The Square Ball: Season 36, Issue 06

Written by: The Square Ball
Cover artwork by: Eamonn Dalton

This is the sixth issue of The Square Ball’s 36th season and Leeds United’s 2025/26 definitely-not-ending-in-relegation campaign.

But we’re taking a break from the present day concerns at Elland Road, because 25 years ago Leeds United swaggered around Europe on their way to the Champions League semi-finals. Nobody ever mentions it, so we’ve taken a big look back at the adventures of the campaign.

Inside the mag, you’ll find from your favourite regular contributors:

Rob Conlon chats to Eirik Bakke about his journey from Norway’s second tier to battling against Europe’s elite in the space of eighteen months
Gaizka Mendieta outs Joe Brennan as a Leeds fan and tells him all about that semi-final with Valencia
Chris McMenamy recalls asking for some help from the heavens against Real Madrid only to get a cold, hard slap in the face
Plus conquering Rome, crying ourselves to sleep, a best XI of opponents Leeds faced and Olivier Dacourt sucking a lollipop

Subscribe to get this issue cheap with TSB+ — 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 £10 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 — and that tenner off getting the paper version delivered.

If you don’t want to subscribe — why not?! — 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 Man City on Saturday 28th February 2025. 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 here.

What else is in this issue?

Our now twelve 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 Eirik Bakke telling Rob Conlon about hunting for scalps, the influence of Eddie Gray on his career as a player and manager, and why he was scared ahead of the trip to the San Siro — click here to read that for free.

Also free to read from this issue is Joe Brennan being outed as a Leeds fan by Gaizka Mendieta and chatting to United’s nemesis about that semi-final with Valencia. Read that for free here.

You can order paper copies of issue six 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. ⬢