Published in September 2024, Issue Fifty Four and its four sections contains 17 articles including the story of the collapse of the first great Manchester City; how a bar in Berlin adopted football for the first time during the Euros; how Giovanni Sartori is the director behind the successes of Atalanta and Bologna; the continuing tribulations of Hatayspor.
WHERE WE ARE
The Ground beneath their Feet – James Montague
Death, loss, the earthquake and the continuing tribulations of Hatayspor
The Nostalgia Trap – Kit Holden
Can a club respect its traditions without becoming trapped by them?
The Great Eye – Alessandro Bai
Giovanni Sartori is the sporting director behind the successes of Atalanta and Bologna
In the Family – Sam Tighe
The love of football, the stories it generates, bonds one generation to the next
A Winning Habit – Neel Shelat
The Turkmenistani club Arkadag are setting records for consecutive wins. What does it mean?
Smoke and Mirrors – Philippe Auclair
Just how carbon neutral was the supposedly green 2022 World Cup?
The Return of Romário – Peter Speetjens
Romário became club president of America in January. What could go wrong?
The Sole Contraction – Ben Gilbert
As tournaments proliferate and swell, FA Cup replays have paid the price
TOURNAMENTS
The Reign of Spain – Jonathan Wilson
Euro 2024 had a fine winner but the tournament raised huge questions about governance
The Scent of Lavender – Uroš Jovičić
A group game at Euro 2024 conjured memories of a fateful afternoon 24 years earlier
The Lives of Others – Sergey Bondarenko
The bar in Berlin that adopted football for the first time during the Euros
The Chaos and the Triumph – Tim Vickery
At the Copa América, Argentina’s golden age went on amid rancour and shambles
ECHOES
The First City Scandal – John Harding
Billy Meredith, illegal payments and the collapse of the first great Manchester City
The Temps – Janus Køster-Rasmussen
How a team of part-timers and futsal players stood in for the Denmark national team
The Legacy – Osasu Obayiuwana
Issa Hayatou, who died in August, led African football with characteristic stubbornness for 25 years
FICTION
A Player in Spite of Himself – John Wheatcroft
Joe Castle is a gifted young player who never quite seems to fit in, until…
The Night Before – Callum Rice-Coates
A player is tormented by anxiety as he prepares for a big game
---
17 x 24 cm