When Shorts Were Short - S2 E07 Spencer Vignes

When Shorts Were Short concerns itself solely with what was actually a very narrow window in football history when teams wore, well, short shorts. The podcast takes 1954 as its starting point, when Umbro made their first England kit with shorter shorts, to 1992, when short shorts were all but finished as Umbro's baggy shorts for Tottenham's new kit, ahead of the '91 FA Cup Final, quickly caught on.

If the shorts weren't short, we just don't talk about it.

This week's guest is Spencer Vignes, the author behind Bloody Southerners, which tells the story of Clough and Taylor’s time at the Goldstone Ground, and how those seven months together almost broke their working relationship for good. There’s a third protagonist too, for Bloody Southerners is also the story of chairman Mike Bamber, a colourful character, musician and property developer, acknowledged by Clough later to be the best chairman he ever worked for. Bamber would eventually realise his dream of getting Brighton into the top flight, but not before a somewhat disorientating ride with the tour de force that was Brian Clough.

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