Articles from When Saturday Comes. All 27 years of WSC are in the process of being added. This may take a while.
After Sheikhgate where next for Sven, and more importantly who next for the FA
So, Sven’s off, to the undisguised delight of his media detractors, who want him replaced with a tracksuited fusion of Henry V, the Duke of Wellington and Bomber Harris, who will spur the team on by sheer force of bellowing, in the dressing room and on the touchline.
If you’re feeling fleeced by UK ticket prices and fancy a change of scenery, there are plenty of top continental clubs eager to attract your support and speaking your language, Ian Plenderleith finds
For many home football fans, British connoisseurs of the continental game have always been regarded as a pretentious breed who tend to look down their noses at the hoof and hump of island football. But with the help of budget air fares and many of the major European clubs still offering tickets at accessible prices (in contrast to the hype- and hyper-inflated Premier League), it can almost be cheaper to indulge in a trip to La Liga or Serie A than it is to spend an afternoon at St James’ Park. Or even Blundell Park.
Cameron Carter puts forward his vote for most likeable man on TV, as the BBC look to become even more relaxed
January is a cruel month. To try to avoid noticing it, most of us choose to stay inside and watch a lot of television until the skies lighten. Yet, knowing our habits and fully aware that this month officially contains the most depressing day of the year, BBC1 scheduled Surviving Disaster – The Munich Air Crash on January 10, while Five drizzles John Barnes’ Football Night at us every time we make it through to Friday.
Dear WSC
In response to a letter published about the term “mullered” (Letters, WSC 228) and the origins of the word, at the risk of turning WSC into an episode of Balderdash & Piffle, I always felt it appropriate for the term to be linked to fabled West Germany forward Gerd Müller and the team of the early 1970s. Despite being too young to recall “Der Bomber” in his heyday, checking out old videos of him in action (hardly ever leaving the penalty area in a fashion Gary Lineker could only dream of) and a check of his goalscoring feats – 68 goals in only 62 international matches – it seems to tally with my favoured definition of “mullered”, to be comprehensively beaten in a surprising and unimaginative manner. The only other time I have heard of the term “mullered” is in relation to drinking too much alcohol which, sadly, may be linked to the end of Gerd’s career.
Jonathan Paxton, via email
The oldest surviving grandstand is under threat, writes Duncan Young. But having been derelict for some time, would it really be missed?
A structure reckoned to be the oldest surviving wooden grandstand in the country is under threat from the redevelopment of a historic site in Milton Keynes. The London & Birmingham Railway Company founded the town of Wolverton in 1838 around its new station and carriage works exactly halfway between the line’s endpoints. Wolverton Park was established by the company as a recreation ground in 1885 behind the engine shed that housed the royal train and in 1899 the local athletics club added a 100-seat grandstand, used by spectators both at their meetings and also at matches hosted by the company’s football team.