Card of the Day - 2023-07-03

Topps All Stars
Topps Football Cards - Red Back - Shoot! Goal All Stars (1977) 239/330

So for our last clue, another footballer, and this card should have brought you the "All Stars" part of the theme.

And before I race ahead, when this card originally appeared on Monday I asked you to have a think about the fact that this is not the only set of "All Stars" which John Benjamin Toshack appeared on - and whether you knew, or could find, the other. Well the answer is Golden Wonder "Soccer All Stars", which was issued in 1978 with potato crisps, and in which card 11 was John Toshack, Liverpool and Wales. We also tracked one down for you to have a look at, at CardhawkUK/Toshack 

And if you want to see the other 63 cards that he appeared on, nip over to The Trading Card Database/Toshack

Now an apology, of sorts, because yes, I know, we have had this set before, but within it there are sections which look a bit different to the rest, kind of sets within a set.

The first of those sub sets deals with Club Histories, which we will have to use in the near future - though they say "Team Leaders" on the front. They cover cards 101-120. The teams included are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Bristol City, Coventry City, Derby County, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester United, Middlesborough, Newcastle, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke, Sunderland, West Bromwich, and Wolverhampton Wanderers - but they are not strictly in alphabetical order within the set. Most of the cards here have four portraits of players in head and shoulders format, two top and two bottom with the team caption as a long strip in the middle, but Leeds, Manchester United and Newcastle have the card split into six boxes, five holding players and the top left one having the team caption box. Would be interested to hear if any others are also six pictures. 

The other sub set is this one, "Shoot!Goal All Stars" and this covers cards 232 to 247. The players there are Kevin Beattie (England), George Best (Northern Ireland), Mick Channon (England), Kenny Dalglish (Scotland), Gerry Daly (Eire), Gerry Francis (England), Brian Flynn (Wales), John Greig (Scotland), Gordon Hill (England), Joe Jordan (Scotland), Kevin Keegan (England), Don Masson (Scotland), Colin Todd (England), John Toshack (Wales), Dave Watson (England). Again the cards are not in alphabetical order within the set. 

Now there is an interesting theory that I have been told of and that is relating to the fact that this set had something to do with the popular football magazine "Shoot!" and quick research proves that in the 1970s "Shoot!" actually merged with another magazine called "Goal", after which it was sold as "Shoot/Goal". But I have not tracked down yet the date of that merger.