Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler take you through the 1979/80 English football season, week by week, as seen through the BBC and ITV cameras and beachcombed from YouTube
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In the second of our new Series, Steven Scragg tells Gary Thacker all about the stadium he calls home - Anfield.
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24 Apr 2026
Football Revisited 1979/80: Para 1.16b FA Cup Third Round: Burnley v Stoke City, Halifax Town v Manchester City 5/1/1980
Pre-match, referee and Ernie Wise impersonator Kevin McNally promises us a sparkling game, but it appears he has laced the pudding with far too many eggs. Played out on a surface under three feet of mud, sparkling it isn’t, but it is truly glorious in so many other ways, including an acrobatic save from the St. John’s Ambulance man.
Alan Stevenson turns saving shots with his back into an art form, Turf Moor is invaded by second half balloons, and then we settle into the Denis Smith show. Already booked, he maims a stray striker before limping from the carnage, convincing Mr. McNally of his innocence. Yet Smith will soon see his red card, and not in the way you are expecting… And we have a golden post-match interview from Alan Durban to dissect too.
Just when you think it can’t get any better, we head for a submerged Shay and the further misadventures of Malcolm Allison in what is a footballing equivalent of the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. These are the days when random kids could enjoy playtime on a patch of land behind the goal while Joe Corrigan is desperately trying to keep his side afloat. Meanwhile, somebody has pinched half of the roof of the main stand. It wasn’t Romark, who weaves his magic in the Halifax dressing room.
Steven Scragg & Dave Bowler revel in the golden age of the FA Cup.
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6 Feb 2026
1979/80: Para 1.11a Liverpool v Middlesbrough 1/12/1979
Middlesbrough have the misfortune of turning up at Anfield as Liverpool are in full flow, dispensing a routine 4-0 beating without breaking into a sweat. Craig Johnston has the good sense to injure himself early on, while Jim Platt attempts to better King Canute, but is overwhelmed by the red tide. All is so straightforward that Graeme Souness doesn’t even bother to maim any of his former colleagues.
There’s time for a trip to The Hawthorns where West Bromwich Albion and Everton are sartorial elegance itself in glorious Umbro kits. The quality of the game is not quite so polished.
Elsewhere, Don Revie finds himself in Courtroom 13 and immediately invests in a hundredweight of rabbit’s feet to try to lift the curse. Richard Adams is moved to write Watership Down in response.
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3 Oct 2025
Brian Moore Meets Kevin Keegan
In one of the greatest televisual meetings of all time, Bri an Moore - clearly underemployed during the ITV technicians’s strike early in the season - nips over to Hamburg to report on the lifestyle of England’s greatest superstar of the moment, Kevin Keegan.
We won’t spoil it for you, but this is absolute gold, from Keegan snubbing Thatcher to maximising every penny he can get, from being overrun by sheepdogs to another helpless shrug from the long-suffering Jean, from deciding to go into politics, but only straight in as Prime Minister, this is the 1,000mph life of Kevin Keegan.
If you only ever listen to one podcast for the rest of eternity, this is the one. God bless King Kev.
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12 Sept 2025
Para 1.09b Manchester City v Manchester United 10/11/1979
The galvanising force of the Manchester derby gets Manchester City playing once again, Malcolm Allison’s men shrugging off their hapless defending as they take on Dave Sexton’s side.
Elsewhere Nottingham Forest travel to The Dell and are bombarded into submission, so much so that even Kenny Burns can’t catch anybody to kick up into the air.
And we dip into Brian Moore’s postbag to decide if the offside rulings of the previous week were right or not. In a time before GDPR, Brian delights in reading out your full address, all the way down to the postcode, so that the local refereeing association can pop round and duff you up.
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22 Aug 2025
Para 1.08a Luton Town v Queens Park Rangers 10/11/1979
A trip to the Second Division begins this weekend as ITV screen the top of the table clash between Luton Town and QPR, the two leading the way in a congested promotion race. It’s a terrific game with plenty of action and lots to talk about.
But there’s much, much more, for the mighty Eric Morecambe, only just recovered from heart surgery, has taken his place at Kenilworth Road once more. Afterwards, he treats Brian Moore, and the nation, to a post-match interview, in which his delight at a defeat for Elton John’s Watford is barely concealed.
So, what do you think of the show so far?
Don’t answer that.
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1 Aug 2025
Para 1.07c Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers 3/11/1979
Emlyn Hughes returns to Anfield in a Wolves shirt, and gets a dose of the medicine he’d been dishing out for the previous decade, while Match of the Day pinches some of Top of the Pops’ graphics to celebrate. Referee Don Shaw does his level best to upstage him.
You can watch Liverpool continue on their merry way here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5nTHrvfieo).
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18 Jul 2025
Para 1.07b Crystal Palace v Manchester City 3/11/1979
Terry Venables and Malcolm Allison, two coaching peas in a pod you might think, but in football, there’s no room for the old pals act when league points are at stake. With newly promoted Palace enjoying life in the upper reaches of the First Division, the visit of Manchester City is just what you want to keep the pressure on at the top, especially if Venables had watched City’s complete surrender to Liverpool on ‘Match of the Day’ the previous week.
Again though, the real glory comes in the post-match interview, held in a Selhurst Park dressing room that looks worse than any school changing room you might have had to endure in your youth.
El Tel and Big Mal audition for the roles of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in a reboot of the Rat Pack, Allison possibly not endearing himself to City supporters with the seemingly casual way he is taking the complete collapse of his team: “Joe Corrigan, he’s got beautiful hands. But the ball went straight through them.” LaughalongaMal here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQOVsz3GAA).
Somewhere, Romark is lighting up another stogie and helping himself to a large brandy…
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11 Jul 2025
1979/80: Para 1.07a Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley 3/11/1979
Our first trip to the Third Division and quite simply, this is amongst the greatest 42 minutes in world broadcasting history.
A hefty crowd at Hillsborough, some tremendous meat and potatoes football redolent - bloody redolent, Carter - of the era, goals, and the magnificent incongruity of Fred Dineage presenting on Yorkshire TV.
Come for the football but please, please stay for the post-match interview that features the spectacularly grumpy Peter Springett, none too pleased at having to turn out at Hillsborough once again after moving to Barnsley and taking up a role as a Max Wall impersonator (one for the teenagers), while also worrying abut the impact that having to play a game of football at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon is going to have on a right boozy do he’s got planned for the evening.
All human life is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sJ9NrnwZIA).
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4 Jul 2025
1979/80: Para 1.06c Southampton v Leeds United 27/10/1979
This episode analyzes the Southampton versus Leeds United match from October 27, 1979, highlighting Mick Channon's return to Southampton and Manchester City's defensive struggles.
27 Jun 2025
1979/80: Para 1.06b Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest 27/10/1979
Football analysts revisit the Tottenham Hotspur versus Nottingham Forest match from October 27, 1979, highlighting Glenn Hoddle's route one football and Garry Birtles' remarkable miss.
20 Jun 2025
1979/80: Para 1.06a QPR v Burnley 27/10/1979
This episode analyzes the Queens Park Rangers versus Burnley football match on October 27, 1979, highlighting a young goalkeeper's challenging experience against a high-scoring team.
13 Jun 2025
1979/80: Para 1.05 Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur 6/10/1979
Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler analyze the October 1979 match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, highlighting the teams' contrasting form and John Burridge's attention-grabbing antics.
6 Jun 2025
1979/80: Para 1.04 Nottingham Forest v Liverpool 29/9/1979
Football historians Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler revisit a 1979 Nottingham Forest versus Liverpool match, highlighting Brian Clough's team and the stadium's unsafe conditions in this analysis.
30 May 2025
1979/80: Para 1.03 Liverpool v Coventry City 8/9/1979
Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler analyze Coventry City's innovative 3-4-3 system against Liverpool in 1979, reviewing the day's First Division action.
23 May 2025
1979/80: Para 1.02 The opening day
Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler revisit the opening day of the 1979/80 football season, highlighting Ray Wilkins' debut for Manchester United and Charlie George's first appearance for Southampton in this historical analysis.
16 May 2025
1979/80: Para 1.01 The eve of the season
The Charity Shield is behind us, the season stretches out ahead, so join Steven Scragg, Dave Bowler and some very old newspaper previews as we look ahead to what 1979/80 might have in store for us.
Suspend your disbelief, forget all that you know, and join us on football’s Christmas Eve as we speculate on just what Santa might have in his sack for us all in the season ahead.
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9 May 2025
1979/80: Para 1: The Charity Shield
Embarking on a weekly examination of the 1979/80 campaign - ITV’s technicians’ strike permitting - we have trawled YouTube and beyond to find surviving coverage from Match of the Day and the ITV regions, building into the most comprehensive picture possible of the season. Think of it as a Marshall Cavendish part work that you don’t have to pay for.
In our opening paragraph to these supplementary teachings, we must, of course, start with the Charity Shield, played between the reigning champions, Liverpool, and the holders of the FA Cup, Arsenal, at a sun kissed Wembley Stadium.
Look for an extraordinary numbers of substitutes, Don Howe in the shortest shorts known to man, Sammy Nelson taking the top off a chafe scar, David Johnson sending out a message to the season ahead and the final sighting of Phil Thompson’s frankly ill-advised perm.
Steven Scragg and Dave Bowler are your guides, and you can catch up with the game itself here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvdc_OTxFB8).
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit yourboystookahellofabeating.substack.com (https://yourboystookahellofabeating.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
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Questions about Football Revisited 1979/80
Who hosts Football Revisited 1979/80?
Dave Bowler and Steven Scragg host the show. Published by YourBoysTookAHellOfABeating.
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