#arsenal v west ham | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

markwatkinsconsumerguide · 1 year

Photo

Consumer Guide / No.119 / Q & A with writer / author Greg Lansdowne, with Mark Watkins.

MW: Teenage Kicks. Tell me about some of the books, comics, records, TV and radio you enjoyed during your teenage years…

GL: The media I consumed, and enjoyed, during my formative years in the 1980s continue to shape my career – so I have a lot to thank them for. My earliest reading material were comics such as; Beano, Dandy, Buster, Whizzer and Chips, and Roy of the Rovers alongside any football magazine going in the children’s sector (Shoot! and Match being the mainstays).

From there, I graduated to publications such as World Soccer, Wisden Cricket Monthly and, when it came out in my late teens, 90 Minutes. I had a voracious appetite for magazines – and still do – so read as much as possible relating to my interests.

As far as records go, the first seven inch single I bought was, Take On Me, by a-ha. My first album was, Hunting High And Low, by a-ha. There’s obviously a pattern evolving there and I have bought every release by a-ha since (not to mention writing a book about them which was published in 2016).

Besides watching any TV coverage of football and cricket (and plenty of other sports in the ‘80s) my favourite programme was Grange Hill – an all-time classic which stands the test of time. It’s one of the few of my childhood loves that I haven’t written about... but there is still plenty of time!

With a lack of live football coverage during the ‘80s (there was far more cricket available to watch) supporters were very reliant on the radio when not attending matches. BBC Radio 2 with voices such as Peter Jones, Bryon Butler and Jimmy Armfield talking you through the games was manna from heaven.

Saturday afternoon broadcasts in London were provided by LBC in the early part of the decade (Jeff Stelling was the host for a period) before Jonathan Pearce, with a stellar list of summarisers including Bobby Moore, Terry Neill and Alan Mullery became required listening on Capital Gold Sport from the 1988-89 season onwards.

MW: What was your first football sticker book? How did this particular love eventually lead to writing three books about collecting?

GL: My first Panini sticker album was Football 79 and so began a lifetime’s love affair with football stickers (especially those by Panini). My brother, Billy, who was a professional footballer with West Ham at the time and had collected FKS stickers as a child, bought me the album and subsequent packets - getting to within one sticker of finishing the album. Although I was a little young to be taking much interest in following scores/a specific team in early 1979 I was fascinated by the badge designs, variously-hued kits and garish haircuts. I became hooked on collecting and football soon after.

MW: What football team do you support? Tell me about your first and last matches...

GL: As I mentioned above, my brother was a professional at West Ham at the time of my first Panini album and my Dad just happened to be reserve team manager - 25 years into his career as player and coach at West Ham. So you’d imagine my answer would be West Ham. Except, just a few weeks into the first season I began to take a real interest in following games (1979-80) my Dad lost his job at West Ham. Out of loyalty to him, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to support West Ham, so I had to find another team. My Mum told me my Dad had supported Arsenal as a boy so there was the solution to my problem! My first game was 4th October 1980 v Leicester (1-0 to the Arsenal!) and I started going regularly with my Dad from the mid-80s until his last game in 2014 (the FA Cup Final v Hull, a good game to finish on). By then, I had three young children to look after and my Dad preferred to follow from his armchair which is generally what I do now, though my kids allow me out to get out to watch a few times a season!

MW: If Brian Clough had been appointed England manager in 1977 instead of Ron Greenwood, what players do you think Clough’s England side would have included?

GL: As ITV4 has been showing The Big Match Revisited from 1979-80 recently it was interesting to note Brian Clough recruited both Charlie George and Stan Bowles at Nottingham Forest for periods during that season. Both were past their best by that stage but Clough was still willing to give them a chance at one of the leading clubs in Europe – no other club of that repute was willing to do the same by then. Therefore, it is likely he would have similarly given those two – and other mercurial talents – a further chance with England had he taken the job in 1977. Judging by his famous comment about Trevor Brooking ahead of the 1980 FA Cup Final (‘floats like a bee, stings like a butterfly’) it might have been less good news for the West Ham midfielder!

MW: What football rules would you like to see changed back and why?

GL: I’m not convinced the removal of the away goals rule in European club competition has been a positive move, but I guess it depends on what end of the result you are on! It can, on occasion, make teams settle for penalties in extra time rather than go for a goal.

I believe the opportunity to use five subs in a Premier League match gives the bigger clubs, with their larger squads, an unfair advantage – as if they didn’t have enough already. Just when one of the smaller clubs think they might have nicked a point, on come another couple of £30m players to potentially impact the game. If a manager can’t change a game with three subs I don’t see why he should get another couple of goes.

MW: Share your thoughts on the recent passing of Dickie Davies and John Motson?

GL: In that ‘70s/’80s era, with comparatively little TV sports coverage compared to now, you are talking about two of the biggest names of The Age.

Saturday afternoons would be spent switching between Grandstand on BBC and Dickie Davies on ITV’s World of Sport.

Then, when it came to football commentary, the three best-known were John Motson, Barry Davies and Brian Moore.

A lot of presenters/commentators these days make it ever more apparent how great the likes of Davies and Motson were at their respective jobs.

MW: What other sports do you like?

GL: In the ‘80s, I was into watching most sports (as well as football and cricket I also watched a lot of snooker, darts and tennis) but once there was wall-to-wall football and cricket available there just wasn’t enough time to devote beyond those two.

Essex CCC is my county so I was lucky to have grown up during an era when they were one of the best county cricket teams around – probably only Middlesex could contest that claim – with Graham Gooch, John Lever, Ken McEwan, Neil Foster, Derek Pringle, Keith Fletcher and many other top cricketers.

I was even luckier to then become Essex’s first ever Communications Manager in 2003, working full-time at the club for six seasons and continuing to edit their Yearbook and other publications for several years after.

I also co-wrote a book about Essex – 60 Classic Essex Matches – in 2011. I enjoyed my time working in cricket – also freelancing for the ICC and the IPL as well as publishing my own cricket magazine, dedicated to Asian cricket, in 2009-10 – and would love to get back into it again in some capacity one day.

I’m still a big fan of Essex and England but am at a stage in my life, with young kids, where it is again mostly viewed from an armchair.

MW: Day at the seaside or a countryside picnic? Pick one and describe the desired experience.

GL: Both sound appealing - but right now the thought of a quiet beach, the radio on Test Match Special and a bit of beach cricket would go down a treat. Obviously the sun is shining at the seaside, England are 300-2 and there’s a nice bottle or two on the go!

MW: Aside from writing books and features, what are your other interests?

GL: Beyond my young family, I love nostalgia – sometimes too much for my wife’s liking! – so that forms a large part of my leisure, as well as work, in terms of researching subject matter for writing books and articles. I have become a proactive part of the retro-football community by selling my books and vintage items at Fairs/Shows. The football card and shirt fan bases have grown exponentially in recent years and I think the nostalgia market in general has a potential for significant growth.

By expanding not only can that be to the financial gain of those looking to sell items but, more importantly, it can also tell the stories of sportsmen and women long forgotten by many but with so much of value to impart. I am also a big advocate of sports nostalgia as a power for good in re-engaging those suffering with dementia, depression or loneliness. Charities do exist in this sphere but there are many more people who would benefit from being integrated.

MW: Where can we find out more about you and your future plans (as currently known)?

GL: My personal website is www.greglansdowne.co.uk and I give regular updates about my current and upcoming projects on Twitter (@Panini_book) and Instagram (@greglansdowne).

Having worked on the Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1978-85 – The Complete Albums that came out towards the end of last year, I will also be assisting Bloomsbury on the follow-up Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1986-93 – The Complete Albums, published in October (2023).

I have two other books in the pipeline, including a player autobiography - more of which will be revealed on my social media channels in due course – and also write regularly for publications such as Backpass and Retro Pop.

I will be selling my books and other football-related memorabilia at various Football Fairs over the course of this year and beyond. It’s an exciting time to be in the football nostalgia space.

List and links to Greg Lansdowne’s books:-

Stuck On You: The Rise and Fall…and Rise of Panini Stickers

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuck-You-Fall-Panini-Stickers/dp/1785310062/ref=sr_1_1?

Panini Football Stickers: The Official Celebration

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Stickers-Official-Celebration/dp/1472987772/ref=sr_1_2?

60 Classic Essex Matches

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Essex-Matches-Tony-Debenham/dp/0956701523/ref=sr_1_3?

Living a Fan's Adventure Tale: A-Ha in the Eyes of the Beholders

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Fans-Adventure-Tale-Ha/dp/1908724382/ref=sr_1_5?

Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1978-1985

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Sticker-Collections-1978-1985/dp/1399405225/ref=sr_1_4?

Panini UK Football Sticker Collections 1986-1993 (Volume Two): 2 (Published October 2023)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panini-Football-Sticker-Collections-1986-1993/dp/1399405284/ref=sr_1_6?

8 notes · View notes