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Salute! John Leonard Pitch Publishing 2024 Hardback £18.99 254pp One of the most infamous of footballing images is that of the England team giving the Nazi salute before a match against Germany. In front of 100,000, and a Berlin stadium bedecked with swastikas, eleven Englishmen raised their right arms to the sounds of the German national anthem as well as the Horst Wessel song, the latter the anthem of the Nazi party from 1930. Why, both in terms of the immediate hours surrounding kick-off and in the wider political period of the 1930s, is excellently unravelled by John Leonard. Context, personal opinions, and impact are each described and analysed. The acknowledged pre-eminence of England in the history of football made the national team an especial icon , one whose behaviours and actions resonated far away from the pitch. Was this salute , in May 1938, an inconsequential event, one to be dismissed as a storm in a teacup ( or bier stein) , or does it illuminate the attitude of appeasement that existed amongst a large proportion of the British government, diplomatic service , and media? What does it tell us about the leaders of the FA, or the players? This wasn’t the first time that such a salute had been made. In Rome in 1933, England’s international footballers made what was described by the FA as a “naval salute”. That it was made in front of Mussolini and recognised by news agency reporters as a Fascist salute, undermined that line of argument. As did the offering of the same salute the evening before at the tomb of the unknown Italian soldier (Italy had been an ally in WWI). A significant difference between that, however, and the action in Berlin was the state of European politics. By 1938, Hitler had been supporting the fascist Franco in the Spanish Civil War, German planes bombing his opponents, had demanded the annexation of Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, had carried this out on Austria, and his domestic terror against Jewish people and others was increasingly being exposed. It was not long before the “Munich Agreement “ that promised “peace in our time”, and the Chamberlain government were hell-bent on appeasement, Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax was a leading proponent, and King Edward VIII had been a guest of Hitler after his abdication. Some of the leading newspapers of the day, notably the Daily Mail, supported antisemitic views, and, although there was also significant opposition to fascist ideas in this country (e.g. the Battle of Cable Street), the notion that it would be a good idea to maintain decent relations with the Nazi regime was a strong one amongst many decision makers. As for the FA, it had kept to the line that sport and politics shouldn’t mix. Stanley Rous, then its President, did precisely the opposite, endorsing the idea of saluting, and thought that it might put a “hostile German crowd in a good mood”. What of the players? Captain Eddie Hapgood was informed of the FA decision and had to tell the team. Several very unhappy . Stanley Matthews recounted that when he saw the picture in later life “I still feel shame”. Hapgood said that the worst moment of his life “was giving the Nazi salute in Berlin”. It was an era when footballers generally did as they were told, particularly if they had ambitions to play for their country again. The following day, Aston Villa played a “Greater Germany XI” in the same stadium and with another sell-out crowd. It wasn’t an international so no anthems, but Villa had been told by the FA they were expected to give the Nazi salute at the end. After a bad-tempered match, they didn’t and that was repeated , to a certain extent in matches in Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. Villa’s players did offer a salute – a two-fingered one and the German crowd , not knowing what it meant, were delighted. Was the Berlin salute by England craven cowardice on the part of Government and the FA? Or was it merely a vain attempt to try and keep peace? This superb narrative left no room for doubt in my mind.

Two goals for Danny Phlliskirk for Southport

Paid

At a time when the Battle of Normandy has been fittingly remembered, and when the devastation of battles in Europe and elsewhere seems omnipresent, we should be grateful that we have been spared such fighting for centuries on our own shores. The names of Bosworth Field, Naseby, Towton, Culloden, or Hastings are set well into the pages of history, but several of our clubs represent locations where significant battles have been fought, and this month I’ll be linking Oldham Athletic to a few of them. The Wars of the Roses lasted more than 30 years and ended with the unification of the Houses of Lancaster and York to begin the Tudor dynasty. In July 1460, the two armies clashed in the Battle of Northampton, and around 300 casualties resulted. Whether the blood red and white of the two Roses had an influence on Northampton Town colours I don’t know, but it was a maroon and white strip worn at Boundary Park on 14th February 2009 for a League 1 match. Oldham were, of course, in blue and white and the Blue Pride programme cover was very much in that colour scheme. A leaping Danny Whitaker was about to be embraced by Lee Hughes, and there wasn’t a hair on either head. The signing of Hughes had caused some controversy, but he was the club’s leading scorer with 15 goals so far that season, 56 shots on target, and had won 59 free kicks. The “Stat Pack” page was a useful part of the stats content of the programme, along with two pages on Oldham appearances, fixtures, and the like, and was bolstered by historical features including “Whatever Happened To” of every player from both teams in the 1967/8 fixture. More history , looking back at the same week in previous years: in 1952 Latics had beaten Accrington Stanley 3-1, whilst in 1959 had lost 3-1 to Darlington. More up to date were the five pages given over to the Cobblers. As well as extensive pen (and photo) pictures – Key Man the legendary Adebayo Akinfenwa- there was a feature on Manager Stuart Gray and a review of the season so far. Oldham’s recent matches were reported on: a 0-0 draw at Leicester City remarkable because striker Dean Windass had gone in goal for the last 40 minutes after ‘keeper Greg Fleming had been sent off. Manager John Sheridan (in one of his six spells as Boss) said of that game , “the lads did themselves proud live on television” , whilst “El Capitano” Sean Gregan knew that “we must be fully focused if we are to stay in the promotion hunt”. At the time, Latics were in fifth spot (Northampton 16th), after 30 matches but dropped away to end up 10th. The Cobblers also tailed off and were relegated. The game itself was a 2-1 win for Oldham, Windass notching one for the home team , and Akinfenwa for the visitors, with a crowd of 4629. The next town with battling heritage is Reading. Two battles in fact, in 871 when Vikings gave West Saxons a significant defeat, and in 1688 when William of Orange led his troops to a victory over James II in the “Glorious Revolution”. Unfortunately there’s very little glorious about the programme for the Div 3 match at Elm Park when Reading hosted Oldham on 24th April 1968. At 6d then perhaps not much should have been expected but the A5 production was just 12 pages, more than half of which were advertisements and one the cover, albeit with clear match details and a strong masthead. “Elm Park Viewpoint” apologised to spectators at the recent Reserves match: loudspeakers had announced that the first team had won at Barrow, in fact it had lost. A bit of a disappointment after going home happy! A reminder of days before constant internet updates and the like. Not much else to comment on in terms of content, the visitors getting half a page, fixtures and league tables a bit more, with the team lineups squeezed between six local adverts. However, something came to the recue – “The Football League Review”. With 24 pages, colour photos of Brentford, Stockport County, and Luton Town, lots of comment, statistics, and reader content, this edition (Vol 2 Issue 37) , was a fine example of this supplement to programmes. By the following season, 70 clubs included it in their programmes, and it lasted as “League Football” until 1975. This issue ranged over many topics , too many to list but one of especial interest to Programme Monthly readers : “Don’t Be Fooled By Pirate Programmes” , because “spivs are selling their drab, over-priced rubbish” ! Reading actually finished just four pints off promotion from Div 3, and this 0-1 defeat to Oldham perhaps convinced the majority of the 5926 in attendance that another season in that Division beckoned, this being the Royals’ third loss on the trot. From the rather ordinary to the full gloss and content copious of an 84-page production from Shrewsbury Town. Firstly, the battle, and a most significant one it was. Another in the Wars of the Roses, on July 21st, 1403, with well over 20,000 combatants, the Lancastrian king Henry IV was victorious against a rebel army led by Harry “Hotspur” Percy. Apparently the first battle where the longbow was used by both sides and lessons learned for later campaigns against the French. The club had obviously placed great emphasis on its programme on 23rd March 2013 (although the match was postponed and played on 23rd April), quality paper, photography, layout and content, all within a striking front cover emphatically showing off the Shrews’ blue and yellow colours whilst at the back, attached by perforations to the page with lineups on, there are four “collector cards” of players past and present: two first team, one youth, and one from the early 1980s. Supporters are presented with lots to read, probably too much to take in at the game, including five on the visitors on top of one “Played for Both”, pages from the Chairman, Manager, Captain and Physio, the Supporters’ Trust, players, and Radio Shropshire Shrews’ reporter. There is also an update on the club’s Away Supporters team, a tribute to BBC football commentator Tony Gubba who had recently died, away travel upcoming and in the past , “On This Day” , Youth and Reserves reports, lots of match statistics and, away from football, two pages on the upcoming Shrewsbury Food Festival. I know I’ve not included everything, this is an excellent programme, one that very slightly made up for the 1-0 defeat for Latics, after four consecutive wins. Relegation had looked likely, but those victories meant a 19th place finish, just three below Shrewsbury. I was one of the 5352 present. Finally, a little bit of a cheat, The Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25th September 1066 was a precursor to that at Hastings just three weeks later. This one saw Harold beat off the Viking army of Danish Harald Hardrada, with over 10,000 casualties for the two armies. Harold then had to march down to Sussex and , with depleted forces, we know the result when he came up against William of Normandy. You may have guessed that the cheat is a match at Stamford Bridge, albeit the one in West London, on 30th October 1993, a Premiership clash between Chelsea and Oldham. Full colour throughout, the £1.50 programme has Frank Sinclair on the front cover, match details sponsors , and the club’s name as well. Forty pages of varied content, Manager Glenn Hoddle leading off , saying that “we are in a bit of a sticky patch”, three successive defeats, so the visit by Oldham, one off the bottom, must have been seen as welcome. He made note of the three supporters given a lift back on the team coach from the midweek match at Manchester City because their car had been stolen. Anyone who visited Maine Road should have know that the local kids who said “mind your car mister for £1” didn’t take kindly to being rebuffed. There would have been no way that Chairman Ken Bates wouldn’t have had his say on matters far and wide, and so it was, ranging from the disciplinary record of Dennis Wise through to ground improvements and on to the jailing of Chelsea supporter Paul Ride in Iraq. Colin Hutchinson was Chelsea’s Managing Director and discusses photographers at matches, believing that most grounds, including Stamford Bridge, are installing facilities so that newspapers can receive photos “in fax style via the telephone…part of the technology advance”. Talking of how things have changed, part of a feature on Neil Shipperley noted that as well as scoring the only goal in the recent game against Liverpool, he won £300 by betting on himself being the first name on the scoresheet ! You can get a lengthy ban for doing that nowadays. His family hadn’t been so lucky as they had their match tickets stolen. More “then and now”, as the Manager of the Chelsea Ladies team was despairing at unable to find a sponsor “so we can afford to keep training..or end up like a pub team”. As cash flows into the women’s game ,Chelsea have won the Super League seven times, so obviously managed to turn things around. Who could have predicted that? Probably not writer Tony Pullein whose article is headlined “Expect Oldham To Avoid Relegation”. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, and Latics, despite ended their three years in the topflight that season despite Darren Beckford scoring the only goal to give Latics a 1-0 win, but only 15372 saw it. Another sign of how things can change in 30 years, reinforced by a table of average attendances so far : Arsenal on 28000, Spurs 27000, Everton 28000, and West Ham United just under 19000. Plus, of course, the arrival of Oldham in the National League… So, battles won and lost across the centuries, some well-remembered and others not, and a reminder , hard to envisage I know, that places had a significance before football came to town. Programme Monthly Magazine

The Ajax Way Dylan O’Connell Pitch Publishing 2024 Hardback 254pp £18.99 The middle of the 1960s wasn’t the most vibrant of footballing times, even if the stirrings of youth culture and liberalism in society were becoming apparent. In the Netherlands, conservative in attitudes, still recovering from World War II, the city of Amsterdam had been described as “desperately dull” . Then the economy picked up, people became more optimistic, and elements of the “Baby Boomers” took to the streets: battles between the anarchist Provos and Dutch police led to the sacking of the city mayor and chief of police. Was that the start of an apparent revolution in Dutch , even European football, called “the Ajax Way” or Total Football? According to Dylan O’Connell it was certainly a boomer that changed the way football was played: Johann Cruyff. Born in 1947, he shone at every level and earned a youth contract with Ajax at the age of 15. The subject of other books , his career and personality are well documented, and some of the minutiae are rehearsed in this publication. The ins, outs, ups, downs, of his football life from then to the end are certainly fascinating , but, at times, they seem to be dragging attention away from the sub-title of the book , “How One Football Club Defines the Modern Game”. There’s no doubt that Ajax in the 70s had a major impact, initially with Rinus Michels as coach, along with Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, and others and began to jettison rigid formations and roles. Pass, move, press, defenders popping up in advanced positions, attackers roaming , and the use of the whole pitch became synonymous with the club (and the national team with its Ajax contingent). Ajax were probably the best team in Europe in the early years of that decade, thrice winners of the European Cup (in successive years), and along the way seven national championships. It was then that Cruyff moved to Barcelona , primarily for the money, but also to rejoin Michels. Whilst this book has a narrative that features the Catalan club significantly, chapters devoted to it, it just about manages to keep Ajax as its central theme. The links between the two clubs are certainly there; Cruyff as player and manager at both clubs, as did Frank Rijkaard, Rinus Michels and Luis van Gaal bosses at both, and the style of Barca under Pep Guardiola described by Xavi as “an Ajax model”. So, the influence of the Dutch club is really more than can be found in its own success. Perhaps the real definition of how it affected the “modern game” is not ultimately about Ajax itself but rather the baton that was passed to Barcelona and saw the Catalan club become dominant in the European game? Yes, Ajax did enjoy a renaissance, the mid 1990s bringing more European and Intercontinental success , indeed being named “World Soccer” Team of the Year in 1995 . Its players have continued to be sought after, so many alumni being poached by English and other teams, yet possibly the genealogy of the Ajax way came down through Cruyff and Michels and Rijkaard at Barcelona. The lineage arrived at Guardiola and so to Manchester City. Are Manchester City the “new Ajax”, or the old Ajax in different shirts? If so, it could be that, yes, the club “defines the modern game”.

Incredibly sad news Had known Phil for years and years since he was a lad in Shaw (and proud to be a Gawbie) True supporter, always there in rain or shine. He and Sue loved their life , and she deserves all the support and love we can send her.

The ending of replays in the FA Cup will be a disgrace. A denigration of not just the competition itself, the oldest national football competition anywhere in the world, but another body blow to a culture where aspiration and hope were present, where the dice weren’t always loaded in favour of the big and rich. We are all aware of the financial implications of the move, and how giant killing becomes less probable to apparently protect the game’s elite from becoming tired. I write this just as Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur prepare to fly out to Australia for a friendly, a precursor to summer challenge matches, tournaments and the like , in Asia and North America for Premier League teams. Looking at programmes of Oldham replays, wins, draws, and losses, it’s hard to imagine how “the game” will be better without such matches. Anyway, this month I’ll be taking a look at a few more match programmes than usual, albeit briefly in some cases. Chronologically, the first is a six-goal thriller under the just-installed floodlights at Boundary Park in a 2nd Round replay on 29th November 1961. The Latics’ “Shareholders Redevelopment Notes” in the pocket size publication remark that “the long arm of coincidence was stretched” as the opponents were Chesterfield, just as in the previous season. That had ended in a 3-0 victory for the Spireites but, on this occasion, after a 2-2 draw at Saltergate, Oldham won 4-2. It had been a tough encounter there , it “ended any resemblance to a football match”, probably making Rugby League friends of the Oldham Chairman “blush at some of the methods” employed by the Derbyshire team. It was the standard tangerine cover for the programme ,with date and lucky number but no opponents, and teams laid out 2-3-5 on the centre pages. No messing on the pitch, Jack Taylor was the referee then, not long before appointed to the supplementary list of league referees. A healthy crowd too, 20800, not bad for an all-Div 4 clash, Ten years later and Latics were involved in a giant-killing. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong end of it. After a 1-1 draw at Oldham, Northern Premier League Scarborough had taken the Div 3 Lancastrians back to Seamer Road , “not an iota of fluke about the result” pronounced the 12pp programme. Glossy paper for “The Boro’ Roar” costing just 3p, but little in it other than team lineups, and Scarborough’s fixtures and league table. This 1st Round replay was already their eighth FA Cup match, wins against Goole after a replay, Farsley Celtic, Yorkshire Amateurs (another replay), and Blyth Spartans setting up opponents in Oldham. Lots of local advertising but also an intriguing one for keyrings showing the head of Tutankhamun , available by post from Middlesex. I think “Tut Fever” was about, a big exhibition at the British Museum on at around this time, this replay on 22nd November 1972. No Curse of the Pharaohs for the Boro, winning 2-1 in front of around 6000. The diminutive Bobby Collins scored for Oldham winding down his career as player-coach and helping them win promotion to Div 2 the following season. That was the season when power cuts led to three-day weeks and the absence of floodlighting. As a consequence, following a 2-2 draw at home on a Sunday, Cambridge United came to Boundary Park just three days on Tuesday afternoon, Jan 8th, 1974, along with 10280 others for this 3rd Round clash. A tight turnaround and limited printing production meant just a 2p single sheet programme with pen pictures of the visitors taking up most of the reverse side, teams on the front. Even after extra-tine there was no winner could be found, 3-3 meaning a second replay had to be played. Neutrality emerged as the City Ground, Nottingham. A Monday afternoon1.30 pm kick off, didn’t get many locals to the match, but 3563 wasn’t too shabby, and value for money was provided with another extra-time bonanza. A win for Oldham , 2-1, setting up a derby against Burnley in the next round. I’ve got the team sheet (annotated) and don’t believe an actual programme was printed. Oldham do, of course, have two FA Cup Semi-Final replays on their CV, in 1990 and 1994, each against “those” from Old Trafford. On each occasion Manchester United emerged as winners after the replay, but Latics had won one replay on the 1994 trail, away at Stoke City in Round 4 on a chilly February 9th night at the Victoria Ground. There had been a 0-0 stalemate at Boundary Park and the Potters (Div 1) were looking to put one over on the Premier League Oldham (oh ,how things have changed) even if Manager Joe Jordan reckoned “it is going to be a difficult match for us” in his introductory remarks.. The programme has a bright and lively feel throughout , starting with a predominantly red cover resplendent with action photo of a Stoke player. More photos inside, including some from the first match as well as a range of historical material: a continuing series on Season 1939/40, the programme from the Stoke v Oldham match in 1977, and connections between the clubs – two previous FA Cup clashes, and several shared players, including Jimmy McIlroy, Neil Adams, and Simon Stainrod. No pen pictures (other than that for the referee, Peter Jones) but a page of “Visitors Facts”, and an equal space given to the next team to visit, Bolton Wanderers. The appeal of the competition was evidenced by a good attendance for Stoke that season, 19871, although the majority were disappointed , Oldham winning 1-0 with the goal scored by ex-Port Vale player Darren Beckford. I remember that being greeted with singular unhappiness by the home fans. The earlier Oldham Semi-Final season was in 1989/90. That was the year when Second Division Latics got to Wembley for the Littlewoods Cup Final as well , so it was a hectic post-Christmas set of fixtures that was further complicated by two replays against Everton in the FA Cup 5th Round. The very first match was at Oldham and ended 2-2, so it was down the East Lancs Road to Goodison Park on February 21st, 1990, where the programme cost £1 and showcased a photo from the previous game underneath a strong “Everton” banner. The links, both then and subsequently, between the two clubs shone through in the publication. Joe Royle was, of course, an old-Evertonian, whilst their then manager Colin Harvey became assistant to Graeme Sharp (feature on pp28/29) when the latter became Oldham manager in 1994. Keeping up? Latics’ players Neil Adams and Ian Marshall had been on the Merseysiders’ books. Neil McDonald later moved between the clubs, whilst Earl Barrett played 74 times for Everton after Oldham and Aston Villa. Ian Snodin and Neil Pointon turned out for both teams. One more -Everton’s John Ebbrell , who played in the first match, also became Assistant Manager at Boundary Park in 2022 under ex-Evertonian David Unsworth. A fairly standard set of contents: away travel, supporter profile, news desk , fixtures, reserves and youth team updates, and a column on a youth player. This was 17 yr-old Chilton Coy is other choice of career would have been sports scientist or pro golfer. Just out of curiosity I looked up what his career turned out to be. No football or the other two, but now European Sales Manager for a medical supplies company! Teams on the back page and a decent , if not outstanding 32 pages for the 36663 spectators. Even after extra-time there was no winner, 1-1 meaning another clash at Boundary Park on Saturday 10th March, one of eight games for Oldham that month. There was no jading of interest however, a sell-out 19346 crowd turned up and got another 120 minutes for their money. The standard Oldham programme of 1989/90. A5 , £1, and a colour picture of Frankie Bunn on the cover, with match details and sponsors down a column on the right. Joe Royle’s “Report” is on p8 and celebrates the Littlewoods Cup semi-final win over West Ham as well as progress in this competition. “The town has developed a taste for the cup…the impossible is no longer impossible” he writes. It must be a challenge for programme editors when the same clubs keep meeting but at least there are photos from the earlier matches, as in this programme. Pen pictures are pretty much repeated from the first game, but the Promotions and Commercial page proclaims new shop stock, not least videos of earlier cup matches, notice of travel via coach and train to Wembley for the Littlewoods Final, and a warning not to buy souvenirs from “hawkers”. Provisionality governs two pages – provisional ticket arrangements for the 6th Round at home to Aston Villa in four days’ time, and provisional times for a possible third replay! That last one wasn’t needed, with Oldham winning after extra-time, 2-1. And four days later they beat Aston Villa 3-0, setting up a semi-final at Maine Road. Lastly, it’s Everton again. After knocking out Liverpool in the 4th Round, a win that didn’t save manager Paul Dickov from the sack, Oldham were drawn at home to the blue Merseysiders once more and a stoppage-time equalizer ensured another 2-2 draw and a replay at Goodison Park on 26th February 2013. A step up in the quality of a programme , 84pp, card cover and sharp full colour printing throughout, and value for the new price of £3. The several pages of photos from the first match were boosted by quotes from the players shown, from both teams, and the sharpness of reproduction continues throughout the publication, demonstrating very high production values. The previously mentioned Sharp and Snodin are given features, and the apparently never-ending connections theme is brought up to date: a big welcome to ex-Evertonian Jose Baxter and an interview with Paul Gerrard, Oldham ‘keeper until his move to Everton in 1996 and back as temporary Assistant Manager with his first club. In depth pen-pictures of six Oldhamers, two pages on the Everton Academy, more on the club’s work in the community and with supporters, what’s happening with players out on loan, a look back at the 1995 Everton cup-winning performance, forthcoming home games, and players who had worn No.26. A full programme, I can remember reading more of it on the coach home than at the game, Toffees winning 3-1 , and in front of 32688. Replays? Yes, why not consign them to the dustbin?

It’s Coming Home (Probably) John McNicoll Pitch Publishing 2024 Softback 270pp £12.99 Many of us have been here; more years than we care to count in building up hopes that next time, this time, England will win a major trophy. Not just can but will. The years continue to rack up even if success has been tantalisingly close . Euro 2020 (2021) and a Final, World Cup Semis in 2018 and 2022, each had served to keep us believing but also tormenting us, a football imp teasing and dancing as our “many years of hurt” kept on coming. Reading this prior to this year’s European Football Championship therefore created the déjà vu sensation that could only be underlined or banished in a matter of weeks. We all have our own recollections of what’s happened in earlier tournaments and this book is simply that , a personal account of what it has felt like to be an England supporter. One could say that the starting point is rather arbitrary in that the narrative begins in 1990, Italia ’90 being the first major event John McNichol was really aware of , “sat on the edge of the sofa in my pyjamas” as England lost to Germany in the semi-final. It wasn’t just Gazza that was in tears that night. There’s no revelatory analysis on why England haven’t delivered. It’s not a book that looks at how other nations have developed, nor whether the creation of the Premier League has hindered progress of English players. Don’t expect such themes, but , if you want to be reminded of the past 34 years for the national team have panned out then it’s an entertaining read. Each tournament is reviewed from the qualifying stages through to eventual Group and Knock-Out rounds (when applicable of course!). Line-ups are recalled, a not always pleasant experience when some of the names are listed although the counterbalance is looking at the under-delivery by some of the “stellar” players to have pulled on an England shirt. Highs and lows have been part of everyone’s experience since 1990 and John McNicoll relates them in an affectionate and resolutely optimistic style, Surely , sometime, sometime soon, it will come home ?

Bromley 3 Solihull 2 HT 1-1 Cheek 24222

The Unhappy Hero Carsten Fog Hansen & Jens Rasmussen Pitch Publishing 2024 Hardback 256pp £25.00 Lars Elstrup would probably be familiar to you for one of two reasons, quite possibly both. In 1992, Denmark were in the European Championship Finals, only there because Yugoslavia had been withdrawn due to the war that raged across its former territory. They reached the Semi-final due to an Elstrup goal against France and, when there, faced Netherlands. It was a penalty shoot out that won that match, and Lars scored one of them, before the Final versus Germany . The subsequent 2-0 triumph has been described as the nation’s “greatest unifying moment “ since liberation in 1945, and Lars Elstrup was feted as one of the heroes. The other source of familiarity could come from his two seasons in the English top-flight with Luton Town, from 1989-1991. A club record signing at £850,000, he was a massive favourite at the club, scoring 18 goals in his second season and helping keep Luton up. Since those glory days, at the centre of club and national success, the story of Elstrup , his “turbulent life” as the authors describe it, has been far from straightforward. The book was, in the main, written and published in 2012, but has been brought up to date in the same non-judgemental style that the earlier narrative was. Its understanding and description of Elstrup and what he has both enjoyed and endured is probably better appreciated now than it would have been ten years ago. It left me not with a rose-tinted view of the man, neither a condemnatory attitude, but certainly with a better comprehension of how depression can seize hold of a life, temporarily or not. Recent years have witnessed Clarke Carlisle, Dean Windass, Marvin Sordell, and Danny Rose have all talked of their battles. So too did German international Sebastian Deisler and, tragically, his countryman Robert Enke took his own life, as did Wales’ Gary Speed. Elstrup has dealt, or not dealt, with depression in manners that could be unique to him and is now in a position where he seems to have found some peace. Nonetheless, there remains a nagging doubt that , at the age of 61, there could still be more turbulence to come. The “black dog” of depression may still be lurking for one of the greatest players in Danish football. From starting with his local club, Randers Freja in 1981, via Brondby , Feyenoord, Odense (OB), and Luton, as well as playing 34 matches for Denmark , in 1993 he faxed his retirement from the game to OB and to the media. His life turned its focus to a new path, in a community known as Sangha. Both Elstrup and the authors are keen to differentiate it from a cult, its spirituality resonating with the Christian background to his earlier years. It did, however, facilitate the move from footballer to someone who immersed himself in the Sangha community, and to a new name , “Darando”. Three years later, a darker force took over, a depression so severe that , for weeks, he wouldn’t/couldn’t get out of bed. As with episodes in the future, depression lifted , and in 1999 he left Sangha and was Lars once more. Since then, his life has spun around depression, what many of us would regard as eccentricity, and relationship difficulties. Yet he has also been able to rebuild links with his close family and provide philanthropy to community charities, and the Danish nation seems to have a relatively warm understanding of his life. A book that really does say , “depression can happen to anyone”, and let’s not judge behaviours of those to whom it happens. Now, in 2024, that’s something we can all learn from.

Was there something about travel in the early days of organised football that caught the imagination? Or maybe the influence of Empire and associated roaming the globe was a stimulus. Because, if one looks, there were a probably disproportionate number of clubs that adopted a name associated with straying away from their home patch. A romantic aspiration , that of passing to and through foreign towns and spreading the game to others, or were there more practical reasons? Did the Rovers of Tranmere aspire to journey over the Mersey lands, or were five times FA Cup winners of Wanderers FC forced to journey afield simply because they didn’t have their own ground? How far did various “Rangers” want to range? Whether the original or subsequent names of clubs, there must have been a conscious decision by the players or committee , to adopt such a suffix. Club historians may well know the answers, but I’ll just look at four programmes that encompassed two Rovers and two Wanderers, each coming across Oldham Athletic on their footballing journey. It was 1879 when a scratch team from Doncaster decided to become Rovers. Their travels took them over the hills to Boundary Park for an FA Cup 2nd Round Match on 6th December 2014, one of a series of cup meetings between the teams around that time. Joined together in League 1, Oldham were in sixth place and Doncaster 16th, the visitors under the management of Paul Dickov, ex-boss of Latics, whilst the home team was the first managerial appointment for Lee Johnson. More manager links in that playing for the Yorkshire team was Richie Wellens, later to occupy that role for both clubs. A bright, very clear, white cover, red, blue and black lettering readily providing the match details and sponsors’ names, club badges, and the obligatory photo of the trophy itself, all on a decent card. For £2 the 36pp were attractively laid out, lots of colour and not much in the way of “padding” or advertising. Maybe a page on Mario Balotelli crossed the line but, other than that, there was decent coverage of recent matches and features on players, Daniel Johnson , now of Stoke City after over 300 matches for Preston North End, was on loan at Oldham and , “In Conversation”, said that it “has been a great start, three goals in three games”. Probably the only Philippines international to have played for Oldham, goalie Neil Etheridge, another loanee, was given two pages (one more than his matches for the club). Doncaster’s coverage was focused on four key players as well as their manager, whilst historical content looked at “Classic Kits” worn by Oldham, and who had played in the past and presently, in the No 11 shirt. Squads were on the back page with George Elokobi, who has just led Maidstone on an FA Cup path, at 5 for Latics, and Reece Wabara at 22 for Doncaster : he scored for Oldham in their Cup win over Liverpool just a year earlier. Latics had won the League match earlier in the season, but the travelling Rovers went into the draw for Round 3.; it was an o.g. by Elokobi after 86 minutes that was decisive. “No one needs to tell me that this has been a season of struggle for Blackburn Rovers,” wrote Chairman Derek Keighley in the match programme for March 14th, 1979, Div 2 game. With 27 matches played, Rovers were bottom and, after 42 and season-end, they had maintained that position. It wasn’t a publication full of cheer for this Lancashire derby, Latics just two places higher, and maybe the most positive item for home supporters were grainy photos of the last meeting at Ewood Park between the teams: 4-2 to Blackburn. It wasn’t an era of great programme design or production values, and this one didn’t break the mould. A decent cover, an aerial photo of an empty ground, a big “Rovers” headline, club crest and match details, the “official magazine” costing 15p. Rather hotch-potch inside, the first two pages squeezing in the Manager’s “team Talk”, a short history of the visitors, Board of Directors and Honours, a brewery advert, and a panel noting that Mr Keighley was the new Chairman and “Where do Rovers Go From Here?” was on later pages. This was where the policy was outlined: sales of good players would have to be made but signings would also take place. “I have not accepted the position of Chairman to preside over a funeral” said Mr Keighley, but , as it happened, over relegation. Things got better, however, and the club were promoted back the following season. The visitors were generously given over four of the 20 pages , notched a 2-0 victory and rose up the table to safety and an eventual 14th spot. We’ll wander no further than a bit down the road to Bolton and an important FA Cup 6th Round tie on 12th March 1994. The Wanderers , then in Div 1 (now Championship) had covered themselves in glory to get to this stage, beating Everton, Arsenal, and Aston Villa, so a derby game against another Premier League club in Oldham had them down as favourites with the bookies. For Latics, it was the fourth consecutive tie against teams from Div 1; Derby County, Stoke City, and Barnsley having been beaten as they sought to reach their second Semi-Final in four years. Bolton striker John McGinlay celebrated on the programme cover his goal against Arsenal, a forlorn David Seaman behind him, and the £1.20 issue had two more pages of action photos from the Wanderers’ cup progress. Plenty of reading too, and some nice pieces on links between the Lancashire neighbours. England ‘keeper Eddie Hopkinson was only 16 when he played three games for Oldham before moving to Burnden Park, 578 appearances for his new club as well as 14 full caps and six at u-23 level. Two previous FA Cup meetings , in 1913 and 1929, were described over a double page spread, honours even at one victory apiece. “Football Memories” featured the Milk Cup games in 1984 , two-legs with Bolton going through 5-4, including the programme cover from the match in 1984. Four pages devoted solely to the visitors but plenty of more parochial focus, including what was a regular feature on the local non-league scene, and updates on the Reserves and “A” team. Bolton Skipper Phil Brown (pre-tan days by the look of it) was looking forward to extending his contract and hoped to put one over on his best pal, Latics’ Rick Holden. It wasn’t to be, however, as Oldham booked a Semi-Final at Wembley against Manchester United with Darren Beckford scoring the only goal of the match in the 84th minute. For the Oldhamers in the 20321 crowd it was well worth the short trip. By 2013 Oldham had plunged down to League 1, the third tier, but shared the division with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The teams met four times in 2013/14, as the FA Cup First Round brought them together and a 1-1 draw at Boundary Park resulted in a Molineux replay on 19th November. Wolves had apparently been voted Programme of the Year in 2012 by the Northern Programme Club and there were some nice aspects to this one a couple of years later, although I’m not sure it would have won the same accolade. The cover certainly grabs the eye, partly because it’s difficult to make out a piece of script that is a background to the colour photo of striker Jake Cassidy. It’s a white font on a grey background, and the same applies to the match details. Nice and subdued, but difficult to read. Inside, what’s good? Well, there are veery good page templates for match reports, articles by Manager Kenny Jackett and the Chief Executive, and two pages on the aforementioned Jake Cassidy (later, in 2015/16, 21 games for Oldham without scoring) . Previous FA Cup matches between the clubs (four this time) are looked at , but there are no pen pictures of the visitors or much about the current squad. To counterbalance this, Leigh Edwards contributes a “Where are they now” -type feature on Oldham’s promotion winning teams from 1962/3 and 1990/91. The earlier squad lived in different times for professional footballers: post-career employment including, foreman at Middlesbrough docks, a newsagent, delivery driver, publican , and estimator for Bristol Parks Dept. A forty-page programme, but 18 are advertisements of one sort or another so not outstanding value for £2.50. The lowest crowd at Molineux for more than 20 years, 4226, wouldn’t have recalled it as a great night under the floodlights, Oldham winning 2-1. Wolverhampton at least kept wandering in the League, back up a division after becoming champions of League 1 that season.

The Main Stand Row T derby is surely the highlight of the finals !?

Barnet 2 Solihull 1 Ht 1-0 Kabamba 3178 Bromley 2 Altrincham 1 Ht 0-0 Cheek 5009

Nicknames are a crucial part of football history, reflecting club origins, or the local community and industry, and provide a lasting link to times when it wasn’t oligarchs and nation states that dictated the ebb and flow of the game. Some clubs, and the media, seem to have eschewed their early names : when was the last time Manchester City were referred to as “The Citizens” on tv? Or Preston North End as “The Invincibles” or even “The Lilywhites” Others have maintained them, and on the cover of their programmes. That’s where we’ll be looking this month, Oldham matches with “nicknamed” covers (and they are all FA Cup ties). In chronological order, I’ll begin with Oldham versus Tranmere Rovers on 2nd January 1993, a third-round game , and with “Latics” in script right across the top of the cover. When the club, then named Pine Villa, moved to the “Athletic Grounds” it was then that the name changed and, the local corruption of “athletics” became “Latics”. The “Blast from the Past” page coincidently records that the first match Latics played there was on 1st September 1906, was against Colne, and had a crowd of 3454. Anyway, it was the first season of the Premier League when this game took place and Latics, as founder members, hosted Tranmere, pushing for promotion from Division 1. In fact, Joe Royle, in his programme notes, reckoned the Merseysiders “must be very confident” of promotion. The visitors had a squad that included Pat Nevin, John Aldridge, and ‘keeper Eric Nixon, with over 400 games under his belt. The two clubs had shared , in 1935, an epic game that saw 17 goals. Unfortunately, Tranmere scored 13 of them and it’s only briefly mentioned in the “It’s A Fact” column! There’s a range of features , from Junior Latics , “Where Are They Now “, Youth team news, away travel , and the usual fixtures and results spread. There’s also a “Fan File” item, and many programme collectors will recognise the supporter featured – Jim Kirton. Sadly, now deceased, Jim ran the Programme Shop at Boundary Park for many years. His pet hate was “forecasters predicting Latics for relegation”. Jim, they got it wrong as Oldham stayed up , winning their last three games in what was genuinely a “great escape”. A 2-2 draw with a crowd of 13389, and Tranmere won the replay 3-0, although missed out on promotion, losing to Swindon in the Play-Offs. Over the border into Wales, and just over five years later on 3rd January 1998, Cardiff City the home team in Another 3rd Round tie. The club’s name had begun in 1908, and that’s when blue became the kit colour, leading easily to the Bluebird(s) nickname, proudly heading up the front cover. A 32pp programme that had plenty of reading matter, beginning right away with two pages called “Bluebird View” from a club Vice-President, comment on club and wider football issues but he also introduces the day’s referee, match sponsor, and mascots. Cardiff were then in the bottom tier, Latics in the third and one of Neil Warnock’s seats in his managerial odyssey. The Welsh club, had a Director of Football, Kenny Hibbitt , whilst the Manager was Russell Osman, and it was the former who contributed the “Team Talk” page, whilst both Youth and Commercial activities got pages to themselves. A nice spread, including, photographs from two earlier Cardiff v Oldham Cup matches, in 1920 and 1949, both had gone the Bluebirds’ way , and it was to be the same in this match, a 1-0 home win. A problem with one turnstile’s automatic return not working properly led to the attendance changing from an announced 6623 to 6808, the biggest of the season. A clean sheet for Cardiff ‘keeper Jon Hallworth who’d played for Latics for eight seasons , and there were two other Cardiff players with links to Oldham, although later in their careers. Captain Dave Penney went into management and was boss at Boundary Park in 2009/10, and midfielder Tony Carss played 75 times for them between 2000 and 2003, a real favourite with fans. The South Wales Echo seemed to go into overdrive with its match coverage, a four-page supplement on the following Monday. Warnock was “devastated” at his team’s poor showing, there was lots of praise for the Ninan Park groundsman, goal scorer Jason Fowler dedicated his strike to the aforementioned Hibbitt and Osman, nine of the City players were marked as 7/10, one got 8/10 and one 6/10, and the support from the home crowd apparently sent shivers down the spine of Kenny Hibbitt. The First Round FA Cup of the year 2000 and Oldham travelled down to Staffordshire and the former coalmining town of Hednesford, to play the Town , or “The Pitmen” as they were known. A strong cover to the programme, match details, teams, officials, and an action photo are all there, and the Conference club had produced an issue that had interest to regular supporters, away fans, and those who’d come for the glamour of Hednesford v Oldham! There had been just two home attendances of over 1000 that season, so the 2053 who turned up for this match hopefully got their money’s worth from the 4-2 Oldham win. Talking of money, the welcome “Setting the Scene” apologises for putting up admission prices but says that extra stewarding and police costs amounted to £6000. The visitors are directly welcomed over three pages, including photos from their win just up the road at Stoke the previous Saturday. The Pitmen were struggling in the league and their last match had been a 5-1defeat at Nuneaton Borough, and their last win had been in the 4th Qualifying Round, a 2-1 victory in a replay against Billericay Town with just 390 to see it at their Keys Park home. Player Profile for the Pitmen was Neil Pointon, former Everton, Manchester City, and Latic (95 games) and now player-coach, whilst one of his teammates was a certain Mark Cooper now, as at writing, in his 11th managerial posting , at Yeovil. There is a good deal of reading focused on Hednesford’s earlier FA Cup exploits, non-league giant killing stories, and Cup stats from the previous season, and the £2 cover price seemed a reasonable price. Unfortunately, relegation followed for Hednesford, and they’ve never got further than the 1st Round since, although won the FA Trophy in 2004. We stay in the Midlands and a coalmining area, albeit in Nottinghamshire this time, and Mansfield Town played Oldham at the same stage on 7th November 2015. Sherwood Forest stretched over much of the area, a royal forest that was popular for hunting with King John and others and, hence, the association with Stags and so on to the football club’s nickname. A wonderfully simple front cover, basically the nickname, match details, and a massive photo of the FA Cup, with lots of the club’s blue and yellow colours. The latter dominates inside pages too, all of which are cleanly laid out and designed. And the 2886 spectators hopefully appreciated the quality of this. A good deal of content was allocated to the Lancashire club, seven of the 32 pages, including historian Leigh Edwards’ “Unlikely Lads” , six ex-Latics players some folk might not associate with club, including Albert Quixall (missed a penalty against West Ham in 1966) , Tony Hateley (just five league games) , and Asa Hartford (seven matches). Blink and you could have missed the last two, similarly with the then Manager David Dunn. When there was revolving door policy of managers at Boundary Park, Dunn was in charge for just four months. “Famous Fan” was noted as Prof Brian Cox and “Best Ever Manager” as, no surprise, Joe Royle. Nice to see something that was once a staple of many programmes – the “Face in the Crowd” feature, circling a supporter’s head and winning them a prize. The “Parting Shot “in the programme was a black & white photo from “the Stags’ greatest ever cup shock”, beating West Ham United 3-0 in 1969. Two young lads, scarves aloft are chased off the pitch by “a member of the Nottinghamshire constabulary” , but he looks as though he is about to fall over! Nothing as exciting in 2015, a 0-0 draw, Oldham winning the replay 2-0.

The African Cup of Nations Ben Jackson Pitch Publishing 2023 Softback 318pp £14.99 It’s ironic that it has taken the development of European football to build the importance of what the author calls an “unappreciated tournament”. It’s fair to say that, without the reliance of clubs in the UK and the European mainland upon African talent, then the significance of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) would be far less than it is. The departure of players from their clubs to play in AFCON may have irritated managers and supporters but it emphasised the fact that the tournament is an established and respected part of the international football calendar, and as long as we call it “the global game” , then it must be worked with and around. It’s been a journey of over 60 years to the recent hosting of, and victory by, the Cote d’Ivoire. From an initial four countries that set about launching a tournament was almost immediately whittled down to three. South Africa, and its encompassing apartheid policy, refused to send a team of mixed races; either an all-black or an all-white team was its stance. Unsurprisingly the other nations - Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia – said no , and the last was drawn a bye into the Final. The very first AFCON match saw Egypt win 2-1 in Cairo and the Pharaohs then trounced Ethiopia 5-0 to win the first tournament . It was the first of their seven triumphs. Probably even more so than elsewhere in the world, AFCON has been influenced by politics. It was the rise of decolonisation in the 1960s that saw many African nations become independent states, keen to demonstrate that identity in many ways including sport. National football teams became symbols of progress and, in some instances, were personally backed by Heads of State. Kwame Nkrumah, who led the Gold Coast to independence as Ghana, was instrumental in the country’s footballing progress, from a colonial state to AFCON winners in 1963. For those of us who enjoy a derby match then the “Jolloff” one should be remembered; it’s named after a spicy rice dish cooked in different ways in Nigeria and Ghana Wars between Egypt and Israel also led to disruption but there was steady and irresistible expansion of AFCON. Now the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zaire evolved as a dominant force in the 1970s, and in 1974, had become the first sub-Saharan nation to qualify for the World Cup Finals, Zambia came strongly , whilst the North Africans remained competitive. A decade later the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon won the trophy twice, in 1984 and 1988 (as well as on three later occasions), and, in 1996 a multi-racial South Africa were victorious on home soil. Despite the efforts of Hollywood to portray the 1995 Rugby world Cup as the major sporting victory of the period, it is accepted the triumph of “Bafana Bafana” had a much more widespread impact upon South African society. Ben Jackson has written an excellently researched book, telling the story of AFCON with keen analysis and understanding of African history; cultures, and football. There is a comprehensive narrative about what is a still growing tournament, one that will exert an ever-larger influence over the rest if international football, and, if there is possibly a shortage of photographs from the earlier years, which is amply compensated by the detailed story.