No 250 December 2007

SIMON GILL

Outside Oxford train station at one o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, no one has any idea what the Kassam Stadium is, let alone how to get there

O x fo rd v W o k in g pzG

4 Editorial

Passion should go out of fashion

6 Newswatch &Webwatch

Why rugby is reckoned to be better than football,Steve McClaren’s job up for grabs; following live matches online

10 Shot!

UEFA Cup ties at Tottenham and Everton

12 Sidelines

Northwich fear for their future; Setanta on the Conference; referees get official help; Swiss police catch a controversial owner

16 England, Wales &Euro 2008

Russian delight and surprise at victory in Moscow; why does John Toshack persevere ?

19 Bolton &Spurs

Gary

Fans' fury at boardroom blunders playe p i9

22 Foreigner Quotas

Sepp Blatter’s latest idea is set to fail and wouldn’tachieve its aim

24 Shot Archive

Spot the famous faces on an FA coaching course in the 1950s

2 6 Match of the Month

From Oxford, as the Conference’s biggest club take on Woking

30 BlokeyBanter

Tim Lovejoy’s autobiography and a new fan culture show from Channel 4 plumb the depths. No, they really do

32 WSC250

Our best covers and a round-up of highs and lows of the past 22 years

34 AsGood AsItGot

The 25 th anniversary of a surprise Soviet title win for Dinamo M insk

36 Football &Race

Rugby league could offer lessons on bringing through Asian players, plus Blackburn's drive to recruit Asian fans; Basile Boli’s surprise political career; and a German-Iranian refuses to play in Israel

40 Reviews

Ian Holloway, not as funny on paper; Fergie and Shankly compared; the personable Peter Crouch; Brian Clough’s Derby days

42 Letter From

Finland, where the Champions League is a distant goal for the top team

44 Letters

Dear WSC... Here’s what we think

46 Season In Brief

Johan Cruyff’s title-winning final season, putting one over Ajax in 1983-84