The name Clough is becoming as much a fixture at the Pirelli Stadium as it was at the City Ground. Nigel warms up for his 11th season as Burton manager with a game against his old club and it's a friendly that lives up to the name, thanks in part to fans who are savouring slow progress, writes Pete Green

Some friendlies have always belied the name. The Manchester United fans playing up at Altrincham the other week have continued a long tradition of friction at non-competitive fixtures that dates back to the rioting spectators who knocked a Preston player unconscious at a kickaround against Aston Villa in 1885. Here at Burton Albion, some Derby fans were thrown out last week after contriving to pick a fight with some other Derby men. But midway through this gentle workout against Nottingham Forest I realise that this is the safest and least threatened I have ever felt at a game of football. I even leave my nerdy indie specs on in the half-time queue for a pint.

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For day four of the WSC advent calendar we have a piece from issue 259, September 2008. Ariel Ortega – nicknamed “little donkey” – was dubbed the next Maradona and so it partially proved, though not in a good way, reports Chris Bradley

There was one conspicuous absence as the open-top bus carried the victorious River Plate squad through the streets of Buenos Aires on June 22. The fans were there, with flags and songs; there was joy and champagne and fireworks; but, not for the first time this season, there was no Ariel Ortega.

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Luton will kick off not only in a lower division but hit by an unprecedented points deficit. Neil Rose finds some grounds for optimism, but plenty more for anger about double standards

October 21, 2006, was probably the last time Luton fans felt happy. Leeds were hammered 5-1 at Kenilworth Road and Mike Newell’s team went fifth in the Championship. In the 21 months since, 15 league games have been won, two relegations suffered, and two managers sacked. Two owners have left, one administration has been entered, 15 FA charges have been upheld and 40 points have been docked.

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As Reading resume life as a Championship side, Roger Titford reflects on how two seasons in the Premier League changed both perceptions of his club and the expectations of their own fans

As a Reading fan, our relegation from the Premier League only ­really strikes home when you see the clubs passing in the opposite direction. Joyous city-centre parade in Hull; Dave Kitson leaving the returning Reading expedition to leap aboard the Stoke outing. Best of luck with the big beasts, chaps, you’ll need it.

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No sooner than Euro 2008 had finished than friendlies and summer tours began. Mark O'Brien remembers a time when football went unnoticed – and you could look forward to the real thing 

All dads have their quirks. Mine’s was his annoyance if anyone, ie me, read his Liverpool Echo before he got in from work. “But the words are all the same, I don’t get it.” “Yes, but you’ve let the newness out.” I thought he was mad at the time, as I was left to pick the paper up off the mat, hold it by my fingertips and pore over the back page but no more. Over the years, though, I have come to understand the simple pleasure of opening an unsullied newspaper. It’s all about neatness, order and anticipation, and in many ways those same feelings always applied to the football season, too.

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