This is the fourth issue of TSB’s 34th season, and we’re just giving the ball to Cree for Christmas.
Our cover art celebrates one of the stars of the season so far, Crysencio Summerville as drawn by Chris Moran.
There’s unbelievable much inside this issue, all of it unbelievable good.
- Rob Conlon on rugby league’s history at not-always-welcoming Elland Road
- Our columnist Gaetano Berardi โ yes, him! โ writes about Christmas lunch at Bielsa’s Leeds, weigh-in included
- Our top five loosely festive moments, including David Batty in a party hat
- Your favourite TSB contributors on Farke vs Leedsyness, Mad Friday remembered, Dan James’ redemption and much more
- Click here to preview everything inside this issue
- Subscribe to get this issue cheap with TSB+ โ click here for info
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 ยฃ10 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 โ and that tenner off getting the paper version delivered.
If you don’t want to subscribe โ why not?! โ 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 Coventry on Saturday 16th December 2023. 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:
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.
Can I read something now? For free? Ah go on?
Free to read from this issue is Miles Reucroft, wondering whether our pursuit of the Premier League is hiding that we’re already in the promised land. Click here to read that for free.
Also free in this issue, BBC Introducing’ Emily Pilbeam on new Leeds music โ click here to read that one, and photographer Kate Schultze’s photographs of football murals in Leeds โ click here for that.
You can order paper copies of issue four 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. โฌข