GREATEST GAMES SOUTHAMPTON – SAINTS’ FIFTY FINEST MATCHES, BY ALEX CROOK AND ALEX SMITH, PUBLISHED BY PITCH PUBLISHING, PRICE £16.99
RATING OUT OF 10: 8
NOWADAYS Southampton are a pretty well established Premier League side with a much admired youth system, but, as this book shows, they have had an up and down history since forming in 1885 and therein lies the appeal of this book for all football lovers; the variety of different tales that are told from such a vast history.
Alex Crook and Alex Smith, who both cover Southampton today, have done a fine job of trailing through the archives; from the first derby versus Portsmouth in 1906 to defeating Sparta Prague at home in the Europa League earlier this season.
Indeed, the first derby provides nuggets of information that make this book stand out from the traditional list books, detailing why Portsmouth fans are known as “Skates” by Southampton fans and some theories as to why Saints fans are called “Scummers” by their Pompey counterparts.
The report from the first league match at The Dell in August 1920 versus Swindon Town also hints as to how Saints’ old home was so called with a lovely description from a book from 1850, and also mentions in passing the name of the player who actually scored Saints’ last goal at The Dell (as a friendly was played there after the famous Matt Le Tissier goal in the match versus Arsenal in May 2001).
A fire at the ground after a match versus Swansea Town in May 1929 is also covered, which adds to the sense of nostalgia around the old stadium.
From the 1960s onwards, Southampton’s rise towards the upper echelons of English football is well documented with some of the more recognisable names associated with the club such as managers Ted Bates and Lawrie McMenemy and players like Terry Paine, Mick Channon (who features prominently in Southampton’s only defeat in the book – versus Liverpool in April 1982), Kevin Keegan and, of course, Le Tissier to be found in numerous reports.
Reports also feature matches in the Championship and League One from not so long ago, featuring less high-profile heroes such as Rickie Lambert and Kelvin Davis.
If you are a Manchester United fan, this might not be the book for you, as the Red Devils feature in seven matches – all victories for Southampton.
With the next most featured teams all being featured in three matches – Portsmouth, Arsenal and Liverpool – this does seem to be disproportionate.
Obviously, the FA Cup final win in 1976 is a must for the book and the Southampton perspective on the grey shirt match from April 1996 is worth a read, too.
I am unsure if the victory at Old Trafford in January 2015 over Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United will be remembered in 50 years time and even the defeat of Sparta Prague this season, and herein lies my biggest criticism of the book.
The authors have featured 12 matches from this decade (and we are only just over halfway through it) and none from 1930-1959.
Even allowing for the war years and, perhaps, it not being a very successful period, there must have been at least one match of note in this period. However, this does not detract from the overall quality of the book and the accounts of over a century of football played at one of England’s most colourful clubs.
-Julian Nash
TANGERINES AND PIES –THE STORY OF THE 2015/16 FOOTBALL SEASON FOR BLACKPOOL AND WIGAN, BY STEVE LEACH, PUBLISHED BY BENNION KEARNY, PRICE £9.99
RATING OUT OF 10: 7
THIS quietly published book chronicles Wigan Athletic’s successful League One title-winning campaign and contrasts it with the travails of local rivals Blackpool during the 2015/16 season.
Both clubs have enjoyed the limelight of the Premier League but during 2015 they were both relegated from the Championship to League One after some disastrous performances both on and off the pitch.
The book’s general premise in following the differing fortunes of the two Lancashire clubs is a good one.
There are many similarities between the two clubs but also some striking differences.
Both of the clubs are owned by wealthy local businessmen with Dave Whelan at Wigan and Owen Oyston at Blackpool.
Whelan is generally well regarded by the Latics supporters, despite his recent misjudgments when Malky Mackay was the manager.
The Oyston family, however, are loathed by many Tangerines supporters, who accuse them of putting their business interests before those of the club and allowing it to fall into a decline.
In March 2015, Whelan handed over the chairmanship of the club to his 23-year-old grandson David Sharpe.
Owen Oyston’s son Karl became chairman in 1999 but his 82-year-old father remains on the board.
It is accurate to say that both Dave Whelan and Owen Oyston are still very influential at their respective clubs.
Both clubs had new managers for the 2015/16 season, with Gary Caldwell at Wigan and Neil McDonald at Blackpool and both clubs had retained relatively few of the previous season’s playing staff.
The prospects for both teams were predicted to be at the opposite ends of the League One table, with the Tangerines struggling near the bottom and Latics amongst those challenging at the top of the table.
The book includes coverage of the two clubs’ 46 league matches (plus cup games) and it seeks to explore the relationship between the history of each club; their current circumstances and aspirations; and the relationship between the towns themselves and the clubs, which are so important a part of their cultural heritage.
The author provides useful portraits of the two towns with reference to what diverse authors such as George Orwell, J.B.Priestley, Bill Bryson and Stuart Maconie have said about them.
There are short histories of each club and interviews with those closely involved with them.
The author provides a fairly accurate commentary on the events both on and off the pitch, although he does sometimes stray into ‘Better in my day’ and ‘Grumpy old man’ territory at times, with his aversion to choreographed goal celebrations; the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy; being put off going to matches when it’s raining and getting lost in the metropolis that is Wigan!
This true story reaches a dramatic finale on April 30, 2016 at Bloomfield Road when the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs are put into sharp relief as Wigan clinch the League One title and Blackpool are all but mathematically relegated to League Two.
Overall, the book is a worthwhile reminder of Wigan’s enjoyable title-winning season for their fans, but perhaps less so for Blackpool fans that might not want to be reminded of their relegation and continuing boardroom problems…
-Ian Aspinall
FROM CRAWLEY TO CARLISLE: A TRAWL AROUND LEAGUE TWO, BY CHRIS UPFIELD, PUBLISHED BY MATADOR, PRICE £8.99,
RATING OUT OF 10: 7
LONG-STANDING Portsmouth fan Chris Upfield started writing ‘sarcastic’ match reports to his friends when he went to away matches – and it ended up sparking a book!
‘From Crawley to Carlisle’ is the 57- year-old’s account of life as a lower league football fan, travelling around the country following his beloved Pompey.
But it’s not just a football book as Upfield takes an observational view of life in England.
“I started sending a couple of my mates sarcastic match reports, ” he said. “For example, there was a game at Dagenham – I got there at half-time, it was a freezing cold evening and the football was absolutely garbage.
“They liked them and said ‘you should write a book’. I’d never thought about it, but started thinking ‘maybe I’ll give it a go’.
“The book isn’t all about football. It’s got the game as a central theme, but it’s a bit of a mix. It’s about the frustration of the transport system, how long it takes to get to London, the grounds and the supporters you meet, how long it takes to sub a player.”
As a Pompey fan, Upfield has seen the club slide from the topflight to League Two in the last few years – and the book also draws on that experience.
“There’s a big difference between League Two and the Premier League, ” he said. “We had hospitality at a game at Cambridge and heard they were raising funds to get an extension to their social club. A couple of weeks’ wages from a Premier League footballer would cover it.” The book covers part of the 2014-15 season and last term. Upfield admits he didn’t enjoy his midweek London trips to Dagenham or Barnet, but nominates Cheltenham as one of the best places he visited.
“For hospitality and friendliness, Cheltenham was very good, ” he said. “It’s a lovely town and had the best pre-match pub I’ve ever been in.”
Indeed, there is a fair bit of material in the book about different venues for food and drink on away trip weekends, and the journeys to games, though Upfield does inject a dose of humour with plenty of stories and tales.
He’s not shy to give an opinion and goes off at a host of different tangents, some more amusing than others.
Like one of his biggest bugbears – fans leaving matches before the final whistle.
“What I don’t understand is people paying to watch 90 minutes football at 3pm on a Saturday and then leaving as much as 10 to 15 minutes before the end, disturbing my enjoyment in the process, ” he writes.
“Let’s put it another way. Would I dream of leaving a showing of Les Miserables in a London theatre 15 minutes early (even though like most people I know the ending)? Of course not.”
Or the intro for Chapter 14 about his trip to Barnet: “So I went to Barnet. We lost. It was crap. There’s not much more to say, but for anyone ever thinking of going to Barnet, I will.”
In truth, this book is not going to appeal to many non-Portsmouth fans, but there’s plenty for Pompey supporters to enjoy.
And fans of other League Two clubs may also be interested to hear what Upfield thinks of their town/city, stadium and team –warts and all.
-John Lyons
