Southampton v Sevilla – Match Report: a mixed bag, just like the weather

Southampton 2 – 0 Sevilla

(Stephens, 26; Gabbiadini, 82)

“That’s what football does to people; it turns them peculiar,” asserts an elderly lady on the train, as she berates her Man United-supporting son-in-law. And as I sit quietly on the other side of the table, giving up six hours of my Saturday to solo train travel, about to drop an eye-watering sum of money on a new strip, all in the name of attending a meaningless pre-season friendly, it’s hard to disagree.

The weather alternates between glorious and grisly as we travel through Hampshire, serving as an apt metaphor for Southampton’s previous few campaigns – and potentially the upcoming one, too. Much of the pre-season build-up has been focused on the one player who will almost definitely be absent this afternoon: Virgil Van Dijk. His name is never far from the support’s lips today, and it’s tempting to ascribe the strange 4-0 loss to FC Augsberg at St. Mary’s earlier in the week to the ongoing unsettled atmosphere around his presence (or lack of). Mauricio Pellegrino vowed his side would improve in this, the final friendly before Premier League duties return with a visit from Swansea next Saturday. And in many ways, Sevilla are the perfect opponents for Southampton here, as they represent much of what Saints would like to: a club of modest means and few superstars performing to – and frequently exceeding – expectations both domestically and in European competition. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Southampton must become more bullish in their retention of star players if this is ever going to happen. If indeed they do manage to hold onto Van Dijk (and rumoured wantaway Ryan Bertrand), it will represent a coup on the same level as a major signing; whether the duo will then settle down into squad life again is another matter.

The game itself is a predictably anaemic affair, and while it is of course reductive to read too much into pre-season fare, it comes with mixed portents for Southampton’s season: Manolo Gabbiadini and Jack Stephens both look particularly sharp – the latter’s 26th minute goal is bundled in from a corner with the help of some good positioning from the newly-anointed number 5. And Steven Davis makes several stirring runs from box to box, complementing rock-solid Oriol Romeu’s enforcer role perfectly. One supporter gets a little carried away: ‘We don’t even need Virgil!’

Sevilla press in the early stages.

Elsewhere there are more worrying signs for Saints, namely down the left, where Ryan Bertrand and an especially hesitant-looking Nathan Redmond (whose time as a striker may well be over under Pellegrino) conspire only to produce wing play that is both sloppy and stroppy. Southampton’s first half performance is a mixed bag, but Sevilla’s unusually toothless showing means they lead the serial Europa League winners 1-0 at half time.

Given Southampton’s current defensive situation, there are understandably sharp intakes of breath from the crowd when Maya Yoshida drops to the ground after a seemingly innocuous challenge in the 55th minute. Yoshida and Jack Stephens built up a commendably solid defensive partnership in Virgil Van Dijk’s absence through injury in the latter part of last season, and that closeness will be relied upon heavily in this one.   Thankfully for Pellegrino, Yoshida runs off what looks only to be a dead leg – nevertheless, he is subbed off for new signing Jan Bednarek ten minutes later as a precaution. A slew of second-half substitutes also sees Sofiane Boufal and Shane Long getting a run out for the game’s final quarter.

Then, as the sun breaks through again, Manolo Gabbiadini latches on to a neat reverse flick from Steven Davis and slots home for 2-0. Gabbiadini, who looks to be back to his best, is full of running, chasing down balls and working harder on hold-up play than we’ve previously seen. If he can stay fit, he should prove to be a key player in the upcoming campaign.

Sevilla spurn several late chances, and it becomes apparent that a comfortable win is on the cards. Fans begin to file out with five minutes to go – but tellingly, as the final whistle goes, everyone stops to give their team a rousing sendoff, and to salute the new manager. Things could still go either way, and the opening games of the season will provide a clearer indicator of Saints’ fate. The pre-season peculiarities are largely over; Pellegrino’s first true test comes next Saturday. For now, the forecast doesn’t look too bad.

Word & pictures by Tom Clayton

Steeple Sinderby Wanderers, Ross Raisin and the Changing Role of Football in Fiction

How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup by J.L. Carr
(1975; new edition, Penguin, 2016)

A Natural by Ross Raisin (Jonathan Cape, 2017)

For all its monolithic domination of the media, football is still strangely underrepresented in fiction. In recent times, only David Peace’s febrile masterpiece The Damned United looks as if it will still be read in fifty years’ time – and that’s not really about football at all. It is far more important than that.

Of course, there one or two practical reasons for novelists to be wary of the subject. First and foremost, football is a game you watch, live. It is presumably very difficult to describe in any kind of dramatic way, with dozens of stories unfolding, dovetailing, erupting and concluding, in real time. Even a 500-word match report often fails to recapture the drama of a particularly vivid encounter.

Indeed, football’s media ubiquity could also put off novelists from choosing to depict it at all; the game is inescapable and irrepressible, constantly topping up its own legend. Therefore, if the constructed narratives fed to us by the media are compelling and frequent enough – and, funnily enough, they are – is there even room for the football novel to exist? In a recent interview with The Guardian, Ross Raisin detailed the difficulties faced by publishers trying to find a place for A Natural.

But perhaps there’s a third and more intellectually sticky reason why football so often doesn’t work as fiction. Football and novels, at their best, perform the same basic functions: providing escape, entertainment and insight – and, whether deliberately or not, reflecting the society in which they exist. So it follows that when the two are thrown together, there is every chance they will cancel each other out – just like two greats playing out a bore-draw in a World Cup final.

The recent emergence (or re-emergence, in the case of Steeple Sinderby) of these two highly unusual football-related works provides an excellent opportunity to gauge how far both football and fiction (and, by extension, society) have come.

The practical awkwardnesses of depicting the game itself are skilfully shaken by Carr and Raisin in both novels – they simply avoid doing it wherever possible. Like all wise sports novelists, they realise that, to the reader, the actual performance of sport is the least interesting part. In How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup, J.L. Carr’s surreal novella charting the rise of a village team to the dizzy heights of Wembley glory, much of the action arrives second-hand – in the form of local reporter Alice ‘Ginchy’ Trigger’s crazed, impenetrable match reports for the local newspaper. From pretty much the get-go, we are firmly in the realms of fantasy; in his excellent introduction, D.J. Taylor describes the novel as ‘nothing less than a straightforward exercise in wish-fulfilment’, and there is an undeniable otherworldliness to Wanderers’ almost serene progress to Wembley. That they meet Rangers there, due to a newly-introduced (and entirely fictional) quirk in the tournament allowing Scottish clubs to play, only adds to the off-kilter atmosphere. That being said, the sequence where Wanderers host Manchester City, and the accompanying hullaballoo of such a prestigious visit, will ring awkwardly true with any Sutton supporters who read it.

Yet in between its exaggerated Boy’s Own caricatures and implausible plot advances, Steeple Sinderby does occasionally conjure an admirable portrait of amateur football. Its narrator, Joe Gidner, who acts as club secretary, archivist, kit man and team selector, is believable and relatable, and fairly depicts the countless individuals who perform those same functions today (again, Sutton’s recently-disgraced Wayne Short springs to mind here). And the gradual decline in health of captain Alex Slingsby’s wife, Diana, is movingly rendered, providing a necessary melancholic undercurrent to what could have been an overly fantastical foray. There is also a downbeat coda – one which any football fan will recognise – detailing the post-success years. One day, in the gathering dusk, the chairman joins Joe as he looks mournfully over the village green:

 

‘Mr. Gidner… I know what you’re looking for. But it’s gone, and it’ll never come back.’

Then – and only for an instant – our chairman gave himself away. ‘And more’s the pity, lad,’ he said.

 

 

If Steeple Sinderby is a by-product of a footballing era dominated by unlikely heroes and unreachable stardom, Ross Raisin’s A Natural is perhaps the most accurate depiction yet of the reality of the modern footballing world. It represents a generational shift; in the ‘60s and ‘70s, players regularly endured Beatlemania-style scenes from fans desperate to get a glimpse of their idols in the flesh, and who waited patiently for Saturday at 3pm to find out the next twist in the season’s tale. These days, although that culture still proliferates in places (see Beckham et al on Manchester United’s early tours of the Far East), we are far more used to seeing our heroes on a more regular basis, even daily. What’s more, we can contact them, directly, through social media. In fact, our relationship with footballers has now become so close as to directly influence performance; during Euro 2016, Roy Hodgson was moved to ask the online community to give Raheem Sterling a break after his Twitter feed was overwhelmed with negative comments following one or two lacklustre appearances.

A Natural does an accurate job of reflecting this new-found intimacy with football and its players, and introduces aspects of narrative never previously attempted in novels of the genre. Frank – and necessary – discussions of sexuality, transcriptions of online message boards, lurid initiation ceremonies… these are new qualities of a game that one suspects J.L. Carr would no longer recognise.

Yet Raisin pulls off this difficult juggling act with aplomb. The central character, young Tom Pearman, a nippy winger whose early career promise is at the mercy of a cutthroat transfer industry, must balance the mundanity and frustration of lower-league games with the new-found realisation that he is gay. His burgeoning – and tenderly depicted – affair with the club’s groundsman, is a storytelling triumph, establishing the real risks faced by both men while also summoning the excitement and desperation brought on by first love. It represents the centre of the novel, and should rightly elevate and further discussions about how to combat homophobia in a sport in which no current player has come out since 1990.

Raisin is too skilful a writer for A Natural to be simply a one-issue novel, though. When he is at his best – and he is, here, frequently – he is capable of rendering the domestic universal. And modern football, especially in the lower leagues, is rife with grating domesticity: months spent in hotel rooms or boarding with strangers along with other youth players; week after week of bench-warming or even non-selection; attending and speaking at dry corporate functions. Raisin’s other leads, the captain of the south coast club (referred to only as ‘Town’), Chris Easter, and his wife, Leah, are sensitively portrayed attempting to overcome the banality and frustration of a season spent largely on the sidelines (Easter is injured early in the novel). While Chris haunts the club’s online message boards, isolating himself in the process, Leah begins to realise the temporary nature of her husband’s successes. Her quiet creative awakening is a joy to read. Raisin inhabits the pair’s respective worldviews with remarkable ease; the mask rarely slips, and while there are one or two places where the narrative leaps too far for the characters to realistically keep up with, A Natural is easily the finest football novel of the decade, and represents a great progression in the way that football can be presented on the page. And while it is a world away from Steeple Sinderby’s flamboyant stylings, at the heart of both novels is a great love of the game – and of the people whose lives are irrevocably altered by it.

By Tom Clayton

 

The Graphic Bomb: Pilgrims’ Progress

The Graphic Bomb have been designing matchday programmes for Plymouth Argyle since the start of the 2015/16 season, winning awards and plaudits for their innovative approach. As Plymouth face a potentially crucial Devon derby, and a nervous run-in to secure automatic promotion from League Two, we caught up with them to talk history, design and Pirates of the Caribbean.

SGABTA: How did your arrangement come about with Argyle? Were any of you fans of the club beforehand?

TGB: As massive football fans we’ve known about Argyle through the years. One of our number supports Luton Town so has definitely known them as opposition! But having worked for the club for a number of years now you find yourself looking for their results and hoping that three points come their way for the staff and the fans.

 

SGABTA: What kind of research into the club’s visual culture and traditions did you do? 

TGB: During our first season with the club the idea of recreating programme covers from the past came up so we were plunged headfirst into researching old programmes and therefore got lost in the ways Argyle has changed through past issues. Any club the age of Plymouth Argyle has a great archive of players, matches, kits and fans. Those lucky Pilgrims are blessed with the mighty Greens on Screen archive. If every club had something like this the world would be a better place!

 

SGABTA: What’s been your favourite cover or page so far? Have there been any players you’ve particularly enjoyed portraying?

TGB: The Liverpool FA Cup one [1] we’ve just done has been a highlight. Something completely different and if we’re honest something we didn’t have a lot of time to think about because of the print deadlines! We’ve really loved doing the kits this season. We’re fans of the simple 60s-70s ones but quite partial to the odd 90s horror show (the FA Cup Round 2 programme v Newport [2]). A cover that stands out even if it divides opinion a bit is a great thing.

In terms of players I think one of us illustrating a player as the incredible hulk was interesting – fair play to the player in question for not complaining! We enjoyed Photoshopping players into certain characters as it’s always a bit tongue in cheek but the players at the club seem to take it well. We once Photoshopped Curtis Nelson in Pirates of the Caribbean garb and he liked it so much he got dressed up like it for the players’ Christmas do!

[1] Programme for the FA Cup Third Round replay v. Liverpool – complete with Klopp

[2] Programme cover for the FA Cup 2nd Round tie v. Newport – a tasteful take on a ’90s horror show

SGABTA: Has anything come up which you’ve found challenging about the commission?

TGB: It’s always a challenge to come up with a new direction for each new season and to know the limits you have to work within. However, the trust from the people at the club is important and they encourage us to produce ideas I don’t think a normal editor would. Rick at the club is a pleasure to work with.

 

SGABTA: How have the fans reacted to the designs?

TGB: We’re still a bit unsure of what we’re doing with Twitter et al but we’ve had a lot of positive feedback on these channels; sales of the programmes have gone up within our time designing The Pilgrim so we’re happy with the way things are going. One tweet which took us aback sums things up nicely…

SGABTA: Other clubs have also embraced a more design-led approach to their programmes [Wolves and Derby are two high-profile examples] – do you see a general trend emerging for more attractive football-related publications?

TGB: We do, there are more talented football illustrators out there who are being given the chance to express themselves and it can only be a good thing. The Champions League previews on BT Sport have had illustrators in competition with each other which has been good to see. We’re always keeping an eye out on what is going on and there are some wonderful individuals out there pushing each other to do better things. Must mention a group we know called Wundergol who have artists drawing goals for charity this season (www.wundergol.com). Really loved what Wolves did with their cover this season definitely worthy of any praise that’s gone its way. Also we’re big fans of Paine Proffitt who has been elevating the standard of football merch/programmes for ages!

 

SGABTA: Finally, how do you see Argyle’s season ending up – and do you have plans to carry on your work with them? 

TGB: We’d love to continue working for Argyle for ages and to come up with more ways to interest the fans. Our aim is to produce bespoke merchandise for the club that will be as unique as the programmes. Fingers crossed for the automatic spots this season, I think its achievable. Would be even nicer if they could reel in Doncaster for a title decider!

Questions by Tom Clayton.

Find out more about The Graphic Bomb here.

Bobby Stokes – A Tale of Two Cities

This week Southampton reached a major cup final for the first time since 2003, and will face old rivals Manchester United – the team they beat in the 1976 FA Cup final. It’s the perfect time for Saints fans look back to what was arguably their finest hour. We chatted with Mark Sanderson, author of Bobby Stokes: The Man From Portsmouth Who Scored Southampton’s Most Famous Goal.

Bobby with the PMD Golden Goal Trophy, 1976

Some Gulls Are Bigger Than Others: Hi Mark. What first drew you to the idea of writing about Bobby Stokes? Were you surprised that he hadn’t been the subject of a book before, especially given his esteemed place among Southampton fans?

Mark Sanderson: Bobby was always in the back of my mind, ever since I got a VHS tape cassette of the 1976 FA Cup Final sometime in the mid to late 1980s. I never felt enough was known about him, especially given he’s a Pompey lad. I guess that’s the nut – most books about Saints and Pompey are about one or the other, but Bobby’s story is entwined with both cities and both clubs. They are the back drop of his life. But Saints books don’t tend to cover Pompey and vice-versa, it’s kind of taboo. That was exciting to get stuck into, to tread where other Saints fans hadn’t before. At the same time I was surprised nobody had written a book about him. It got me worrying that I needed to get a move on because it’s such a great story. Man from rival town scores club’s most famous goal, responsible for only major trophy in what is now 132 years and counting. Then he pretty much disappears. Of course, this is my first book and I had no contacts or experience other than writing the occasional article for football magazine When Saturday Comes. But I thought what the hell, let’s go for it.

SGABTO: Presumably some parts of Bobby’s life were easier to chronicle than others; did you find anything difficult to uncover?

MS: Sure. It took me a few years to trace his family. In the end I had a letter in the Portsmouth News and within a few days and a few phone calls I was in touch with Bobby’s cousin Maria, who still lives in Paulsgrove, where Bobby grew up. Also, we are talking about things that happened 40 years and longer ago. But the book was never meant to be a chronicle of his entire life, I wanted to capture a portrait of him during different stages of his life. There was a bit of a mystery surrounding the golden boot Bobby won for scoring the winner in ’76. It was presumed missing. A month or so after the book was published I was contacted by Bobby’s nephew, who wanted to meet me. I was a bit apprehensive – did he appreciate the book? Or maybe I’d upset him, but no. He had the golden boot and brought it to my house in an old case. It was some experience to hold that artefact in my own hands.

SGABTO: Did anything come up during the project that really surprised you about Bobby?

MS: Plenty. It’s kind of assumed knowledge Bobby’s career fizzled out after leaving Southampton in 1977. It’s not entirely true. Here was a bloke who played alongside Johan Cruyff in the US for the Washington Diplomats. Bobby scored the winner for the Diplomats in a shoot-out at the famous New York Cosmos in front of fifty-thousand plus. This was a side had Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer. A year later Bobby was playing for Chichester City in the Sussex League. Did he drop that  in conversation with his new Chichester team-mates? No, they had no idea. That kind of sums Bobby up – very understated and modest.

SGABTO: Who did you particularly enjoy speaking to for the project?

MS: It was pretty cool to meet the Saints players from the ’76 cup final. Jim Steele was man of the match in tha game and he gave me Lawrie McMenemy’s number. I remember cold calling him at home – a bit nerve-wracking. He was a little unsure at first, but once I explained the project we agreed to meet. The venue was the Potters Heron – the same place he announced the club had signed Kevin Keegan in 1980. I pulled up in my old Peugeot thinking, is he really going to turn up, but he did, and we had a great couple of hours. Going up to meet Mick Channon at his stables was great too. Older Saints fans might like to know that Saints legend Brian O’Neil offered to lead me up there in a convoy.

SGABTO: Had Bobby not moved over to the Washington Diplomats in the NASL [North American Soccer League] for part of his career, do you think he would be more of a household name here?

MS: Good question. I don’t think so, sadly. Remember Bobby couldn’t drive, so a local move was preferable to him. He left Saints in April 1977 for the summer season in the US, but he was playing for Pompey in the 1977/78 season. It wasn’t a good time for Portsmouth. They had an inexperienced team and they were relegated to division four. The only other club in for him at the time were Bournemouth. But after that season at Fratton Park in 1978 he didn’t play professionally in the UK again; instead playing for Washington in the summer months.

SGABTO: If you were asked to, or decided to, write a book about another Southampton player, who would you choose?

MS: It’s got to be Franny Benali. The book would appeal to Saints fans as Franny could offer behind the scenes knowledge of the club from the 1980s to the early 2000s. He also played against a whole load of the world’s best players – from John Barnes, to Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry and Ronaldo. Be great to explore what that was like from a local lad’s perspective.

 

Mark gets his hands on the trophy too

SGABTO: Finally, what do you make of the Southampton / Portsmouth rivalry at the moment, when the two clubs find themselves in very different circumstances [they haven’t played each other competitively since 2012]?

 

MS: It’s still very much there, but as a Saints fan I was treated very well by Pompey fans when researching the book. It was pretty weird to go to the Manor House pub in Cosham to meet four Pompey fans who were locals when Bobby was landlord in the 1980s, but that’s what happened. The guys even came to the book launch at St Mary’s. Right now Saints have the upper hand – I’d love us to make some hay while the sun is shining and bag ourselves a trophy – we’ve got a great chance to do that now.

Questions by Tom Clayton

Mark’s book is published by Pitch Publishing and is available now from all good book stores; more information here.