Stuck On You: All Hail Panini!

(First published January 2018)

I am a grown man. It is a World Cup year. So what excites me most? The plethora of televised football? No. The chance to see new stars from around the world? No. The prospect of England reaching the latter stages? Don’t be ridiculous.

The Panini sticker album? OF COURSE! 

Panini's Mexico '86 - England squad

There has been plenty written about the rebirth of the football sticker since the Brazil World Cup in 2014 but, truthfully, I never grew out of them in the first place. I was just too embarrassed to buy them. Too afraid of my local newsagent to buy them there and too worried by what my wife would think to buy them online. I collected the album for most of the tournaments, free with some magazine or newspaper, but lacked the balls to commit.

The awakening of interest in Panini and the history of the company and football stickers in the UK has been brilliantly told by Greg Lansdowne in his book “Stuck on you”. It was then turned into a documentary of the same name by ITV – also marvellously done. It’s a fascinating story and one with huge aspects I was unaware of. 

I started collecting football stickers in the mid-80s through Panini’s Football ’85 or ’86 album and the 1986 World Cup sticker book. My most vivid memory though is of collecting Football ’88 with the oval stickers. I stuck Tony Cottee on my new, white wardrobe and got a hammering. I’ve no idea why my Mam was annoyed – it was only a swap! 

These were some of Panini’s most successful years in the UK having jumped into the market in the early 70s. Originally, their distribution was done through WH Smith and some key personnel who’d helped set up that network would have a major role to play in the formation of Panini’s greatest rival – Merlin. I was fascinated to see this story play out in “Stuck on you” having never known quite what happened to Panini in the late 90s or where Merlin came from. As far as I was concerned, Merlin were a cheap imitation although I did collect their (admittedly very good) Premier League sticker books in my early teens through lack of any other choice.

Panini were formed by brothers Benito and Giuseppe Panini in Modena, Italy in the early-60s when selling stickers became far more popular than the newspapers they’d previously distributed. Success in Europe led to their first World Cup sticker collection in 1970 and they entered what would become a hugely popular market in the UK not long after. Football cards had been around in this country for decades going back to the old cigarette cards and albums weren’t new either. However, the market for self-adhesive stickers was very small and Panini grew very quickly into the market leader and their association with Shoot! Magazine was very much the catalyst. Giving away their sticker books free with copies of Shoot! was a genius move that helped sell millions of packets of stickers.

Competition to Panini came through several companies such as Transimage and Quadriga but it rarely lasted, and they dominated the market place until 1990. Panini’s partnerships with magazines such as Match and Shoot! and the Daily Mirror newspaper had been key in establishing their dominance. However, in 1987 The Sun newspaper wanted a slice of the Panini pie and their then-Editor, and vermin, Kelvin McKenzie flew out to Modena to pitch against the Daily Mirror for the partnership. More than just The Sun vs. The Mirror, this was Sun-owner Rupert Murdoch vs. Mirror-mogul Robert Maxwell and Maxwell was furious when Panini chose to take the deal on offer from the Sun. After failing with his own foray into the Sticker world, Maxwell just went out and bought Panini.

Peter Dunk and Kelvyn Gardner who had been the backbone of the Panini operation in the UK didn’t fancy working for Maxwell so they formed Merlin along with Peter Warsop from WH Smith. They found that taking on Maxwell was far from easy and within a couple of years they were faced with losing everything they’d gambled on the business. An unlikely saviour appeared in the WWF – the wrestling version, not the big Pandas. A licensing deal to produce WWF sticker albums was a major success and it turned around Merlin who then secured those rights to produce the Premier League sticker books. 

As unaware as I was about where Merlin came from, I was equally stumped as to where they went. The ITV doco revealed the men and their investors sold the company to Topps in 1996 for $50m and lived happily ever after!

There was a major lull in the football sticker market for almost a couple of decades after that with cards such as Match Attax taking over as the must have football collectable for kids. Panini held on to the licencing for the European Championships and World Cup collections and continued to do very well but away from the conscience of most in the UK. I picked up the books for Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the very enjoyable Euro 2008 (enjoyable because England weren’t around to ruin it) but they remained empty due to my pretending that I’m a grown-up and not the (very) large 8-year-old that I really am.

I noticed the start of the revival of Panini in 2010. They produced a very clever “Virtual sticker album” online in conjunction with Coca-Cola. It let you “open” packets of stickers and fill the album as well as swapping with other people online. Several packets a day were free and bonus packets could be opened with codes from Coca-Cola and the actual stickers. Millions of people were reminded of the excitement of opening that little packet of mystery, the agony of needing that last sticker and the joy that came from finding it.

By the time the 2014 World Cup came around, stickers were back. A grown man buying stickers was still shameful but it was a shame shared by millions of overgrown 8-year-olds riding a wave of nostalgia and enjoying the fact we could actually afford these things. No sweeping your Mam’s kitchen or mowing the lawn to earn sticker money. 

The benefits of adulthood and the joy of childhood. Where else are those things ever “stuck” together? All hail Panini.

Assessing Hull City's summer signings

Hull City signed ten players last summer. Last week I lamented the fact that it is December and we still haven’t seen them play but what impression have they made through the mediums of TV and occasionally wonky streams?

Pic: Hull Daily Mail

There’s a loose order to this list - from best to worst - but its fair to say that even the “worst” have been far from disastrous. I’ve not included Mallik Wilks and Festus Arthur, who both joined City permanently whilst we were still playing Championship games in June and July, in this list as Wilks isn’t a “new” signing and Arthur isn’t a first team player.

1.       Josh Emmanuel

Who saw this coming? Big Josh left Bolton at the end of last season after their relegation to League Two and joined City as (right-) back-up to marquee signing Lewie Coyle. Bolton fans said he was exciting going forward but defensively weak and they were half right. Emmanuel has been City’s best attacking weapon in open play. His speed and desire to get forward and support has been crucial but he does so responsibly and makes excellent decisions. Even if you’ve only taken in this strange season in highlight form, you’ve seen a lot of Emmanuel marauding down the right wing and putting in tremendous crosses. His ability to cross on the move is unmatched in Tigers’ full backs despite the outstanding ones we’ve had in the past couple of decades.

There has been nothing wrong with his defensive work either. Playing 27 games for the worst team in League One would not have been fun for him last season but it will have improved his game immeasurably. I don’t like to heap too much praise on players this early into their City career because we’ve seen many fall off a cliff recently but Emmanuel can certainly step up at least one level. He’s a complete modern full-back who has size as well as speed. If he keeps making good decisions and improving his reading of defensive situations, he’s going to be a top player.

2.       Richie Smallwood

The Tigers have been crying out for a leader in midfield for years and Smallwood’s experience along with the revitalised George Honeyman has made the team unrecognisable from the garbage we saw in the first half of the year. He’s a functional footballer but he’s an excellent reader of situations and a good leader and communicator. Ian Ashbee will be the benchmark in this position until many of us are very old men and women but Smallwood has a lot of his qualities at this level. He doesn’t complicate the game and he has no pretention. He’s an honest grafter but he really understands the game which is an asset we were badly missing before. 

3.       Alfie Jones

City signed Jones after letting Ryan Tafazolli join Wycombe and it made sense to balance out the centre halves as we had three left-sided and only Reece Burke on the right. Not only has it balanced it but it’s been an upgrade. Jones is a good footballer, schooled at Southampton, and has shown his versatility playing in midfield and centre-back and would have no trouble at full-back either. He’s another player with League One experience having spent last season on loan at Gillingham and is another win for the much maligned recruitment team. Unfortunately, he’s just picked up an injury after making himself a first choice at centre half and that being such a blow shows how quickly he’s grasped his opportunity.

4.       Greg Doherty

We’ve not yet seen the best of Doherty since he arrived from Rangers for a good fee in the summer. He’s a busy midfielder who is quick and always on the move. I like that he’s generally looking to play forwards or carry the ball into spaces and hurt teams. He hasn’t got into the box as much as I thought he would and his quality around the area, passing, crossing and shooting hasn’t been up to his previous standard. He scored an excellent goal last week which should give him a boost and there is a suggestion that he’s been playing hurt which won’t have helped. I’d like to see more goals from him and getting into the positions he did so easily against Doncaster recently will help him do that.

5.       Lewie Coyle

Coyle is the biggest surprise of the eight signings listed and it’s nothing to do with him and everything to do with the form of Josh Emmanuel. City paid good money for Coyle, around £350,000, with the expectation that he would be a first choice at right-back and a real leader in the team. There’s no doubt about his quality, we’ve seen that in cup games particularly the disappointment at Stevenage when he was by far our best player. Emmanuel has just made himself undroppable to this point.

I wonder if McCann has considered trying to get them both in the team. City are wedded to 4-3-3 which rules out them playing on the right together so that could only happen if one played left-back. Given their quality going forward, that would stifle one of them somewhat but it does remain a shame having such a quality player in reserve.

6.       Hakeem Adelakun

Adelakun is the biggest disappointment of the summer signings to date. That’s not a major criticism as none have been bad but considering how long City have chased him and the reputation he joined his parent club, Bristol City, with, we expected far more from him. There are flashes of excellence such as his debut goal against Plymouth but they’re rare and it’s not been a surprise that he doesn’t have many 90 minutes under his belt. He allows games to pass him by and rarely looks likely to go and start dictating the game, he’s just either in it or he’s not. It’s easy to see why he’s not stepped up to the Championship because the level of consistency just isn’t there.

At the moment, he looks the definitive “luxury” player. When all of Wilks, KLP, Magennis, Doherty and Honeyman are fit, he doesn’t make my team which is a surprising thing to say about a player City have coveted for so long.7.       Regan Slater

Slater is a signing that with hindsight, seems unnecessary. I like him, he’s another mobile midfielder who works box to box, passes neatly and likes a tackle. He seems like a really good kid too. However, he was never going to play ahead of Smallwood, Honeyman and Doherty and he’s not an upgrade on Batty. The use of Alfie Jones as a midfielder and emergence of Callum Jones was perhaps unforeseen and he’s unlucky there but so far it’s a signing that hasn’t done much bar limit opportunities for Max Sheaf and Billy Chadwick.

8.       Thomas Mayer

Mayer was a bit of a gamble on a free transfer. The Austrian joins a line of similar punts like Martin Pusic, Tejani Belaid and David Milinkovic and like those, hasn’t pulled up any trees - so far. His debut was promising, creating the winning goal against Crewe for Mallik Wilks with a tremendous cross but in the other games he’s played, we’ve got seen the same quality. Games he’s started have passed him by and when he’s appeared in league games as an “impact sub”, he hasn’t got into the game at all. I’m not really sure what he is. He doesn’t have pace or a trick and doesn’t see a pass others wouldn’t. He feels like just another body in the squad.

 

It would be interesting to get some feedback on whether others see it the way I do. Use the form below or let me know on Twitter what you think!

Hull City fans. We're not really here.

If a football fan screams at a TV, does anyone hear?

It goes without saying that this is the strangest year there has been to be a football fan in living memory. I haven’t been to a Hull City game since the 29^th February. I was still in primary school recently indoctrinated and not yet aware of the football club on my doorstep the last time I went that long without seeing them live.

 

 

I’m not an "armchair" fan. I’ve no particular problem with anyone who is. They’re as valid as any other fan and given the way football is funded these days, probably more vital to the game than the match going fans. The last eight months support that. The game has carried on without fans in stadiums. It certainly wouldn’t have without fans watching on TV. Lots, perhaps even most, of the people who support big clubs have to be armchair fans because getting a ticket is difficult and eye-wateringly expensive. It’s just not for me.

Going to football has been the biggest thrill in my life for over 30 years (Sorry Mrs S). The football is great, the players important and the result vital. But the sights, the smells, the travels, the tribulations and the company are what make the games. For every game you remember because Geovanni smashed the ball into the top corner or Dean Windass made history, there are a hundred others you remember because of a puncture on the side of the M25, a curry and a pint in the pub, a terrible, watery pie, your mate getting a black eye from Aaron McLean in the pre-match shooting warm-up or a meet up with exiled City fans in the South or abroad.

Most seasons, we’ve seen new signings up close in pre-season. It’s been part of the joy of going to North Ferriby, Winterton, Harrogate, Canvey Island for the HCSS mob, and others down the years. T-Shirt weather. Little kids getting photos and autographs. The surreal sight of England’s Nick Barmby in black and amber. In 2020, it’s December, it’s pissing down and there are lads who joined Hull City six months ago that none of us have seen play. TV, or more precisely iFollow streams, are a hideously poor substitute. We can watch anyone on TV. These days you can easily watch clubs who like Boca Juniors and Fluminese, who once upon a time only existed in the pages of World Soccer magazine.

The level of detachment is impossible to get used to. Barely being aware of the fixtures because there are no tickets to buy, no plans to make or travels to arrange. Remembering little about games because there are no incidents or goal celebrations flashing through your mind. Missing that connection between the travel, the food, the company, the atmosphere, the opposition fans, the injuries caused by tripping over chairs or down stairs, the hugging and dancing with complete strangers – you can try and replicate that last one but you might get banned from Sainsbury’s like me. Just no feeling of “I was there”.

Fans are returning to grounds this week, though sadly not for us poor schmucks in tier 3 areas, and that is a great first step but it’s still a million miles from being what watching football is about. I’m desperate to see my team again but that will be another surreal experience. Though at least we’ll be there. At least we’ll be making plans again, digging out shirts and scarves again, seeing the players again and being heard again.

At least we’ll exist.