Programme Reviews

Key

PP = Total Pages

Net = Total Pages Less Adverts

P = Perfect Bound

S = Stapled

 

Arsenal (v Ipswich Town 22/03/83)

£0.40 (24 pp / 22 net / S)

 

Aston Villa (v Tottenham Hotspur 30/10/82)

£0.40 (24 pp / 23 net / S)

 

Birmingham City (v West Ham United 05/02/83)

£0.40 (28 pp / 24 net / S)

 

Brighton & Hove Albion (v Luton Town 22/01/83)

£0.30 (32 pp / 21 net / S)

 

Coventry City (v Aston Villa 06/11/82)

£0.30 (24 pp / 19 net / S)

Coventry’s ‘Sky Blues’ programme for 1982/83 was a 24-page A5 issue that featured 19 pages of content and some interesting reading.

‘They Gave the Game Colour’ profiled former Sky Blues keeper Alf Wood, who joined Coventry in December 1935. Originally an understudy to Bill Morgan, he received a call-up to the Army at the outbreak of the Second World War before being invalided out. Having recovered by 1944 Wood went on to make 260 consecutive appearances for Coventry, before joining Northampton Town in 1951. He returned to Coventry as a coach in 1955 and played in 12 further games for the club at the age of 42. ‘Golden Oldies’ was in a similar vein, recalling forward Eddie Brown, who made his name at the club in the early 1950s, scoring 50 goals in 82 games before moving to Birmingham City.

‘Best in Their Position’ was a recurring feature that analysed key players that had occupied a given position on the pitch. For this issue the focus was on those who had worn the number four – relating to the old position of right-half but which in contemporary usage would have meant either a midfield or central defensive role. The article referred to prominent early exponents of the role, including Everton’s Cliff Britton and Wolves’ Billy Wright in the early part of his career.

There was also a slightly odd excerpt reproduced from the Coventry Evening Telegraph, in which a lead article criticised club chairman Jimmy Hill for driving fans away from Highfield Road with an “all-seater stadium and high same-day admission prices”. The accompanying text notes that the Editor of the paper was none other than Geoffrey Elliott – Vice President of Coventry City! ‘Press Box’ meanwhile was a column that offered thoughts on the status of the League Cup, then known as the Milk Cup, which the top sides were taking increasingly seriously, as evidenced by Liverpool having won the competition two years in succession.

The cover for the fixture against Aston Villa featured a shot of Gerry Francis in action against Ipswich Town, with the team line-ups provided on page 3. Manager Dave Sexton penned a short column in which he welcomed near neighbours and then European Champions Aston Villa to Highfield Road. There was a two-page results and fixtures spread, which also included pictures of forward Garry Thompson who had scored in the club’s previous match against Norwich City. Further pictures from the Canaries fixture were provided over the centre pages of the programme. There was also youth team coverage in the shape of a profile of one Sky Blues youngster, as well as a two-page feature that profiled the couple who ran the hostel accommodation used by Coventry’s apprentices.

Coverage of opponents Aston Villa was over two pages, set against a backdrop of an aerial shot of Villa Park. A team group picture shows the team posing with the European Cup they had won against Bayern Munich in May 1982. The feature includes a short history of the club and profiles of each member of the team, with additional photos of some key players and manager Tony Barton.

With several very readable features, the Coventry programme certainly offered good value for money, being among the cheapest editions in the top-flight in 1982/83 at a cost of 30p. The historical content was key to the programme’s value, offering well-written insights into former Sky Blues players.

 

Everton (v Arsenal 26/03/83)

£0.30 (16 pp / 13.5 net / S)

 

Ipswich Town (v Stoke City 18/09/82)

£0.40 (24 pp / 19.5 net / S)

The Ipswich programme for the 1982/83 season was a 24-page effort that, with limited advertising, contained a good deal of worthwhile content.

There were several articles that look back at times past. ‘Do You Remember?’ featured an interview with former Ipswich player Geoff Hammond, who recalled his time with the club in the early 1970s, followed by spells with Manchester City and Charlton Athletic, before a brief spell playing in the USA and an early retirement. ‘A to Z of Ipswich Town’ contained profiles of key Ipswich players past and present, as well as notes on the club’s various championship successes, while ‘Flashback’ recalled Ipswich fixtures from 5, 10, and 20 years ago.

The programme also contained various features of contemporary content. The centre pages of the issue were given over to a profile of defender Mick Mills, who had been with Ipswich since the mid-1960s, and who had captained England during the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain just a few months earlier. ‘News on 1’ contained updates from various Division One clubs, while ‘The World Scene’ looked further afield, with news from around the globe. ‘Goal Post’ featured letters from supporters with responses from the programme editor.

The programme included a column from manager Bobby Ferguson, as well as an ‘Info’ page that pulled together news from around the club. Coverage of previous matches was in the form of three pages of photographs of recent defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, and there were brief columns on Ipswich’s reserve and youth teams. The usual statistics page contained a wealth of information about the club’s various teams, with results, tables, and appearance records.

Visitors Stoke City were covered across two pages, with brief notes on the club’s players, a form report, and pictures of key players as well as a team group picture.

There is plenty to like about this Ipswich programme, with the amount of content included comparing well with many other top-flight issues of the time.

 

Liverpool (v Sunderland 02/04/83)

£0.35 (24 pp / 20 net / S)

 

Luton Town (v Swansea City 23/04/83)

£0.50 (32 pp / 19 net / S)

 

Manchester City (v Watford 04/09/82)

£0.30 (24 pp / 19 net / S)

 

Manchester United (v Norwich City 27/11/82)

£0.30 (24 pp / 18 net / S)

 

Norwich City (v Everton 22/01/83)

£0.40 (16 pp / 13.5 net / S)

 

Nottingham Forest (v Southampton 26/03/83)

£0.40 (24 pp / 18 net / S)

 

Notts County (v Liverpool 20/11/82)

£0.35 (20 pp / 12 net / S)

 

Southampton (v Coventry City 15/01/83)

£0.35 (24 pp / 15 net / S)

 

Stoke City (v Nottingham Forest 12/02/83)

£0.35 (20 pp / 15.5 net / S)

 

Sunderland (v Brighton & Hove Albion 19/04/83)

£0.35 (24 pp / 17.5 net / S)

 

Swansea City (v West Bromwich Albion 26/03/83)

£0.40 (24 pp / 15 net / S)

‘The Swan’ was one of the smaller Division One programmes in the 1982/83 season, with just 15 pages of content after allowing for those pages taken up by advertising. The programme opened with a page of updates that noted Swansea’s recent Welsh Cup semi-final win over Colwyn Bay, which meant an upcoming North v South Wales clash in the final against Wrexham. This was followed by a page of notes from manager John Toshack, who remarked on the club’s recent victory over Manchester City and praised the locally born young players who were making an impression in the first team. A few pages of club news included information on new contracts for three Swansea players – Jimmy Hadziabdic, Ante Rajkovic, and Bob Latchford, amid speculation linking the latter with a move to Chelsea.

Coverage of the visiting club was provided over two pages. These included a team group picture, brief biographies of the players, some notes on the club’s history, and a look at their season to date, including their full results in all competitions. A separate feature – the most interesting in the programme – looked at the history between Swansea and their opponents, with notes on meetings between the teams down the years.

The centre pages of the programme featured action pictures from recent Swansea matches, which were followed by ‘Swan’s Statistics’ that included first-team appearance and goal records, as well as a chart of the top goalscorers playing in Division One. The programme also included the first team’s season record, with Swansea hovering around the relegation zone ahead of their last ten matches. Youth Team manager Les Chappell also penned a column, in which he commented on the recent form of Swansea’s reserve and youth teams.

The programme included a couple of historical items. ‘How It All Began’ was a continuing feature that provided all the stats from a season in Swansea’s history, including the club’s results, appearance and scorer details, and a league table. Similarly, ‘Swansea A-Z’ offered a summary of the club’s results against each opponent they had faced.

Swansea’s programme was somewhat limited in terms of readable content, but was tidily presented, covering all the basics in a manner typical of many issues of the time.

 

Tottenham Hotspur (v Birmingham City 18/12/82)

£0.40 (24 pp / 20 net / S)

 

Watford (v Notts County 12/03/83)

£0.40 (24 pp / 18 net / S)

 

West Bromwich Albion (v Manchester United 04/09/82)

£0.40 (24 pp / 19.5 net / S)

The Baggies ‘Albion News’ programme for the 1982/83 season was presented in the then familiar square format, which was used by the club in all but one season between 1977 and 1985.

There are several club related features throughout the issue. ‘Team Talk’ reports on West Brom’s recent 5-0 hammering of Brighton in their first home fixture of the season, with a couple of pages of pictures from the game also included. There are also two pages of news and information from around the club in ‘Albion Round-Up’, as well as a report from West Brom’s recent Annual General Meeting, with quotes from then Chairman, and former Baggies player, Bert Millichip.

‘Young Albion’ profiles 18-year-old reserve team striker Peter Frain, who the article states had been close to a first-team call up, but who would ultimately never play for the club. The article also references Peter’s younger brother John, who had recently signed schoolboy terms with Manchester United, and who would go on to make nearly 500 appearances for Birmingham City and Northampton Town. There are two pages covering West Brom’s participation in a pre-season tournament in Barcelona, with a mix of commentary and photographs from the club’s time in Spain and two pages of club statistics, covering the senior, reserve, and youth level teams. ‘Scene on One’ meanwhile gathers updates from around the various Division One clubs.

Visitors Manchester United are covered over two pages, with an article that covers the fortunes of the side led by former Baggies manager Ron Atkinson, before profiling the members of his squad. A black and white team picture of United is included, as well as notes on previous Albion v United clashes.

The space that the square-page layout generates is used to good effect throughout, particularly in terms of photography. This is demonstrated in the centre pages of the programme, which are given over to a full colour shot of Albion’s team group picture for the season. Taken together with the mix of club content that is included, this is a nicely put together issue that combines well the various components of a good programme.

 

West Ham United (v Manchester City 25/09/82)

£0.40 (20 pp / 18 net / S)