MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 12.3.1977

Peter Shilton and Frank Stapleton, going for an aerial challenge, are Shoot’s cover stars in early March 1977.

A series of footballers are asked to describe the moments that changed their career, with pep talks from other goalkeepers being beneficial to the careers of Jimmy Rimmer and Joe Corrigan.

Glenn Hoddle, a rising star at Spurs, credits Martin Chivers for helping Spurs sign him, after he presented medals at a schools cup final that Hoddle played in.

Meanwhile, Scotland announced away friendlies in 1977 against Chile and East Germany.

In other news, the price of this year’s FA Cup Final programme has increased from 20p to 50p. The reason given that it will be a special bumper edition as it was the year of The Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

Beside that, getting only a few column inches, Alex Ferguson has changed his status manager of St Mirren to full-time.

Billy Murray scored five goals in a game for Portadown against Dundela, while Jim Harvey of Glenavon is attracting scouts from clubs in England.

Kevin Keegan uses his column to warn that early international call-ups can prove damaging to young players in the long-term.

Aston Villa defender John Gidman gets a full page profile, where he is described as “Liverpool’s present to Aston Villa”, having been turned down by the Anfield club as a youngster.

England’s recent friendly against Holland gets a double page photo piece, with a further two pages being given to post match analysis from various football figures.

Gordon Hill uses his column to state that he wants Manchester City to win the league.

Football in Argentina gets a full page profile, with just over a year until they host the World Cup.

In world news, there was a minute silence before a game for an official in Peru, only for it to emerge that reports of his death were erronious.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 21.5.1977

David O’Leary is one of the cover stars as the 1976-1977 nears it’s finale.

Jack Charlton (Middlesbrough) and Johnny Giles (West Bromwich Albion) get a double page feature, as the two former Leeds players have left managerial positions in recent weeks.

Ray Kennedy gets a full page profile, as he aims to make English football history, aiming to become the first player to win the double twice, having been a part of Arsenal’s 1971 double winning team.

With Liverpool losing to Manchester United in that year’s FA Cup Final, the feat wasn’t achieve until various Manchester United players did it in 1996, with some more doing it in 1999 (Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs winning it three times)

Ashley Cole and Nicholas Anelka are the only players to win the double with two different clubs, after Kennedy was denied this achievement.

Shoot does a double page spread, offering Martin Peters, Pat Rice and Howard Kendall an opportunity to reflect on the season, and why their respective sides didn’t win a trophy.

Gerry Francis uses his column to suggest that anybody wanting to be a manager in England should get the relevant coaching and management qualifications, similar to the structure in West Germany.

In news, Arsenal manager Terry Neill has denied a story in Shoot that Frank Stapleton and Liam Brady are on their way to Liverpool. Middlesbrough midfielder Graeme Souness is unsettled at Ayresome Park

St Mirren manager Alex Ferguson has been fined £25 for comments to the referee after his side were eliminated from the Scottish Cup by Motherwell.

Aston Villa goalkeeper John Burridge gets a full page profile about facing penalties.

In the centre pages, there is a poster of the Aston Villa team, including the League Cup, which they won in 1977.

John Greig uses his column to explain why Rangers didn’t win the league.

Sheffield Wednesday’s teenage goalkeeper Chris Turner gets interviewed, having broke into the team and become a regular of the team he supported growing up.

In world news, Idi Amin is described as “The Generous General”, having rewarded the national team with a free holiday in Libya as a reward for winning the East African Challenge Cup.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT : 12.2.1977

England’s upcoming friendly against Holland dominates the cover of this edition of Shoot, with Ruud Krol and Trevor Brooking occupying the page.

In news, Republic Of Ireland have arranged a friendly against Poland, but may have to field locally based players due to the club commitments of players based in England. Dundee United were invited on a pre-season tour of Bangladesh.

Alex Stepney has been awarded a testimonial by Manchester United, with Benfica, United’s opponents in the 1968 European Cup Final, visiting Old Trafford. It’s part of a series of events, including a concert by Brotherhood Of Man at Fagin’s Club in Manchester.

The big boys joined the Irish Cup this week, with Linfield hoping to win the trophy for the 31st time. They would have to wait until 1978 to reach that milestone.

Birmingham City manager Willie Bell wanted 1977 British Championship postponed in order to avoid player burnout, due to backlog of club games due to postponements, and England and Scotland going on tour to South America.

England’s friendly with Holland gets a double page spread. The match was the first between the sides since a friendly seven years earlier, a 0-0 draw at Wembley with England months away from heading to Mexico to defend their World Cup title. Shoot focused on the change in fortunes for both countries since then, with Holland reaching the 1974 World Cup Final, a tournament which England failed to qualify for.

Kevin Keegan uses his column to comment that England must deliver a good performance in order to ensure fans keep returning to Wembley to watch them.

Shoot gives a full page to a bit of statistical fun, that Millwall have the best goals conceded ratio in the history of the Football League from 1888 to 1977.

Gerry Francis also uses his column to preview the England v Holland game, suggesting that Holland are a better team without their star players.

Alan Sunderland told Shoot that he was glad to be settled in a striker role at Wolves, while Graham Wilkins of Chelsea was talking about emerging from the shadow of his younger brother Ray.

In world news, West German clubs are raking in money from shirt sponsorship, which is still banned in England.

Cesar Luis Menotti, manager of World Cup hosts Argentina, is interviewed, where he revealed that the fear of disappointing Argentina’s fans is giving him sleepless nights.

John Greig uses his column to reveal that Rangers might be making a sensational new signing – former Brentford trialist Rod Stewart, who has approached him about playing for Rangers in his testimonial.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 9.4.1977

Paul Mariner, heading goalwards against Bristol City, is the cover star as the 1976-1977 season nears it’s end.

In news, a Leeds United Supporters Club has been created in Ghana, with 50 members. It’s unknown if a young Tony Yeboah was one of those.

Jim Platt could be on the lookout for a move from Middlesbrough, having lost his first-team place, with the lack of games affecting his international chances.

Gordon Hill uses his column to talk about defender, declaring if you combined Martin Buchan, Mick Mills, Kevin Beattie and Colin Todd, you would have the ideal defender.

There was a double page photo spread from the recent League Cup Final between Everton and Aston Villa. There wasn’t much action to photograph, as the match finished 0-0 and went to a replay. It would eventually need a second replay to get a winner, Aston Villa winning 3-2 at Old Trafford.

1977 was the first year that a League Cup Final finished 0-0.

In foreign news, Poland had a training camp in Yugoslavia, with 15 hour training sessions, ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Denmark on 1st May. They won that match 2-1.

It was announced that Helmut Schoen will step down as West Germany manager after the 1978 World Cup and be replaced by his assistant Jupp Derwall, while players Franz Beckenbauer and Berti Vogts have been asked to become coaches with the national team once they retire.

Europe’s three competitions are at the Semi-Final stage, and Shoot uses two pages to preview all six games.

Shoot does a two page feature interviewing and looking at Scottish players who have moved to clubs in England, before returning to Scotland.

Staying in Scotland, there was a full page preview of the Scottish Cup Semi-final between Celtic and Dundee.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT 19.2.1977

Match action from Ipswich Town v Leeds United is on the cover of Shoot, but it is four other clubs – Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Everton and Queens Park Rangers – who are the main focus, as the League Cup reaches the Semi-Final stage.

In news, 16 year old Alan Currie was set to leave Cliftonville for Luton Town, Leeds and Wales would be meeting in a Testimonial for Gary Sprake. Staying in Yorkshire, Sheffield United want to sign Vic Moreland from Glentoran following Peter Dornan’s return to Linfield.

Neil Warnock, a player at Barnsley, has just passed his referee’s exam and is now a qualified official.

Finally, Radio City in Liverpool have signed up Duncan McKenzie and John Toshack for a Sunday afternoon radio show.

The second legs of the League Cup Semi-Finals are preview, both of which are level after the first legs. The first leg of the QPR v Aston Villa game took place too late to have a reaction from both teams, the game was delayed due to postponements.

Bolton had got a draw at Goodison Park. Bolton manager Ian Greaves commented that his side would now have to manage expectations after the draw at Goodison.

Everton won the second leg 1-0 to go through 2-1 on aggregate.

After a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road, QPR and Aston Villa drew 2-2 in the second leg at Villa Park. There were no away goals in those days, so it went to a replay at Highbury, with Villa winning 3-0.

After needing three games to win their Semi-Final, Villa would need three games to beat Everton in the final, winning a Second Replay 3-2 at Old Trafford.

Kevin Keegan uses his column to talk about tackles from behind, which he describes as “The curse of English soccer”

Shoot does a full page article on the goalscoring record of clubs in the history of league football, with Aston Villa the team with the best goals to game ratio, between 1888 and 1977.

In foreign news, Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalon stadium is set to become the second stadium in West Germany (after the Olympic Stadium in Munich) to get undersoil heating.

South American qualifiers for the 1978 World Cup (in South America) are due to get underway, and Shoot gives it a double page, with interviews from players based in Spain from Brazil, Peru, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Shoot dedicates two pages to the issue of sponsorship in football, canvassing Chairman, Managers, Players, including Derek Dougan, who got into a spot of bother for trying to get Kettering Town to wear shirt sponsorship.

Gordon Hill uses his column to write about his love of hunting, accompanied by a picture of him and Steve Coppell jokingly pointing a shotgun at Tommy Docherty.

Kenny Dalglish talks about celebrity fans in his column, and namedropping famous faces he has met at matches, such as Jackie Stewart and Rod Stewart.

On the back cover, there is a poster of Graeme Souness of Middlesbrough. In it, he has facial hair, but it is of the beard variety, rather than his trademark moustache.