Programmes! Programmes! - Cliff Hague

Programmes! Programmes! Football and Life from Wartime to Lockdown is a fascinating archaeological dig through a collection of 2,000 programmes. From the bleak wartime era when players had to shelter from air raids and depend on army leave, to tragedies and the ''Slum Game'', through to the glitz of today''s global stars, noodle partners and fan-owned, community-based clubs - every aspect of football''s evolution, its highs and lows can be found in match-day programmes, along with a dose of bad poetry, adverts for sex magazines, boy bands who never made it and explanations of a ''magic sponge'' for American fans. There are unforgettable games, World Cup winners, schoolboy internationals destined for stardom and others whose glimpse of glory proved fleeting. The stories play out against a backdrop of technological, economic and social change in Britain and beyond, rekindling the memories of generations of fans. Programmes! Programmes! is a ''must'' for lovers of football nostalgia, with fascinating, funny and quirky tales galore.