Paperback edition Published 2011 by Transworld Publishers (A Random House Group Company)– First Published in Great Britain by Bantam Press.
Written By Dave Roberts
This was a book about Dave Roberts life, football habits and his over 1000 football programme collection.
Being forced to choose only 32 due to space for shipment to a new life in the USA he recounts the games or the reason he came by the programmes. Each programme explains his hopes and fears in life, his rise in the advertising industry and his happiness and despair in building a new family in New Zealand and the hopelessness in seeing it all crash around him.
Football is a passion and obsession that helps and hinders him in life but throughout is a love of family and friends that wins through in the end.
I wouldn’t want to spoil this book for anyone else by going into more detail but can fully recommend it.
All those who will be voting in June as to whether to stop the obligation of the EFL clubs to issue a programme for each game should read this book first. Perhaps digitisation of the world has removed the need for programmes, I would suggest that they add to the experience.
At my recent visit to Granada CF I had the choice of a free 32 page programme that included the Managers View, team pictures, plenty of stats, home and visiting team line ups and articles on the women’s and youth teams. All paid for by the advertising.
My Spanish is non-existent but the programme added to a great night of football.
Payonthegate 