Monday 8 August 2011

Back Home: England and the 1970 World Cup

Here's info on my book Back Home and the link to Amazon. Can't believe it was ten years ago next month that this came out in hardback. Issued in paperback for the Japan/Korea World Cup the following summer. People still say very nice things to me about it and it still crops up in all-time favourite football books lists. Was extracted in The Times (they ran a whole chapter) and was hailed by them as "truly outstanding" amongst some very welcome reviews. Also a top five sports book bestseller. That said, it's still small beer. Quite a niche market. Sadly, a few of the interviewees have since passed away.

The cover shown here is for the paperback, which I wasn't wild about. Publisher's decision. The hardback jacket had Bobby Moore traipsing off the pitch after the Brazil game wearing Pele's shirt. For me that was the image.

This was a really personal project as the 1970 World Cup was my first deep football immersion. Seven years old at the time. I remember vividly the FA Cup Final and replay (Leeds v. Chelsea) that preceded the tournament. After the World Cup, my Dad took me to my first game, Pompey v. West Ham in a pre-season friendly at Fratton Park. Still got the programme somewhere. Moore and Hurst had been rested. Some kid in the Hammers team, Brooking T.

Pompey were on the slide. Older fans were still living off the glory of back-to-back league championships twenty years before. Pre-figuring later cycles of boom and bust, there was a false dawn of recovery under spendthrift chairman John Deacon, who brought in over-the-hill stars like Ron Davies, George Graham and "Scottish George Best", Peter Marinello, but they were in the fourth division by the end of the decade.

4 comments:

  1. Jeff: better late than never concerning your fabulous book! This is one of my top five footie books, principally for the behind the scenes stories about that terrific England squad.Reading about guys like Ball,Hughes,Labone and Hunter was a fantastic timewarp, and you made me just want to wrap a loving arm around the brilliant but maligned Sir Alf. Thought you got the mix of football analysis, player hijinks and life circa 1970 spot on: well played!
    Oh and Alf was right to sub Charlton too...

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    1. Hi Ray. Thanks for your kind words. Gosh, it's well over ten years since this was published now. Never set the world alight in sales but still gets some much-appreciated positive feedback. Sadly, some of the people in the book are no longer with us, including the first three you mention above. There's the e-book version coming out soon. Must get myself a Kindle. I write this three hours before the Ukraine game. The scars of 1970 lead to unshakeable pessimism. Hope I'm wrong. Very best, Jeff

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  2. I re-read it before every World Cup to get into the mood! Excellent book, well done.


    Aidan

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    1. Thanks Aidan. Much appreciated indeed. Enjoy the tournament. I do think there's something a bit special about a Latin American World Cup. Jeff

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