Scottish football covered like never before
Crowdfunding campaign shows there's still hope for print as Scottish ...
This review first appeared in the hard-copy issue of TRUE FAITH - TF159.
A few years ago, when editing these pages I had reluctantly come to the conclusion, hard-copy publications were a thing of the past.
Keen to keep things going with proper articles, great design and photography, I took TF into digital format. It worked to a degree. We had enough subscribers but there was nothing like the readership we had with this A5 beauty you have in your sweaty mitts punted outside the match and from newsagent shelves.
Fast forward a few years and things have settled down a bit. Like music lovers forming a renaissance for vinyl, it appears there is a niche market for those who want to have hard-copy reading material. TF is back in its original form with a smaller readership than what counted as its heyday, but it is growing and seems to be valued.
I’ve returned to looking out for those glossy publications I once adored (no, not those sort) and this was a welcome arrival via my letter box.
Nutmeg: The Scottish Football Periodical #18 – Stanchion
I can’t tell you how good this magazine is. Obviously its main topic area is Scottish football so if you have no interest in the game north of the border, look away now. Or rather don’t. The Scottish game is fascinating, full of great stories and you’d have to be a bit of an ignoramus to dismiss an entire league’s history and culture, especially one so close to our own.
The writing is superb. In Issue 17 it features Harry Pearson and the topics are an eclectic mix which go somewhere beyond the rather cartoon caricature of the Old Firm et al. There are pieces on contemporary issues such as gay footballers, COVID-19, Total Football, wrapped in with some history pieces and so much more in 196 pages.
I’d never describe myself as a hoarder or even a collector of stuff but it will take something for me to lash these issues into the recycling. The design is superb as is the quality of photography and there is a real sense of something special withNutmeg.
At £10 a copy (plus P+P) it’s not cheap but it is value for money and provides hours of great reading.
MICHAEL MARTIN
Click on the image above for a link to the NUTMEG website.
Here’s an episode of the Nutmeg podcast via Spotify (other platforms are available)