Today we take a look at Southampton’s programme from the 1985/86 season. Read our review of this excellent programme below and see all the 1985/86 Division One issues here.
Southampton’s programme for 1985/86 offered 24 pages of content, with only four clubs in the league providing more, three of which cost more than the 50p charged by the Saints. This allowed for the inclusion of several highly readable articles, which together provided excellent value for money.
Perhaps the best feature is ‘Centenary Saints’, which in Southampton’s 100th year took readers through the club’s history. The issue for the Manchester City game told the story of the early part of the twentieth century, when Southampton was a successful Southern League club. The article also recalls how the Saints took up their place in the Football League when a new Division Three was introduced in 1920.
‘In Focus’ sees Tony Pullein ask the question ‘Is Wembley Being Devalued’? The article was written against the backdrop of the introduction of the Football League Super Cup, for those teams that would ordinarily have qualified for Europe but were prevented from taking their places by the UEFA ban, and the Full Members Cup, set up as an additional competition for teams in the top two divisions of the Football League. The writer suggests that England’s national stadium risked having its reputation diminished by the hosting of tournament finals that lacked the same status as the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
Another feature takes the form of an interview with local councillor Norman Best CBE, who had spent 30 years supporting Southampton, holding a season ticket since 1970. ‘The D Men at the Dell’ meanwhile profiles three figures at the club, Youth Team Manager Dave Merrington; Reserve Team Manager Dennis Rofe; and versatile reserve player Kevin Brown.
‘Saints in Profile’ is a two-page article in which Southampton defender Kevin Bond is interviewed about his career, including his time playing in the North American League with Seattle Sounders. There is also an interview with Southampton’s groundsman Graeme Scurr, whose picture appeared on the programme cover.
The rest of the programme includes typical club content, with pictures from recent games, notes from the manager, club news, and the first-team statistics spread. There are two pages of coverage for visitors Manchester City, including profiles of the club’s players and a team group picture. A further page then delves into the archives to recall previous meetings of the Saints and City, with full home and away results and match facts from their most recent clash.
This was a high-quality issue from Southampton, and certainly among the best in the division for 1985/86, with few other programmes from the time featuring the range and quality of writing found in the Saints issue.