The media blame just about everyone for the failure of England’s 2018 World Cup bid

During the hung parliament of the 2010 general election the 24-hour news coverage made frequent and portentous reference to how the financial markets were reacting to events, instead of concentrating on political horse-trading and an unproportional voting system. In the run-up to the announcement of the 2018 World Cup hosts on December 2, Britain’s bookmakers were held in similar regard, despite having no actual bearing on the outcome of the decision. Although there was plenty of evidence to the contrary, England’s bid was installed as the favourite. So when Russia won, many in the press were shocked and extremely angry.

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With Blackburn Rovers linking themselves to several high profile players, it seems enhancing the brand may be a little too high up the priorities list for some clubs

WSC is delighted to announce that JK Rowling is set to join our editorial team later this month. We have arranged an attractive salary package in the vicinity of £20,000 a year plus three weeks paid holiday and various fringe benefits including the use of a bike rack. Her representatives are still to confirm that it’s a done deal but we expect to have it tied up by the middle of January. In the meantime be sure to join the throng flocking to our Twitter and Facebook pages for regular updates. We’re pretty stoked about this as you can imagine.

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Graham Hughes recounts the only season of English League football to have been played during war time

The long-term significance
This was the only time that a full English League programme has gone ahead during wartime. Since its formation 26 years earlier, the Football League had been growing in membership and popularity. It now faced its first real setback, with a barrage of criticism over the decision to play on while Britain’s young men were being asked to go to war.

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Dear WSC
Howard Pattison (Sign of the times, WSC 286) wonders why there are so few official plaques to footballers in London, but goes on to answer his own question: most of the big names from the pre-war era were based in the north-west, and all the more recent players mentioned in the article died less than 20 years ago. The “20-year rule” – which applies to all suggestions made under the London-wide blue plaques scheme – is designed to ensure that the decision to commemorate an individual is a historical judgement, made with the benefit of hindsight. I could agree that Bobby Moore is as good a case as any for making an exception – but where, then, would you draw the line? The blue plaques scheme is run almost entirely on the basis of public suggestions. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to increase the hitherto small number of nominations that have come in for sporting figures, including footballers. This has brought some success – Laurie Cunningham and Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the FA’s first secretary and author of the first football rulebook, are now on the shortlist for a blue plaque. As time goes on, more outstanding players and managers will become eligible for consideration, and surely join them. In view of this – and, among other projects, the involvement of English Heritage in the Played in Britain publications and website – the charge that “those who administer our heritage simply don’t see football as part of it” seems about as close to the target as a Geoff Thomas chip.
Howard Spencer, English Heritage

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