Programme Reviews

Key

PP = Total Pages

Net = Total Pages Less Adverts

P = Perfect Bound

S = Stapled

 

Arsenal (v Chelsea 15/09/90)

£1.00 (32 pp / 27 net / S)

 

Aston Villa (v Queen’s Park Rangers 22/09/90)

£1.00 (32 pp / 27 net / S)

 

Chelsea (v Wimbledon 16/02/91)

£1.30 (40 pp / 32.5 net / S)

 

Coventry City (v Luton Town 13/03/91)

£1.00 (32 pp / 23 net / S)

 

Crystal Palace (v Leeds United 06/10/90)

£1.00 (36 pp / 22 net / S)

 

Derby County (v Southampton 04/05/91)

£1.00 (32 pp / 24 net / S)

 

Everton (v Crystal Palace 20/10/90)

£1.00 (32 pp / 27.5 net / S)

 

Leeds United (v Sunderland 02/04/91)

£1.00 (32 pp / 22 net / S)

 

Liverpool (v Aston Villa 01/09/90)

£1.00 (36 pp / 29 net / S)

 

Luton Town (v Norwich City 16/03/91)

£1.20 (40 pp / 26.5 net / S)

 

Manchester City (v Coventry City 06/10/90)

£1.00 (32 pp / 24.5 net / S)

 

Manchester United (v Sheffield United 17/11/90)

£0.80 (32 pp / 24 net / S)

 

Norwich City (v Tottenham Hotspur 10/04/91)

£1.00 (36 pp / 28.5 net / S)

 

Nottingham Forest (v Everton 07/10/90)

£0.80 (24 pp / 16 net / S)

 

Queen’s Park Rangers (v Nottingham Forest 15/12/90)

£1.00 (36 pp / 29 net / S)

 

Sheffield United (v Manchester United 26/02/91)

£1.00 (32 pp / 19 net / S)

 

Southampton (v Arsenal 09/04/91)

£1.00 (32 pp / 21.5 net / S)

 

Sunderland (v Manchester City 03/11/90)

£1.00 (32 pp / 24 net / S)

Sunderland’s Roker Review was a 32-page issue that featured 24 pages of content. The issue for the game against Manchester City featured forwards Peter Davenport and Marco Gabbiadini celebrating a recent goal, whilst Gabbiadini was also shown in full-flight on a double-page photo across the programme’s centre pages.

The inside front cover contained four pictures, mostly from recent games. This was followed by columns from manager Denis Smith and captain Gary Bennett, and a two-page profile of Sunderland midfielder Gordon Armstrong. The feature includes Armstrong’s career stats and an article that stressed how important the Newcastle born player had become to the Black Cats. ‘Nationwide’ provided updates from around the leagues, reporting on each of the previous weekend’s top-flight games. The column also had an eye out for the fortunes of other north-east clubs, including Bishop Auckland and Whitley Bay who had made it through to the first round of the FA Cup. ‘Scene Locally’ expanded on this coverage, featuring information on the fortunes of non-league teams in the area and encouraging Sunderland fans to support the game at that level.

The best reading in the programme was provided by ‘Comment’. This was an excellent, well-written article, with the unidentified author praising a recent proposal from the Football League that the two main bodies in English football administration be amalgamated. The article set out some of the issues with the contemporary setup, suggesting that part of the earnings clubs achieved from television fees be put into a general pot for the wider good of the game. It would be fascinating to know the author’s thoughts on the establishment of the Premier League less than two years later!

The programme offered four impressively in-depth pages of coverage of Manchester City. An introductory article remarked on the positive early season form shown by City, with an opening day defeat at Tottenham their only reverse of the campaign at that point. The column also discussed the the transfer activity carried out by boss Howard Kendall after he took over from Mel Machin the previous season. The section included profiles of the City squad and manager whilst the final page had a more historical slant, noting that City shared (with Leicester City) the record for the number of second division championship wins. The section also included details of the last meeting between the two clubs, as well as a colour team group picture, a form guide, and a five-year record. This was one of the best examples of opposition coverage of any Division One programme in the 1990/91 season.

Roker Review also featured one of the best statistics sections of any programme. Spread over five pages, the section included the usual first-team results and fixtures pages, but also offered the same detail for the club’s reserve and youth sides, including reports of recent matches and each team’s league table. There was also a page of goalscoring stats for the first-team and another providing detailed match reports. As comprehensive as any Sunderland supporter could surely have wished for!

This was a high-class issue from Sunderland, offering an excellent mix of readable content, stats, and opposition coverage, certainly deserving of a place among the best Division One issues of the season.

 

Tottenham Hotspur (v Derby County 08/09/90)

£1.30 (48 pp / 36 net / S)

 

Wimbledon (v Liverpool 08/09/90)

£1.00 (24 pp / 17 net / S)

As with their centenary season programmes of the previous year, Wimbledon’s issue for 1990/91 was a 24-page A4 issue.

The main reading within the programme comes in the form of profiles of two Dons first-teamers. The first covers right-back Warren Barton, who had moved from Maidstone United in the summer for a then fourth-tier record fee of £300,000, and immediately established himself in the Wimbledon first-team. The second is a two-page profile of left-sided player Terry Phelan, which notes his recent move from full-back to midfield, and his hopes of winning a place in the Republic of Ireland international setup.

In other club coverage, there is a column from manager Ray Harford, together with ‘Home Front’, which covers news from around the club. ‘The Other View’ is an alternative look at the Dons, here noting their fortunes for the season to date and, in line with other features in the programme, referring to the negative press coverage of the Dons’ style of play. Recent matches are well covered, with team line-ups, commentary, and quotes from key participants. In addition, there are two pages of photos from recent games. As well as the usual first-team stats page, there are also notes on the club’s reserve and youth teams matches.

Coverage of visitors Liverpool is impressively presented, with two-pages of content that includes profiles of the club’s squad together with a colour team group picture and photos of Peter Beardsley, Ronnie Rosenthal, and Gary Gillespie. Also within the section is a feature that notes Liverpool’s prowess in front of goal when playing away from home, as well as recalling previous meetings of the two clubs.

Despite the extra space afforded by the page size, this Wimbledon issue lacks much in the way of readable content. Other than the two player interviews the programme is largely made up of standard club material, though the opposition coverage is well handled.