MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : MATCH – 21.5.1994

Steve Bruce, holding aloft the FA Cup, is the cover star of Match as Manchester United have just won the double for the first time in their history.

England are playing two friendlies this week, and Match interviews captain David Platt to get the lowdown on the England team.

Steve Chettle of Nottingham Forest is subject to a Q and A, where he reveals he loves Chinese and Italian food.

There is a pull-out of Group B as the countdown to the 1994 World Cup is in full swing. That group contained Brazil, Cameroon, Russia and Sweden.

Ryan Giggs is the subject of a double page spread, as Match goes on location with him at Selhurst Park as he films an advert for Reebok.

Giggs also appears (sort of) in an advert later in the magazine to flog his own video game.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 21.12.1985

Paul Walsh of Liverpool is the cover star of Shoot as 1985 approaches Christmas.

In a double page interview, Walsh reveals he was conned into staying at Anfield, and has now been rewarded with an extended run in the team, and is eyeing up a place in England’s World Cup squad.

In news, Chris Turner wants to leave Manchester United due to a lack of first-team opportunities. Across Manchester, City defender Mick McCarthy has been out injured, rumoured to have been suffered in a sprint with an Irish journalist who had £20 bet he could beat him in a race, in the build-up to a recent international.

Staying in the Republic Of Ireland, their state broadcaster has signed a deal to broadcast English games at 3pm on a Saturday, much to the anger of clubs in Northern Ireland, where many people can pick up RTE.

Bryan Robson uses his column to discuss the best and worst referees in England.

Steve Foster gets a double page interview, where he states that Bobby Robson is scared of him because of his reputation, which is why he isn’t getting called up for the England squad.

In Scotland, Davie Dodds had a novel way to beat his goal drought, by dropping back into midfield. It worked, as he hit the back of the net in a recent 3-0 win over Celtic.

Jimmy Greaves gave his Star Letter Award to Mr N Bate of Cambridge, who complains about England not being seeded for the forthcoming World Cup Finals.

Greaves also uses his letters page to say that he was sick and tired of talk of a proposed breakaway Super League in English football.

It would turn out to be prophetic. When the Premier League was formed in 1992, ITV lost the rights, and Saint and Greavsie were no more.

Gary Mabbutt gets a full page profile for his versatility, with opinions varying as to where he fits best on the football pitch.

Across North London, Paul Davis says he doesn’t feel like a first team player at Arsenal, despite playing over 100 games, and has become more competitive in a bit to avoid being dropped.

Ipswich Town are the club who get a profile this week, currently struggling in the top flight.

Staying in East Anglia, Steve Bruce of Norwich City is desperate for the club to return to the top flight having been relegated the previous season, having spent seven years trying to reach it, before joining Norwich from Gillingham, only to be relegated after a season.

The magazine ends with a profile of Tony Dorigo, who reveals that his favourite singers are Bryan Ferry and Stevie Wonder, while his ambition for 1986 is to get an England Under 21 call-up when he gets British citizenship in October.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : MATCH – 12.5.1990

Later today, Alan Pardew will lead out Crystal Palace for the FA Cup Final. In 1990, he was playing for Crystal Palace, appearing on the cover of Match with current Stoke City manager Mark Hughes, then a Manchester United player, with the FA Cup sandwiched inbetween them.

As you open the magazine, Mark Bright is interviewed, urging Crystal Palace to make him a contract offer he can’t refuse, amid speculation over his future.

Across the page, Gary Pallister is interviewed, stating the the FA Cup offers a lifeline to a disappointing season for both him and United.

In traditional cup final fashion, the teams get profiled by a team-mate, Gary O’Reilly for Palace and Mike Phelan for United.

Phelan reveals that Steve Bruce is known as “Empty head” due to knowing a lot of useless facts, and Paul Ince is known as “Mr Quote” due to his love of speaking to the press.

In news, Ronnie Rosenthal states he won’t be returning to Standard Liege for the following season, with Liverpool, where he on loan, being his preferred destination.

It’s also Cup Final Day in Scotland, where Celtic face Aberdeen, and this gets a double page profile.

With the World Cup in Italy approaching, Match looks at those players with ambitions of being on the plane, and the choices Bobby Robson has to make.

Ally McCoist gets a profile, where he reveals a fondness for Brooke Shields, a fear of Spiders, and that his favourite thing about Match is photos of Ally McCoist.

In Match Facts, 18 year old Mark Bosnich made what Match described as a “reasonable” debut for Manchester United in a 0-0 draw with Wimbledon.

In their foreign round-up, Napoli win Serie A, but their star player Diego Maradona wants to leave and join Marseille.

As part of their World Cup preview, South Korea get a double page profile.

The magazine ends with a double page profile on Paul Gascoigne, as Match assesses his performance against Czechoslovakia in one of England’s warm-up games.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SHOOT – 17.4.1993

Ian Wright and Mark Bright, former team-mates at Crystal Palace, now playing for Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, are the cover stars as Shoot looks forward to the League Cup Final between the two clubs.

In news, each member of the Scotland squad received a bottle of champagne from Berti Vogts, but Brian McClair was unable to collect his, so Pat Nevin claimed on his behalf. McClair was still waiting to receive his.

It was announced that week that Aston Villa were to face Everton in a friendly in Mauritius at the end of May 1993.

Meanwhile, if you wanted a bizarre piece of Arsenal memorabilia was on sale, with the infamous mural behind the goal while a stand was being built at Highbury going for sale.

Shoot does a double page report on reserve team football, taking a look at the game between QPR and Wimbledon, looking at the type of player (young, out of favour, returning from injury, etc) who are involved in these games, and how they use it in their careers.

Rangers, potentially one game away from the European Cup Final, get a full page preview of their game against CSKA Moscow, with Richard Gough being interviewed about their ability to come from behind in European games.

The set-up of the European Cup needs explained to give context, much different from today’s competition.

It was a straight knock-out until the Last 8, when, instead of Quarter-Finals, two groups of two, with the group winners meeting in the final.

After five games, Rangers were level on points with Marseille, but the French side had a vastly superior Goal Difference.

Rangers needed to get a better result than Marseille. Marseille won, making Rangers 0-0 draw at home to CSKA Moscow irrelevant.

Kris Lee writes to Jimmy Greaves to say that Arsenal should give David O’Leary a coaching role while Joao Miguel Marabuto Neves from Portugal writes in about Rangers, saying that despite beating Leeds in the European Cup, Manchester United and Aston Villa, challenging for the Premier League, wouldn’t fear playing them.

Peter Fox of Stoke City, aged 35, gets profiled, enjoying a return to Stoke City’s team as they try to gain promotion from the Third Tier. Earlier that season, Fox had spent time on loan at Linfield.

There is a 12 page pull-out previewing the League Cup Final between Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal, with guest pundit Steve Bruce predicting a win for Wednesday. Arsenal won the game 2-1, a match best remembered for Steven Morrow falling over when being given a piggyback by Tony Adams. Morrow wasn’t even mentioned in the preview.

Shoot gives a double page spread on crowd safety, this poll coming just four years after Hillsbrough.

26% of people disagreed with all seater stadiums
21% of people had stopped standing since Hillsbrough
94% of people felt safer supporting their team
51% of people felt safer attending football matches than before Hillsbrough

Ryan Giggs, having just scored his first international goal, against Belgium, gets a full-page poster to commemorate this.

There is a competition to win a complete Panini Serie A stickerbook, and a Lotto football.

In Scottish football news, Raith Rovers manager Jimmy Nicholl is attracting interest from teams looking to replace long serving managers ….. Dundee United and Northern Ireland.

He has yet to manage either.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : MATCH – 25th JULY 1992

We are now in the summer of 1992 as Ray Houghton, soon to be sold to Aston Villa is the cover star of Match.

The page 3 star of this episode has long, flowing black hair …….. Darren Peacock.

Darren Peacock is being honoured as the player of the 1991/1992 season based on the average ratings in Match Facts with an average rating of 7.51 from 38 games.

Bizarrely, the clubs who finished in the Top Three that season (Leeds United, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday) didn’t have a player in the Top Ten.

A readers poll gives readers the chance to nominate their two centre-backs in England’s team for the 1994 World cup finals.

Options include : Des Walker, Mark Wright, Martin Keown, Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Tony Adams, Paul Elliott, Chris Fairclough, Steve Sedgeley, Carlton Palmer, Keith Curle, Darren Peacock, Alan Kernaghan and Nicky Tanner.

Bit of a pity that England failed to qualify.

Incidentally, alan Kernaghan did get to play in the 1994 World Cup …….. for the Republic Of Ireland.

In rumours that look a bit silly now : Arsenal want to sign Geoff Thomas and Keith Curle, Chelsea want to do a swap deal with Manchester United for Andy Townsend, Everton want to sign Duncan Ferguson from Dundee United (well, they did, but from Rangers two years later)

In actual news, Bristol City sign unknown Arsenal forward Andrew Cole for £500,000. Two and a half years later, he is Britain’s most expensive footballer.