Book reviews

Scotland isn't the only place where football clubs have switched towns lately – it's happened at the top level in Poland this season, as Vaughan Elliot reports

Mid-May of last year was a bleak time for Lechia Gdansk: relegation to one of Poland’s eight regional third divisions had become inevitable and respectable mid-season crowds of 4,000 had dropped into three figures for the first time anyone could remember. Supporters left the stadium after the last game pondering next season and dreaming of miracles, or at least a couple of decent players to lift the gloom of impending local league football.

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Hull City had a narrow escape from bankruptcy last month and they're not out of the woods yet , as Andy Medcalf explains

“At least there will be one Hull team playing Wigan next year,” were the cheeky words of consolation from a similarly downtrodden Hull FC rugby fan following the Tigers recent crash-landing at the foot of Division Two. Barring a Spanish-inspired promocion, it looks increasingly as though this will be the case, if the club still exists in 1996-97.

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As Newcastle United proceed with ambitious plans for becoming a multi-sports organisation, Ken Sproat explains why he'd prefer them to just stick to football

The things in football that cause Jimmy Hill to splutter with righteous moral fury include blatant obstruction, deliberate handball, on the field violence, niggly running battles and stop-start action. I can see his point. And rugby is the hideous manifestation of the these evils. It has no place in my life. Tuning in to Radio 5 to listen to the football, there is nothing worse than having to endure reports from rugby matches. When the Five Nations Championships are on, and the rugby replaces the football as the main commentary, I could weep. It is more boring than people telling you how many numbers they had on the lottery. I have never been interested and I never will be interested. This view is not typical of all football fans, but it is common enough. I am not the only one who wants to jail football fans who sing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.

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With the Battle of the Bridge well underway,  Hassam Hadi peeks over the parapet to assess the extent of the damage on both sides

The jackals are out there waiting, warns Chelsea chairman Ken Bates and he should know, as he’s spent a lifetime trying to escape them. So far he’s caged them in, blasted them for daring to question his decisions, but now he’s worried they’ve found a new pack leader.

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We searched high and low for someone who thinks George Graham is innocent, and found Boyd Hilton, only too happy to put the case for the defence

“February 1995: The weather is surprisingly mild, so it is time to plant my sweet peas. They are especially effective when grown in clumps, supported with cylinders of netting. I am using autumn-sown seedlings which have wintered in boxes. My garden is a joy to the eye… But I feel there is a blast of winter yet to come.”

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