Welcome to Issue 32
You can order it here

Too old for heroes?
By Daniel Gray

A Fitbatweets story
Neil Warnock’s 32 days at Aberdeen.

The Nutmeg Interview: Archie Macpherson
Peerless observer’s wealth of experience
From Shettleston Juniors to the World Cup, spats with Stein and Ferguson to Scotland’s prospects at Euro 2024, the broadcasting legend is still happy to share memories and opinions.
By Teddy Jamieson

Escaping Aldi’s Middle Aisle
Obscure to some, the Lowland League’s evolution has highlighted broader debates, from B teams to grassroots development. But for the former SPFL clubs languishing there, it’s beginning to resemble a high-security prison.
By  Scott Fleming

The loneliness of the jobless gaffer
Management usually ends with the sack and a lurch back into the surreal world of normal life. Then the scramble for another gig starts all over again.
By Paul Forsyth

Post-match meltdown that made it third time unlucky
Ross County looked to Derek Adams to try to steady the ship but the gaffer’s third spell in charge would quickly hit troubled waters.
By Andy Ross

Enigma from Bellshill who managed Juventus
In 1948 unknown Scot Billy Chalmers was put in charge of the Turin club when they were in the shadow of their legendary city rivals. To nobody’s surprise, it didn’t work out.
By John Irving

Voices to match the euphoria
If a commentator chooses the right words, the memory of a special moment can become bound up with it forever. Ian Crocker, Liam McLeod and Rory Hamilton share stories.
By Craig Anderson

Slick win on the preparation front
If Scotland fail to get through the group stage at Euro ‘24, it won’t be down to sloppy data analysis, poor diet or dodgy facilities in Bavaria.
By Maurice Smith

Stuck in a doom loop of the brutal game
From pioneers of passing and skill to models of physicality, Scottish footballers have fallen from grace. It’s largely because the wrong kind of experts are wielding too much power.
By Graeme McDowall

How war in Gaza broke Abada’s Celtic spell
The young Israeli winger got off to a flier in Glasgow but political pressures helped force a premature end to his stay.
By Maurice Smith

The Nutmeg Match Report
Mislaid tickets, misplaced passes
This season, Alan McCredie and Daniel Gray are documenting the Scottish Cup in its 150th year for a forthcoming book. In April they covered two Hampden semi-finals as Aberdeen and Hearts tried to prevent an Old Firm final, and find glory of their own.

Carlisle’s green-and-white trojan horse
Under the stewardship of Glaswegian entrepreneur Frank Lynch, Celtic Nation F.C. were once fuelled by big ambition and dreams of grandeur. Yet, plagued by financial woes, fading crowds, and an identity crisis, those dreams swiftly soured.
By Harry Pearson

Wee folk keep low-tech hold on grown men
Subbuteo is still alive and well, if a visit to Scotland’s biggest and oldest club is anything to go by. Just make sure you have a ref.
By Andrew Smith

The honest man who kickstarted the Shankland redemption
When Ayr United boss Ian McCall took a chance on the out-of-favour striker, it paid off with goals galore and may even culminate in action at Euro ’24.
By Sean Cole

Loyal legends who lit up Well, Hearts, Dundee and Killie
Longevity at a single club is not the only reason George Stevenson, John Cumming, Bobby Cox and Frank Beattie are still idolised – they were wonderful players too.
By Ronnie McCluskey

From Scotland with love
Playing for Motherwell, Morton and Dundee United has made me, an Englishman, fall for the Scottish game.
By Liam Grimshaw

He’s Leven on that midday train to Gorgie
The reopening of the line from Leven to Edinburgh after 55 years will be a boon to many fans trying to get to East Fife, and a godsend to one Hearts fan intent on retracing his childhood journey of the 1950s.
By Donald Walker

Once outside a chip shop in Arbroath…
At Douglas Park in the 1980s, one man’s unwavering dedication and fiery foul-mouthed commentary captured my heart more than the action on the pitch ever could.
By Ian Plenderleith

Surviving the crush
On a freezing cold night 40 years ago, Celtic fans travelled to see their side pitted against Nottingham Forest in a crucial UEFA Cup tie. The game, though, ended in chaos, foreshadowing the Hillsborough Disaster.
By Dickie Felton

All Saints’ Day
It is a decade since St Johnstone lifted their first major national trophy, a moment etched indelibly in the hearts of Saints fans. Here, those who made it happen tell the story of that day and its aftermath.
By Ed Hodge

Money’s too tight not to mention
Yoker, in Scotland’s eighth tier, may be run on a shoestring but the Holm Park club’s chairman, manager, coach and captain reveal what keeps them involved.
By Tom Brogan

This is radio clash
A growing chorus of disillusioned listeners are lamenting the decline of BBC Radio Scotland’s flagship football show, Sportsound. With calls for change echoing across social media, can the program rediscover its identity and cater to the needs of its audience?
By Michael Bochel

Hampden is home bittersweet home
Scotland’s women have played at the national stadium since 2021 but the ‘permanent’ move is already being questioned amid the echoing of empty seats.
By Chris Marshall

Preserving football’s cultural heritage
Majority shareholders should stop treating our clubs like businesses and more like works of art, with the impetus on responsible ownership and community protection.
By Paul Grech

Unrestricted View
As a photographer for When Saturday Comes, my lens has revealed some of the hidden narratives and forgotten stories that define our game. Here I share some personal highlights from my 20 years of photographing Scotland’s footballing landscape.
By Colin McPherson

First Lords of the Admiralty
Celebrating the pioneering kit designers.

Decoding the penalty puzzle
Controversial penalty decisions ignite passionate debate among fans, their game-changing impact even prompting scrutiny of their fairness. By examining over a decade’s worth of Scottish football data can we reveal the true impact that spot kicks have on our clubs’ fortunes and misfortunes?
By Jon Davey

Landmark Hampden loss that wasn’t the end of the world
Scotland’s first home defeat to an overseas team was greeted rather more calmly than the reaction to England’s defeat by Hungary a few years later.
By Neil Andrews

Dalglish’s benched record
The unusual decision to keep King Kenny on the sidelines for Scotland’s 1976 against Wales delayed an historic streak in Scottish football. Was boss Willie Ormond just resting his esteemed forward; or was there an ulterior motive?
By Craig Stephen

Let there be light
Floodlights have illuminated several decades of football history. George Morris, an electrical engineer and lifelong Partick Thistle fan, recounts his role in bringing light to Firhill in the mid-1950s.
By Kenny Pieper

International class: Scotland kits through the years
By John Devlin

From the Chairman to the Tea Lady…
No 3: Graeme Easton, Hampden Park and Hearts stadium announcer

Dramatic last days: League One 2017/18
Honest Men and Rovers’ scramble for Championship return
A rollercoaster title race culminated in a final afternoon of twists, turns and agonising near misses.
By Phil Rodger

Record appearances
A past football single reviewed.
No. 3: Don’t Come Home Too Soon (1998) by Del Amitri
By David Pollock

Poetry
Wrapped up by Julie McNeil
The Stein of Destiny by Stuart Kenny
None of Us Have Been Here Before by Kevin P. Gilday