Square Peg, Round Ball – Football, TV and Me
Written by Ned Boulting.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC in 2022. My copy was the 2023 edition.
Borrowed from Worksop Library.
I found this book on a visit to Worksop Libray by chance as I was leaving and I’m pleased I did.
This book is Ned Boulting’s personal journey through football. From observing his father’s and families support for Chelsea he finally finds his first team personal to him, St Pauli, Hamburg. Returning from Germany he needs to get a career and thanks to his sister he gets an interview and a job with Sky Sports in 1997 on the then fledgeling ‘Sorts Saturday’. Ned’s exploits to find different angles find him trailing all over the UK in his beat up car and finding unusual aspects to interview people about. His time at Sky leads him to an offer from ITV Sport in 2001 to cover football, mainly Champions League games.
What follows are many humorous stories often at his own expense and some confrontations with managers. running through the book though I feel a disenchantment with footballs detachment from the public domain due to officialdom, personalities, regulations, corporatism, money, and it was almost a relief when his contract was not renewed in 2016. Ned had already moved on to becoming a major reporter of the Tour de France and other sports.
The book was an easy read with real humour. It felt very self deprecating considering he never mentioned the awards he has won.
I would happily read this book again.
payonthegate 