1965/66

Programme Reviews

Key

PP = Total Pages

Net = Total Pages Less Adverts

P = Perfect Bound

S = Stapled

Programmes marked with an asterisk (*) next to the number of pages also included the 16 page ‘Soccer Review’ supplement.

Arsenal (v Sheffield United 06/11/65)

6d (16 pp / 16 net / S)

Aston Villa (v Everton 11/12/65)

6d (16 pp / 10.5 net / S)

Blackburn Rovers (v Fulham 01/09/65)

6d (20 pp / 9 net / S)

Blackpool (v Arsenal 16/10/65)

6d (12 pp / 7.5 net / S)

Burnley (v Sunderland 09/04/66)

6d (16 pp / 7.5 net / S)

Chelsea (v Newcastle United 25/09/65)

6d (16 pp / 16 net / S)

Everton (v Tottenham Hotspur 09/10/65)

6d (16 pp / 8 net / S)

Fulham (v Leeds United 08/04/66)

6d (16 pp / 10.5 net / S)

Leeds United (v Burnley 30/10/65)

6d (16 pp / 5.5 net / S)

Leicester City (v Blackpool 14/09/65)

6d (12 pp / 10 net / S)

Liverpool (v Sheffield Wednesday 02/04/66)

4d (16 pp / 9.5 net / S)

Liverpool’s programme for the 1965/66 season contained 16 pages, with 9.5 pages of content. The programme cost 4 old pence, making it one of only two issues in the league that season that cost less than 6 pence. The cover of the Sheffield Wednesday programme contained an image of the FA Cup, in reference to Liverpool’s win in the 1965 FA Cup Final, together with the outline of a player wearing the Liverpool strip. This cover was common to the programmes in the second half of the 65/66 season, with those in the earlier part of the season displaying the same cover as the 64/65 issues.

‘From the Boardroom’ opened the Wednesday programme with notes that reflected on Liverpool’s recent form, including a 3-0 win at Aston Villa that had strengthened the club’s position at the top of the table. The article made a point of mentioning that, on and off the field, Villa “gave one of the best displays of sportsmanship we have see this season”. The article also covered the club’s reserve and youth teams and looked ahead to the European Cup Winners Cup semi-final against Celtic. There was also a page that provided ticketing information for the Celtic clash, with prices ranging from half a crown in the Boy’s Pen to £1 and 10 shillings in the Kemlyn Road and Main Stands. The team line-ups were provided on the centre pages, while ‘Did You Know’ covered various random facts from Liverpool’s history. The issue also included the club’s results and fixtures for 1966 and the Division One and Central League tables.

The level of coverage afforded to the visitors from Sheffield Wednesday was impressive for its time, with fully three pages of the programme (essentially a third of the content) given over to the opposition. These included a page of pen-pictures of the Wednesday squad and a two-page article that examined the club’s form over the season, as well as reflecting on their post-war history. The article noted that, despite Wednesday’s fluctuating fortunes in the previous 20 years, their form since winning promotion in 1958/59 had them among the most consistent clubs in the country, finishing no lower than 8^th in that time.

Although lacking much in the way of readable content, this was certainly a well-presented and tidy issue from Liverpool, with the extensive notes on the opposition being a stand-out feature.

Manchester United (v West Bromwich Albion 27/12/65)