No Pie, No Priest

No Pie, No Priest – A journey through the folk sports of Britain

Written by Harry Pearson

Published by Simon & Schuster 2023

With no football to watch live, I saw this book by Harry Pearson, who wrote two of the most interesting and well written books about all types of football games, The Far Corner and he Farther Corner.

I thought I might find within the covers of this book a new sport to watch in these dull days until the start of the new football season.

Harry Pearson journeys through Britain to view and critique local sports that are still played but have been in place from Medieval, through Victorian times to today. Most have not managed to get a national foothold and have shrunk into small local or regional areas.

From cheese rolling, Highland Games, Tap and Slap, Shin kicking, Bowls, Local Rules Wrestling, and many more. I felt he was most fascinated by Stoolball, a team game, now played only in small clusters that first surfaced around 1480. The rules of 1881, updated between 2018-20, put together in Sussex,, are still in use today, but it has not washed over Britain. It is a game similar to cricket played by ladies’ teams, mixed teams, and at schools.

There is a review of some of the ball games that pre dated football, but all in all, Harry has not convinced me to take up or follow one of them. His writing style, with much humour and picture painting of the sports, competitions, areas, and journeys, keeps you engaged and enjoying the book. Thank you for the book, I’m hoping there may be a follow-up up to ‘The Farther Corner’.

You’ll Win Nothing With Kids

You’ll Win Nothing With Kids – Fathers Sons and Football
Written by Jim White
Published by Little Brown 2007

This book jumped out at me because my son manages his sons football team, starting last season as under 8’s. It’s been fascinating and sometimes funny listening to how he was going to set the team up and how they played and initially lost. However with a friend they have enjoyed every moment of it and enabled a group of lads to not only enjoy the games but build friendships and get a good grounding in life. It’s a good lesson to understand the highs and the lows.
It also appealed to me because I was there at the start of the 1995/96 season when Villa overwhelmed Manchester United 3.1 and Alan Hansen said on Match of the Day
‘You can’t win anything with kids’. Little did I know I was witnessing the birth of a team that would transform English and European Football. It also heralded one of the most successful managerial reigns in football history.
Because of Jim’s job, he is able to ask different sports professionals and managers, for tips and ideas. Did they work?, you’ll have to read the book to find out.
The journey is fascinating and a good read.

when falcons fly

when falcons fly: Written by jon fawcett

Published by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing 2024

Whilst waiting for a Wolves pre-season friendly to start, I received an email asking me whether I would review a book. I bought it that night and read it very quickly only recently.

The book ‘when falcons fly’ is about an under 18 team who play in the Hampshire area. It describes all of their games last season, which ends up being their last.

The game’s descriptions are accompanied by pictures of a team member who gave exemplar performance. As the book progresses, humour is often added, referring to Star Wars.

The book could have explained more about how the group of lads started, why some drifted away and why it was their last season.

Quick to read, an interesting insight, good to see a different style of writing and vocabulary used, I may use some in the future.

Great start by jon in writing, should help perhaps to get sponsored for another book in the future. Perhaps a budding Harry Pearson.

Thank you for letting me join your seasons ride.

REAL FOOTBALL REAL FANS

REAL FOOTBALL REAL FANS A Journey To The Heart Of Football Written by William Barr

Published by Morrow & Co 2008

Sometimes you read a book that appeals to your own ideas and values and keeps you interested until the end, this, is such a book.

William Bar a Norwich fan, takes you on a journey through the 2007/08 season by visiting as many League Two clubs he can fit in and ends up at his beloved and home town team of Norwich City in the Championship.

William Barr makes an effort to contact and engage with supporters groups and understand where they fit in their clubs efforts to survive and give feedback and advice on fan matters.

The book points out the vast difference in financial might of Premier League clubs and their League Two cousins. He also mentions the disparity within the lower reaches themselves. William’s observations are as relevant today as they were when he made his journeys.

Humour is added to each chapter as he reviews the pies on offer and eludes to International officials and regulations that dictate pie scores. He also gives details of state of the art electronic pie score boards, really.

Great read that I found in an Oxfam Book Shop. Thank you William.

Watford Forever

Watford Forever written by John Preston – A collaboration with Elton John

First published in 2023 by Viking ( a part of the Penguin Random House Group).

Having taken a holiday from posting during the later stages of the ‘Euro’s’ I am pleased to be back and with the announcement of the new seasons fixtures for lower level football imminent ready to plan for more adventures.

The England team was packed full of some brilliant individuals but came up short because I believe they lacked a clear team playing plan. It was a stark reminder then when I read ‘Watford Forever’ a book about Watford FC, Elton john and Graham Taylor. Having followed Watford at home and many away games between 1968 and 1980 it was a must read for me.

The book tells the story of Watford’s rise from the Fourth Division to second place in the First Division and beyond. What it reminded me of was that Graham Taylor had a method and strategy to achieve this. A strong back line and an ethos that the only way you can score was to get the ball in the attacking third of the pitch. No tip-tappy from side to side and back to the keeper, repeat, repeat, give the ball to the opposition. Some criticised him saying it was just kick and rush but the balls were accurately received by Ross Jenkins, Nigel Callaghan and John Barnes who shot or laid the ball of for someone else to score. I saw some amazing goals with lots of excitement.

The book though is not just about football but mainly the two men who engineered it all, Graham Taylor and Elton John. The story is one about blokes not only working together but being friends and able to influence each others lives for the better aka as also shown with the recent tragic ending to the male friendship between the ‘Hairy Bikers’. Elton and Graham were two distinctly different individuals who were able to use their talents together to achieve something rarely seen in modern football, a rise from the bottom to the top.

One poignant thing that struck me was how the players who were equal contributors received such little wealth compared to todays not only superstars but some Academy players.

One thing that disappointed was the dismissal of Watford’s previous years when the club reached the 2nd division and then collapsed to the 4th. These may have been terrible football times but the community of the home and away fans throughout was second to none. Where else would you have heard ‘He’s here he’s there he’s in the Rose and Crown, ‘Rodney Green ‘ ‘Rodney Green’.

Thank you John Preston for a great happy read that is not only for Watford fans but for everyone.

Played in Germany

Played in Germany – A Football Journey Through a Nation’s Soul

Written by Kit Holden Published by Duckworth 2024

This is an amazingly well researched book about football in Germany ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championship as it takes you on a journey to the centres of football that will be hosting the9 many games.

What is marvellous is that the book is not just about football but about what makes up and has fashioned the German state that presents itself to the world today.

You are swept along in a learning fest about geography, history, economics, politics, industrial development but most importantly people and their culture.

Surprising to me was the revelation about local dialects, which can lead to peoples of some areas not being able to understand others and the fierce regional rivalry that exists. This regional patriotism feeds through to the football community culture that sticks closely to areas which are clinging on to these roots, propelled by a defence of their fan ownership model, under threat from capitalist forces.

The book describes the passion of the fans through interviews with those who live and breath their club’s traditions and customs in an ever-changing environment.

The growth and decline of different clubs is true in Germany as everywhere and this is well put near the end of the book, “But you cannot preserve everything in aspic, and even the most romantic traditionalists must at some point move with the times”.

Bring on the Euro’s.

If you are interested in reading this book then it can be pre-ordered from Stanchion Books (a cracking little football bookseller), where you can get 24% off with the code PROST24:

Played in Germany: A Footballing Journey Through a Nation's Soul – **PREORDER, SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE**

Square Peg, Round Ball.

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.

The Silence of the Stands

The Silence of the Stands (Finding the Joy in Football’s Lost Season). Written by Daniel Gray

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2022

When my subscription to Nutmeg was renewed I was sent a free copy of the above book.

Harry Pearson writes for Nutmeg as well as other publications and has written football books of which ‘The Farther Corner’ was the last of his that I read and thoroughly enjoyed. It is his use of words and observation that gets my attention and the opening paragraph in the introduction to this book says it all.

‘The Durham City midfielder wore the resigned look of a man trying to find a jar of harissa in Farmfoods. Up front for Jarrow, a centre-forward darted around frenetically, as if chasing a kite during a hurricane.’

The book chronicles that depressing time when we knew that football would soon be closed down, the period when you could watch only on TV, the opening up of the game out of the darkness with those lucky fans observing it only through social distancing, watching as a reporter and finally the renaissance and joy of the football community.

It’s depressing time and how football fans coped is told with great empathy and fun.

If you want to laugh but feel humble that football for many was a rope to hold onto in scary times then just go and buy this book.

Thank you Daniel Gray, I look forward to the follow up to ‘The Farther Corner’ and your Nutmeg contribution.

In A League Of Their Own – The Dick Kerr Ladies 1917-1965

Written by Gail J Newsham. 2018 Edition. Signed by Gail Newsham

Having parked we saw a café called Bookcase on the way to Carlisle Cathedral and popped in for a lunch time snack. From the café you could see some book cases but when we went to leave we walked past them into a large second hand bookshop. Not having a great deal of time I didn’t go upstairs or rummage through the many books. There is even an upstairs and by the stairs were some sport books which is where I found one of the best football books I have ever read. The second-hand book was £9.99 which was a lot more than I normally pay but totally worth every penny and more.

The research that Gail Newsham has put into this book is phenomenal as she has bought to life the exploits of this amazing team, their unbelievable record, their shabby treatment by the FA but most of all the bringing to life of the ladies who made up the team.

The one thing that jumps out of this book and hugs you is love. Gail meets and makes everlasting friends with past players and brings to life those no longer with us. She does not duck the issue of where they used by others for financial gain.

If you read the book you will realise that some of these ladies were by far the best in the world and which men’s defence of then and now would not squirm if they had to stand up to the indomitable Lily Parr. Gail also chronicles the efforts, many of them hers, to get long term recognition for the team and carry on their memory up to today.

Having read the book you can only conclude that the FA put back the development of Women’s football by decades and hope that the current explosion in the game is nurtured properly.

This book is a treasure.

N.B. The FA again did a disservice to Women’s Football in 2013 when on April 26th they demoted Doncaster Belles from the top division to make way for a more high profile club in the WSL. Despite appeals by many involved in the game they were unsuccessful and the team that had been synonymous with the spirit and excellence of the game were cast adrift. Doncaster continue to fight on in lower divisions and we all hope that next season they can start to regain their status. They were a club who in just over a decade were never out of the top flight, won the FA Cup six times and the League title twice. Nowhere near the influence of the Dick Kerr Ladies but up there in the vanguard.

Fields of Dreams and Broken Fences

Fields. Of Dreams and Broken Fences (Delving into the world of Non-League Football) by Aaron Moore

Published in 2022 by Pitch Publishing

This book was an easy read about Aaron Moore’s recent football adventures either side and during Covid.

There are 13 chapters taking in the losers in the great covid cancellation sacandal, the journeys of players into Non League football, the growth and decline of clubs, finding a level in the woman’s game and individuals visions and passions.

Aaron’s book is mainly about the South East of England with occasional forays north in particular Vauxhall Motors on the Wirral. Non the less it covers the Non League game and fraternity very well and once started it is hard to put down.

I believe it to be his first book and I will look out for anymore in the future.