Shows from 2020-21, the first year of the Football Literary Society (formerly The Football Library). Pictured is Michael Calvin, one of the masters of the form who is best known for his book Family about his adopted team, Millwall FC.

The Football Literary Society Presents...Best of the First Year

Chester FC fan Steve has a column in the Non-League Paper. He toured Britain in pursuit of his club, which he documented in his first book The Card: Every Match, Every Mile. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Card-Every-Match-Mile/dp/1910906131 

His recent book Wall of Sport is a chronicle of 2018, which Steve spent watching all sorts of sport on TV, including on a projector. Find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wall-Sport-Descent-Multiscreen-Madness/dp/1910906239

Steve Hill - First Half

There are very few men who can count Gary Lineker as a colleague and friend, having helped him with his Match of the Day scripts. Describing himself as a navigator helping the pilot to direct the show, Middlesbrough fan Paul was editor of the show who told plenty of terrific anecdotes in his first book Why Are We Always On Last? 

Find the book, now on offer, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Are-Always-Last-Adventures/dp/1785314386/

In 2020, stuck at home watching Britain fail to deal with a novel virus, he wrote a diary which was published under the title Why Are We Always Indoors…Unless We’re Off to Barnard Castle.

Find the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08GKW9P1Q/

Paul Armstrong - First Half

How many men can tell anecdotes about both Stuart Cosgrove and Kurt Cobain? Andy Bollen has moved in both football media and 90s rock music circles, becoming a comedy writer after a brief period as a rock’n’roll drummer.

When we spoke in 2021, Andy was preparing a follow-up to his 2019 book A History of Scottish Football in 100 Objects. He broadened the scope from one country to several European countries and has handed in the manuscript to Pitch Publishing. 

His latest book, also on Pitch, was Fierce Genius, which tells the story of Johan Cruyff’s year at Feyenoord where he helped his side win the Eredivisie to spite his old friends at Ajax.

Find his collected works, including his music and political satire, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Bollen/e/B00GSNXA8W/

Andy Bollen - Second Half

The man whose voice announces goalscorers, substitutions and injury time is an institution at Anfield; indeed, George Sephton called his memoir The Voice of Anfield.

His chronicle of life supporting the Reds is out now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08N5NZPG8/

George Sephton - Second Half

Happy birthday to the Football Library. Speech! Speech!

A Speech on the Occasion of the Football Library's First Birthday

Michael Calvin is the Watford-born author of some of the most critically acclaimed football books of the 21st century: Family, about Millwall FC; No Hunger in Paradise, about youth football; State of Play, taking the pulse of the game; Living on the Volcano, about football management; and The Nowhere Men, which took him on the road with scouts. He also worked on Joey Barton’s memoir No Nonsense. Before his books filled the shelves, his reports filled the pages of several broadsheet newspapers.

You can read Family here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Death-Football-Frontline-Proper-ebook/dp/B072J2H7XD/

Michael Calvin - First Half

Ian Ridley talks about his late wife Vikki, doyen of the press box and athletics track, who passed away in 2019. Ian’s memoir, The Breath of Sadness, tells of his grief through the prism of the country cricket season. It's available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breath-Sadness-love-grief-cricket/dp/183803000X

Vikki Orvice, by Ian Ridley

When Bury Football Club folded in 2019, James Bentley was one of the obituarists. Having written two books on the club, James is in a good position to take the long view about the club and its history. Where it goes next – AFC Bury has formed even as Bury FC still exists – is up for debate.

Buy James' book on Bury in the 1980s here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Fifteen-Triumphed-British-Footballs-ebook/dp/B019QSYYZ8/

James Bentley - First Half

Part of Boro Week.

Formerly a Guardian columnist, Harry has a page to himself in When Saturday Comes, to whose podcast he also contributes. In August 2020, Harry will release The Farther Corner, a second visit to football clubs in the North-Eastern hotbed of English football. The Far Corner (1995) is one of the most cherished books on football and is actually only Harry’s second football book.

Harry Pearson - First Half

Part of Red Week, celebrating Manchester United

Now semi-retired, Paddy is one of the authorities on the modern game. Growing up in Dundee in their golden era of the 1960s, Paddy has worked in football for 60 years covering international and domestic football. He has been to European and World tournaments for several publications and has also had time to write biographies of Jose Mourinho, Herbert Chapman, Alex Ferguson and Matt Busby. 

2020 saw Paddy join Wayne Barton for a series of podcasts that looked back on the Premier League Era. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/barclay-and-barton-on-the-premier-league/id1505284347

Paddy Barclay - First Half

A Charlton Athletic fan, Patrick took over from Sir Michael Parkinson as the President of the Sports Journalists’ Association.  

One of the most esteemed sportswriters of the last 40 years, thanks to his 32-year stint at the Mail on Sunday, Patrick has covered World Cups and Olympic Games, including the horrific Munich Games. His book Among The Fans dealt with sports fanaticism.

Patrick Collins - First Half

Currently Wayne Rooney’s co-writer of his Sunday Times columns, Jonny has reported on international tournaments for the Sunday Times. His series of Facebook diary entries was published as Deadlines and Darts With Dele, while he also worked on Fearless, a book about Leicester City’s title win in 2015/16. 

A Norwich City fan, Jonny grew up supporting Alex Ferguson’s great Aberdeen team of the 1980s, which made him a perfect choice for the Northern Football correspondent in the 2000s.

Jonny Northcroft - First Half

An Arsenal fan, Philippe was born in France but has been based in England since the mid-1980s. 

The first half of this show deals with Philippe’s musical career, as Louis Philippe, while football is the focus of the second half. He is France Football’s man on the other side of La Manche and Chair of the Football Writers’ Association Book Committee which awards the Telegraph Sports Book Awards. 

He won the award himself for his biography of Eric Cantona, The Rebel Who Would Be King, and has also written Thierry Henry: Lonely At The Top. He assisted Juan Mata with his memoir, Suddenly A Footballer.

Philippe Auclair - Second Half

A comedy writer and performer who is beloved for his appearances on Match of the Day 2 in the 2000s, Crystal Palace fan Kevin has brought out Who Are Ya: 92 Football Clubs and Why You Shouldn’t Support Them. This draws on his love of people and social history, as a self-proclaimed ‘pub historian’. He also co-hosts the Price of Football podcast. 

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Are-Ya-Football-Shouldnt/dp/1472980646 
Podcast: https://play.acast.com/s/price-of-football

Kevin Day

The world’s best-known fan of Bromley FC, Dave’s life was made into the movie The Bromley Boys, based on his book as a hopeless romantic following the team in the non-league game. After a few years spent in the United States, Dave returned to his passion and followed Bromley in two books: Home and Away, and Long Long Road to Wembley. 

He has also written his personal history of following football via 32 Programmes. His work in advertising was documented in the book Sad Men. Dave died in December 2021.

Dave Roberts - Second Half

In 2000, the Netherlands co-hosted the European Championships. David’s book Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football became the set text on the nation, and not just of its football. 

Arsenal fan David has since written Those Feet, about the roots of English football, and has worked with Rio Ferdinand and Dennis Bergkamp on their memoirs. His next book will be on the religious aspects of the game.

David Winner - First Half

Liverpool fan Anthony grew up supporting the team in the golden era of the Boot Room. In celebration of his club’s recent upturn in fortune, the novelist and erstwhile film critic has written Klopp: A Liverpool Romance, published by Faber & Faber. A mix of memoir, quarantine diary and biography, Anthony ties together Klopp’s career and his own love of Liverpool, climaxing in the first Premier League title and 19th top division trophy.

Find the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086VSVQ8G

Anthony Quinn

For Christmas 2020, the Library is delighted to present the Twelve Days of Wilson. Jonathan writes for the Guardian and is the author of 11 books on subjects ranging from football Behind the Curtain, the goalkeeper (The Outsider), Argentina (Angels with Dirty Faces), Barcelona (The Barcelona Legacy), Brian Clough (Nobody Ever Says Thank You), and a series on the Anatomy of England, Manchester United and Liverpool. Fans of football literature will likely to have been introduced to his work by his seminal overview of football tactics Inverting the Pyramid, which has been translated into 20 languages.

Jonathan is a Sunderland fan whose latest book The Names Heard Long Ago documents the golden age of Hungarian football. He is also the editor of The Blizzard, a quarterly periodical which published Issue 39, actually the 40th issue, in December 2020.

The 12 Days of Wilson: Fourth Day - The Anatomy of England

A man who shares my birthday, Barnsley fan Ian delights in supporting South Yorkshire’s finest team. 

A poet-in-residence at Oakwell, Ian documented the 1997/98 Premier League season in a book of poetry. He is the host of the long-running poetry programme on BBC Radio 3, The Verb, and is a promoter of verse on- and offline.

Ian McMillan - First Half

Arsenal fan David earns a living by promoting the NFL, which is why this conversation went live during Superbowl Week. In his spare time, David writes books about cricket and football. He has written about Alan Ball, the late Tommy Docherty, Jimmy Greaves and Malcolm Allison. Seventy-One Guns documents the first Arsenal league and FA Cup double which happened 50 years ago.

His latest book is All Crazee Now: English Football and Footballers in the 1970s, which is based on 500 interviews conducted throughout his life. The book is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Crazee-Now-Football-Footballers-ebook/dp/B08QJ9GZL6/

David Tossell - Second Half

Podcasts from Jonny Brick, including radio shows from the Football Literary Society. View his portfolio at jonnybrick.com, with information on Now That's What I Call NOW (2018) and A Country Way of Life (2018).

The Football Literary Society Presents...Best of the First Year

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