The men who taught the world how to beat England at their own game
by Rory Smith
Simon & Schuster, £18.99
Reviewed by Andy Brassell
From WSC 353 July 2016
Mister is the story of England’s (and its coaches’) role as a football missionary, spreading the gospel across the continent and beyond until the point when the pupils overtake the master – and keep going until the latter is a mere dot in the distance.
Euro 96 and the last great British summer
by Paul Rees
Aurum, £18.99
Reviewed by Si Hawkins
From WSC 353 July 2016
There’s something oddly masochistic about our ongoing desire to wallow, at length, in massive disappointments. This book may well be one too, for those attracted by the title: 311 pages long, its Euro 96 coverage ends on page 189, which may come as a surprise. But then When We Were Lions isn’t strictly a football book.
19 July ~ Charlton Athletic’s long-time matchday announcer has stepped down from his role and will now join fans’ protests against club owner Roland Duchatelet. Dave Lockwood, who has been on the mic at The Valley for 24 years, released a statement to the South London Press yesterday in which he said: “It isn’t Charlton anymore is it? Not our Charlton. For 24 seasons I have had the privilege of being the announcer, maybe the voice of the Valley? But I can take no more. When a statement on the website accuses fans of wanting failure.”
The new WSC is out now, available in all good newsagents or to order from the WSC shop.
– England exit in confusion
– Marvellous month for Wales
– Portugal: teamwork triumphs
– From Bilic to Shearer: TV analysed
– Views from Lille and Marseille
– Taking on Europe in 1973
The real story told by the people themselves
by Kevin Sampson
Ebury Press, £12.99
Reviewed by Rob Hughes
From WSC 353 July 2016
There are many horrific disclosures in the testimonies that make up this essential book. But perhaps the most shocking is that, of the 96 people who died at Hillsborough, as many as 58 could have survived had the correct medical procedures been in place. It’s a statistic that campaigner Sheila Coleman calls “obscene”. Compiled by Awaydays author Kevin Sampson in association with the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, Hillsborough Voices offers an unflinching account of the events of April 15, 1989 and its aftermath, from those who were there, those left bereaved and those who subsequently devoted their energies to the long struggle for truth and justice.