Saturday 05 May 1990. Bournemouth v Leeds United. The final game of the season. Win and Leeds would return to the top flight of English football after an eight year absence. Lose and Sheffield United could pip their West Yorkshire rivals to promotion. What followed that Bank Holiday weekend on the south coast is remembered as one of triumph for the Elland Road club on the pitch, with Lee Chapman’s goal enough to earn a 1-0 victory, but which was marred by serious violence off it. And it is against this backdrop that this fictional novel takes its title.
Of the 190 pages of this engaging, gritty, fast-paced and at times brutal dark crime thriller, all but the final eight, are set between Monday 09 April 1990 and Sunday 06 May 1990. The significance of the dates are that the first sees the central character Neil Yardsley released from prison after three years as he returns to his home city of Leeds and the second is the day after the Bournemouth v Leeds fixture; very much the ‘morning after the night before’.
Whilst the match on the south coast is the culmination of the story in a football sense, it is also the setting as other plot-lines come to a head. Indeed, whilst football is featured with Neil’s return to his mates and the ritual of attending games back at Elland Road, Morris draws in a number of other themes such as family, belonging, loyalty and betrayal as Neil’s attempt to go straight are side-tracked as he becomes drawn into the dark side of the crime, gang and drug scene in the city.
The author was born in Leeds and so the language used (and which he explains in a preface, Accents, Dialects and Pronunciation) has an entirely authentic feel, as do his descriptions of the various pubs, bars and landmarks in the city from the 1990s. This extends to his description of the football casuals scene as fashion shifted from denim clad skinheads to flick-haired Pringle wearing gangs, all giving the novel a ‘real’ feel.
What also helps provide an authenticity is the short headlines at the beginning of some chapters that gives readers context to events of the time, whether that be describing the nervous form the Elland Road team were going through as the season reached its conclusion or events in Britain in a year that saw Margaret Thatcher eventually stand down as Prime Minister.
This is undoubtedly a fast paced unflinching read, with the 48 short-sharp chapters keeping readers engaged and driving them on through to its conclusion, with the final chapter six months on after the events in Bournemouth providing one final twist.
(Publisher: Independent. August 2021. Paperback: 191 pages)
As mentioned by Jade Craddock in our two-part interview with the FBR regular writer, Football, She Wrote is a first, indeed unique anthology, in that it brings together 20 pieces of writing by women focusing on their experiences of the most popular team sport in the world – football. The contributions come from 10 experienced writers who were commissioned and 10 new writers who like Jade were chosen after submitting their pieces to a competition, set up by publisher of the book, Floodlit Dreams with the Women in Football organisation.
You might ask, ‘why is a female only book required needed in this day and age?’ Well, in the Foreword by Gabby Logan this is eloquently answered: “While there are now so many women working across the industry in front of a camera, as pundits and commentators…women writers still have less visibility and opportunities. So to curate a body of written work, by women, is a milestone that should be marked.”
The great advantage of an anthology is that readers get an introduction to a range of different writers and subjects, providing that exposure and opportunity for women writers that Logan hopes for. However, it is no easy task for contributors, as their pieces have to be short and focused to deliver their message or story.
Overall what can readers expect from this anthology? Stylistically, there are interview pieces, profiles, memories, views and some creative writing with football at their heart and in the process cover topics such as the women’s game, the fan experience, as well as diversity, inclusion and sexuality. Whether you are male or female this is a thought provoking collection, which will challenge readers, but in equal measure stir the emotions.
However to do justice to all the contributors and their piece a short review of each chapter follows. The first ten feature here with the second ten found in Part 2 (to follow).
Julie Welch – THE GIRLS OF ‘72
Scotland team 1972 v England (c) Daily Record
A real scene setter and great way to open the anthology with a potted history of the women’s game and how it was banned by The FA in 1921, this despite the significant popularity of teams such as Dick Kerr Ladies at the time. As Welch succinctly details, “the old man in blazers, the medical profession, the anti-suffragists, the patriarchy…won.”
It wasn’t until 1969 that the Women’s Football Association was established, with UEFA’s directive to member countries to recognise women’s football decisive in 1971. With this recognition, the Women’s FA Cup had its first final in 1970/71 and later on Saturday November 18, 1972 at the Ravenscraig Stadium in Greenock, Scotland Women hosted England Women in what was the first official women’s international for both countries. The events leading to that historic match driven by the efforts of Patricia Gregory and Elsie Cook lie at the heart of Welch’s piece.
It is an enlightening story that does make you consider what path the women’s game might have taken if it hadn’t been banned for half a century. Given that, it is a testament to all those down the years like Gregory and Cook and despite that ban, that in November 2019 England played Germany at Wembley in front of 77,768 – a record attendance for an England women’s home fixture.
Hayley Davinson – MY SEASON-TICKET FRIEND
This piece is amongst the shorter ones within the book, but still packs a telling punch in an observational tale of life as a season-ticket holder. Like this FBR reviewer Davinson is a fellow Fulham supporter, so totally got her references to past players, the Europa League Final run and even the difficulty of getting a pint at half-time in the Hammersmith End!
Davinson’s focus though on how the area you frequent in your regular seat on matchday can lead to a unique type of friendship. It is a story of the shared experience of going to a game, and despite maybe having different political views, being a different age, sexuality or religion, cheering on your team is the one thing that binds you through all the ups and downs supporting your team brings.
Kate Battersby – THE COOK WHO FOUND THE RIGHT RECIPE
This piece is based around an interview with a quite remarkable woman with an ordinary name – Joyce Cook. Readers discover that Cook overcame an abusive childhood, a battle with her sexuality, and disability to be awarded both a CBE and OBE as well in 2019 FIFA’s first Chief Education and Social Responsibility Officer.
It details how a visit to Old Trafford gave Cook the drive to get out of the depression she felt at being forced into a wheelchair with her disability and was the start of a journey that led ultimately to her role at FIFA. There are some real eye-opening descriptions of the awful conditions disabled fans have had to endure down the years even at major tournaments.
Battersby does a great job in telling the story of a women acknowledged as “one of the world’s leading voices on inclusion, anti-discrimination, and sustainable development in sport and wider society.”
Kehinde Adeogun – TWO BLACK ROOKIES AND A MICROPHONE
(c) FIFA
Part of this anthology’s strength is its ability to challenge, stir emotion, create debate and make us laugh and indeed on occasions cry. Kehinde Adeogun’s tale is one that falls into the category of making readers smile. This piece tells of football fans Kehinde and sister Taiwo, who through their love of the game come to report on the FIFA 2007 Women’s World Cup in China for BBC World Service and its African sports programme, Fast Track.
With only a short course in radio journalism under their belts, and armed with a audio recorder, a copy of Lonely Planet: China, and no understanding of Mandarin, these two resourceful women set about providing both live and recorded content for the programme from the tournament.
What is evident through the writing is the joy and sheer enjoyment that their adventure brought them, and this translates to the reader. There are some memorable tales included as the women seek to order food at their hotel purely through sign language and on another occasion they are followed around late night supermarkets with the locals unused to seeing black people. However, this is not to detract from the fact that they carried out their role as required getting the interviews and content as required, which included an interview with now men’s Brighton manager but then technical director for the Ghana women’s team, Graham Potter. It’s a great advocate of the old adage, ‘you don’t get, if you don’t ask.’
Suzanne Wrack – ESTATE OF MIND: THE MAKING OF EMMA HAYES
It’s quite an achievement to find out about a person without interviewing them, but this is what Suzanne Wrack achieves in this piece devoted to Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes. Instead readers get to understand what makes the successful Hayes tick through Wrack’s interviews with her relatives and others within the game, as well as a look at her council estate upbringing – a childhood that Wrack herself experienced, and one that she likes to point out is not always about the cliqued view of concrete, poverty and negativity.
Against this background, we learn of how Hayes’ career was ended through a skiing accident, but that this only drove her on to earn coaching badges in various sports before travelling to the USA, the country most highly regarding in terms of football in the women’s game at the time and to this day. Back in the UK her quality as a coach took her to Arsenal working as an assistant, helping them to win 11 major trophies in a three-season spell. She moved to Chelsea in 2012 bringing the club nothing but success.
Emma Hayes is undoubtedly a winner but is founded on a deep determination to always strive to be the best, combined with creating a positive and trusting environment.
Cassie Whittell – ANFIELD OF DREAMS
This piece is written in a diary format, relaying significant football related memories starting with the seven-year old Whittell at primary school in 1978, through to 2019 where as an adult she is working within football. The journey has various stops in 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2010 and 2017 as Whittell explores the high and lows of being a female looking to get her football fix whether as a player or spectator.
Whittell opens with her picking of Liverpool as her team back in ’78 and the excitement of being “part of Kenny Daglish’s gang.” That joy is dashed two years later when facing prejudice at school as hopes of entering the school five-a-side competition with an all-girl squad is rebuffed with the master in charge urging them to, ”Go and ask Miss Simpkins to put on a netball tournament for you instead.” The experience is no better in 1986 as England play Argentina in the World Cup, and as Maradona scores with the ‘Hand of God’ goal, Whittell is led out of the room by her aunt, saying, “it’s not for you love…leave the men to it.”
By the next World Cup in Italy, Whittell is obviously alone amongst her mates in seeing the beauty of the game epitomised by David Platt’s late goal against Belgium. However, the tide begins to turn in 1993 when Whittell attends her first game as Sheffield United host an Alan Shearer inspired Blackburn Rovers an experience she openly admits she loved and couldn’t wait to repeat. A year later Whittell goes to a game on her own and it was exhilarating to read how it made her feel – “Just me, raw and bold, whooping when Rotherham score, groaning when they conceded. I can feel free.”
The positivity continues when in 2000, in her work environment when Whittell’s football knowledge is acknowledged, however, is it tempered by sexist comments – the dawn of a new millennium, but no change in old attitudes. Skip forward four years and Whittell is visiting Old Trafford on Boxing Day imbibed not only with Festive spirit but the Liverpool view of their northwest neighbours, “the awful and detestable Manchester United”. Then in 2010, Whittell attends Anfield the home of the team she choose to follow back in 1978 for the first time. It was a joy to read of how overwhelming the experience was, and how it gave voice to release all her football frustrations. The final two entries for 2017 and 2019 see Whittell move first into a volunteer role and then into a full-time role within the game.
The piece is a wonderful journey, which illustrates how Whittell has fought to find her place in the game which since that playground choice in 1978 she has loved her whole life.
Molly Hudson – WINNING AND LOSING
This is an incredibly personal piece from Molly Hudson looking at the career of Fran Kirby and also Hudson’s own journalistic journey. The one thing connecting the two women besides their success within their respective fields within football, is the emotional impact of the loss of their respective mothers.
Kirby started at Reading at the age of seven any by sixteen had made her senior debut. The death though of her mother Denise when Kirby was just fourteen deeply affected the young player. Kirby suffered with depression and walked away from the game. However, she returned in 2012 after her love for the game was rekindled after playing in a Sunday amateur league. Fulfilling the potential her mother always knew her daughter had, Kirby helped Reading to promotion and by 2014 had made her full England debut and then playing in the 2015 World Cup. It was a big year in that she also moved to Chelsea and has seen her pick up many trophies as The Blues have become a major force in the women’s game.
Hudson began writing for The Times in 2017 and has since covered the Premier League, Champions League and women’s World Cup. She covered the 2019 women’s World Cup against the backdrop of her mother’s terminal illness diagnosis, with work a distraction against the reality of the situation.
It is an inspiring piece and one which sheds some light on the grieving process and shows that as well as their outstanding talent both Kirby and Hudson have strength and courage in telling their respective stories.
Ali Rampling – HIGHS AND LOWESTOFT
If you look at the recent winners of the women’s FA Cup over the last ten years, the current powerhouses are those of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Go back to the ‘70s and it was Southampton and in the ‘80s it was the Doncaster Belles. Tucked away amongst the names of the finalists of that period are the Lowestoft Ladies who were runners-up to Southampton in 1978/79, and who would lift the trophy three seasons later in 1981/82.
Ali Rampling lifts the lid on the Suffolk club founded in 1971, and who just 12 months after their win over Cleveland Spartans (now Middlesbrough Women FC) at QPR’s Loftus Road, folded. In this interesting piece, Rampling interviews former players and management in discovering the success the club achieved, with many players featuring for England such as Debbie Bampton and Linda Curl. They totally dominated local football, winning the East Anglian League in 1972/73, 1973/74 and 1974/75 and continued their winning ways in the South East of England League as Champions in 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78 and 1978/79.
Despite all that success, there is the feeling that the club was let down by the football authorities, with Lowestoft, left without a division to play in after the South East of England League folded. The club’s applications to five other leagues were rejected due to their geographical location with the offer of a return to the East Anglian League not taken up, given that Lowestoft would have overwhelmed the teams at that level. With all their best players leaving, the club exited the FA Cup 7-0 just twelve months after lifting the trophy and folded at the end of the 1982/83 season.
Isabelle Barker – TAKE THREE WOMEN…
This piece from Isabelle Latifa Barker, the first winner of the Vikki Orvice Scholarship and with it a two-year contract to work on the sports desk of The Sun, is a tribute to three women who have been role models for women aspiring to work within sports media and journalism.
Firstly, there is Vikki Orvice, wife of Ian Ridley, who sadly died in 2019, but was such a driving force and trailblazer as the first woman staff football writer for a tabloid, working at The Sun in 1995, as well as a founder and board member of Women in Football and vice-chair of the Football Writers’ Association (FWA). Secondly, Carrie Brown, the first female chair of the FWA, and presenter/reporter who has worked for the likes of Eurosport, Al Jazeera and BeIN Media and lastly Jacqui Oakley who has worked on major events for BBC, ITV, Sky Sports and various other media outlets.
The fitting tribute in highlighting the significance of the three is to be found in the closing paragraph of this piece. Of Brown, Barker praises her as she has “continued to break ground, always ensuring youngsters…have a supportive network of women to go to.” Whilst Oakley “has balanced the demands of motherhood with her high-stakes efforts to give confidence and advice to new mums in the industry”, with Orvice, “a fantastic mentor for many young female writers.” And as a trio, Barker acknowledges, “it’s thanks to these pioneers that we will be seeing more women in press boxes, newsrooms, in front of cameras an behind microphones up and down the country.”
Katie Mishner – WHAT IT COULD BE LIKE
Ever been to watch you team but not felt part of it? Well this is exactly what Katie Mishner explores in this piece about her experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Mishner opens with her watching her beloved Newcastle United away at Blackburn Rovers, which is full of the usual passion and togetherness you experience as an away fan especially when you are 2-0 up after twenty-minutes. However, all this changes when one of the Toon fans screams a homophobic insult at a Rover player. Suddenly that feeling being part of something was deeply fractured and when a similar instance occurred at Hillsborough not long after, Mishner seriously questions whether there has been progress in the game in stamping out homophobia.
Her points are indeed valid when looking at the statistics Mishner provides, in addition to her pointing out the rise in vile vitriol that still pervades social media not just in the arena of football, but in society in general. And what of FIFA? What were they thinking in awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia, a country “prolific in its persecution and violence towards this community (LGBTQ+) and Qatar in 2022, where “homosexuality is criminalised…and punishable by a prison sentence.”
However, against that Mishner offers hope in recognising the various bodies looking to make a stand, such as, Gay Football Supporters Network, Kick It Out, Pride in Football and Football v Homophobia. And out of that last initiative (Football v Homophobia) Mishner experiences what a game can be like as she and her partner attend a game at Altrincham where the club wears rainbow jerseys and in an environment and atmosphere where they simply were able to just enjoy the game. The hope is that going forward there will be less days like that experienced at Ewood Park and more days like that at Altrincham. Football is for everyone.
Mat Guy is no stranger to the world of football writing having brought readers three titles in Barcelona to Buckie Thistle: Exploring Football’s Roads Less Travelled,Minnows United: Adventures at the fringes of the beautiful game and Another Bloody Saturday. These are non-fiction and focus on Guy’s travel at home and abroad recalling tales from lesser known clubs and grounds, exploring what they means to their fans and their communities. The Lives of Stanley B sees Guy take a different direction in writing a fictional novel, which whilst does not solely focus on football, has it at the heart of the book.
The story begins with a journalist at a game amongst his fellow scribes as they try to answer the perennial question, ‘Who was the best footballer you have ever seen play?’ The journo is surprised by his own answer as he comes up with a left-back, Tom Maskell who played merely a handful of games in the old Fourth Division. So begins the lead into the first of four major plotlines as the journalist investigates what happened to the player. In doing so, readers are regaled with the journalists boyhood introduction to the game in a path well known by fans, with the thrill, sights and sounds of their first game, the thirst for facts and figures from programmes and newspaper alike, warmly drawn by Guy. The author wonderfully portrays how with the passing of time this experience changes, with attending reserve games with a handful of ‘characters’ transitioning into those once a year visits for Christmas and New Year games, via being a regular season-ticket holder. In the search for Tom Maskell the journalist finds himself on the south coast of Devon and Cornwall where Maskell played in the local leagues before his time in the professional game.
Here readers are introduced to Scot, Gordie Macrae in the second major story, who despite his years, ferries people around the lakes, and like Maskell had a brief flirtation with the professional game in his youth. Gordie’s tale though is not of a successful career, instead it is one ended by injury with significant consequences for him and his family. This part of the book sees the introduction of Stanley B and link into the third narrative with the story of Maisie Buchanan. Her tale is of a strong determined woman who raises and provides for her son singlehandedly, experiencing along the way the trauma of the Second World War, as the port of Southampton is bombarded by the Germans. Maisie’s son is a decent enough footballer to play for the South Coast club in the games played during the war, with the football theme continuing after the war, as Maisie takes in games in and around Cumbria whilst in the North West. The last major narrator sees the story of Eilish, a woman with memories of sitting in the stands watching her father play football, in search of her past.
Throughout the book Guy’s writing has a poetic quality, with his depictions of the lakes and nature in general, painting wonderful pictures for the readers and healing, calming influences on the characters as they experience loss and seek resolution and redemption. However, football plays its part too. Guy’s obvious knowledge and love of the beautiful game evident in his depiction of football at all levels and echoing its importance in the lives of the central characters. The descriptions of the ritual of attending games are incredibly authentic as is the recognition by Guy that being absorbed by the action on the pitch can provide respite from the pressures of everyday life.
Life is indeed a journey and Guy uses football as the metaphor in Stanley B to wonderfully travel it.
(Publisher: 1889 Books. November 2021. Paperback: 248 pages)
This is a true story from a few years back. A Premier League club (who shall remain nameless) marketed at one of their food and drink outlets in the ground a ‘Meal Deal’, which consisted of a pint, a Mars bar and a packet of crisps for a fiver. Now you don’t have to be Gordon Ramsey, to understand that this combination does not constitute a meal for the average human being, yet somehow football fans are fair game. The fact is that clubs know that once a spectator is through the turnstile the concession stands are the only option for those wanting any food or drink and invariably it is a pricey bland selection from a big brand. The answer to this malaise? Get yourself fed and watered before and after the game away from the stadium. But where to go I hear you cry? Well, The Great Pie Revolt provides a readymade (excuse the pun) solution.
In the Introduction, author Jack Peat outlines that the book, “is as such, my quest to make away days more palatable, to marry football and food to create a more rounded, wholesome day out.” As the title suggests the guide looks at the clubs in the top four divisions of the English game with 86 clubs featured.
Each club entry has a Fact box (which details, team nickname, colours, ground name, capacity and year it was built) and an Introduction which looks at a locations food and drink heritage and provides readers with some interesting facts. Following this are the main focus of the book, with sections on, What to eat and where to eat it and What to drink and where to drink it and covers a range of venues, which include cafes, market stalls, takeaways, microbreweries, pubs and bars. Within each of the food and drink sections, are three suggested venues which look to provide food and drinks options before and after matches where local produce and delicacies are served and celebrated. In doing so, readers will be introduced to a range of delights whether that be the parmo from Middlesbrough, Bank’s Dark Mild in Wolverhampton or rag pudding in Oldham.
It is indeed a more than useful guide for fans on away days looking for something different to the standard offering of chain venues and should be an essential read when making matchday plans. The first thing I did with the book was check out my own club’s listing and Peat’s suggestions and then look at all the various grounds I’ve visited down the years, to see if I’d been in any of the venues listed – a food and drink Groundhopping if you like!
If there is something missing, it would be the venues address or its social media details (i.e. website, Facebook or Twitter etc.) so that they could be looked at in further detail before making a trip. However, that is not to detract from what could become an indispensable matchday companion and point of reference to make away days memorable, win, lose or draw.
PS. Hey, Jack what about Scottish, Irish and Welsh editions? A non-league version? Let’s get this football food and drink revolution on the move!
(Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2021. Paperback: 304 pages)
If you haven’t already delved into Victorian football this book will whet your appetite and also provide you with new opportunities to explore the early years of what is now the Global Game through, to give him his full title, Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, the 11th Lord Kinnaird.
Just where do you start with this man of many facets? Kinnaird the footballer? The humanitarian? The politician? The administrator?
Of all these, prior to reading this book I was aware of Arthur Kinnaird’s’ exploits in football from my interest and knowledge of the FA Cup, especially during the Victorian era, with an additional insight provided by the Netflix mini-series The English Game, which although not totally historically accurate was an otherwise excellent programme.
Author Andy Mitchell has written a number of other football books, primarily concerning Scottish football, and here he has utilised a great source for this biography, with access to the family records and Arthur Kinnaird’s personal papers and scrapbooks through Kinnaird’s great-granddaughter, the Hon. Caroline Best, proving invaluable. Overall, the book is well written and concise, although I would have preferred some expansion in some areas of the book. The source material though enables Michell to provide readers with detail of his life outside of his football career, which in itself was so influential.
Despite Kinnaird’s Old Etonian education and wealthy family background he was extremely pious and cared greatly for social issues especially those affecting the poor. Along with his wife he used these attributes to be influential in the establishment of the YMCA and YWCA. Indeed, his early philanthropic leanings saw the couple teaching the children of the poor to read and write, with Kinnaird involved himself in a range of areas specifically those of a humanitarian nature covering education (for the poor and refugees), religion, poverty relief and health, as well as political and financial. As a Member of the House of Lords, he was a politician with a conscience, something those in positions of power and wealth today would do well to remember.
Kinnaird’s legacy to football came in two ways. On the pitch as a player, he was undeniably the superstar of his day, the Victorian Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo or Messi. Mitchell details his football career quite extensively, covering the great teams of the period with Kinnaird playing for Wanderers and Old Etonians, earning himself five winners’ medals from the nine appearances he made in FA Cup finals between 1873 and 1883. Additionally, he was involved in setting up the first international games between England and Scotland, and despite being born in London, as a son of an old Perthshire family, he turned out for the Scots.
Off the pitch, he was involved in the evolution of football as an administrator, where Kinnaird worked hard to standardise the rules of game and was involved in the formation of the English Football Association (The FA), serving as President for 33 years. During his stewardship, he oversaw the introduction of professionalism within the game, as the influence of the Southern public schools and the upper classes was usurped by the North and its professional teams, with this battle also featured within the aforementioned Netflix series.
Besides Kinnaird’s story, what I also loved about the book were the reproduction of newspaper articles and memorabilia from his own scrapbook which paves the way for readers to exploring more about football in the Victorian era in conjunction with an extensive bibliography.
Purely from a football perspective, this is where I would have wanted more, however, the reality is this is a biography of the man, not simply a history of Victorian football. Readers should be aware that the author assumes a level of knowledge around the formation and tactics of the Victorian game which were significantly different to that the modern fan is used to, and which evolved during Kinnaird’s playing and administrative career.
Overall though Mitchell has produced an excellent read and as I say will lead the curious amongst readers down a wormhole through the origins of the Victorian game and one of its significant influencers.
Steve Blighton
(Independently Published. March 2020. Paperback: 189 pages)
As a kid travelling to away games, spotting the floodlights was part of the excitement of the day. And if I’m honest, even all these years later, there is still a thrill from spotting the pylons whether in the car or on a train. However, as old grounds have slowly disappeared and technology has advanced in the field of lighting, those distinctive pylons of my youth, are a very rare sight these days.
Therefore it is a real pleasure to be able to review two book about these metallic behemoths, the first Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights by Mike Floate and the second Blinding Floodlights by Peter Miles. This review focuses on Mike Floate’s offering with a separate one for Peter Miles book.
This A5 sized book is in four parts, Introduction (providing the only text), The Underview, The Groundview and Getting to the Vetch Field. Over its 84 pages, 48 grounds are featured through 83 wonderfully atmospheric colour images.
The introduction details how this collection started, when Floate visited the Scottish club Queen of the South in 1996 and snapped the images of their floodlights (featured on pages 43 and 56), with the last picture to feature in this book taken in 2015. Whilst the majority of the pictures come from English League clubs, there are some from the non-league scene as well as Scotland and Belgium.
Some may argue that this is a pretty niche area within football, but what is important to remember is that nearly 40% of the stadiums featured have been demolished and those old style stands, and floodlights are now lost forever. This book contributes to recording architectural, industrial and social history in a brutalist-style artistry.
They also provide for me great memories and reminders of growing up in London and my regular visits to Fulham at Craven Cottage and Wimbledon’s old Plough Lane venue. The pylons at the Cottage that could be seen walking to the ground with my dad and indeed the nation, viewed as they were on the BBC every year at the Varsity Boat race as the Oxford and Cambridge crews swept past the ground on the Thames. Now as the stadium has changed, Fulham have adopted the tubular structures now favoured in the modern era, with the new Riverside Stand to have lighting within its roof, another feature of new ground design.
The images of Plough Lane also brought back a sadness, at thoughts of the grounds subsequent demolition, but Floate’s pictures on pages 38, 39, 57 and 58 made me smile too, as I recalled that The Dons, as they climbed the Football League arranged the bulbs in a ‘W’ formation in each of their four pylons. Happy days indeed.
Besides those wonderful nostalgic images from my days in South West London, there are some other eye-catching pictures within the book. And that is one of the beauties of this collection, in that you will notice something different every time you look at the images. Take for instance the pylon at Hereford’s Edgar Street ground (page 22), where the lower reaches of the structure were used to advertise businesses and forthcoming fixtures on various boards. Incongruously, an advert for World of Florida, Luxury Homes for Sale or Rent, sits side by side with those for local building and plumbing firms.
The book closes with Getting to the Vetch Field, a cracking photo-study and homage to Swansea City’s former home. The photos feature the lights from various spots around the streets, illustrating the stadiums land locked site in the heart of the city, and having a wonderful glow and atmosphere that only attending games at night can somehow bring.
Such a small book, but such a treasure.
(Newlands Printing Services. March 2016. Paperback: 84 pages)
This books and a range of other football related titles can be bought through Mike Floate’s website: www.footballgroundsfrenzy2.com as well as eBay and Amazon.
Texi Smith has brought readers three books so far, Introducing Jarrod Black, Hospital Pass and Guilty Party, featuring the central character, successful fictional Socceroos player Jarrod Black. In his latest offering from his ‘unashamed football novel’ series Smith brings readers Anna Black – this girl can play, as we are introduced to Jarrod’s younger sister, Anna.
Whilst the Jarrod Black books are set predominantly in England and in real-time, the Anna Black story takes place mainly in Australia, and looks to the future with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the heart of the plotlines, which incidentally will be hosted in two years’ time by the Antipodean neighbours of Australia and New Zealand.
Format-wise this book follows those of the first and third Jarrod Black stories, with fifty short sharp chapters keeping the readers attention and the action moving along at pace, as the football career of Anna unfolds. As with his other titles Smith displays his own love, knowledge and experience of the game through his writing with the plots and situations strong with their usual convincing credibility thanks to his research, aided by those who he acknowledges provided insight and guidance into the life of elite players in the women’s game down under.
Whilst this is a football-tale, Smith hasn’t been afraid in this book to touch on sexuality within women’s game and he deals with it in a sensitive manner, engendering a positive message about football being an inclusive game.
There is also a nod to how technology can be used in modern-day publishing with QR codes dotted throughout for the World Cup matches. It’s a nice touch and for those unable to access the codes a dedicated page on the web has been provided at https://www.annablackbook.com/
This book is undoubtedly a celebration of the women’s game and hopefully will be inspirational to young girls who want to take up the sport. Anna Black – this girl can play well Texi Smith – this boy can write.
[Note: The QR code that appears on page 206 should have sat between pages 215-216. This should be rectified in later copies of the book.]
With football fever sky-high right now and Kane et al living the football dream, it is easy to look on and see only the positive side of the beautiful game, but what happens for players when the reality of life as a footballer doesn’t live up to the dream, when that dream ends prematurely? In truth, this is the more realistic side of the story, with numerous players who don’t make it for every player that does. And even for those who do break through that is far from the end of the football journey. These are the stories, however, that we tend not to see or hear about, yet these are the ones that are just as important, if not more so, than the success stories, and former Leicester and Sunderland winger, Matt Piper, shares his own poignant tale as life as a young footballer and what happened when that life was over.
Piper’s story starts in Leicester, where, like so many other young footballers, he had that innate love of the game, as well as a single-minded focus and determination to succeed. Making it into the academy was the first step on the journey, before working his way through the age groups and being singled out ahead of his time, to step up to the first team, that boasted the likes of Muzzy Izzet, Robbie Savage and Stan Collymore. Despite his prodigious talent, it was not all plain sailing for a quieter, more introverted young player like Piper, negotiating big characters and tackling injuries, but, whilst still a teen, he began to make his mark. Whilst Leicester were going through their own challenges as a club, Piper settled in, but the turning point in his journey came when a move to Sunderland was pushed through. Though Piper made a go of it at the Stadium of Light, Howard Wilkinson didn’t make life easy, and although things vastly improved with Mick McCarthy, Piper was beset by injuries that would lead to him ultimately calling time on his career at just 24.
Piper offers a hugely honest reflection on what it is to be a player who suffers injuries and the mental challenges it poses. His admission of freedom at leaving behind his football career and the psychological merry-go-round of going through rehab only to suffer the inevitable setbacks is both eye-opening and hard-hitting. Again, we tend not to see these stories of struggle and despair, only the successful recoveries, and it’s easy to forget the physical demands of a footballer’s life, and crucially, the mental demands when the body breaks down. But Piper lays all of this bare, as he does with regard to life after football.
Indeed, after an initial smooth transition out of football, Piper’s life sadly soon spiralled, and he opens up without reservation about his struggles with depression, alcohol and drugs. It is a stark reminder of the difficult road many footballers face after the end of their careers, the loss of identity and purpose, especially so for young footballers. With the help of Sporting Chances and a supportive family, but crucially with his own desire to change, Piper turned his life around, ultimately leading to him setting up his own FSD Academy to help youngsters with life skills and football and he speaks poignantly and with a real sense of perspective about what matters in life.
It is easy to warm to Piper in the book and root for him and it’s really pleasing to see Piper not only having come out the other side but helping others. Indeed, all profits from this book go to FSD and Sporting Chances Clinic. Piper’s story is not the only one of this kind, but it is one that generally doesn’t get the attention or coverage it deserves, given the important issues at stake. Tackling the notion of young footballers falling out of love with the game, wanting to escape it, the physical but also the mental struggles of injury, as well as the challenges of negotiating different scenarios, managers and team-mates as a young player are all incredibly significant matters that need to be addressed more often and Piper has done a superb job of removing the taboos around certain subjects and opening up these issues for discussion. It is saddening but also refreshing and crucial that these issues come to light and gain acceptance and visibility in order to help other footballers understand and take control of their own journeys. And it’s crucial not to forget the other side of the footballing dream – and those for whom that dream may have turned into a nightmare. Piper’s book is testament to a rewarding and inspiring life after football, but also a reminder of the support and guidance needed to help former players – and youngsters especially – thrive.
(Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2020. Hardcover: ?320 pages)
There have been few more inspirational footballers in recent years than Marcus Rashford. On the pitch, footballers the world over continue to inspire young fans, and off the pitch, many of them make significant contributions too, although often behind the scenes. But Marcus Rashford has stepped up in a way that truly deserves the title of ‘inspirational’, making a real difference to the lives of young people through his food poverty and school meals campaigns. And he’s not stopping there, with a new book, You Are A Champion, aimed at empowering, uplifting and inspiring children and young adults – and some not so young adults too!
Indeed, I may be two decades or so too old for the intended audience of the book, but I couldn’t help but be inspired by Rashford’s positivity, his belief and his values. It’s a book that genuinely made me smile as I read it and I can’t begin to imagine how significantly this will speak to young people. There are so many challenges for the young generation and the period of adolescence is a tough one to negotiate in so many ways but having someone like Marcus Rashford explain his own experiences and speak directly to young people in a way that is encouraging and relatable is hugely empowering.
The book works through a number of themes, including self-belief, finding your team, navigating adversity and using your voice, all of which Marcus Rashford is supremely well-placed to discuss, and he shares examples from his own life, as well as motivating the reader and encouraging them to engage through action points at the end of each chapter. It is incredible to see someone so young (he’s still only 23 unbelievably) and so famous not just sit back in the wings, but to use his platform and, more importantly, use it in such an effective way for those who are at an age to still be positively influenced. It would be easy for him just to enjoy playing football and not worry about everything else in the world, but Marcus Rashford has chosen to act, to use his voice and his position to tackle these problems now when they are happening. Whether you are a Manchester United fan or not, a football fan or not, you have to admire a young man who is using his influence for positive change and having a real, tangible effect on people’s lives. Indeed, I think this book will have a significant effect on a lot of its readers, helping them to feel understood, connected and empowered.
In terms of the book itself, it’s really thoughtfully and invitingly put together, from the words through to the design. Indeed, suited to its younger audience, the book, written with Carl Anka, is accessible and engaging but not oversimplified. And chunks of text are broken up with graphics and key pull-out messages, appealing to those who may prefer less dense text and visual messaging. Fonts and styling also ensure that the text never becomes too overwhelming and make for a more enjoyable reading experience. I did think that the cover could have perhaps been a bit funkier and a little less ‘self-help’ but in a way it as understated as its author. But within its pages this is a book that really aims to make a difference and I suspect it will, including for those for whom reading, and books may not be considered a passion. Indeed, to my mind, every school library should have a copy of this book, or rather, every library full stop, and every young person should have an opportunity to read this book, whether independently or with the support of another reader, to really benefit from the important and inspiring life lessons from someone who children can both relate to and look up to. It’s hugely inspiring too that Marcus Rashford speaks so positively about books and reading, as well as continuing to learn and develop his skills and, regardless of our age, there is something we can all take from his example.
For those thinking they could not admire him more after all of his successes on the pitch, and crucially off it, his humility, his positivity and, above all, his love for his family – and the stories about his mum and nanna – will simply serve to single out Marcus Rashford further as a truly decent human being. He is not just a footballer, he is so much more – a social champion, an ally and a role model. It is quite a responsibility for someone so young, but more than just accepting it, he’s actively sought out this path for himself and that he’s doing so alongside such a remarkable football career is further testament to him. The trophies and medals he’s won are a major achievement in themselves, but his power to help people and change their lives is a legacy that will make an even greater impact.
Jade Craddock
(Macmillan Children’s Books. Main Market edition. May 2021. Paperback 224 pages)
Whilst there is nothing like the routine for fans of attending home games, there is something altogether different about an awayday. Whether it be the planning required in attending a different venue, ensuring travel arrangements and match-tickets are in place or the banter and pints pre and post-game – away games just have a different feeling. COVID stopped all that it in tracks, and as football slowly restarted it was played Behind Closed Doors with fans merely spectators via their TV or laptop. However, with the vaccine roll-out programme and the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we look forward to the 2021/22 football season and getting back to games, but until them The Away Leg brings readers stories of awaydays with a difference. Indeed if M&S did football awaydays, then it would surely be like those described in The Away Leg.
This book contains, appropriately, eleven stories from respected football writers and journalists of various trips featuring games from around the globe and in a range of competitions. Therefore you won’t find tales of tinnies and trains on away trips to Blackpool, Port Vale or Tranmere, but instead of politics and history in Buenos Aires, Pyongyang and Tbilisi.
What is central to them all is a particular game at the heart of the story, but which is the pretext to a greater and more significant narrative. So in the instance of the I’ve Come Home by Nick Ames, the featured game is the Iceland v Kosovo World Cup Qualifier in Reykjavik, whilst the focus of the story is the Icelanders qualifying for the World Cup in 2018. Elsewhere there is One Nil to the Arsenal by Catherine Etoe, centred on the UEFA Women’s Cup Final in Sweden, in a story which is an exploration of the development of the Arsenal women’s team and their manager of the time Vic Akers.
Every one of the eleven chapters has a story to tell, whether that be the way FIFA runs the game in Harry Pearson’s excellent, The Democratic People’s Republic of FIFAland or Steve Menary’s melancholic analysis of the decline of football and rise of rugby union in The Georgian Crossroads.
Given the quality of writing and the topics they cover, it is difficult to select a favourite, but a couple which standout personally are Saturday Night Lights by Arik Rosenstein, with a powerful piece centred around an Israel State Cup Quarter-Final fixture in Jerusalem and The Final Final by Martino Simcik Arese and the extraordinary and explosive events surrounding the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final in Buenos Aries.
These stories may not be anything like the experience of most fans, week-in, week-out, but show that memories are not necessarily made just by the ninety minutes on the pitch, but more often by the sights, sounds and events leading up to a game or indeed the significance of the occasion. You’ll never look at awaydays in the same light again.
All proceeds from this book will be donated to the national social care charity Community Integrated Care.
Saturday 05 May 1990. Bournemouth v Leeds United. The final game of the season. Win and Leeds would return to the top flight of English football after an eight year absence. Lose and Sheffield United could pip their West Yorkshire rivals to promotion. What followed that Bank Holiday weekend on the south coast is remembered as one of triumph for the Elland Road club on the pitch, with Lee Chapman’s goal enough to earn a 1-0 victory, but which was marred by serious violence off it. And it is against this backdrop that this fictional novel takes its title.
As mentioned by Jade Craddock in our 
Ever been to watch you team but not felt part of it? Well this is exactly what Katie Mishner explores in this piece about her experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Mat Guy is no stranger to the world of football writing having brought readers three titles in Barcelona to Buckie Thistle: Exploring Football’s Roads Less Travelled, Minnows United: Adventures at the fringes of the beautiful game and 
This is a true story from a few years back. A Premier League club (who shall remain nameless) marketed at one of their food and drink outlets in the ground a ‘Meal Deal’, which consisted of a pint, a Mars bar and a packet of crisps for a fiver. Now you don’t have to be Gordon Ramsey, to understand that this combination does not constitute a meal for the average human being, yet somehow football fans are fair game. The fact is that clubs know that once a spectator is through the turnstile the concession stands are the only option for those wanting any food or drink and invariably it is a pricey bland selection from a big brand. The answer to this malaise? Get yourself fed and watered before and after the game away from the stadium. But where to go I hear you cry? Well, The Great Pie Revolt provides a readymade (excuse the pun) solution.
An excellent biography of an extraordinary man.
As a kid travelling to away games, spotting the floodlights was part of the excitement of the day. And if I’m honest, even all these years later, there is still a thrill from spotting the pylons whether in the car or on a train. However, as old grounds have slowly disappeared and technology has advanced in the field of lighting, those distinctive pylons of my youth, are a very rare sight these days.
Texi Smith has brought readers three books so far, 
There have been few more inspirational footballers in recent years than Marcus Rashford. On the pitch, footballers the world over continue to inspire young fans, and off the pitch, many of them make significant contributions too, although often behind the scenes. But Marcus Rashford has stepped up in a way that truly deserves the title of ‘inspirational’, making a real difference to the lives of young people through his food poverty and school meals campaigns. And he’s not stopping there, with a new book, You Are A Champion, aimed at empowering, uplifting and inspiring children and young adults – and some not so young adults too!
Whilst there is nothing like the routine for fans of attending home games, there is something altogether different about an awayday. Whether it be the planning required in attending a different venue, ensuring travel arrangements and match-tickets are in place or the banter and pints pre and post-game – away games just have a different feeling. COVID stopped all that it in tracks, and as football slowly restarted it was played Behind Closed Doors with fans merely spectators via their TV or laptop. However, with the vaccine roll-out programme and the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we look forward to the 2021/22 football season and getting back to games, but until them The Away Leg brings readers stories of awaydays with a difference. Indeed if M&S did football awaydays, then it would surely be like those described in The Away Leg.