The Square Ball: Season 35, Issue 01

Another bloody season

August 9, 2024

We’re back! This is the first issue of TSB’s 35th season, and the first of Leeds United’s title-winning campaign.

Our cover art is a reminder/exorcism of those painful memories from bloody Wembley in May, by Vicky Siviter.

As well as all your favourite regular contributors, we’ve also revamped the front section with a lot more fun, shorter bits and pieces that would look great if you posted photos of them on your Twitter or Instagram pages. Just sayin’!

Rob Conlon writes about his trip to the Copa America, trying to chase after Marcelo Bielsa and outrun Jesse Marsch
Paddy Gunn with the first instalment of a series revisiting the chaos of Cellino, Hockaday, and the 2014/15 season, ten years on
Jonathan Peel on falling in love with Leeds, Andy Robinson, and Enoch Showunmi during a pre-season friendly at York, which may have included the away end stealing a bin and pretending it was the FA Cup
Wayne Gamble documents the history of Red Bull ruining football clubs, having followed their insidious workings since their first involvement with SV Austria Salzburg
Plus Mateo Joseph’s new haircut, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink sticking his tongue out, and David Batty in his underpants
Subscribe to get this issue cheap with TSB+ — click here for info

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How do I subscribe? Or read online?

Click here for more info on subscribing, and choose either TSB+ Mag or TSB Magazine.

Getting the magazine delivered to your home is a very good idea, as it will arrive free of beer stains and torn corners, unless your postie is having a bad morning.

The best way to buy The Square Ball is to subscribe and get every regular issue delivered to your home for the next twelve months.

That way we know how many to print, and we have the money up front to pay the printer. We’ll post anywhere in the world and you won’t miss an issue.

You can get £10 off a subscription to the paper magazine if you buy an annual membership of TSB+. TSB+ gets you all our podcasts advert free, early access and live streaming video of The Match Ball podcast, a digital sub to the magazine, a daily email, discounts and more — and that tenner off getting the paper version delivered.

If you don’t want to subscribe — why not?! — you can buy this issue on its own by clicking here, and we’ll post it out as soon as it’s printed.

Can I buy the magazine at Elland Road?

As always since 1989, barring pandemics and badly timed World Cups, The Square Ball magazine will be on sale outside Elland Road, for the match against Portsmouth on Saturday 10th August 2024. Just look out for our windswept but friendly sellers by the Lowfields tunnel, Billy’s Statue, the Kop gates, and anywhere else someone is holding a fanzine in the air, until about fifteen minutes before kick-off.

I’m a TSB+ member, where is the online magazine?

TSB+ members can read the magazine online now, either of two ways:

Download the PDF here
Read the articles online here

What else is in this issue?

Our now eleven times-nominated and two-times FSF Award winning fanzine, plus one for the podcast and as of 2022 one for ‘Fan Media’, includes lots of pages of articles and artwork about what used to be the pain but now is the glory which still involves pain of being a Leeds United supporter, for more than 100 long, long years.

Click here to preview everything inside this issue

Can I read something now? For free? Ah go on?

Free to read from this issue is an article by Rob Conlon about chasing Marcelo Bielsa around at the Copa America, wanting to experience the magic of Bielsaball one last time — click here to read that for free.

Also free in this issue, Jonathan Peel on falling in love with Leeds in the inauspicious surroundings of a pre-season friendly at KitKat Crescent — click here to read that one — and Wayne Gamble on the Red Bullification of football clubs around the world, including a tale that might sound worryingly familiar. Click here to read that..

You can order paper copies of issue one from our online shop now, and they’ll be sent out as soon as they’re printed. To read a digital version online, please become a TSB+ member, with a one month free trial, here.

As Howard Wilkinson always used to say, thank you for your magnificent support. ⬢

Support The Square Ball

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