The League Of Blogs 2013 Is Here!

League of Blogs, League of Blogs, riding through the glen! League of Blogs, League of Blogs, here we go again! Loathed by the bored, loved by the awesome! League of Blogs, League of Blogs, League of Blogs! Aaaaaand relax! Yes all, it's that time again! It's League of Blogs 2013! Wooooooooooh!!!! For those of you who were involved last time, the League of Blogs will need no introduction. For those who weren't, this little lot here should give...

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England v Scotland programme, 1969

The final crucial game in the 1969 Home International Championship saw the holders and world champions England facing the only team that could top the table in their stead - Scotland. The match was played at Wembley and for the first time in decades the Home International competition was played at the end of the season. Rather than having all matches scattered from October to February, the Home Internationals were now played over the course of...

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Great Tracksuits of Our Time: No.12

Wales (1976): It's May 1976, the United Kingdom is just weeks away from its hottest summer since records began and the Welsh national football team are battling for a place in the semi-finals of the European Championships. These are bizarre, surreal days. Despite being 2-0 down from the first leg, Wales were determined to beat Yugoslavia at Ninian Park to reach the finals in... Yugoslavia, of all places. The task was tough, but their preparations...

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Videoblog 3: European Football Yearbook 95/96

Chris O plucks another item from his personal football memorabilia collection. This time it's the European Football Yearbook 95/96, a thick, chunky book full of stats, information and most importantly, football kit illustrations......

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Match of the Day Soccer Annual 1979

Mike Channon’s favourite edition of Match of the Day was the one shown on the evening after the 1976 FA Cup Final. He was busy celebrating with his Southampton team-mates but, said Channon, “I cheated a bit and asked a friend to record both the match and the programme in the evening on a video tape recording machine I had just acquired.” This, friends, was 1978, an era when VCRs were as rare as the hairs on Bruce Forsythe’s head, yet Mick Channon wasn't the...

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Highfield Road's Last Day

Given what's happening with my club, Coventry City, today, I thought I'd post some pics from a happier time,   when we used to actually own our own ground. So here are some of my collection from the day we said goodbye to our beloved old home, Highfield Road. ...

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Attic Podcast 6 - Football on TV

Hey y'all! It's podcast time again! That means we're up to no.6 now... awwwww we're getting all growed up! This time, we discuss the way that football on TV has changed over the years. (Warning: contains heavy use of the word "Lawro.") Also, apologies for the slightly lower quality audio than usual. We've dropped the bit rate down to get the files below 50MB :) Enjoy... Subscribe on iTunes or download h...

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Retro Round Up - March 22nd

Continuing the weekly look at the best of the net, both Chris and I have been rather busy this week meaning we've hardly had chance to read anything :( Here are the few things we've managed to spot this week... ...

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After They Were Famous: The Secret Lives of the World Cup Mascots

World Cups come and go, some leaving behind a raft of fond memories and a lasting legacy for the host nation...others merely leave behind white elephant stadia and an increased national debt! But what becomes of the World Cup Mascots? Their moment in the spotlight burns brightly, but is over quicker than a Girls Aloud reunion tour. Chris & Rich asked this question and after some exhaustive research, invite you to take a look at the fates of...

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Panini: Got, Got, AAAARGH! 2

Last year we took a look at Panini's stranger offerings and if there's one thing we've learned in life, it's that a sequel is always a good thing...so let's take another journey into Panini's dark side with Panini - Got, Got, AAAARGH! 2 Speaking of the dark side, ever wondered what Darth Vader looks like on a day off? Wonder no more for here we see the Sith lord, just about to embark on a  morning run...I'm guessing this was just before...

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The Great Football Attic Easter Egg Badge Hunt

Q: What do kids love about Easter? If you answered "Celebrating the death and subsequent rebirth of Father Christmas" then it's likely you need either re-educating or intensive therapy! If you answered "Easter Eggs", then hurrah, welcome home friend! And what do kids love most about easter eggs? Aside from eating them... Yes, it's hunting them! I mean hunting for them! And what could be better than an easter egg hunt?  Why, an easter egg...

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Great Tracksuits of Our Time: No.11

Borussia Mönchengladbach (circa 1976): Just when you thought Puma weren't capable of producing a decent retro tracksuit, think again. Here's Charlton's very own Allan Simonsen sporting a very tasty tracksuit top during his time at Borussia Mönchengladbach. But wait a minute... doesn't this look a wee bit familiar? That's right. This could almost be an inverse representation of Northern Ireland's away shirt (designed by Umbro) in 2011....

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England v Spain programme, 1968

You can tell how old this match-day programme is because on page 2 there’s an explanation of what the European Championships is all about and how it came to be formed. Your average English football fan actually had to be told what the competition was all about. This somewhat thin pamphlet commemorating the occasion of England’s quarter-final against Spain in April 1968 may not contain much, but it gently informs and educates the reader about a...

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Football Attic Retro Roundup

There's a whole host of retro loveliness out there on that world wide web and while we will often retweet / share these articles, we thought it'd be nice to collate all the excellent stuff we've been reading each week. To that end, we present the 1st of our (hopefully) weekly Retro Roundups ...

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Tried and failed: The Case of the Missing Ribbons

Sometimes, if you look hard enough throughout its long and illustrious history, you can find evidence of a failed attempt to make football better. Here's an example from the 1976 League Cup Final where we see Man City captain Mike Doyle proudly lifting the trophy. But where are the coloured ribbons of the winning team? The answer? There weren't any, because in 1976 some bright spark thought it would be a great idea to do away with...

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Fantasy Nostalgia: Subbuteo 1900

While writing our recent article about football cigarette cards from 1938, it occurred to me that the game of soccer in the UK back then must have been a very colourful one indeed. Like many of you, I've occasionally seen pictures of footballers from the early twentieth century and marvelled at the garish colours and antiquated styles of the uniforms worn in that long-forgotten era. But the thought quickly came to mind that if football...

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Panini: Football 81

You could hardly miss Panini’s Football 81 sticker album as it rested on the newsagent’s shelf alongside the Angling Times and the latest instalment of Carrier’s Kitchen. The bright yellow cover and dynamic picture of Ray Wilkins taking on Gerry Francis shouted ‘come and get me’ to any passing 10-year-olds, and I'm proud to admit that I was one. By now, a strong format had become the foundation of the annual Panini sticker...

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Top 5 Subbuteo World Cup Accessories That Never Were

Subbuteo, as we all know, created many many accessories to enhance the realism of the beautiful tabletop game. Some were great and their existence was without question... Others made you wonder who exactly came up with the idea (ball throwing goalies on sticks?!?!). To that end, I hereby present some more Subbuteo accessories that, for all we know, may have been one step away from production... assuming the decision makers were tripping balls...

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WA & AC Churchman's 'Association Footballers' Cigarette Cards, 1938

There’s is the forgotten era, a vacuum in which football survived purely for the people playing it professionally and the ordinary masses that paid at the turnstiles every Saturday afternoon to watch. We have no lasting conscience of them now. They played in baggy clothes and heavy boots, thrilling thousands upon thousands every week with their artistry and tenacity. Their captivating style and humble grace made them champions in the eyes of the...

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Subbuteo Team Collections - Andrew Rockall

We received an email from Andrew Rockall (Statto_74) yesterday, showing us his recently discovered collection of Subbuteo teams. We're very happy to showcase them here as it's damn impressive! Over to Andrew for the background... Twenty years ago I made a conscious decision to save my Subbuteo things for any future children I might have. I came across the box of goodies last week and thought it was time to dust it down and take a nostalgic look. I...

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