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Hello. We’re talking today about a football fan who died following the club he loved. His family want to know if his life could have been saved.
Plus: Pep Guardiola for England? And come check out the Subbuteo World Cup.
A tragic death: West Brom fan Mark Townsend collapsed while watching with nephew
(Getty Images; courtesy of Steve Townsend; design: Eamonn Dalton)
Mark Townsend was a devout fan of West Bromwich Albion, a 146-year-old club based in one of England’s traditional industrial heartlands. Aged 57, he followed them home and away. His suit at his wedding was cut from West Brom’s blue and white colours.
On September 28, he died after suffering a suspected heart attack during Albion’s away game at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium. He had gone to the match with his nephew, Matt, who was with him when he collapsed.
As Mark’s brother, Steve, said later, there might have been no saving him. But an investigation by The Athletic, relying on the testimony of witnesses from the away end at Hillsborough, has highlighted concerns with the speed of the medical response on the day, all of which leave friends and family wondering if Mark’s death could have been avoided.
Life as Mark knew it was about to change. He was close to retiring and he and his wife, Marion, were preparing to move to Ireland, where they were building a new house. Instead, those who knew him will spend the run-up to Christmas mourning his loss — and seeking clarity about what happened.
Hillsborough history
Hillsborough’s past as a football ground is long and dark. It was the scene of the worst tragedy in the English game, a disaster that claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans.
That occurred in 1989, but last month, The Athletic highlighted existing safety concerns with the ground, many related to the Leppings Lane end of the stadium where Liverpool’s supporters were fatally crushed.
West Brom fans who were in Mark’s vicinity say it took at least nine minutes for him to be assessed by a medic. Wednesday say the gap was four minutes, but only after a steward had radioed for help. Some in the Albion crowd have spoken of a struggle in quickly alerting stewards to the emergency.
Mark Townsend (left) with his brother Steve (Steve Townsend)
Other claims included:
- The battery on the first defibrillator used on Mark going flat after two shocks.
- Claims it took 20 minutes for oxygen to be administered.
- The logistics of Hillsborough making it difficult to carry Mark from the away end.
Lessons to learn?
A review of the incident is underway. Responding to questions about Mark’s treatment, a spokesperson for Wednesday said: “Without compromising the review, it can be confirmed that advanced paramedic care was at the scene applying emergency treatment within three minutes of the control room being notified, just over one minute after the nearest steward was alerted.”
There were other issues that Wednesday and Lambda Medical, the company that provides medical services at Hillsborough, failed to address.
The final image of Mark, top, with Matt is deeply touching: a selfie of him at his happiest, just as the Championship match on September 28 was about to kick off. His family believe they owe it to him to establish whether his death could have been avoided — and if so, to ensure others are protected in future.
News Round-Up
Joel Matip (right) with Virgil van Dijk after Liverpool won the 2022 FA Cup (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Coaching questions: Who will be in charge of England at the World Cup?
The more Lee Carsley speaks, the more it sounds like he’s trying to talk himself out of the England job. Last week, he admitted he was mentally prepared for a return to the under-21s job and yesterday, after a 3-1 win over Finland, he said England required “a world-class coach who has won trophies”.
Without being harsh, that isn’t him. Carsley’s cautious tone in discussing the full-time post reflects the fact his caretaker stint has been less than conclusively impressive. After Thursday’s confused defeat to Greece, they got the better of Finland — albeit aided by an inexplicable miss while they were leading 1-0 (above). Nonetheless, this doesn’t feel like a long-term fit.
Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, meets the “world-class coach who has won trophies” criteria perfectly. He is out of contract at Manchester City next summer, the prospect of him leaving is increasingly real and if like Klopp he intends to redress his work-life balance, international football could be for him.
Managing England is often regarded as ‘the impossible job’ and if nothing else, hiring the planet’s top dog would put that reputation to the test. It would also juice up the cast of coaches at the next World Cup.
Mauricio Pochettino will be there. His USMNT adventure got off to a neat start on Saturday after he spent the week trying to infuse his players with confidence. If Pep got involved, all we’d need is Klopp to take Germany’s reins and 2026 in the United States would be like the Premier League’s glory years.
Quiz Answer
Friday’s question was no cinch: which four England players have appeared under seven or more England managers (including caretakers)?
The four were Gareth Barry, David Seaman, David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand. Barry topped the list by playing for eight — the first of them Kevin Keegan and the last Roy Hodgson.
Ask Me (Almost) Anything: Pogba and performance-enhancing drugs
Over the weekend, The Athletic invited readers of TAFC to fire questions my way. Thanks for all your input and well done for avoiding any about my lack of hair, or my wife.
Teddy C made a topical point on the back of our story about Paul Pogba’s doping ban being cut from four years to 18 months. He wondered why more isn’t written about performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in football.
It’s a fair thing to ask because, as Pogba’s case proves, the sport cannot be immune to doping (intentional or otherwise) when many others are affected by it. But there are two points to make in response: first, if PEDs were obviously prevalent, you’d see greater coverage of them and a reason I think they’re not so widespread is because football is a team game.
Naturally, PEDs can aid a player’s physique, but in terms of overall success, can they influence results in the way they do in individual pursuits like, say, cycling or boxing? I’m not naive in thinking football is squeaky clean, but perhaps the temptation (and the willingness to risk the consequences) isn’t there in the same way.
Around The Athletic FC
(Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)
Catch A Match (Times ET/UK) 📺
(Selected games)
Nations League, Group A2: Belgium vs France, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, ViX/Viaplay; Italy vs Israel, 2.45pm/7.45pm — ViX, Fubo/Viaplay; Group A3: Germany vs Netherlands, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, Vix/Viaplay; Group B4: Wales vs Montenegro, 2.45pm/7.45pm — ViX, Fubo/BBC.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
