MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 6.12.1980

We go back to the week before John Lennon died, as Ian Wallace and Peter Ward of reigning European Champions Nottingham Forest are the cover stars of Shoot, billed as “Forest’s Tiny Terrors”

As you open the magazine, four top flight stars – Vince Hilare, Joe Blyth, John Craggs and Brian Horton are interviewed on the title race, and they all expect Liverpool to win their 3rd successive title in 1981. They finished 5th as Aston Villa won the title. Winning the European Cup made up for it though.

It’s the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup, and Shoot predicts a last four line-up of Liverpool, Coventry, Spurs and Man City. Three out of four were right, with West Ham beating Spurs the only one they got wrong.

Clive Allen uses his column to comment that he has now played for eleven managers so far in his short career, headlined as “My team of managers”

Newly appointed QPR manager Terry Venables is interviewed, stating that he is wary of making too many changes.

In news, Tottenham Hotspur manager Keith Burkinshaw believes that Chris Hughton has made a mistake by choosing to play for Republic Of Ireland instead of England, while Blackpool manager Alan Ball expects Colin Morris of Blackpool to be a million pound player some day.

Cover stars Ian Wallace and Peter Ward get a feature, as their role at Nottingham Forest is changing football as the days of lumping it up to the big man are now over.

18 year old Paul Walsh gets a feature, being described “The most exciting Charlton player in 25 years”

Danny McGrain uses his column to comment on Scottish clubs all being out of Europe before Christmas, blaming it due to “inexperience”

In posters, there was a Newport County team poster, while Trevor Francis and David O’Leary are advertising Adidas and Mitre.

In adverts, Kevin Keegan is flogging Grundig radios, and the England squad are flogging Trebor Mints.

There is a full page profile of Bernd Schuster’s protracted move from Cologne to Barcelona, with a chronological diary of events.

Leicester City get a full page club profile.

Gary Mabbutt gets a profile after overcoming Diabetes to break into Bristol Rovers team.

Shoot asks four top flight players what foreign league they would like to play in if they were to leave England. Joe Jordan would like to play in West Germany (he would eventually play in Italy), Eric Gates wants to play in Spain, Peter Barnes believes Argentina would suit him, while Craig Johnston wants to play in West Germany, before returning to Australia.

Shoot does a double page spread on three youngsters looking to break into the Scotland squad in time for the 1982 World Cup – Charlie Nicholas (Celtic), John MacDonald (Rangers) and Jim Leighton (Aberdeen)

Talking of the 1982 World Cup, Gordon Cowans hopes to be in England’s squad for it, as well has having a title medal to his name with Aston Villa.

England are offered some advice from Southampton’s Yugoslav defender Ivan Golac, who says that England fans are too critical of their team.

The magazine ends with a profile of Arthur Albiston, who lists his favourite singers as Donna Summer and George Benson.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : MATCH – 23.5.1987

Keith Houchen and Dave Bennett of Coventry City are the cover stars as Match reviews the 1987 FA Cup Final. Both players, holding aloft the trophy, were the two Coventry players to score. The winner came via Gary Mabbutt own goal.

The headline “Coventry’s Extra Specials” makes reference to the fact the game went to extra-time, as well as one of Coventry’s biggest exports of the 1980s, the band The Specials.

That match at Wembley gets a double page report as you open the magazine.

Derby County get a double page spread as they have returned to England’s top flight for the first time since 1980, the club having fallen into decline, being relegated to Division Three in 1985, just ten years after being League Champions in 1985.

England are playing Scotland in the annual fixture, which gets a double page spread.

Scarborough have made history by becoming the first club to win promotion to the Football League, and they get a double page spread.

Also celebrating promotion in 1987 were Portsmouth, who get a double page spread, having narrowly missed out in 1985 and 1986.

It’s not just about promotion, Match also looks at players who helped their club avoid relegation – Paul Goddard of Newcastle and Dean Saunders of Oxford.

In foreign news, Trevor Francis scores a title winning goal in Italy, as his goal for Atalanta against Inter Milan wins the title for Napoli.

There is a full page profile of Torquay United and Tottenham Hotspur.

In news, Manchester United have started using a computerised fitness testing programme called Body Talk.

Also getting a full page profile are Everton having just won the league.

Scotland isn’t left out, with posters of cup winners St Mirren and champions Rangers.

Staying in Scotland, Celtic are planning a summer spending spree after agreeing a sponsorship deal with CR Smith.

Scottish striker Joe Jordan gets a profile, as he prepares to play for Bristol City in a second successive Freight Rover Trophy Final, against Mansfield Town.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 20.10.1979

Allan Hunter and Mick Mills of Ipswich Town, dressed in their respective national kits, are the cover stars of this edition of Shoot. That can only mean one thing, England are playing Northern Ireland. It’s not a Home International game, but on a continent wide scale, a European Championsip Qualifier at Windsor Park.

Mills and Hunter get a joint interview in Shoot’s preview.

Shoot do a feature on soldiers in Belfast who’ll be guarding the England team.

The feature reveals that, despite a lot of them being football fanatics, they’re not allowed to attend Irish League games when in civilian clothes due to security fears.

As well as England and Northern Ireland, there are also previews of Republic Of Ireland, Wales and Scotland’s European Championship Qualifiers.

Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson expressed his frustration at a League Cup defeat away to Arbroath. Fortunately for them, a comfortable first leg win saw them go through.

As well as winning the European Cup on the field, Nottingham Forest were celebrating after being voted European Team Of The Year by France Football magazine.

Wolves get a profile by Shoot, with the headline “Wolves Are Biting Again”, and so it briefly proved, as they won the League Cup that season. The rest of the decade wasn’t as good for Wolves.

In Northern Ireland, Portadown defender Herbie Pearson fears his career could be over, while QPR saw off competition from Manchester United and Everton to sign Northern Ireland Schoolboy international Alan McDonald, while Bobby Carlisle has signed for Newry Town, who have ambitions of joining Northern Ireland’s top flight.

Gordon McQueen uses his column to describe Scotland’s European Championship Qualifier against Austria as “Win or bust”

The draw for the 1982 World Cup is coming up soon, and Shoot previews this and how it will be decided, as this is the first 24 team World Cup. Shoot writes that there is a possibility of two UK teams being paired together, and so it proved, when Scotland and Northern Ireland were paired in the same group.

In ads, Phil Neal is advertising Gola.

Derek Johnstone uses his column to deny he had a punch-up with Scotland manager Ally McLeod.

Meanwhile, teenage defender Tommy Caton is juggling playing for Manchester City with his studies. He is interviewed by Shoot and says he is yet to face his biggest footballing examination, a match against Joe Jordan.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 8.9.1984

Glenn Hoddle is the main cover star of Shoot, alongside a British player abroad, Graeme Souness, and a British player with aspirations of playing abroad, Luther Blissett.

As you open the magazine, there is a double page feature on Gordon Cowans, who has ambitions of going to Mexico. Not to play in the Mexican League, but the 1986 World Cup. His feature had the headline “Memo to Bobby Robson, save a World Cup place for Gordon Cowans”

He didn’t go to Mexico.

Having just rejoined Watford for AC Milan, Luther Blissett has stated that he wants to play abroad again. Before Watford fans paniced, he clarified that it was European competition for the Vicarage Road side that he was wanting to play abroad.

Staying with Watford, manager Graham Taylor had put a £2m fee on Maurice Johnston, who has handed in a transfer request.

In Scotland, Hibs and George Best were in trouble with the SFA after Best played for Hibs in Jackie McNamara’s Testimonial, but was unregistered.

Craig Johnston had missed the start of the season for Liverpool in order to be with his wife and soon to born child, his wife having insisted that the child be born in Australia.

Manchester United’s three new signings Jesper Olsen, Gordon Strachan and Alan Brazil are part of a centre page poster, as United look to win the league for the first time since 1967.

As you turn the page, there is a double page feature on Strachan, where he reveals he supports Hibs, and turned down the chance to sign for United in 1971, having already given his word to Dundee.

Staying in Scotland, new Rangers signing Cammy Fraser was introduced to life at Ibrox by manager Jock Wallace ordering to shave off his moustache.

Peter Shreeves, new manager of Tottenham Hotspur, gets a double page spread, insisting he isn’t afraid of the challenge of succeeding Keith Burkinshaw.

Shoot uses star signs to try and predict the future for footballers such as Neville Southall, Kenny Sansom, Glenn Hoddle and Andy Gray.

QPR get a full page feature, with Ian Stewart giving the lowdown on the club.

In news, Mark McGhee begins his career at Hamburg with a suspension, having been sent-off in a pre-season friendly.

Jimmy Greaves received a letter in support of a Great Britain football team. Greaves replies that he agrees with the idea, but that football shouldn’t be in the Olympics.

The highlight of this edition comes in the form of a double page photo of Trevor Francis and Graeme Souness enjoying their new life in Italy, at Sampdoria, out on a boat trip together, all oiled up and dressed in nothing but Speedos. It is an image that cannot be unseen.

Wilf Rostron of Watford tells Shoot who his favourite wingers are : Pat Nevin, John Barnes and Mark Chamberlain.

Ian Rush uses his column to declare that England can be successful by learning from Liverpool, and that Graeme Souness is better than Michel Platini, and will show it in Serie A.

Beside Rush’s column, is a full page report on the recent Charity Shield, where Everton beat Liverpool 2-0, with the headline “Revenge!”, after Liverpool had beaten Everton in the previous season’s League Cup Final.

Bryan Robson uses his column to praise attackers that have recently been on the move – Joe Jordan of Southampton and the Spurs duo of Clive Allen and John Chiedozie.

Charlie Nicholas is prominent towards the end of this issue, telling Shoot he is happy at Arsenal, then appearing in an advert for Nike alongside Glenn Hoddle and Ian Rush.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 8.9.1979

Joe Jordan of Manchester United is the cover star of Shoot, which had free Team Tabs of England’s 3rd and 4th divisions, which completed the set, enabling you to track teams progress during the 1979-1980 season.

There is a full page dedicated to the qualifiers for Euro 1980, resuming after a summer break. The headline, listed all the group leaders.

They got one spectacularly wrong, having proclaimed Portugal as on their way to Italy. It was Belgium, lying 4th out of 5th, 3 points behind the Portugese (in the era of 2 points for a win) who had a late surge to win the group. Belgium went on the reach the final in Italy.

Ray Clemence’s column sees him talk about veterans he admires, picking out Alan Ball, a World Cup winner in 1966, still playing in the top flight (for Southampton) as the 1980s approached.

In competitions, readers had the opportunity to win a “Referee’s Watch”, if you were that way inclined.

There was a colour photo (A lot of the printing in 1979 was in black/white) dedicated to top flight footballers such as Gordon Hill, Gary Owen, Brian Talbot and Mick Channon taking part in Footballers v Athletes episode of Superstars

There is a profle of West Ham goalkeeper Phil Parkes. If you’re interested, his favourite singers are Johnny Mathis, Rita Coolidge and Bee Gees.

In adverts, Bob Paisley advertises Gola trainers with the headline “Having talent is only half the story”

In posters, there was a colour poster of Charlton Athletic.