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 20 page ‘Football League Review’ supplement.

 

Arsenal (v Derby County 31/10/70)

1/- (16 pp / 16 net / S)

The Arsenal programme for their double-winning season was very much a continuation from previous years, being a 16-page issue that contained no advertising at all.

The programme opened with ‘Topics of the Week’, which reflected on the Gunners’ early season form in the absence of several injured players, including Charlie George and Peter Simpson. At the time of writing, Arsenal were second in the table, just two points behind the leaders Leeds United. The column also noted the inclusion of Ray Kennedy in the England Under-23 squad and the forthcoming Fairs Cup tie against Sturm Graz of Austria.

Visitors Derby County were given two pages of coverage, with a team group picture, player profiles, and a summary of past matches between the Gunners and the Rams. The Derby squad had recently been strengthened by the signing of Archie Gemmill from Preston for £60,000 – a signing that manager Brian Clough had famously completed over breakfast after turning up unannounced at the player’s house!

There were a couple of two-page spreads that featured pictures from recent games, covering a 3-1 win at Coventry City and a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United. There was further photographic content on the centre pages, which introduced readers to ‘The World of John Radford’, with the forward pictured at home with his wife and young son. The programme also featured match summaries, a crossword, result and fixture details, and appearance and goalscorer records.

A typically well-presented issue from Arsenal, which relied on a tried and tested formula to produce a solid programme.

 

Blackpool (v Tottenham Hotspur 12/04/71)

£0.05 (16 pp * / 10 net / S)

Blackpool’s programme was one of the smallest in Division One, offering only ten pages of content – only the Leeds United issue was smaller. As with all the other issues in the division, apart from Coventry’s innovative production, the programme cost one shilling.

The programme’s cover was nicely designed, featuring an illustration of a Blackpool player in the club’s familiar tangerine shirt, shown against a backdrop of some fans and the Blackpool Tower. The inside front cover featured ‘Club Notes’, which anticipated the impending relegation the team would suffer. The column noted the feeling of the team that “we are not the worst team in Division One” although they lay ten points from safety.

The team would though lift the Anglo-Italian Cup in the summer and the programme looked forward to forthcoming home matches against the likes of Juventus and Roma. The programme also included details of a trip to the Italian Riviera – ‘Follow Blackpool to the Sun’ – for supporters who wanted to watch the team’s games in Italy. Perhaps reflecting the interest in the Anglo-Italian Cup the programme provided the latest Serie A table, which showed Inter two points clear at the top, despite having scored only 33 goals in 23 games.

The programme offered pen pictures of the visiting Tottenham Hotspur team, with the opposition’s ranks including names such as Mullery, Peters, Gilzean, Chivers, and England. There was also a team group picture of the Spurs side. Several of the other pages within the programme featured tangerine coloured advertising bars on their headers and footers, with some of those including information such as the club’s appearances and scorers for the 1970/71 season. The issue also included ‘Supporters’ Club Notes’, including in the Spurs issue information on the ‘Football Queen’ competition and the ‘Player of the Year’ vote, as well as results, fixtures, and league tables for the first team and reserves. There were also a couple of pictures from Blackpool’s recent fixture against Newcastle United, with one showing centre-forward John Craven in action.

As with many other programmes of the time, the main reading to be found in the Blackpool issue came through the inclusion of the Football League Review supplement. The programme nevertheless provides an interesting snapshot of a club that, following its relegation in 22^nd place, would not compete again in the top-flight of English football until 2010.

 

Burnley (v Southampton 06/03/71)

£0.05 (20 pp / 15 net / S)

 

Chelsea (v Manchester United 09/01/71)

1/- (20 pp / 18 net / S)

Chelsea’s programme remained largely unchanged from the previous season’s issue, being a 20-page B6-size production. The 1970/71 season issue featured a little more advertising content than had been the case with the previous year’s edition, although there were still 18 pages of content for the one-shilling cost.

There were a few readable features in the programme. ‘The Talk of Stamford Bridge’ was spread over a page and a half, with the column featuring updates from around the club. For the visit of Manchester United, the column included preparations for the club’s trip to Bruges in the quarter-final of the European Cup Winners Cup, (which Chelsea would win just a few months later). ‘Between Ourselves’ was a column from Programme Editor Albert Sewell, who in this edition discussed the merits of football taking a winter break.

‘Visitors’ View’ introduced Chelsea’s match-day opponents. For the visit of Manchester United, the focus of the article was on the return to the position of manager of Sir Matt Busby, who had taken back the reins of the club following the sacking of Wilf McGuinness. The feature also displayed the club’s results for the seasons to date across the various competitions. There were also two opposition pages further on within the programme, the first of which showed a team group picture, whilst the second focused on previous meetings between the two sides earlier in the season, along with pen-pics of the visiting players.

In terms of other content, the line-ups for the day’s fixture were included on the inside front cover, while there was photographic coverage of a previous match across the centre pages, ‘In Off the Post’ was a letters page for supporters, while ‘Chelsea Gallery’ displayed a picture of one Blues first-team player. A page of ‘Tables, Appearances, and Goalscorers’ then provided information for Chelsea’s first-team, reserves, and youth side, whilst there were separate pages for the results and fixtures for all three teams. Recent results were expanded on in more detail in ‘Match Summaries’, which included line-ups, scorer details, and a brief write-up for first team matches.

This Chelsea issue maintained the same impressive standard that had been established through the 1960s. With a low proportion of advertising content and several readable articles, the Blues issue remained one of the best ‘value for money’ issues in Division One.

 

Coventry City (v Crystal Palace 21/11/70)

2/- (24 pp / 21 net / S)

The Coventry programme for the 1970/71 season was one of the most distinctive issues ever produced. The programme was edited by John Elvin, who had previously helped to overhaul West Bromwich Albion’s matchday issue. Priced at two shillings, the programme cost twice as much as any other issue in Division One, but was packed with innovative design and layout work, with more reading in one issue than many clubs managed across several.

To mark the break with past issues, ‘Sky Blue’ started a new numbering system for the 1970/71 season, with each programme labelled with ‘Volume One’ and an issue number. The programme for the fixture against Crystal Palace (number fourteen) was typical of the club’s issues for the season, featuring the large bold title on the cover, together with some text relating to the match, and an action shot in the upper half of the page.

Visitors Crystal Palace were treated to four pages of coverage. In keeping with the inventive layouts used in ‘Sky Blue’ the section was presented in landscape format, with a team group picture occupying the first page. There was also an introductory article that covered the rise of Palace from the Fourth Division to the top-flight, with connections drawn between their rise and the fortunes of Coventry, not least in respect of the friendship between the two clubs’ chairmen. Pen pictures of the Palace team were also provided, whilst a further article further profiled some of the key men in the club’s squad, including Gerry Queen, Alan Birchenall, and Bobby Tambling. The final page of the section included artwork of various Palace players and manager Bert Head, whilst the back cover featured a picture of visiting captain John Sewell.

Coventry manager Noel Cantwell penned a column under the heading ‘Scene Setter’, which in this issue sat alongside a photograph from the Sky Blues’ recent match at Liverpool, which saw them earn their first ever point at Anfield. There were also two further pages of pictures from the trip to Merseyside further inside the programme, as well as two pages of action shots from the home win against Manchester City. The first team stats section was another presented in landscape format, with results, line-ups, and tables all provided.

‘Say So’ was a news type column, featuring interesting snippets from around the club and the wider game. Included within this issue were references to other clubs’ programmes and criticisms of issues such as the 1970 FA Cup final replay, which were priced at two shillings without offering the kind of content that justified that price at Highfield Road. ‘Sky Blue Focus’ profiled Coventry defender Mick Coop, whose background and career were covered in some detail, alongside various ‘cut-out’ pictures of the player. Coop was also the ‘host’ of the ‘Junior Sky Blues’ section, which featured more information about the full-back, together with various updates and a cartoon column.

Undoubtedly one of the best issues of its time, the Coventry programme was truly unique and a testament to the hard work, creativity, and imagination of John Elvin. Whilst Coventry had issued impressive programmes through the final years of the 1960s, ‘Sky Blue Mark 2’ marked something of a step-change in programme production.

 

Crystal Palace (v Newcastle United 22/08/70)

1/- (28 pp / 26 net / S)

Palace’s programme for the 1970/71 season was presented in an unusual format, being roughly one third the size of an A4 issue. Perhaps designed to fit in a supporter’s inside coat pocket, the issue is one of a very small number of top-flight programmes to adopt this size – Sheffield United’s programme from 1974/75 being another example.

The limited space available on each page led to Palace allocating more pages in their programme than any other club in 1970/71 – some 28 pages, with only 2 pages of adverts, for the price of one shilling. The text is also quite small, meaning that despite its diminutive size, the programme still provides plenty of reading.

The programme opens with a column from the club’s manager Bert Head, who is also interviewed in some depth over a further two pages, offering opinions on the position of the club and the wider game. Club historian Roy Peskett provides a one-page column, titled ‘Peskett’s Page’, while ‘Press on Palace’ looks at recent media coverage of Palace’s performances.

‘Guest Spot’ provides space for Palace supporters to submit an article to the programme, while an as yet unnamed page is given over to the club’s female supporters. This includes an interview with the Treasurer of the club’s ‘dollies’ – the name given to Palace’s cheerleader-style group of the late 60s and early 70s. There is also a ‘Fan of the Week’ feature, which here profiles one person who had been granted an honorary season ticket in recognition of her 50 years supporting the club.

The programme also includes two pages of Supporters Club news, which is largely focused on the group’s fundraising efforts. In a similar vein are two further pages about Palace’s own development club. In addition to the written content there are five pages of pictures from recent matches, which break up the text nicely, as well as four pages of fixtures, stats, and squad information.

Palace’s visitors for the day, Newcastle United, are provided with nearly three pages, with a team group picture accompanied by biographies of each of the opponents’ players, which are nicely detailed.

The number of features provided ensured this Palace programme represented excellent value for money, displaying innovation in design and content at a time when many programmes were reliant on the inclusion of the Football League Review to pad out their own efforts.

 

Derby County (v Liverpool 07/11/70)

1/- (20 pp / 12 net / S)

 

Everton (v Burnley 18/08/70)

1/- (24 pp / 19 net / S)

 

Huddersfield Town (v West Ham United 26/09/70)

1/- (20 pp / 14.5 net / S)

The Terriers’ issue for the 1970/71 season was a standard example of the club’s programmes from the time, offering 20 A5-sized pages for the one-shilling cost.

The programme opened with a short column from Manager Ian Greaves, who wrote about ‘The Luck of the Game’, noting the club’s lengthening injury list but adding that “sad faces are banned at our club”. The idea of the part that luck plays in the game was taken up by Bill Lowis in his column titled ‘Looking at the First Division’. Lowis pointed out the overuse of the word luck to cover up often poor play and mistakes by players.

Visitors West Ham United were covered over two pages, with a full-page team group picture accompanied by brief profiles of the players. The text noted the inclusion in the Hammers’ ranks of former England striker Jimmy Greaves. A related article analysed the threat posed by West Ham with their ‘deadly’ counter-attacking football, which Huddersfield had witnessed at first-hand when defeated by the Hammers in the 1968/69 FA Cup, when Huddersfield was still a Division Two club.

The programme also included an action shot of Huddersfield’s centre-half Roy Ellam, from a recent League Cup tie against Nottingham Forest, while winger Jimmy Lawson was the subject of ‘Finer Points of the Terrier Breed’ – a brief feature on the “background and opinions” of its subject.

The first team’s season record was spread over the centre pages of the programme, while the club’s reserve team was covered with a league table, match reports, and appearance records. ‘Terriers Titbits’ meanwhile pulled together news snippets from around the club, completing a solid programme from Huddersfield.

 

Ipswich Town (v Huddersfield Town 17/04/71)

£0.05 (20 pp * / 12 net / S)

 

Leeds United (v Ipswich Town 12/12/70)

1/- (16 pp / 6 net / S)

 

Liverpool (v Stoke City 26/12/70)

1/- (16 pp * / 10 net / S)

 

Manchester City (v Arsenal 05/12/70)

1/- (16 pp / 12.5 net / S)

The Manchester City issue for 1970/71 featured 16 pages, three and a half of which were taken up by adverts.

The cover of the programme contained the match details and a picture from a recent City fixture. For the match against Arsenal the image showed keeper Joe Corrigan denying Peter Lorimer of Leeds United. The programme then opened with a brief ‘Editorial’ column covering recent developments, while ‘City Sidelines’ contained some offbeat behind the scenes information. There were further pictures from the Leeds match, with Francis Lee and Arthur Mann in action for City.

Visitors Arsenal were introduced in ‘The Other Side’. This was centred on an article running over two pages that looked at the Gunners impressive form in what would turn out to be the club’s first double-winning season. The column described Arsenal’s football as being “stamped with an authority seldom seen since Joe Mercer’s days as captain”. The section also featured short pen-pics of manager Bertie Mee and captain Frank McLintock.

Further City content was provided in the shape of ‘The Boys in Blue’, which looked at the progress of the club’s reserve and youth teams. ‘Round and About’ focused on City’s upcoming away fixtures, with the Arsenal issue featuring a preview of the following weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, while ‘Is It True?’ offered up various extracts from recent press coverage of City. There were also several pages of stats, including results and fixtures for the first team and reserves; league tables; and a ‘league chart’ showing all the top-flight results from the season to date.

Although well presented, this was a City programme that was rather light on readable content, certainly when compared with the larger magazine-style issues starting to appear at the time.

 

Manchester United (v Blackpool 26/09/70)

1/- (16 pp / 13 net / S)

 

Newcastle United (v Nottingham Forest 26/08/70)

1/- (16 pp * / 11.5 net / S)

 

Nottingham Forest (v Everton 20/03/71)

£0.05 (20 pp / 13.5 net / S)

 

Southampton (v Wolverhampton Wanderers 10/10/70)

1/- (16 pp * / 10 net / S)

With only ten pages of content, the Southampton programme was one of the smaller Division One issues from 1970/71, with quite limited content compared with the season’s best programmes.

‘From the Boardroom’ was a column written by Southampton Chairman George Reader, in which he commented on the side’s recent results, including a win at home to Liverpool and a defeat at Crystal Palace. There was also a column from Saints Manager Ted Bates, who reflected on those recent results, as well as discussing the form of the club’s reserve and youth teams.

The programme included a page of Southampton’s results and fixtures for the season, alongside the Division One and Football Combination league tables. The issue also featured pictures from the Liverpool fixture, as well as the club’s recent trip to Leeds. ‘Saints Record 1920-1971’ meanwhile provided an ongoing statistical history of Southampton, which in this issue recorded the club’s results, appearance and scorer records, and a league table from the 1925/26 season.

‘Welcome to our Visitors’ contained brief biographies of the visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers players, noting the presence in the team of three internationals – England’s Michael Bailey; Scotland’s James McCalliog; and Ireland’s Derek Dougan. Also included in the programme was a page of notes on Wolves from Tony Pullein, which remarked on the average return of four goals a match for the club’s results thus far in 1970/71, as well as containing stats for Southampton’s previous meetings with Wolves. A full-page team group picture was also provided, complementing some well put together opposition coverage.

Southampton’s programme was typical of many issues from the time, being bulked out with the inclusion of the ‘Football League Review’ magazine. Perhaps the most interesting element of the programme was the opposition section, which included some noteworthy content.

 

Stoke City (v Leeds United 12/09/70)

1/- (16 pp / 12.5 net / S)

 

Tottenham Hotspur (v Manchester City 26/09/70)

1/- (16 pp / 15.5 net / S)

 

West Bromwich Albion (v Chelsea 28/11/70)

1/- (20 pp * / 17 net / S)

 

West Ham United (v West Bromwich Albion 09/04/71)

£0.05 (20 pp / 20 net / S)

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers (v Coventry City 16/01/71)

1/- (24 pp / 18.5 net / S)