The Football League 1888 – Overview, Part One
When the fixtures for the first season of the Football League were drawn up at a meeting on 1 May 1888, the registration of players was “fixed for all clubs, so that every club will have equal chances in the kidnapping business”’, as the Accrington Times put it. All players had to register as professionals…
The Football League 1888 – Opening Day
Saturday 8th September is the 130th anniversary of the very first round of Football League fixtures, in 1888. The results on the opening day were: Bolton Wanderers 3 Derby County 6; Everton 2 Accrington 1; Preston North End 5 Burnley 2; Stoke 0 West Bromwich Albion 2; Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Aston Villa 1 (Blackburn and…
The Football League 1888 – Preview
Football in England grew steadily in popularity over the nineteenth century, from the public schools to the creation of a governing body, the Football Association, in 1863, and the codification of the rules. It continued to expand during the 1870s and 1880s but, while predominantly southern amateur clubs enjoyed success in the FA Cup (inaugurated…
Arsenal v Bristol City, 1976 – Match of the Month
In the record-breaking summer temperatures of 1976, the Football League resumed on 21 August. Arsenal v Bristol City was one of the most intriguing fixtures on the opening day of the 1976-77 season, the Bristol club’s first game in the top division for 65 years, with manager Alan Dicks having built a successful side around…
Freedom of Contract – Gary Collier and the Ashton Gate Eight
In 1978, between the momentous abolition of the maximum wage in 1961 and the present post-Bosman era of player power and unrestricted movement, came a decisive shift in football’s transfer market. Players were entitled to turn down new contract offers at the end of their term, and given the right to negotiate directly with a…
World Cup – Brazil v Italy, 1982
This classic encounter was a re-match of the 1970 final, in which Brazil, inspired by Pele in his last international, swept aside the Italians and were acclaimed as the greatest team the world had seen. That claim can still be defended today, but had the 1982 Brazilians won the trophy, it would be a close…
1966 World Cup (Background and Preparations)
In August 1960, only ten years since first entering the FIFA World Cup – a competition initially dismissed by the FA, which refused invitations to enter the first three tournaments in the 1930s – England was chosen to host the 1966 World Cup Finals, ahead of Spain and West Germany. A then-record 70 nations entered…
The FA Cup (Second Half)
The credibility of the competition was undermined in 2000 by the Football Association’s decision to encourage holders Manchester United to withdraw from the FA Cup – they opted to take part in the inaugural World Club Championship in Brazil which, it was believed, would help England’s ill-fated 2006 World Cup bid. Then-United manager Alex Ferguson…
World Cup – The Kirov Stadium
As for so many global sporting events, a number of shiny new stadia have been constructed at huge expense in time for this summer’s World Cup, showcasing the wealth of ‘new Russia’. The $1 billion Krestovsky Stadium, or Zenit Arena (after St Petersburg’s top club) is reputedly the most expensive of all, opened in 2017…
ConIFA World Football Cup 2018
There is a World Cup taking place in England this summer, without a complimentary Rolex changing hands or a generous donation to an offshore bank account in sight. The Confederation of Independent Football Associations is the governing body for non-FIFA-affiliated Associations – allowing diasporas, ethnic groups, regions and stateless peoples to take part in international…
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