Back Page Football: A Century of Newspaper Coverage

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Naturally, CCFC’s activism didn’t start or end with bringing the Old Spotted Dog into fan ownership. Last summer, together with activists from feminist direct action group Sisters Uncut, IWGB union, No More Exclusions and two football teams for refugees, CCFC arranged a Kill the Bill football tournament to protest against increased police powers and the affront to human rights that was the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill. In 2018, Clapton members came together to create a one of a kind anti-fascist football shirt, using the colours of the International Brigades’ flag and the slogan ‘No Pasarán’, ‘they shall not pass’ to celebrate the international fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War. In the fabric of the shirt and in the collaborative way it was made, the values of anti-fascism live on. There’s no doubt that some of the foreign ownership has advantages for our English game, clubs who have benefited from finical investment and ownership from foreign billionaires at Chelsea and Manchester City wont argue with foreign ownership as both clubs are enjoying their most successful periods for fifty years.

Instead of longevity and continuity, it is revenues and player power which cause boardrooms to act . So, why is a fanbase getting into the brace position when those on the outside are confident Leeds will land a well-deserved promotion next spring? FIFA President Sepp Blatter may have claimed that China is the birthplace of football, but, for the rest of us, there can be no denying that the version we all recognise was devised and first organised in English public schools in the 19 th century. The students of these schools were a mixture of children of the old money, aristocracy, and the nouveu riche, middle class of the Industrial Revolution. Disobedience and violence was omnipresent among a large group of boys in a confined space. We have to be alarmed. The economic power of football is immense. You get people turning up with banker’s guarantees who are not interested in football and then they lose interest in the clubs and leave. What happens to the clubs then? There is always a danger that these people will just one day leave. Something is very wrong here and I don’t know how it can be stopped.

But don’t despair because Bryan Mbeumo has risen to the occasion brilliantly in Toney’s absence. The talented Frenchman has already netted four goals, and his most memorable moment came when he scored a crucial late equaliser against Bournemouth. Mbeumo’s incredible skill was on full display as he left Milos Kerkez in his wake with a stunning turn before finishing the play with exceptional finesse. It’s clear that Mbeumo is much more than just a temporary replacement for Toney. Two advantages of National League football are the refreshing absence of VAR, and touchline punditry that trumps the Carragher touch-screen. Added to which, today’s visitors, despite their lofty position, arrive without any Anfield-style hubris. The reverse fixture finished 2-1 to Chester in November, and a similar performance, if not result, would satisfy most; many supporters have accepted relegation, focussing instead on simple enjoyment. In October 2018 and again in October 2019 on Capital Sports FM radio in Moscow we predicted the winners of the English Premier League. We told people to bet their houses on Manchester City in 2018 and then on Liverpool to win in 2019. This year, I’d do the same – but to bet everything that Liverpool won’t win the Premier League. Simple reasons why:

The rise of foreign ownership in the Premier League has certainly seen the abandonment of more traditional practices, with the likes of Roman Abramovich wielding the axe on a regular basis. The Premier League has now become the most watched league in the world. It is broadcasted over 212 territories to 643 million homes worldwide. The players have been flat out for two seasons and their bodies cannot take much more. When the joke shop of US Anti-Doping can explain how dangerous overuse of PEDs (legal) can be for the meatiest of heads, Jurgen, Pep and the wiseguys in Anfield know when to lift their foot off the pedal. Firstly, there are two types of the system – one, named Prozone3, which involves the installation of around ten cameras in the stadium so that the movement of every single individual on the pitch can be monitored. The second is named Matchviewer and is really a watered down version, relying on the typical broadcaster feeds that you and I see every week on MOTD. Bayern Munich and their “Healing Hans”, Juventus and their “system”, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Real Madrid and on and on. Yes, they’re also as clean as Peppa Pig’s boots after a day of muddy puddle jumping. Leipzig have an East German doping criminal in charge of their sports medicine. But don’t worry, he’s also worked with US athletes who have never tested positive.Team spirit, comradery and playing on home soil; all factors to England’s success at Euro 2020. Or at least some would say. We started so far behind everyone else this season that if we can stay up, it would be the biggest achievement for me so far. As for the relegation battle, Premier League debutants Luton Town are the front-running candidates to make a swift return to the Championship. This will be a fairly obvious one. The nature of Prozone means that it’s possible to analyse a player’s strengths and weaknesses and thus see if they are suitable for a team. For a lot of smaller clubs out there, this could save on all of those long scouting trips abroad.

Flores guided newly promoted Watford to mid-table in the Premier League, while also taking them to the FA Cup Semi-Finals, but even that was not enough to keep him in a job. To have expected any better from Flores is nothing short of delusional, and rather than having a settled framework in which to head into the new campaign, Watford will be heading in a new uncertain direction. At the other end of the pitch, a deal has almost been concluded for World Cup winner and French international Raphael Verane. The 28-year-old has been a mainstay in Real Madrid’s defence for ten years and has four Champions League titles from his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mikel Arteta’s team long seemed to be in the driver’s seat to win the trophy last season before a shortage of reliable options on the bench took the wind out of their sails down the final stretch.Twenty seven years later Uruguay again faced Argentina. This time the tie between the neighbours was in Montevideo in the inaugural World Cup Final. Ninety-three thousand supporters crammed into Estadio Centenario to see the hosts win 4-2. FIFA had awarded them the staging of the tournament due to a consensus that the country was the best team in the world. Uruguay had won gold at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, where they beat Switzerland 3-0, and retained their title at the 1928 games in Amsterdam, again victorious over Argentina. La Celeste had also won six of the previous twelve Copa Américas, but it was the World Cup final win which firmly cemented Uruguay’s place as international football’s first great team Moving over to Spain, rival teams Barcelona and Real Madrid have faced many disputes over the years. This all came to a head when Luis Figo made the brave move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000. As was to be expected, supporters weren’t best impressed and Figo received a hostile response from the football industry. When he returned to Barcelona, donning the Madrid whites in 2001, fans took their frustrations out on Figo by throwing lighters, oranges and bottles at him. Sol Campbell – Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal But what most people would agree with is how well Gareth Southgate man managed his squad to create a close-knit family. The morale in camp seemed impeccable.