Our first review of the 2019/20 season is now available and the programme concerned – the Wolverhampton Wanderers issue – is an impressive one! Read our full review below and watch this space for more reviews of the current season issues over the next few weeks. Remember that our Programme of the Season Award will be issued in January 2020!
The Wolves programme for 2019/20 has been reduced in size from last season, now appearing as an A5 issue. The page count has also dropped slightly, down from 108 to 100 (plus a ‘Young Wolves’ pull-out section). However, the changes have in no way diminished the quality of what was already a very impressive programme.
The cover once again features the outstanding artwork of Louise Cobbold, whose painting of Morgan Gibbs-White adorns the front of this issue from the game against Burnley. Given the quality of the image it is fitting that the only other detail on the cover is the crests of the two opposing teams. Gibbs-White is the subject of the main player interview in the programme, spread across seven pages, which makes note of the midfielder having scored his first goal for Wolves in a recent Europa League tie. Gibbs-White, who hails from Staffordshire, talks of his development at the club and his experiences with England’s youth teams.
‘The Archive’ is a terrific collection of retro content, featuring various articles over its ten pages. Fronted by a page that features a picture of Derek Dougan, the section opens with ‘Programme Vault’. This gathers programme covers from previous meetings with Burnley, ranging from 1953 (and a classic Wolves cover featuring an illustration of Molineux) to 2019 (and Burnley’s excellent ‘Turf’ issue). ‘Inside the Museum’ sees club historian Pat Quirke examining some of the items in the cabinets of the home of Wolves’ history. Here the article features a poster, dating from 1876, that invited people local to St Luke’s school in Blakenhall to attend a meeting with aim of establishing the club that would become Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1879. ‘Golden Goals’ examines classic Wolves strikes in the words of the player responsible. In the Burnley issue, the goal in question was Willie Carr’s last minute penalty in the 1981 FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham, which took the tie to a replay. ‘My Wolves Scrapbook’ meanwhile sees a former player – in this issue midfielder Simon Osborne – recalling key moments from their time wearing the Black and Old Gold.
In other original content, ‘Kitted Out’ features one Wolves player presenting a range of shirts that are significant to his career. There are six pages of fan-related features, including a profile of one Worldwide Wolves branch in each issue, and a column from former Wolves winger Robbie Dennison. In the Burnley issue he reminisces about the 1988 Sherpa Van Trophy final victory against Burnley at Wembley, in which he scored.
Club information is comprehensively presented. The programme features characteristically brief notes from Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo (with just three sentences in this issue) as well as somewhat fuller columns from club captain Conor Coady and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell. Both latter articles are accompanied by photos from Wolves’ recent draw with Manchester United, as does ‘Premier League Snapshot’ – a two-page image showing Ruben Neves’ goal from that match. The programme also features a couple of pages of club news, whilst ‘Academy’ is a section focusing on Wolves’ under-23 and under-18 sides, with a mix of news, match reports, and player features. It is good to see a club’s younger players being recognised with the kind of content usually reserved for the first-team. The programme also has two pages on Wolves Women, while towards the back of the issue is a six-page section that features first-team stats and previous match coverage, including match facts, line-ups, and action shots.
The section on visitors Burnley covers 12 pages, with six of these specifically on the Clarets. These pages include recent form, pen-pics of the eleven players who started Burnley’s last game, and a ‘depth chart’ that shows the players available to the club in each position. ‘The Opposite Camp’ is a two-page feature with Burnley Express reporter Chris Boden, who discusses the club’s form and prospects, while ‘Foot in Both Camps’ profiles Paul Cook, who played at both Molineux and Turf Moor during his career. ‘Snapshot’ features a memorable (at least from Wolves’ perspective) clash from the past, which here recalls the 3-0 win enjoyed by Wolves in 2001.
Just as with last season’s programme, this is another excellent all-round issue from Wolves. Featuring a good balance of historical and current content, together with extensive club information, good opposition coverage, and engaging design, Wolves have produced a high-quality programme that impresses from cover to cover.