Simon Evans tells the tale of how he co-wrote The Rough Guide to European Football
The Hungarian train conductor thought we were two very strange young men. Two Englishmen sat in a train travelling to see Videoton, UEFA Cup finalists in 1985, in a relegation play-off in Salgotarjan, a small ex-mining town in the depressed East of Hungary.
Laura Vanauskas looks at the father and son millionaires who own Belgium's biggest club
Distinguishing features: Constant is a self made millionaire of the old school who presided over the club like it was his family. He liked to think he knew what was best for everyone and was known to have meddled in the daily running of the team. His eldest son, Roger, who took over last season, is simply a chip off the old block.
Sir John Hall has claimed that he is proud of his achievements with Newcastle. Harry Pearson disagrees
“I have achieved everything I set out to achieve,” Sir John Hall told journalists with typical self-confidence when he announced his retirement on September 15th. That the Newcastle chairman’s ambition for his club did not include winning any trophies will no doubt come as a surprise to many Newcastle fans.
Did Terry Venables take illegal bungs during Teddy Sheringham's transfer to Tottenham?
Church bells peal across the land as the Premier League bungs inquiry finally publish their report. Crowds gather admiringly around anyone who has managed to read it all the way through. The report’s 300 pages, and the ten thousand pages of evidence, focus mainly on the transfer of Teddy Sheringham from Forest to Spurs in 1992. It’s a massively complicated tale, likely to defeat even the most diligent reader in much the same way as the famous Panorama programme on Terry Venables’ dealings at Spurs lost many viewers long before the fiftieth photocopied invoice flashed onto the screen.
Friday 1 August Attilio Lombardo finally signs for Palace for £1.6 million, after lowering his personal terms – the penthouse suite overlooking Central Park has gone, but he'll still gets the go karts and the dolphinarium. Liverpool confirm that Robbie Fowler, injured in a pre-season match, will miss the opening fortnight of the season. Newcastle block Peter Beardsley's transfer to Bolton. "It's an opportunity for Peter to lengthen his career here," says Kenny, keeping a straight face as ever.
Sunday 3 Man Utd win the Charity Shield on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. "United were more dangerous when we had the ball than when they had it," says Ruud. The Wim Jansen era at Celtic begins with their first defeat by Hibs since decimalisation.