Reviews from When Saturday Comes. Follow the link to buy the book from Amazon.
After a spate of sackings in Scotland Gary Oliver provides a recap of the carnage
Only a quarter of the Scottish League season gone, but already a number of the managers listed in this year’s Rothmans are history. To follow the complex trail of resignations and sackings requires the aid of a flow chart ; that, however, would tell nothing of the machinations that have accompanied the cull.
Looking at the downward spiral of a controversial player, Harry Pearson reflects on the turbulent times of Paul Gascoigne
When Channel 4 broadcast their documentary Gazza’s Coming Home last month, it seemed it might herald a change in the media’s perception of Britain’s most written about footballer. Gascoigne, it appeared, had reached a crossroads in his life and for once hadn’t responded by dashing headlong down the route marked “Total Disaster – This Way”. He was fully fit, newly married, playing well for club and country. Most importantly of all he had become a Dad.
Jimmy Burns examines how many of Diego Maradona's problems were of his own making
There is a childhood memory that keeps coming back to Diego Maradona as an image of self-preservation in a world spiralling out of control.
During his time at Birmingham David Sullivan called for away fans to be banned – but he was talking about his own supporters. John Tandy is baffled
In the last issue of the Birmingham City fanzine Wake Up Blue there’s an interview with owner David Sullivan in which he describes himself as “pissed off”.
Tim Springett explains why the FA's widely publicised anti-booze campaign is doomed to fail.
A mere day after Tony Adams owns up to an alcohol problem comes the announcement by the FA that they are to intensify their programme of random breath-tests of players. Such testing, so it seems, has already been taking place for three years. Apparently there have been no positive tests so far: for the FA’s sake, this is just as well.