Introduction
Editor’s Note – Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson’s Editor’s Note from Issue One
Fortunes of War
Stars of David – James Montague
The astonishing story of Israel’s first national team
The Collaborator – Philippe Auclair
The treacherous life and traitor’s death of Alexandre Villaplane, France’s first World Cup captain
Interview
Dennis Bergkamp – David Winner
Dennis Bergkamp talks about his greatest goals, the nature of genius and the importance of predicting the future
Leeds
Revie-Nixon – Dominic Sandbrook
How ignominious exits overshadow the successes of a US president and a Leeds United manager
Mind of Peace – Anthony Clavane
David Peace discusses the inspiration behind The Damned Utd and why he won’t apologise to John Giles
44 Days, Later – Lawrence Donegan
Why Jock Stein lasted no longer than Brian Clough at Elland Road
Theory
The First Bilardista – Jonathan Wilson
How Victorio Spinetto pioneered pragmatism in Argentinian football
The Brain in Spain – Sid Lowe
Juanma Lillo, mentor to Pep Guardiola, explains his thinking on clubs, coaching and why society is sick
Grass Roots
Duels on the Nile – Paul Myers
A report from Sudan on the second championship for Africans playing their football at home
An Exile at Home – Scott Anthony
Vassilis Hatzipanagis, Greece’s greatest player, explains why he never played a competitive game for his country
Port in a Storm – Ben Lyttleton
The extraordinary success of the academy at Le Havre
Marsh Attacks – Simon Hooper
How a Sunday League team gives London’s Romanians a sense of identity
Denmark ’92
Once Upon a Time… – Dave Farrar
The fairy story of Denmark’s 1992 European Championship campaign
Origins
The Sum of Their Parts – Gunnar Persson
The rise and fall of Motala and its football team
When the Kites Weren’t Black – Dileep Premachandran
The lost legacy of Indian football
Man and Boy – David Ashton
Fathers, sons and the grumbling terraces of industrial Scotland
Polemics
The Pillars of the Earth – Simon Kuper
Could it be that the Premier League boom has only just begun?
What’s the Point of Football Writing? – Tim Vickery
There’s more to it than getting up late, isn’t there? Isn’t there?
Worlds Apart – Kieron O’Connor
When Iker Casillas raised the World Cup trophy in Johannesburg’s Soccer City last July, everyone congratulated Spain on…
Football Manager
The Ballad of Bobby Manager: My Autobiography – Iain Macintosh
When somebody takes their game of Football Manager just a little too seriously…
Greatest Games
Manchester United 2 Real Madrid 3 – Rob Smyth
Champions League quarter-final second leg, Old Trafford, Manchester, 19 April 2000
Eight Bells
Pre-War Scottish Legends – Scott Murray
A selection of eight of the early stars of the game in Scotland