MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : MATCH – 22.7.1989

Mo Johnston is the cover star of Match as Match asks how good he is.

This was prompted by a claim by Rangers manager Graeme Souness that Johnston was the best striker in Britain, so Match organised a poll to end the arguement once and for all.

Match also revealed that Johnston predicted in 1982 that one day he would sign for Rangers.

Another big summer signing was Chris Waddle of Marseille, who tells Match that money wasn’t a factor in his move.

Also moving to the Continent was Alan McInally, who hopes his move to Bayern Munich will earn him a place in Scotland’s squad for the 1990 World Cup if they qualify.

Match looks at the race for promotion to Division One, asking players from clubs promoted in 1989 (Chelsea, Manchester City, Crystal Palace) who they think will go up in 1990, the general consensus being Leeds.

Some footballers are without a club, and Match writes about those top flight players looking for a club.

If they end up at another top flight club, you’ll know how much it will cost to watch them, as Match does a chart of admission prices at Division One clubs, apart from Southampton and Liverpool, who didn’t provide information.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 15.7.1989

It’s the summer of 1989 and clubs are getting ready for the new season, as Paul Stewart is cover star of Shoot, telling him of his “White Hart Pain”

The pain in question was a disappointing 1988-1989 season following his move from Manchester City, which gets a double page feature as soon as you open the magazine.

Everton’s new signings Stefan Rehn and Martin Keown get a double page, with Rehn giving up his job as a Painter and Decorator to play in England, while Martin Keown hopes his move to Goodison Park will fulfill his dream of winning the league, which he thought had disappeared when he left Arsenal.

Also leaving Aston Villa was Alan McInally, with Graham Taylor facing criticism from angry fans over the sale. Taylor himself was angry with the conduct by Bayern Munich in the deal, who he says illegally approached his player.

Another player heading to the Continent was Chris Waddle, who has just left Tottenham Hotspur for Marseille, with Spurs manager Terry Venables telling Shoot that this is an opportunity for Gazza to come out of the shadows and become a big star.

Brits abroad were all the rage is this issue, with John Toshack getting a full page profile having just been appointed manager of spanish champions Real Madrid.

Rangers and Celtic are hoping that the Home Office will grant them permits for foreign signings, with Thomas Madigage of South Africa wanting to go to Rangers, and Dariusz Dziekanowski wanting to sign for Celtic.

Lou Macari is the new manager of West Ham, and has told his players they have to toughen up if they want to win promotion.

Tony Agana and Brian Deane are featured as part of a feature called Dynamic Duos, inspired by the cinematic success of the Batman movie, which didn’t actually feature Robin.

This week’s Player Profile was Alan McCleary of Milwall. Disappointingly, they asked him football related question and not who is favourite band is.

The magazine ends with Bryan Robson using his column to declare that Manchester United’s signing of Mike Phelan and Neil Webb will be the best signings of the summer.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 14.9.1985

England’s new star striker Gary Lineker shares cover space with Ian Rush, ahead of a vital week of World Cup Qualifiers, with Rush stating that Wales will destroy Scotland.

Rush gets a double page spread, saying that Wales will win and set up a Play-Off against a team from Oceania, due to Scotland missing the suspended Graeme Souness.

Unsurprisingly, Scotland think they will get the win, according to Shoot columnist Willie Miller.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, a result which sent Scotland into a Play-Off against Australia, which they won 2-0 on aggregate to reach the World Cup in Mexico.

The game will be remembered for the death of Scotland manager Jock Stein, who collapsed on the touchline moments before the final whistle.

Sammy McIlroy gets interviewed about Northern Ireland’s game in Turkey, expecting Turkey to provide difficult opponents despite losing 8-0 to England earlier in the group.

Kevin Sheedy gets interviewed about Republic Of Ireland’s chances of reaching the World Cup, stating that they can do it. Sheedy had yet to win an away game in his international career, and would need to start doing so, with trips to Switzerland and Soviet Union coming up.

England’s game against Romania is previewed, with manager Bobby Robson singing the praises of Gary Lineker, who had only made his international debut earlier that year.

Bryan Robson uses his column to focus on players who are aiming to head to Mexico next summer, such as Adrian Heath, Paul Walsh, Peter Davenport, Steve Williams and Remi Moses.

Celtic’s new star Alan McInally gets a double page spread, while Rangers also get a double page spread. Well, Queens Park Rangers.

Justin Fashanu also gets a profile as he hopes to get Brighton promoted from the Second Division.

Charlie Nicholas uses his column to express his fears after Scotland manager Jock Stein considers picking only domestic based players after having problems getting access to English based players.

One Scottish striker not worried about not getting picked is Kenny Dalglish, also player-manager at Liverpool, telling Shoot he’ll have no hesitation in dropping himself.

Meanwhile, there is disharmony with the West Germany squad, due to a row breaking out between Berndt Schuster and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Schuster was currently in international exile due to a disagreement with manager Franz Beckenbauer.

A dispute with broadcasters means that no club games in England are televised, so Shoot does double page photos of some of the best action.