THE BLACK PANTHER
BY Vince Cooper JUST how important was Eusebio to world football? He was the first great African import to the European game and was a real pioneer,...
GREAT SCOTT
BY Vince Cooper JUST after the start of the 20th century, goalkeeper Billy Scott joined Everton from Irish team Linfield. He quickly became a...
THE BAKER BROTHERS
By Vince Cooper Gerry and Joe Baker were sons of a sailor. Which goes some way towards explaining their convoluted international history. The...
GONE GROUNDS – VETCH FIELD
By Vince Cooper SWANSEA Town were formed after a meeting at the Royal Hotel Swansea in 1912. In a traditional rugby stronghold it took a while for...
THE ANGLO-ITALIAN CUP(s)
In 1967 3rd Division Queen’s Park Rangers shocked football when beating top-tier West Bromwich Albion to take the League Cup. But what should have...
Lev Yashin. The Shining Light
Lev Yashin never wanted to be a goalkeeper. In fact he never even wanted to be a footballer. But the young man who first tried boxing and then went...
GONE GROUNDS – THE DEN (part two)
By Vince Cooper When professional football resumed in 1919-20 after the First World War the Football League expanded from 40 to 44 teams but...
GONE GROUNDS – BAYVIEW PARK
By Vince Cooper At the arrival of the 19th century there were three good-class football teams competing in the Levenmouth area in Fife on the East...
THE COLOSSUS
By VINCE COOPER IT has always been said that Goalkeepers are the real characters of football. Stories of eccentricity abound among custodians...
‘Sorry’
‘WEE’ Hughie Gallacher was idolised by fans everywhere, including those of opposing teams. But, as Vince Cooper writes, his life ended...
The Day it Rained Goals
Boxing Day 1963. The Day it Rained Goals We all like a ‘goal-fest’. Lets face it, what’s not to love about a thrilling 3-3 draw? Even if it...
1967 – Scotland’s Year
1967: Scotland’s Year – The Club Scene By Vince Cooper Whilst the Scottish National team were overcoming World champs England at Wembley,...
1967: WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD (PART ONE)
By Vince Cooper After England’s success in the 1966 World Cup it was felt in many quarters that Sir Alf Ramsey’s men would remain at the pinnacle of...
1966. WHEN FOOTBALL DANCED TO A MERSEY BEAT
By Vince Cooper In 1966 football belonged to England. And English football belonged to Merseyside. The country hosted the World Cup for the first...
The 1930 World Cup. The Story of the One-Armed Man
A look back to the first-ever World Cup Finals 88 years ago and a final that featured bitter rivals – and a one-armed man. There was no...
GONE GROUNDS – BROOMFIELD PARK
AIRDRIEONIANS began life as Excelsior Football Club in 1878 spending three years with that name before changing to identify themselves closer with...