Welcome to Issue 38
You can order it here

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Field music
By Daniel Gray

The draft excluder
Fitbatweets

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The art of the free-kick
Behind the wall
We speak to players, managers and set-piece coaches to find out just what goes into planning and executing free-kicks.

“There’s yer dinner, England!” – an oral history of two legendary strikes
Leigh Griffiths’ 180-second double against England in 2017 might just be the two greatest free-kicks in Scottish football history. A player, a manager, a fan, a journalist and a chief executive share their memories of June 10, 2017.
By Scott Fleming

Tomfoolery that electrified Pittodrie
Strachan and McMaster’s contrived chaos forged one of the great free-kick moments in football history. It sparked a totemic Aberdeen victory over Bayern Munich. The two recall that heady night.
By Stephen McGowan

Secrets of a set-piece coach
Jack Wilson studied under Austin MacPhee and designed free-kicks and corners with Kevin De Bruyne. Now at Sparta Prague, he reveals what’s happening at the cutting edge of the dead ball game.
By Jonathan Northcroft

Bend it like Naka: the deadball genius who curled his way into celtic history
The Japanese midfielder’s free-kicks against Manchester United in the Champions League became iconic moments. Impeccable technique and remarkable stamina added to his legend.
By Sean Cole

I became a deadball expert from learning at the feet of a Brazilian master
Free-kicks became a huge part of my game, but it was only after cracking Juninho Pernambucano’s three-toed technique.
By Andrea Pirlo

“To see it fly in like that, with the spray coming off the net, was incredible”
I learned from Collins and Naka – and studied Beckham, Pirlo and Juninho Pernambucano. It paid off in the Scottish Cup final. Here’s my guide to the perfect free-kick.
By Charlie Mulgrew

Mitre Belters
Free-kicks and other set-pieces have conjured some of the great Hampden cup moments. From Boyd’s banger to Provan’s postage stamp, here are our pick of the very best.
By Chris Collins

Signori, Mihajlovic, and… McKinnon?
He may never have taken a free-kick before or since, but when Ray McKinnon scored three in one game he became the answer to a pub quiz question.
By Richard Winton

“Charge out of the wall like Zaire in ‘74”
As a player I have seen how free-kicks are mapped out on the training pitch and it is not always a pretty sight. Modern trends, meanwhile, threaten to kill the magic of spontaneous set-piece genius.
By Liam Grimshaw

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A year with Glasgow City: Part 2
Modern family
In the second part of a series delving behind the scenes at Petershill Park, fans reveal the blend of joy and togetherness that make Glasgow City belong to them.
By Patricia-Ann Young

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At the end of a storm
Former Raith Rovers full-back Steve McAnespie almost died 20 years ago, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans. Now a youth coach, he returned to the city after the 2005 disaster and has played a part in its rebirth.
By Martin Greig

Firhill for chills
The Big Freeze of 1963 represented Britain’s coldest winter since 1740. From unconventional attempts to thaw pitches to record runs of match postponements, it affected Scottish football profoundly and often comically.
By Harry Pearson

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Football focus: The Netherlands
Screen watching
Record numbers of fans are attending matches in The Netherlands. Yet one type of spectator faces enormous barriers – often literal – to watching their team: the away supporter.
By Martijn Schwillens

How football took a Cruyff turn
It is 25 years since my book Brilliant Orange was published. In that time, the Dutch national side have entered a period of decline as their greatest master’s teachings have revolutionised football across Europe.
By David Winner

Pictures of you
For over 40 years I have been photographing football followers and grounds in The Netherlands. As this selection demonstrates, from village to stadium the Dutch game is a delightful tapestry recognisable to fans wherever they’re from.
Words and photographs by Marco Magielse

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The Managers
How Jock Stein transformed Hibs then left them bereft
In one extraordinary year, the legendary manager drove Hibs from relegation candidates to second in the league and cup semi-finalists. Then he was gone.
By Mark Poole

Joint enterprise
Appointing co-managers is an unconventional route that has rarely resulted in harmony on the pitch. Yet on the east coast, Arbroath and Peterhead’s dugout duos have bucked the trend. By Andy Ross

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Family Ties
How Therapy and Football Manager took me (finally) to Gayfield
When I was a teenager, my father, John Brownlie, was the Arbroath manager. The team and their unique stadium have loomed over my life from a distance… until now.
By Adam Clery

A Dens date with destiny
It took nearly four decades, but Dundee finally ended their home hoodoo against Celtic. I wasn’t there to see it – but after a lifetime of following the Dark Blues with my dad, I know exactly what it meant.
By Grant Hill

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Beyond the game
Looking good on paper
In Scottish football, the CV still trumps the eye test: clubs recruit for past promise, not present performance – and keep paying the price.
By Greg Gordon

Rules of engagement
Law changes ahead of the 2025/26 season resulted in yet more confusion and controversy at all levels of the game. Once more, goalkeepers are affected more than most.
By Neil Andrews

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The Players
Rocky road to Bushiri’s AFCON dream
The Hibs defender is currently representing the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations. Despite being born there, his journey to international status was a circuitous one involving luxury villas, an ambassador uncle and a childhood spent boxing in Brussels.
By John Greechan

Why Bannan is still troubled Wednesday’s main man
The central midfielder has taken the struggling Sheffield club to his heart. After a decade and more than 400 appearances, fans adore their captain in return.
Words and photographs by
Colin McPherson

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Football and the community
Beating the count
In an overlooked corner of Glasgow, manager Mark Young and a consortium of wrestlers, comedians, dreamers and diehards have kept the floodlights burning bright at Lochburn Park – defiant and against the odds.
By Euan Davidson

New arrivals find warm welcome in football’s embrace
Migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, are finding their feet at a host of club and community projects that pair love of the game with inclusivity.
By Neil Cowan

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It’s a tough gig keeping up with Vipond
The multi-tasking Deacon Blue drummer, St Mirren fan and former Sportscene presenter shows no sign of slowing down as he nears 60.
By Ed Hodge

Knickerbocker glory
In the 1914-18 war female shell factory workers took to organised football as never before. These munitionettes played through prejudice and opposition, blazing a trail for subsequent generations.
By Margaret Brecknell

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Four at the back
1. From the Chairman to the Tea Lady…
Alan McFarlane, blazer badge collector

2. Football cards
How Top Trumps played loose with truth.
By Gordon Cairns

3. By the way…
The way some players run has long fascinated me. From T-Rex mimicry to pirate-style, their gaits all enrich football. By Liam Kirkaldy

4. Poetry
A Clockwork Orange. By Sam Phipps
Ross will tell you when to jump, and how high. By Dave Martin
Pigeons. By Colette Swan