R.I.P Shoot!

Shoot! magazine which formed part of my diet throughout my childhood is no more.

Now I must rummage through my old stuff and see whether the copies I have had in my possession are still around.

Among the editions I remember most were Ron Greenwood's squad that had Kevin Keegan, Trevor Brooking and my favourite player Trevor Francis in 1980, Ipswich skipper Mick Mills in an aerial duel with Norwich City's Kevin Bond (son of manager John) and naturally the annuals, which was something I look forward to at the end the year. Relatives and friends who were privileged enough to spend the winter in England would come back with a copy of the annual for me!

As the years went by, Shoot!, published by IPC magazine which also had Look and Learn in its stable, underwent several transformation as they sought to be less Anglo-centric in their approach. By the time I set foot into Balai Berita, I was already an avid reader of World Soccer, Keir Radnedge and Brian Glanville as well as FourFourTwo before the introduction of the local version.

Look and Learn, by the way, was also a great source of information for both Kak Lin and I.

Datuk Fauzi Omar, one of the nation's foremost sports critics, once told me Shoot! was his constant companion throughout his adolescence. I'm sure Shoot! had impacted a lot of us ever since it was launched in 1969.

Football365.com has this story

Shoot magazine is no more after almost 40 years in the children's football magazine market.


It was launched in 1969 and during the Seventies and Eighties it was essential reading for most young boys every week as it dominated the market.


It's popularity waned in the Nineties as Match became the market leader, with Shoot switching to a monthly schedule.


Earlier this year they returned to a weekly format to go head-to-head-to head with Match and the newly-launched Match of the Day magazine, but publishers IPC have now admitted defeat.


They are in talks to keep the name alive and protect the famous Shoot Annual, but the magazine is no more.


"It is with great regret that we have had to make this decision," said Paul Williams, the managing director of IPC Inspire.


"We are of course in consultation with the six permanent staff directly affected by the proposal, and every effort will be made to find alternative jobs if this becomes necessary."