Programme Reviews

Key

PP = Total Pages

Net = Total Pages Less Adverts

P = Perfect Bound

S = Stapled

 

Arsenal (v Fulham 26/11/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 70 net / P)

 

Aston Villa (v Everton 14/01/12)

£3.00 (76 pp / 55 net / S)

 

Blackburn Rovers (v Tottenham Hotspur 23/10/11)

£3.00 (76 pp / 62 net / S)

With 76 pages, the Blackburn issue was marginally smaller than most other issues in the league for 2011/12, but a low advert count meant that there were still 62 pages of content. These were used to good effect with some interesting reading.

The opening pages of the programme were given over to previewing the day’s fixture, with the team line-ups on page three, followed by Blackburn’s team news and a ‘Stat Pack’ with various pieces of information about Rovers and their opponents for the day. These items were followed by Steve Kean’s Manager’s column and news from the club.

‘A to Z’ featured Blackburn legend Bryan Douglas writing on various former Rovers players. Douglas was perfectly placed to write this feature, having made 438 league appearances for the club. Here he looked at the letter ‘E’ with profiles of Mike England, Fred Else, and Bill Eckersley, the latter of whom made more than 406 appearances for Blackburn between 1947 and 1961, as well as winning 17 England caps during that time. A well written feature, with a more personal touch than many such articles.

‘Twenty Premier League Years’ marked two decades since the formation of the new top-flight of English football. The club had been in the Premier League in all but two of those first twenty seasons and this feature recalled Blackburn’s fortunes down the years. In the Spurs issue the focus was on the 1996-97 season – a time of change for Rovers with the departures from the club of Alan Shearer, Kenny Dalglish, and Ray Harford. The article also references Tottenham’s fortunes from the season, as well as various news snippets from the time.

In terms of other content, there was a six-page interview with Rovers defender Martin Olsson, as well as a picture of the player over the centre pages. ‘Ewood Emales’ contained an interview with Chris Samba, with questions submitted by Rovers supporters. ‘You’re Hired’ meanwhile looked at the experience of one Rovers player in establishing themselves in the game and earning their first contracts, providing a worthwhile insight into the process faced by younger players.

Coverage of the club’s other teams was impressively handled, with four pages on the under-18 academy team, including coverage of recent matches, a player interview, and notes from Academy Manager Phil Cannon. There were a further two pages on the club’s reserve team and a page dedicated to Rovers’ Ladies’ team. The first team’s previous matches were covered over two pages, with picture from the game alongside line-ups and notes on the key moments. There were also four pages of first-team stats included.

The section on visitors Tottenham Hotspur went under the title ‘In Town Today’ and was very well presented with a full-page picture from a recent Spurs game opening the section. The following two pages contained a write-up of Spurs recent form, alongside various stats, club facts, and notes on the club’s most recent outing. The section then provided pen-pics of Tottenham’s key squad members, as well as manager Harry Redknapp. A further two pages then looked at club connections – players who had appeared for both Rovers and Spurs – and memorable matches between the two clubs, including a 7-2 victory for Rovers back in 1963.

This was an impressive programme from Blackburn, featuring a decent amount of reading. The issue was smartly presented with some nice design touches and benefited from a consistent feel throughout.

 

Bolton Wanderers (v West Bromwich Albion 06/05/12)

£3.00 (84 pp / 63.5 net / S)

 

Chelsea (v Arsenal 29/10/11)

£3.00 (76 pp / 53.5 net / S)

 

Everton (v Norwich City 17/12/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 60 net / S)

 

Fulham (v Liverpool 05/12/11)

£3.50 (84 pp / 61 net / S)

 

Liverpool (v Swansea City 05/11/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 59 net / S)

 

Manchester City (v Wigan Athletic 10/09/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 61 net / P)

 

Manchester United (v Newcastle United 26/11/11)

£3.00 (68 pp / 44 net / S)

 

Newcastle United (v Queens Park Rangers 15/01/12)

£3.00 (84 pp / 60 net / S)

 

Norwich City (v Bolton Wanderers 04/02/12)

£3.50 (100 pp / 71.5 net / P)

 

Queens Park Rangers (v Sunderland 21/12/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 60.5 net / P)

 

Stoke City (v Manchester City 24/03/12)

£3.00 (84 pp / 61 net / S)

 

Sunderland (v Blackburn Rovers 11/12/11)

£3.00 (84 pp / 63 net / P)

 

Swansea City (v Chelsea 31/01/12)

£3.00 (76 pp / 59.5 net / S)

 

Tottenham Hotspur (v Stoke City 21/03/12)

£3.50 (100 pp / 70 net / P)

 

West Bromwich Albion (v Wolverhampton Wanderers 16/10/11)

£3.00 (100 pp / 81 net / P)

The West Brom programme for the 2011/12 season can justifiably lay claim to be the best top-flight issue ever produced. The Baggies had, for the 2004/05 season, become the first Premier League club to produce a 100-page programme, and they arguably reached their zenith here with ‘The Book of Albion’. The programme was put together as if it was a holy book, with religious themes running through the issue. So rather than a contents page, there was an “Order of Service”; club news became “Parish Notices”; and information on forthcoming away trips was titled “Pilgrims Progress”. As a way of signalling the devotion of a fan base to its club, this would take some beating!

The Book of Albion also benefited from some superb design work, featuring a cover design by Paine Proffitt, which for the issue from the match against near neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers was titled ‘Watching Over the Hawthorns”. The style was replicated throughout the programme, with page headings, graphical content, and retro images all contributing to the impressively consistent feel of the issue.

To mention all the content included in ‘The Book of Albion’ would be something of a mammoth undertaking. However, there were several features worthy of special mention. Perhaps the best in this issue was ‘Leaders of the Faith’, part of a series looking at West Brom’s managers down the years. In the Wolves issue the focus was on the legendary Vic Buckingham – arguably the Baggies’ greatest ever boss. The former Tottenham player took charge of West Brom in 1953, instituting the style of football he would later popularise more famously at Ajax Amsterdam, where he helped to shape the footballing philosophy of Johann Cruyff.

‘The Shining City on the Hill’ looked back to 1900 when West Brom took out a lease on a new piece of land for the purposes of building a new ground. The feature tracks the development of the Hawthorns, with information about the early games played there, including the first fixture – a 1-1 draw against Derby County.

‘To Build a New Jerusalem’ was another historical feature, here focusing on West Brom’s fortunes in the 1928/29 season, as the club sought to develop a team capable of returning to the top-flight, following relegation in 1927. The article included a terrific picture of the West Brom playing and backroom staff, as well as a league table, which showed the club finishing the season in seventh place. In terms of more recent history ‘The Lazarus Season’ recalled the 2001/02 campaign, when West Brom won eight and drew two of their last ten league games to seal promotion on the last day of the season, following 16 years away from the top-flight of English football.

‘Prophets in Another Land’ profiled Sir Bobby Robson, who spent six years as a player with West Brom. The focus of the article was on Robson’s time as manager of England from 1982 to 1990, and the contrast between the disappointment of the European Championship failure in 1988 and the high point of reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990.

Even the content that in many issues is handled in a rather perfunctory way was impressively handled here. Coverage of previous matches – titled ‘Spreading the Gospel’ was spread over five pages, with an extended write-up of the match, line-ups and key statistics, and ‘Judgement’, where boss Roy Hodgson reflected on the outcome. ‘A Broad Church’ meanwhile was a section that looked at the fortunes of the club’s ladies, reserve, and youth teams.

Coverage of opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers was also handled differently to most programmes, with one lengthy article that covered the club’s form, notes on the team, and thoughts on the club’s prospects. A related feature, titled ‘Joy in the Presence of Angels’, looked at those players that had made the switch to the Hawthorns having previously plied their trade for the local rivals from Molineux.

The series of excellent West Brom issues that began in the late 2000s essentially redefined what a football programme could be, moving well beyond anything that had been attempted previously. Where many programmes had become little more than corporate brochures offering typically formulaic content, West Brom offered something fresh and new, demonstrating an obvious passion for the club and a desire to produce something of true value for supporters.

 

Wigan Athletic (v Aston Villa 25/02/12)

£3.00 (84 pp / 56.5 net / S)

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers (v Manchester United 18/03/12)

£3.00 (100 pp / 70.5 net / P)