d left in 1978, and 1992-3, our only season out of the lower two divisions since the invention of skiffle.

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John Tandy takes a look at Birmingham's ineffectual midfield linchpin

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. No, OK, it was the worst of times. The Birmingham City chairman Ken Wheldon had just about kept the club in existence after years of financial mismanagement, but he’d done it by cutting every corner known to man: we’re talking amputation here, not chemotherapy.

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Graham McColl delves into the lowest – and perhaps slowest – point in Celtic's long history

Jock Stein’s first signing for Celtic was Joe McBride, a consummate striker who, in 1966-67, was Scotland’s leading scorer with 35 goals despite missing the second half of the season. In 1980, Billy McNeill gave a debut to a much talked-about goalscorer with the newest of New Wave hairstyles who looked exciting, fresh and eager when first seen warming up on the Celtic Park touchline – Charlie Nicholas.

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Mike Ticher reminisces about Chelsea's man who turned down the chance to play Brazil

Alan Hudson played his last game for Chelsea in a 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool in December 1973. That match also led to the departure of Peter Osgood as Dave Sexton’s team self-destructed in a welter of bruised egos, booze-ups and squandered talent.

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