Shoot! scores at 50

FOR almost four decades Shoot! magazine was as synonymous with English football as FA Cup giantkillings, 3pm kick-offs and terrace hooligans.

And to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication’s first edition, an officially licensed book has been brought out that illustrates perfectly how the beautiful game has been given a makeover since the days when England were world champions.

From ‘Football Funnies’, to ‘You are the Ref’ to ‘Ask the Expert’, all the regular features that made Shoot! a must-read mag for any self-respecting fan are there to savour.

Homage

The book even comes packaged with its own league ladder to help recapture the days when every young supporter kept their tabs on the fortunes of the 92 League clubs on a weekly basis. Pictures of Bobby Moore, Geo George Best, K Kevin Keegan a and Gary Lineker adorn the f front cover in homage to the years when the magazine was at its peak before going out of print in 2008.

There are interviews with some greats of the game, like Bobby Charlton, Brian Clough, Ian Rush and Diego Maradona (above).

But the book also shines a powerful light on the era when black players were the exception rather than the norm.

An article entitled ‘The Black Explosion’ gives examples of so-called “coloured crusaders” and mentions how “nearly half the clubs in the First Division have at least one black player on their staff”.

Football supporters love their nostalgia – and 50 Years of Shoot! ticks all the boxes.

Published by Carlton Books, it is available at www.carltonbooks.co.uk/ 50-years-of-shoot-hb.html