Book Review – Divided Cities: The World’s Most Passionate Single City Derbies by Kevin Pogorzelski

When the football fixtures are published each season, most supporters look for three keys things, firstly, their opening day fixture, secondly the last game of the campaign and of course their ‘derby’ fixtures. This idea of a ‘derby’ can mean different things to different clubs. This maybe because there is not another professional club in a particular city or town, or that even if there is, the teams have rarely crossed paths given they have historically played in different divisions.

Kevin Pogorzelski in Divided Cities focuses on eleven single city derbies, with all but two (the Old Firm and Merseyside version) from outside the United Kingdom. As a Liverpool fan, with a regular diet of Premier League football and virtually the same old teams season-in season-out, Pogorzelski yearned for something more and in the books Introduction outlines the premise behind it.

“I became convinced that there was something unmatched about rivalries within the same city, where the people and place live the conflicts daily, which stems from a variety of diverse differences.”

In the table below is a summary of the games he attended which all have a dedicated chapter:

Name Translation Teams Location Notes
Derby della Lanterna Derby of the Lantern Genoa & Sampdoria Genoa The Torre della Lanterna is  the ancient landmark and the main lighthouse for the city’s port.
Derby della Capitale Derby of the Capital Lazio & Roma Rome Rome is the Italian capital.
Derbi da Segunda Circular See Notes Benfica & Sporting Lisbon Lisbon The Segunda Circular is the road that separates the two stadiums.
The Old Firm Derby N/A Celtic & Rangers Glasgow Origin unclear. May derive from the two clubs’ initial match in which the commentators referred to the teams as “like two old, firm friends” or alternatively may stem from a satirical cartoon published in ‘The Scottish Referee’ sports newspaper prior to the 1904 Scottish Cup Final between the sides, depicting an elderly man with a sandwich board reading “Patronise The Old Firm: Rangers, Celtic Ltd” highlighting the mutual commercial benefits of their meetings.
The Budapest Derby N/A Ferencvaros & Ujpest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary.
Clasico das Multidoes Classic of the Crowds Flamengo & Fluminense Rio de Janeiro Known also as Fla-Flu Derby.
Intercontinental Derby See Notes. Fenerbahce & Galatasaray Istanbul Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are two of the major Turkish teams from the Asian and the European parts of Istanbul respectively.
Superclasico Super Derby Boca Juniors & River Plate Buenos Aires From the Spanish usage of “clasico” to mean derby, with the prefix “super” used as the two clubs are the most popular and successful clubs in Argentine football.
The Eternal Derby N/A Crvena Zvezda & Partizan Belgrade Belgrade Thought to be from the phrase ‘Eternal Enemies’.
El Gran Derbi The Grand Derby Real Betis & Seville Seville Possibly due to the ‘biggest and grandest’ intensity on and off the pitch of the rivalry.
Merseyside Derby N/A Everton & Liverpool Liverpool Named after County that both clubs are within.

Each chapter provides a basic history and background to the rivalry, but is as the author states, “to add context to the stories” rather than be a detailed account or indeed record of the games down the years. Pogorzelski aims to provide readers with a true reflection (or as close as possible as an ‘outsider’ can be at these games) to the matchday experience of the local fan and this does provide for some very interesting encounters with Ultra groups across his travels and most especially his experience as a Liverpool fan at the Merseyside derby amongst the Everton faithful, where there was no language barriers as to the abuse and vitriol being handed out.

Unfortunately down the years and still to this day, the rivalries can spill into violence and whilst Pogorzelski in no way glorifies these events, is able to put across the hostility that often lies and bubbles just beneath the surface at the games, without generally being caught out amongst it. And it poses an interesting question as to whether a ‘sanitized’ environment for these encounters would have the same appeal? In England the debate rages as to the lack of atmosphere created by all-seater stadium and indeed whether the increase of the ‘football tourist’ or ‘neutral’ fan going to games abroad impacts the authenticity for the locals and the clubs identity, in the case of clubs such as St Pauli or 1. FC Union Berlin.

To a certain extent this book is a Groundhopper’s dream, taking in some of the finest cities and fixtures from Europe and South America. However, what it highlights is that these trips require incredible planning and organisation in terms of travel, more often than not deep pockets to afford the trip including tickets and some luck or indeed significant contacts in order to obtain the necessary supporter/fan memberships and tickets.

For many this book will be nearest they get to enjoying these encounters, but Divided Cities is nevertheless successful in portraying to readers the intensity of the matchday experience and what it means to those that attend these passionate derbies.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. March 2023. Paperback: 320 pages)

 

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DIVIDED CITIES: THE WORLD’S MOST PASSIONATE SINGLE CITY DERBIES by Kevin Pogorzelski

Rivalry is everywhere in football, from battles on the pitch to boardroom politics, regional and national quarrels and fights for silverware. These conflicts spark countless debates over which are the ‘biggest’ and ‘best’ fixtures in the global game, but those involving teams from the same city are especially intense, both on and off the pitch.

Divided Cities is a game by game account of the good, bad, indifferent but always eventful experiences of journeying to 11 of the world’s most prominent same-city derbies. Along the way, Kevin Pogorzelski explores some of the most wonderful cities on Earth, delving into the rich histories of clubs and meeting the people who live and breathe the local football culture. Pogorzelski does not try to glorify the violence or animosity between ultra groups but stumbles into some tricky situations.

Have you ever thought about embarking on your own football pilgrimage? Then this book is for you.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. March 2023. Paperback: 320 pages)

 

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ONE IN A MILLION: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Trevor Francis with Keith Dixon

Compelling, entertaining and refreshingly honest, One in a Million is the autobiography of Trevor Francis, the subject of the first £1 million transfer fee in football history – a record for all time.

As a 16-year-old, Francis set a record as the youngest player to score four goals in a match, an early indication of an exceptional talent. And so his unique career journey would continue to unfold, encountering a seemingly endless succession of superlatives, larger-than-life characters and astonishing events.

Trevor played professionally not only in England but also in the USA and Scotland, in Italy and Australia. He gained 52 England caps and won the European Cup on his debut in the competition. He played his part in the English revolution at Glasgow Rangers and managed QPR, Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City.

Thrillingly, Trevor takes the reader with him into dressing rooms, into boardrooms and on to the field of play. He has a true gift for memorable detail, providing a wealth of revelations and remarkable stories.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. April 2019. Hardcover: 256 pages)

 

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GERRARD’S BLUEPRINT: THE TACTICAL PHILOSOPHY BEHIND RANGERS 55th TITLE TRIUMPH by Adam Thornton

An in-depth analysis of Rangers’ tactical evolution over three seasons under Steven Gerrard, culminating in a league title win which saw them crowned kings of Scotland for a 55th time.

In May 2018, Rangers appointed Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as the 16th permanent manager in the club’s near 150-year history.

A legend as a player but untested as a manager, many wondered how Gerrard would fare at a club like Rangers, especially in light of the club’s struggles in the previous six seasons. Fast forward to 7 March 2021 and Gerrard’s Rangers clinched their 55th title in record time with the club also completing an unbeaten league season conceding just 13 goals – a new British record.

This book delves into the tactical approach of Rangers under Steven Gerrard and his coaching team and looks to explain the key principles of their footballing philosophy. Adam Thornton picks out key games and players which helped chart the tactical evolution of the side and shape the team into league champions.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2022. Paperback: 272 pages)

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THE SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP: 75 YEARS FROM 1946 to 2021 by David Potter

The Scottish League Cup is often wrongly described as the ‘Cinderella’ of Scottish football, as distinct from its two ugly sisters, the Scottish League and the Scottish Cup.

Dating from the Second World War, it is certainly the youngest.

The trophy is unusual, if not unique, in having three handles. It is a major part of the Scottish season and has been keenly contested for 75 years.

Sixteen teams have won the cup. Unsurprisingly, the big Glasgow clubs have won it the most, but Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs and Dundee have also tasted glory. The trophy has also given the likes of Raith Rovers and Livingston their moments in the sun – and who could ignore the mighty deeds of East Fife, who won the cup three times in its first decade?

Rangers hold the record for Scottish League Cup wins, but Celtic’s victories have been more spectacular, not least their astonishing 7-1 triumph in the 1957 final.

This book pays homage to each one of the 75 seasons, with a detailed account of every final.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. February 2022. Hardcover: 288 pages)

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FERGUS McCANN VERSUS DAVID MURRAY: HOW CELTIC TURNED THE TABLES ON THEIR GLASGOW RIVALS by Stephen O’Donnell

Fergus McCann Versus David Murray charts the changing fortunes of Glasgow’s two great footballing rivals as shaped by two business moguls. Both men came to prominence in the 1990s when new methods of governance and finance were taking hold of football.

At the start of the decade, under Murray’s chairmanship, Rangers were the dominant force, and the club went on to win a record-equalling nine consecutive league titles. Their success, however, was built on an extravagant spending strategy, which caused a financial catastrophe.

Celtic, by contrast, were struggling in the early 1990s, thanks to a complacent and nepotistic board of directors. But McCann took charge of the club in 1994 and turned things around. The new owner left Parkhead having won the league, rebuilt the stadium and left his shares in the hands of supporters. It was Murray, however, who was lauded in the media throughout his tenure at Ibrox, while McCann was chastised. Ultimately, though, their legacies would be utterly different from those misleading media portrayals.

Read our review here: Book Review: Fergus McCann (footballbookreviews.com)

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. July 2020. Paperback: 352 pages)

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Book Review: Fergus McCann v David Murray – How Celtic Turned the Tables on Their Glasgow Rivals by Stephen O’Donnell

Stephen O’Donnell’s book is a thorough and powerful analysis of how the Glasgow footballing giants – Celtic and Rangers – have been managed and mismanaged. Two ex-Chairmen are the focus of the narrative and it is a damning commentary on how borrowing on a huge scale, mostly prompted by the self-promoting David Murray, was the eventual undoing of Rangers whilst Celtic found an unlikely hero in Fergus McCann. His ‘tight-ship’ budgeting proved unpopular at the time, especially when contrasted with free-spending Rangers, but ultimately proved to be the correct approach.

Rangers ran up colossal debt and there is a strong sense that they ‘got off light’, not being stripped of the many titles and trophies they won in the years leading up to insolvency in 2012 and not having to start completely from scratch like many smaller Scottish clubs in a similar plight. O’Donnell is also quite clear about who the real culprit is – Sir David Murray, despite Craig Whyte picking up the poisoned chalice as Chairman and then copping for almost all the criticism.

The book, all 353 pages of it, gives a detailed history of both clubs which is essential for a full understanding of the approach and effectiveness of both McCann and Murray. Celtic had a Hiberno-Catholic foundation, unashamedly so since its original existence was directly to help the poor Irish children in the east end of Glasgow. But in Celtic’s case that early sectarianism was continuously diluted over the years. That was not so with Rangers until the time of Graeme Souness as manager and the signing of the Catholic Maurice Johnson in 1989. Much of the blame for this must be directed at the Freemasons who took a firm grip on the club before WW1 when the extreme anti-Catholic stance of the shipbuilding giant Harland and Wolff, major financial supporters, was adopted by Rangers.

The author sees Murray’s Thatcherite attitudes to borrowing as the underpinning factor in why Rangers racked up such massive debts – at times approaching £100 million. The Scottish banks were all too happy to indulge him in this high-risk game, though. It seemed that Murray need only make a phone call to his buddy Gavin Masterton who was Managing Director at the Bank of Scotland and a huge loan would be granted in minutes.

Scottish officialdom comes in for the author’s criticism, too. Examples of its longstanding anti-Celtic bias are legion but perhaps the most notorious is when the registration of new signing, Jorge Cadete, was deliberately delayed for nearly six weeks by Chief Executive Jim Farry until after Celtic had played Rangers in the Cup semi-final.

The question may well be asked; How come this situation was so little understood by the wider public?

This brings us to the final strand of O’Donnell’s argument, that the Scottish media was very pro-Rangers. To those not fully acquainted with all the details, the assumption will probably be that both sides were equally guilty of sectarianism but the author points out it was more like 90:10, Rangers being much the worse. Supported by a fawning media, however, any story was almost always skewed in their favour, particularly at Celtic’s expense.

This anti-Catholic sectarianism peddled by the media was a blight which, ultimately, did no one any good and plenty of harm along the way. O’Donnell does not make the same Freemason link with the press as he does with Rangers but the reader can speculate. Consequently, as the author points out, anything McCann did was viewed negatively in the papers whilst Murray remained their Golden Boy, simply above all criticism. O’Donnell also points out that McCann did himself few favours, his dealings with the media being poor, leaving him open to being mocked and pilloried by them. Which he duly was.

Celtic were to have the last laugh, however, and they say he who laughs last, laughs longest. As Rangers were continuing to store up eventual disaster for themselves, McCann’s financial shrewdness and astute investment in rebuilding Parkhead as a fine all-seater stadium, was finally complemented by Martin O’Neill’s canny management allowing Celtic to compete with Rangers on a consistent level. Then Celtic grew whilst Rangers began to implode until, after the financial crash in 2008, their fate was sealed.

O’Donnell does indulge himself from time to time in reportage on Celtic matches. He is clearly a Celt but, wisely, lets the facts speak for themselves. An observation has to be made that, although it is very well-written, the complete absence of graphs, charts, tables or whatever means that the reader is required to hold an enormous amount of information in his or her head. Being able to make quick cross-references would have greatly helped.

(Pitch Publishing. July 2020. Hardback 353 pages)

 

Graeme Garvey

 

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European Cup Winners’ Cup Memories

For those young ‘uns brought up on the misleading title ‘Champions’ League’, it might come as a surprise to learn that the European Cup Winners’ Cup actually was a cup competition between European teams who had won their own domestic cup finals, not just another chance for the top clubs to keep on playing each other and guarantee income streams.

All matches except the final were played on a two-legged basis and if you lost, that was it, lads, no safety net like there is nowadays of group stages with the additional safety net of yet another competition (the Europa League) to gently fall into if you do, somehow, manage to get knocked out.

As we shall see in due course with what happened to Leeds in 1973, the global-scale corruption of the Blatter era was unimaginable then. But favourable results could be bought relatively cheaply. The soft target was the referee. Being in the days before euros, you just needed a wad of lira, francs… or drachmas.

Britain enjoyed much more success in the early years of the Cup Winners Cup than in the European Cup itself. The former competition started in 1960/61 and featured English teams or Glasgow Rangers in 9 of the first 13 finals. Although most of those finals were closely-fought affairs, the tournament lacked the glamour of the European Cup and so tended to not live long in the memory for neutral spectators. A few do still stand out, though, mainly for how they connected to England’s World Cup Win in 1966.

The most memorable of the early finals was Tottenham’s 5-1 thumping in 1963 of Atletico Madrid, winners the previous year. Two of the goals for Spurs were scored by the peerless Jimmy Greaves whose injury in the World Cup group stages probably cost him his place in the Final. No substitutes in those days, so a suited Greaves had to watch England’s historic win from the bench as a supporter. Spurs were the first British winners in Europe, and it was a fitting reward, and swansong, for a team who had done the domestic ‘double’ in 1961 – the first time by any club in 64 years.

A curious note about the match highlights you can watch via ESPN Classic. They seem to have been coronavirusised! The commentary has a contemporary voice; too young, the soundtrack too clear to be the original and the crowd noise is fake, lacking the ebbs and flows of a real crowd who are, quite often, almost totally silent as they watch. Crowd noise is an anticipation or a reaction, not the insane, continuous hubbub we are given. There is one, truly ‘classic’ moment when the commentator, even with the supposed benefit of hindsight, describes when a Spurs player on the line paws away a goal bound shot, the ‘keeper Bill Brown beaten, “It’s a decent-looking save but unfortunately it’s handball.”

And an even more curious note is that Wikipedia’s page on Bill Brown has him born in Arbroath and it has him playing one World Cup match for Scotland in 1958 but lists two of his best sellers; The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover’s FBI and Reagan, the Political Chameleon. I didn’t know that!

West Ham’s win in 1965 stands out for involving players who would go on to achieve great fame; Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. With the game being played at Wembley, it meant that Moore had the unique experience, as captain, of lifting three different trophies there in successive years; the FA Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the World Cup. And even if he didn’t lift the Cup again in 1970, at least he was arrested on suspicion of ‘lifting’ a diamond and emerald bracelet in Bogota.

And Bobby liked a drink. Greavsie like a drink. They liked celebrating. They particularly liked celebrating in Blackpool. They had a lot of reasons to celebrate in those days.

The last match with strong links to the World Cup Final was, understandably enough, the Final in May 1966 where Liverpool lost 2-1 after extra time to Borussia Dortmund, a kind of England v West Germany rehearsal. Kind of. Roger Hunt would go on two months later to turn the tables on the three Dortmund players selected for their nation in the Final; Tilkowski, Emmerich and Held. Hunt is famous for doing absolutely nothing in the World Cup Final except turn away to celebrate Hurst’s ‘was it over the line’ goal.

That was it for Brits as the Sixties swung to a close, except for Rangers losing their second final of the decade. The early ‘70s proved much more fruitful with Manchester City winning in 1970 (in front of fewer than 8,000 spectators), Chelsea in 1971, then Rangers in 1972 before the hugely controversial 1973 Final between Leeds United and AC Milan…

 

Graeme Garvey

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Book Review: A Tournament Frozen in Time – The Wonderful Randomness of the European Cup Winners’ Cup by Steven Scragg

The European Cup Winners’ Cup (ECWC) competition came into being in the 1960/61 season, and as its title suggests qualification was attained by being the winners of a countries domestic cup. Despite its creation after the first European Cup competition in 1955/56 and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup which also began in 1955 (before it morphed into the UEFA Cup in 1971/72) and therefore being the youngest of the three competitions, it was though seen as the next most prominent after the European Cup. It continued until the 1998/99 season with the final playing of the tournament between SS Lazio and RCD Mallorca at Villa Park, home of Aston Villa, the last of the 39 Finals.

If Willy Wonka did football tournaments, then it would undoubtedly be the ECWC, a competition that was a fabulous mix of the eccentric, the magical, the unexpected and the sometimes bizarre, which is brilliantly captured in Steven Scragg’s book, A Tournament Frozen in Time – The Wonderful Randomness of the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Rather than take the chronological route within the book, Scragg creates chapters which look at the history of the competition in terms of the countries or regions that took part in the ECWC, so for instance, Italian clubs participation is captured within the chapter titled, Forza Italia, whilst Robbie and the Purple and Whites, Plus Other Adventures Through the Low Countries, looks at how the sides from Belgium and the Netherlands fared during the thirty-nine seasons of the tournament. The exception are those which look at the 1980/81 campaign, Everton’s triumph in 1984/85 and Sir Alex Ferguson’s two cup wins with Aberdeen (1982/83) and Manchester United (1990/91). What this allows is that the story of the ECWC is able to be told in its own right, but also intertwined to the wider footballing context, so that its relationship with both the European Cup (and later the Champions League) as well as the UEFA Cup is presented.

What the reader is also given are stories that justify part of the author’s subtitle for the book, The Wonderful Randomness. Even from its inaugural season, there was something ‘different’ about the ECWC, in that for that 1960/61 the Final between Fiorentina and Rangers, was played over two-legs and was never to be repeated with all subsequent Finals a one-off at a neutral venue. Additionally, the trophy presented to the first winners, Fiorentina, was replaced by a different design for the remainder of the tournaments existence. Unlike the other two European competitions, there was never a period during which a team came back and was able to successfully defend the trophy and indeed never had a Final in which both sides were from the same country. It was a tournament littered with teams from all corners of Europe, some unlikely due to the current UEFA formats, ever to get near a European tournament again.

But readers may ask, if this was such a wonderful competition, why was it ended? Scragg addresses this by detailing how the change in status of the European Cup to the Champions League, was part of the process, as was the breakup of the former Communist bloc, necessitating the introduction of a Preliminary Round to the competition, as well the fact that attendances for the Finals were invariably poor. This included just 3,208 witnessing the 1963/64 Final in Brussels, 4,641 for the 1973/74 Final in Rotterdam and in 1992/93, just 37,393 strewn around the ‘old’ Wembley in its 100,000 capacity days, as Parma beat Royal Antwerp.

As a football fan, my view is that the demise can be traced back to when the so called ‘big-clubs’ in Europe, unhappy with the European Cup knock-out format, wanted a change so that they would be not only be part of an expanded tournament but of one bringing increased TV revenues. For me, there is nothing special, season-on-season, of another Champions League tie featuring Barcelona v Real Madrid (or indeed any combination of the repeat qualifiers) and as for the farce of the 2018/19 Final in which neither of the finalists (Liverpool and Spurs) had won the League – well just don’t get me started. Unfortunately, this is the reality of the greed and money that has infested our game both at home and abroad and at the cost of the romance that the ECWC gave us, such as Italian giants Napoli up against the Welsh minnows Bangor City in 1962, in a tie which required a replay in a time before the away-goals rule was introduced. That game is though just one of the many wonderful stories to be found within the pages of Scragg’s homage to the tournament.

What more can be said? Well, to paraphrase the words of Willy Wonka, “If you want to view paradise, simply look at this book and view it.” It is without doubt a wonderfully researched and written book and is a rightful nominee in The Telegraph Sports Books Awards 2020 (within the football category), and is a must read for anybody wanting to discover about a lost treasure in the football world or for those of us of a certain age, a most magical trip down memory lane.

(Pitch Publishing Ltd. September 2019. Hardback 288pp)

 

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Book Review: Tangled Up In Blue – The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC by Stephen O’Donnell

Growing up in the 1970s as a football mad kid in England I absorbed all I could about the nations favourite game and even though my team, Fulham, were rooted very much in the Second Division, BBC’s Match of the Day, allowed me to see the great teams of the First Division, as Arsenal, Derby County, Leeds United, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest won the top-flight title during that decade. During that same period in Scotland, only Celtic and Rangers won the First Division title, giving rise to the limited view of myself and so many others south of the border, at that time, that they were all there was to Scottish Football. And to some extent that view still pervades, when you consider that the last time a side other that the Glasgow giants won the top-flight Championship was Aberdeen back in the 1984/85 campaign.

But what do I really know about the Old Firm and indeed their relationship within the Scottish football scene? In reality – pretty generic things. Celtic, based in the East of Glasgow, the first British Club to win the European Cup, playing at Celtic Park, where its Irish Catholic connections are evident in the shamrock that adorns the club badge. Rangers, based in the West of Glasgow, playing at Ibrox, where the flags of Northern Ireland and the Union Jack are just as likely to be flown as the cross of St Andrew, highlighting the clubs Protestant leanings.

Of course, being a football fan, the big stories associated with these clubs since the seventies have also made it on my radar, such as the Ibrox disaster in 1971, Kenny Dalglish’s move from Celtic to Liverpool in 1977, Graeme Souness taking charge of Rangers in 1986, the 1991 signing of Maurice Johnston by Rangers as their first openly Catholic player and more recently in 2012 when Rangers went into liquidation, and a new side had to start life in the fourth-tier of Scottish football.

The reality is that I’ve never delved any deeper into many of those stories until now. Tangled Up In Blue – The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC by Stephen O’Donnell, is an incredibly well researched book split into two parts. The first, Rise: Religious Bigotry, looks at the formation of Rangers and provides an insight into the Protestant ‘influences’ on the club that despite great strides are still in evidence through sectarian chanting at the club. Insights are also provided on the Ibrox disaster in 1971 when 66 spectators lost their lives, with O’Donnell offering a different prospective on the possible cause of the tragedy and indeed the way the authorities dealt with the aftermath.

Part two, Fall: Financial Malpractice, looks at the period from the arrival of Graeme Souness to Rangers eventual return to the Scottish top-flight in the 2016/17 season. This is at times a quite extraordinary read as the eye-watering amounts of spending on players increases year-by-year, which whilst bought the incredible nine in a row titles between 1988 and 1997, creates the spiral of financial disaster that saw the club crash and burn. O’Donnell lays out the illegal financial transactions that contributed to their demise with the detailing of the ‘top-ups’ made through the Club’s Employment Benefit Trust, which came to be investigated by the Scottish Football Association and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, as well as issues such as the mortgaging of four years’ worth of season-tickets to Ticketus.

There is no doubt that this will be an uncomfortable read for Rangers fans, as O’Donnell does not pull his punches in examining both their club’s history and ultimate demise. However, it is hoped that the book is not merely seen as anti-Rangers or a hatchet-job and is therefore judged instead as a salutary lesson to club, owners and fans alike.

(Pitch Publishing Ltd, 2019. Hardcover 320pp)

 

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