1988/89, a seismic season for football on television as the cartel has gone and ITV have snatched sole rights to the Football League, meaning the end of ‘Match of the Day’ as we knew it.

Spending £44million, in those days when that really was £44million, ITV were the masters now. Steven Scragg and Stuart Horsfield look back on the opening day of a season when football clubs were suddenly rich beyond the dreams of avarice and started flashing the cash as if it would never run out.

Spoiler. For some, it did.

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