Obviously, the book gives details of every game, however there's more to it than that. Instead of it just being a collection of extensive reports of every single game (which is probably what I'd have done, boring everyone to death in the process), there are also details about what goes on at the club away from match days. The secret of the Shhhhh goal celebration is revealed, along with Charlie Adam's strange haircut the day we won the league.
This makes the book interesting and the chances of a Saints fan not learning something from it are slim. There are also pictures of the Bell's Cup win, the win over Motherwell in the cup and the title winning celebrations. It's definitely worth getting, especially at the price.
There has been a mixed reaction from Saints fans to the DVD, and after watching it it's easy to understand why. Like the book, it doesn't just concentrate on the games, and a lot of it is made up of action from training and what goes on during the week.
However, whilst the book has managed this and covered all the games, this is not the case with the DVD. There is action from several games missing, and whilst it's fair enough not including games we lost, it's a bit of a surprise that not a single goal from any of our three biggest wins of the season, against Ross County, Airdrie and Brechin City away, is included! Only one goal from the four wins against City is included, whilst a different win over Airdrie and a win over Clyde, as well as some other victories, are notable by their absence. There is also a lack of cup action, although this is fair enough due to different bodies being in charge of the rights.
However, perhaps the strangest omission is the trophy presentation. Considering the DVD menu and cover both contain a picture of the team with the first division trophy, you'd have thought this would have been an obvious thing to include. Apparently not.
Sadly, this isn't the only downside of the DVD. The actual match footage is the same as used by Scotsport, complete with their grpahics and commentary! There is no narrator linking the pieces together, and at times full highlights packages have been used. One reason given behind the omissions of certain footage was the cost charged, so why not cut down on the shots and tackles and show us some more goals? A narrator, even Scotsport commentator David McKinney, to link the whole thing together, would have worked well. "The Saints Are Back" video from six years ago managed to have all the goals and was narrated by Dougie Vipond, whilst there were no Scotsport graphics. Why not now?
It's not all bad though. Thanks to Alan Reid's Reido-Cam, we get to see behind the scenes at the club and also some action from training, with the squad attempting the Crossbar Challenge. There are also interviews with the players and, as with the book, we get to learn a bit more about them off the park.
The DVD's redeeming feature, however, comes with the Bell's Cup Final coverage. Up until the DVD's release, most Saints fans had only been able to see the goals and a few other bits and pieces on Scotsport. However, now there is a relatively extensive highlights package, showing several chances for both sides, as well as the celebrations afterwards. There aren't even Scotsport logos or commentary in this section, and you have to wonder why the rest of the DVD wasn't like this.
The DVD is priced at £18.99 and may seem a bit pricey, especially when you consider what is missing. However, it's only a few quid more than the video from six years ago, and does let you see some footage from the open top bus as well.
So, are the book and DVD worth buying? Definitely. What better way to remember the fantastic season we've had?
If you want to buy them, pop into Provan Sports or order them online from http://www.stmirrendirect.co.uk/ You won't regret it!