Introduction

Editor’s Note – Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson’s Editor’s Note from Issue Seventeen

Beyond the Game

The Player of the People – Igor Rabiner
The death of Igor Cherenkov last year prompted an astonishing outpouring of grief from Spartak fans

The Man who Sacked Himself – Philippe Auclair
Gabriel Hanot was a player, a coach, a journalist and a pioneer who remains oddly neglected in France

Looking Forward – Brian Oliver
How the former Chelsea defender John Dempsey left football behind to work in a care home

The Complicated Symbol – Shaul Adar
Bnei Sakhnin’s journey to establish themselves as an Arab team in Israel’s top flight

Namesakes – James Corbett
Everton have had two Alex Youngs: one’s the subject of a Ken Loach film, the other killed his brother

Interview

Paul Breitner – Miguel Delaney
How a Bayern Munich defeat paved the way for West Germany’s 1974 World Cup triumph

Belfast

A Patchwork City – Lefkos Kyriacou
Mapping the fan-bases of the major club’s in Northern Ireland’s capital

Requiem for a Stand – Keith Bailie
A history in seven key moments of the short life of the Kop at Windsor Park

Before the Shopping Centre – Conor Heffernan
How crowd violence brought an end to the existence of Belfast Celtic

Theory

The Man who Built White Ships – Aleksandar Holiga
Stanko Poklepović, the oldest coach in Europe, and the importance of spiral impostations

The Whisky Option – Simon Curtis
Malcolm Allison’s time at Sporting was brief but fans remember him fondly

Messi and the Machine – Richard Fitzpatrick
Could playing video games be shaping the present generation of footballers?

Not at All Costs – George Caulkin
Paul Tisdale has not only revolutionised how Exeter City play, but how they think

Wrestling with the All-Blacks – Charlie Eccleshare
How Declan Edge is trying to make New Zealand take football seriously

Polemics

Against Sanitised Football – Alexander Shea
Can fans fight back against clubs who seek to ignore their history for bland branding?

The Trials of Baghdad Bob – Paul Brown
Can Roberto Martínez restore his reputation after a season of wilful blinkeredness?

Fiction

The Tackle – David Ashton
John Brodie, the former winger turned detective, returns to hunt down some stolen medals

Greatest Games

Scotland 3 England 1 – Paul Brown
Home International, Hampden Park, Glasgow, 17 April 1937

Eight Bells

Unexpected Relegations – Michael Yokhin
A selection of giants who have unexpectedly lost their place in the top tier