When Saturday Comes | The half decent football magazine

Clash of the titans

The two men most closely associated with Ajax’s major successes are at the centre of yet another power struggle, reports Derek Brookman

When the Ajax supervisory board announced on November 16 that Louis van Gaal was to be appointed as director, the news came as a shock. Van Gaal left his position as the club’s technical director in 2004 after a disagreement, saying he had been deeply insulted and would never return.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 - Book reviews

Everton 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Goodison Park was once a place ahead of its time but, as Simon Hart reports, the rebranded “Old Lady” is now a meeting place for disgruntled supporters frustrated by their club’s decline

Step into the parish hall of St Luke the Evangelist church on the corner of Goodison Road and Gwladys Street, and you enter a world that could not be any further removed from the ad-man’s fantasy of the face-painted, replica-shirted modern “footy” fan and their agony-and-ecstasy matchday experience.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Headless chickens

Absent owners and a poor manager have ruined what was once the model of a well run small-town club, says Bruce Wilkinson

When Venky’s took control of Blackburn Rovers last November and installed Steve Kean as the Premier League’s least likely manager, they repeatedly asked supporters not to pass judgement until they had been in charge for a year. Having reached this anniversary a few weeks ago, fans are now more than able to see that the club is heading in a downward spiral of such terrible proportions that a slide through the divisions and possible bankruptcy are not out of the question. Most followers were prepared to give the new owners time to show their true intentions and, at a stretch, even be persuaded that Kean could be a capable coach.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 - Book reviews

Launch of the QEII

Andy Ollerenshaw tells the story of Enfield Town’s new stadium

At the turn of the millennium, fans of Enfield FC saw their beloved football ground bulldozed. But what has happened in the subsequent decade makes for a heartening tale. Formed in 1893, Enfield had a rich and successful history. They played their home games at Southbury Road, an ageing but well-loved 1930s ground, considered by many to be an iconic non-League venue. The sale of Southbury Road in 1999 by Tony Lazarou, who owned the club at the time, initiated a cycle of extraordinary events. Lazarou attempted to rehouse the club at Cheshunt but the move fell through, so for two years the club suffered a nomadic existence, playing at various venues outside the London Borough of Enfield. Fan resentment had already started to grow before the sale of the ground, but the sight of the bulldozers moving into Southbury Road was the final straw for many.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Rescue package

Matthew Barker examines US Ancona, whose supporters united to save the club after relegation and financial woe threatened its existence

US Ancona 1905 were founded at the turn of the last century by a local who returned from a stint working at the docks in Liverpool, hence their red and white kit. They have appeared in Serie A twice, most recently during the 2003-04 season (with Goran Pandev, Dario Hübner and Dino Baggio among their ranks), though they dropped straight back into the second tier with a miserly 13 points from their 34 games.

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 - The Archive

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Stories

Clash of the titans

The two men most closely associated with Ajax’s major successes are at the centre of yet another power struggle, reports Derek Brookman

Everton 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Goodison Park was once a place ahead of its time but, as Simon Hart reports, the rebranded “Old Lady” is now a meeting place for disgruntled supporters frustrated by their club’s decline

Headless chickens

Absent owners and a poor manager have ruined what was once the model of a well run small-town club, says Bruce Wilkinson

Launch of the QEII

Andy Ollerenshaw tells the story of Enfield Town’s new stadium

Rescue package

Matthew Barker examines US Ancona, whose supporters united to save the club after relegation and financial woe threatened its existence