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Photographs.  We love ‘em - doesn’t everyone?  And football related snaps? Well, done properly, and timed perfectly, they can be magnificent.  I’m thinking of Gazza’s tears at Italia 90, Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy, El Diego’s handball, George Best in a throng of dolly birds*, Frank Riijkaard gobbing into Rudi Voller’s tousled locks.  Iconic images all captured via the miracle of the lens and shutter.

There are of course many thousands of photies that will cajole a beaming grin from the most bitter and twisted of those people that labour under the label of ‘football fan’, so we consider it our duty at IBWM to indulge this niche accordingly.

After a series of e-mails, telephone calls and meetings in cramped, dusty rooms above pubs, we’ve managed to persuade the good people at Colorsport to assist us on our celluloid crusade.  Colorsport, if you’re not familiar with the name, are the UK’s oldest and largest independent sports photographic archive and agency with access to around 10 million images covering 150 years of iconic sporting imagery.  Some of them from that shady era before 1992 that nobody is allowed to talk about.  Imagine that.

Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be displaying some of Colorsport’s wonderful photographs in a series of image galleries that capture the raw essence of football and bring life some truly marvellous moments.  The galleries will feature a variety of football subjects including Don Revie, Pep Guardiola, George Best and lots of other luminaries of the beautiful game.

As well as being able to enjoy viewing the photographs on this here site, we’ll also provide links back to Colorsport’s web portal so you can buy any of the pictures we feature.  As tempting as it might be to pick up a framed depiction of brightly coloured Scandinavian beach huts from Ikea to hang on your dining room wall, we think you’d be much happier in the long term gaping at a stunning portrait of the aforementioned Revie, Bobby Robson, Brian Clough, Pelé or, erm, Keith Houchen as you shovel up the last crumbs of your sun blushed tomato and goats cheese pannini.  Just imagine how impressed your friends/family/parole officer will be when they see your bathroom wall adorned with a homage to Denis Law, Johan Cruyff or a youthful Fabio Capello in tight shorts.  With prices starting at a more than reasonable £14.99, we’d say this was something of a no-brainer.  A little something to cherish that will provide a warm glow to your inner parts for years to come…….all for a tiny fraction of the cost of Jordan Henderson.

Anyway, that’s the sales pitch over, we’ll crack on with sharing some fantastic imagery with you. 

First up, we’ve picked a great set of photographs taken at Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town testimonial match in November 1979.  Arranged to commemorate the legendary manager’s 10 years at the club, an England XI was selected to provide the opposition for the late Sir Bobby’s soon to peak charges.  What’s really fantastic here is that the game not only features Robson’s outstanding Suffolk vintage, including Talbot, Wark and Muhren, but also sees George Best turning out in the colours of Ipswich and Spurs idol Ricky Villa donning an England shirt.  Heady days indeed.  Enjoy.

 

* We find it quite sad that the phrase ‘dolly bird’ appears to have consigned to a bygone age of Ford Cortina’s and giant bottles of Bells whiskey, replaced by the utterly dreadful moniker that is ‘WAG’ in modern football.  Someone should champion the return of the phrase ‘dolly bird’**.  Over to you superinjunction judges. 

** If anyone is able to explain the qualifying criteria for becoming a ‘bird’ with the prefix ‘dolly’ as opposed to just a ‘bird’, we’d love to hear from you.  Probably.