Search: ' Supporters Direct'

Mark Segal looks at how Europe's media-savvy clubs are competing to reach new supporters on other continents

Manchester City’s ambitions to break into the Premier League’s top four may still be in the balance this season, but their determination to mix it with the elite in the online world continues apace. Since their takeover by the Abu Dhabi Group, City have relaunched their website to critical acclaim and become the kings of social media with popular feeds on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. Soon after the take­over, City also launched an Arabic version of their website and now they’ve enhanced this offering by adding an Arabic Twitter feed (@CityArabia).

Read more…

The disappearance of Chester City from our Saturday afternoons in 2010 highlighted the problems with the football authorities' safeguards for clubs. WSC took a look at what went wrong and what should be done to make sure it doesn't happen again

In the build-up to this year’s Carling Cup final, there were several mentions made of one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history. This was in 1975 when reigning League champions Leeds were beaten 3-0 in the quarter-finals by Fourth Division Chester, who lost to Aston Villa in the semis. Two days before this year’s final, Chester were expelled from the Conference and have sinced ceased to exist.

Read more…

The A-Z of Lost Football Culture, Treasures and Pleasures
by Derek Hammond and Gary Silke
Pitch Publishing, £19.99
Reviewed by Roger Titford
From WSC 299 January 2012

Buy this book

If you were born between 1960 and 1970 and still miss getting the Topical Times Football Annual for Christmas, this might be its ideal replacement. The book takes as its text the notion that "football used to be better in the past" and celebrates many of the juvenile and adolescent aspects of the game's culture.

Read more…

Robert Shaw looks at how the serious illness of a World Cup hero has brought to light the negative impact alcohol has had on Brazilian football

Brazilian football legend Socrates left hospital on September 22 after two stays for stomach haemorrhaging and liver-related problems that could yet necessitate a transplant. Given that doctors admit that the 57-year-old’s condition was life-theatening, the relief among friends, family and the better part of 190 million football fans is tangible.

Read more…

Tommy Lawton – My Friend, My Father
by Barrie Williams and Tom Lawton Junior
Vision Sports, £16.99
Reviewed by Harry Pearson
From WSC 288 February 2011

Buy this book

"Notts County will be the Arsenal of the Midlands." If anything demonstrates the cyclical nature of football it's this comment made by Magpies chairman Len Machin back in the summer of 1957. It is a statement that has been echoed in one form or another ever since by the owners and directors of provincial clubs – including, naturally, those of Notts County.

Read more…