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The 'Battle of Britain' had all the papers talking, but as Archie MacGregor discovers, the tabloids can take things a little to far

So that was the Battle of Britain. To paraphrase an apposite remark, surely never in the history of Scottish journalism has so much hype and mindless pos­turing been so relentlessly sus­tain­ed by so few. In Scotland, the sight of the national team once again performing its party piece of glorious fail­ure has been greeted with something approaching fat­alistic acceptance. Yet mix­ed in with the anguish, ennui and glee (at the Wembley result) there is also a tangible sense of relief that the goddam war is over. All that remains in the run-up to the season of goodwill is a deep-seated wish that the tabloids abide by the terms of the ceasefire. Some hope. 

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Despite being unbeaten in September, Stoke City have new owners and a new manager. Penny Stanley tells us why

September was a surreal month for Stoke fans. The team didn’t lose a single league match, earning an award for Gary Megson (Mr Third Choice Manager when he was appointed just two months previously). Kyle Lightbourne, a £500,000 flop throughout the previous 18 months, suddenly looked like a contender for player of the season.

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Referees have clamped down with a series of red cards, but as  John Williams finds out, it is not just them who should shoulder the blame

Forget just for a moment all the argy bargy about the standard of refereeing, the alleged in­crease in viol­ence in the English game and Patrick Vieira’s recent disciplinary charge for spitting at Neil Ruddock. Con­sider this instead: Vinny Samways, remember him – impish little midfielder, quite skilful but a bit lightweight, much too faint-hearted for the English game? Spurs and Everton fans will probably recall the urgings from the stands that little Vin­nie should cease fannying around and “get stuck in”.

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Many Scottish clubs are looking to move, but Gary Oliver reports on why this may not be good for them

Anyone attempting to visit the homes of all 92 English league clubs during the 1990s has been faced with a moving target. In Scotland, where far fewer new stadiums have risen, it is several nomadic clubs that have been doing the groundhopping – an experience from which not one has benefited.

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Friday 1 Dennis Wise, Frank Lampard, Steve Guppy and Trevor Sinclair are the new names in Little Kev's squad to play Belgium. Paul Ince is recalled in place of David Batty, making sure the squad contains no less than the mandatory three players who have been sent off for England in the past 18 months. Newcastle sign Kevin Gallacher from Blackburn for £700,000. A consortium of Icelandic businessmen has made a bid of £6 million to buy Stoke City, hoping to install the national team coach Gudjon Thordarsson as manager in place of the luckless Gary Megson.

Saturday 2 Strugglers' Saturday sees Steve Staunton scandalously sent off in Villa's dismal 0-0 with Liverpool, a game mystifyingly described as "just balloons on sticks" by John Gregory. Bottom club Sheff Wed go goal-crazy against Wimbledon, winning 5-1 in front of a suitably Wimbledon-sized crowd, 18,077. Sunderland are second after pasting Bradford 4-0 at Valley Parade. Everton are reportedly the target of a £50 million bid from Chris Evans and Terry Venables – possibly both in the top two on any fans' list of undesirable owners. India's Baichung Bhutia makes his debut as a sub for Bury, and gets booked after two minutes. "We will probably get more fans than if we'd signed Ronaldo," Bury manager Neil Warnock had predicted. They get 3,603.

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