The 1982 World Cup finals
The 1982 World Cup tournament kicked off on 13 June at the Nou Camp, Barcelona. After all the months of anticipation and extensive build-up, Argentina met Belgium following the opening ceremony. First Group Stage [Group 3] Erwin Vandenbergh’s surprise winner for the Belgians was the first goal in an opening match for 20 years as…
Spain World Cup 1982: Qualifying and Build-Up
Spain 1982 was the biggest World Cup to date, played between 13 June and 11 July. The expanded tournament of 24 nations was instigated by FIFA President, the Brazilian João Havelange, to include increased representation from Africa and Asia. Among the 52 games, 14 more than in Argentina four years earlier, semi-finals were restored for…
1992 European Championship finals
The 1992 European Championship finals took place in Sweden between 10 and 26 June. This was the last of the eight-team Euro tournaments which began in 1980 as England was to host an expanded edition with sixteen teams in 1996. It was Sweden’s first major tournament since the 1958 World Cup – all four venues…
Greg Lansdowne: Football Collectors Interview
Greg Lansdowne is a leading authority on football sticker collecting in the UK, and especially the history of the iconic Panini brand. He also has a keen interest in (and an extensive collection of) football magazines, the major source of information about the game for fans growing up from the 1960s to the 80s. The…
Sunderland v Brighton & Hove Albion, 1982
Sunderland went into this First Division fixture at Roker Park needing a win near the end of Alan Durban’s first season in charge. His side were struggling just outside the relegation zone, while visitors Brighton were comfortably in mid-table under manager Mike Bailey, also enjoying his first season at the South Coast club. David Snowdon’s…
Panini Official Celebration: Book Review & Interview with author Greg Lansdowne
Panini football stickers are a worldwide phenomenon. Greg Lansdowne is the author of Stuck on You: The Rise & Fall… & Rise of Panini Stickers (Pitch Publishing, 2015) and Panini Football Stickers: The Official Celebration (Bloomsbury, 2021). As a long-term collector and enthusiast, Greg Lansdowne is perfectly positioned to tell the story of one of…
David Snowdon: Give Us Tomorrow Now Interview, Part Two
David Snowdon continues to discuss his book Give Us Tomorrow Now, charting Alan Durban’s time in charge of Sunderland, and English football of the day – Part One is here. The area was renowned for producing players – you mention Kevin Dillon, Mick Harford and Mike Hazard, and Nigel Gleghorn was another, a Sunderland fan…
Give Us Tomorrow Now: Book Review & Interview with author David Snowdon
Give Us Tomorrow Now: Alan Durban’s Mission Impossible (Pitch Publishing, 2018) by David Snowdon reconstructs Alan Durban’s managerial reign at Sunderland with a wealth of detail, from his appointment in the summer of 1981 to his untimely sacking in March 1984. The background to the book is a very different era of English football, with…
Leicester City v Wimbledon, 1987
Leicester City welcomed Wimbledon for the first time in February 1987, as the two clubs met at Filbert Street. The Dons had been a league club for less than a decade, and were enjoying their debut season in English football’s top flight. Leicester were experimenting with a new management structure. Former Northern Ireland international Bryan…
Andy Leeder: Roots to the 92 Interview, Part Two
Andy Leeder continues our conversation around his book Roots to the 92, and the changes in English football that it documents – Part One is here. Part Two You saw the first hospitality boxes and corporate entertainment coming into football grounds – is this at the expense of so-called ‘legacy fans’? I don’t mind the…
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