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"The Boys
From White Hart Lane - Spurs In The 80s; The Players' Stories" by
Martin Cloake and Adam Powley
(Hardback 245 pages)
Published by Vision Sports Publishing
Price £16.99
For a review of the book, click
here.
|
"THE SPURS
MISCELLANY" by Adam Powley and Martin Cloake
(Hardback - pages)
Published by Vision Sports Publishing
Price £9.99
Just in time for Christmas comes a new (Second) edition of the popular
Spurs Miscellany.
This time coming in a
1970s away cover (stitched cockerel on a ball on a yellow background)
with a new foreword by Steve Perryman for the 125th anniversary and
cartoons by Bob Bond, this book of trivia is packed with information to
make those long winter hours when there is no football on pass quickly.
With new sections
and updated bits, it came out before Ramos took over, but the book is up
to date to the start of this season and contains a mine of information,
some of which has been sourced from this site.
Recommended as a
good stocking filler for the Spurs fan in your life ... or someone you
are trying to convert !!
You can buy your
copy for £6.49 from the VSP site
http://www.visionsp.co.uk/viewitem.asp?id=61&navcatid=1
and there are even signed copies by Steve Perryman available for £12.99. |
"TOTTENHAM
HOTSPUR - A COMPLETE RECORD
1882-2007" by BOB GOODWIN
(Hardback pages)
Published by Breedon Books
Price £19.99
Bob Goodwin's masterworks will be well known to Tottenham supporters.
The thoroughness of his books make them essential additions to the
collections and this updated version of his two previous attempts at the
line-ups, results and scorers of all the Spurs games ever comes out to
coincide with the 125th anniversary of the formation of the club.
As well as having am
in depth breakdown of all the matches Tottenham have played, Bob has
added some additional parts to the book with sections on the managers,
history of the club, the grounds and his choice of the 100 top players
of all time who played for Spurs.
As always, the
book is a mine of information for checking those long forgotten matches
against Middlesbrough that you were sure you went o but can't quite
recall the attendance of. A vital resource for any Spurs fanatic
and a timely update for a new edition of the much sought after
classic book.
|
"MATCH OF
THE DAY FOOTBALL HANDBOOK 2007-2008"
(Softback 509 pages) Published by
Interact Publishing (visit
www.footballyearbook.co.uk)
Price - £19.99
What claims to be "The
Most Comprehensive Football Book Ever" might just have a point.
This tome of a book really does go into some depth on each and every
major league in Europe and European countries in international football.
This is a work of
fine detail and statistical excellence. If you wanted to know who
was injured when or how often a certain player scored throughout last
season, then this is the book for you. Each Premier League team
has four pages of statistics and comment allocated to them and these are
lavishly illustrated with sharp colour photos of key players and action.
Details on individual performers, team line-ups, disciplinary records
and a graphic representation of how the season progressed give enough
information for even the most demanding statistical supporter.
All four English
leagues are covered, with a two page spread for each team in the top
leagues in Scotland, Holland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain,
along with focuses on the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and
Carling Cup. There is also a section at the back where the
Euro 2008 qualifying campaign
and international results of a large number of major footballing
nations are featured.
But it is the lay-out
which impresses. A section at the start of the book explains how
to navigate your way through the information ocean provided and to
illustrate each part of a team's stats, they pick a particularly good
example and for the strikers, they focus on the Tottenham duo of Keane
and Berbatov. who had a great goal-scoring season. Well laid out
and colourful, the information is easy to find once you work out where
to look for it.
While it comes with a
big price, the information inside the big book gives excellent value for
money and you will find it as complete a record of the 2006-07 as you
might wish for. A fine debut and one which will probably see it as
a contender to the other Football Yearbooks such as the Sky (formerly
Rothman's) and DK in terms of how the reams of information is presented. |
"FROM
THE LANE" by Oliver Wright
(Hardback 216 pages) Published by Lulu Press (http://www.lulu.com/content/992059)
Price - £7.99
Spurs fan Oliver Wright has put together a timeline of his time as a
Spurs supporter and irregular attendee over 20 years as he went from boy
to man, suffering the slings and arrows of following Tottenham Hotspur.
From his first game
as an eight year old going with his Dad to the current date as a married
(to a Gooner) man attending games with his old mates from school, he
charts some of the feelings of the joy and mainly disappointment that
being a Spurs fan brings. The fact that he attends only a certain
number of games each season (some more than others) tends to detract
from the overall experience, although he does state that he is not the
most dedicated attendee of games - despite travelling to the Lane when a
Sheffield University student. Some match-day colour is provided,
but then confusingly a section of his Spurs-supporting life goes missing
when he misses 18 months of attending matches and he states that he
cannot explain how this happened. Away-day journeys, obviously,
have a fuller description, as more tends to happen (off the pitch rather
than on it), but sometimes Oliver does give the feelings he experiences
when he is not there or on the game in general. The Klinsmann
signing, listening to matches on the radio at home in both younger and
older days and his views on the money spent in achieving what Chelsea
(his personal bete noire) have done in the last couple of years are
examples.
There are some flashes
of humour in his writing, which are welcome, with some scary moments in
with the Chelsea fans and ending up in hospital the night after a Spurs
game (although these are unrelated incidents), but the depth of
description in some of the games attended leaves you yearning for more
on what the atmosphere was like and how the game progressed.
Overall, I am not
sure who the book is aimed at. Some of the description about the
match-day rituals at the Lane are preaching to the converted and the few
errors/omissions will be picked up on by die-hard Spurs fans. It
is an interesting and easy read, but I feel that there could have been a
bit more there to fully grip the reader in terms of his growth through
the formative stages of his life and how Tottenham being in his life
fully contributed to that, as you feel that although the burning
desire for Spurs to do well is there, some of the passion has faded over
the years.
To buy this book from
Amazon, click
here. |
"SPURS
ODYSSEY - Season 2006-07 Review" by Paul Smith
(Softback - 228 pages)
Published by Authorhouse
ISBN 9781434322296
Price - £9.99
Anyone familiar with Paul Smith's eponymous website will be aware of his
comprehensive and personal match reporting style. In this
published volume of match reports from the website from the 2006-2007
season, he visits all corners of the country (and Europe in some
instances) to seek glory with Spurs.
From the journey
back in time to Cardiff City to the seat in the roof of the St. James
Park stadium, Paul gives a feel for being there. From the
short-lived first day of the season optimism at Bolton to the gaining of
fifth place in May, Paul presence is recorded for posterity in this
volume. The only occasions Paul couldn't be there, able deputies
in Declan Mulcahy and Ray Lo fill in the missing details.
As well as the match
reports, there are full details of the teams, goals, bookings, etc and
there are a few photos in the book to illustrate things. It would
have been nice if Paul had a few of his own photos from his trips which
could have been included.
This book serves
as a reminder of the many miles travelled in supporting Spurs and I know
that Paul and Ray also attend many more Spurs game, watching the
Reserves and youth sides, so next time can I ask for some of those
reports to be included to give a glimpse of what the future holds for
the club and it's supporters ?? |
"The Spurs
Miscellany" by Adam Powley and Martin Cloake
(Hardback - 148 pages) Published by VSP
Price - £9.99
For a review,
click here.
|
"2005-2006
Season Review - The Road To Europe"
DVD 1 hour 59
minutes 23 seconds
Price - £16.99
For a review,
click here.
|
"TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
- ROUGH GUIDE 11s" by Alison Ratcliffe.
(Softback - 128 pages) Published by Rough Guides
Price - £4.99
A pocket sized
book, albeit for a big pocket, comes at a reasonably small price.
The top 11 lists
of all things Tottenham have been compiled by Alison Ratcliffe with a
little help from her friends and there is a great deal of information
and humour in the book to dip in and out of ranging from
"Tottenham's top partnerships", "Absolute Best
moments" and "Cerebral Spurs" through to "Seasons
to forget", "Money down the drain" and "Own
Goals". A
fun book for any Spurs fan to enjoy.
|
"MR.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR" by Steve E. Hale.
(Softback 232 pages)
Published by Football World
Price - £9.99
For a review of
the book, click here.
|
"WE ARE
TOTTENHAM : VOICES FROM WHITE HART LANE" by Martin Cloake
and Adam Powley.
(Softback 208 pages)
Published by Mainstream Publishing
Price - £9.99
For a review of
the book by one of the writers, click here.
|
"DEAR ALAN, DEAR
HARRY" by Steven
Harris.
(Softback 192
pages) Published by Steven Harris, PO Box 26363, London N8 9ZJ
Price - £6.99
Letter writing is
becoming a bit of a lost art. With the use of e-mail becoming
commonplace and the language that has grown up around it, letters are
quickly becoming a thing of the past. But not before Steven Harris had
the chance to post off his missives to Messrs. Sugar and Harris of the
title of his book.
Cheesed off with the way
the club was conducting itself and the direction it was heading in,
Steven was keen to get some answers to the questions in his mind, so
he went to the men in the know (or so he thought). His persistence in
penning letters to those in positions of authority and those who may
have the information to lay his mind at rest is dogged. Even in the
face of some frankly blunt and rude responses from the club and
journalist, he soldiered on to try and find out why things were
happening to his club and why certain reports were appearing in the
Daily Mirror. Harry Harris even tried to ban the book from Sportspages
bookshop and was threatening to sue for defamation, so Steven must
have been doing something right !
Steven asks the questions
that have popped into all our thoughts over the last three years. In
one way he is as much a thorn in the side of the hierarchy at the club
as Mark Jacob and although going about it in a different way, has
received much the same treatment. He doesn’t just limit himself to
those two people in the title of the book and it is to his credit that
he has kept a level head in replying to some of the comments he
received from his targets.
A very interesting read
and although not all the queries are resolved, the attitude and
thinking of the men behind the replies is revealing.
|
THE WHITE HART LANE
ENCYCLOPEDIA by Dean Hayes
(Softback - 192 pages) Published by Mainstream Publishing.
Price £7.99
Like any encyclopedia,
this features a comprehensive A to Z of all things Tottenham Hotspur.
Players, the ground, records, competitions, history ... in fact a
veritable cornucopia of Spurs details are contained within this
volume. Although originally printed in 1996 and quite comprehensive up
until that date, so much has happened in the last three years, that an
updated version could be required. However, Mr. Hayes has done a fine
job in capturing the gist of what is important to Spurs fans and the
accompanying photographs nicely break up the entries in the
encyclopaedia. This book is slightly different in that it is not just
about players and matches, but takes a wider view of the club and what
has been achieved and gone on around it over the years. The layout
allows you to easily find what you are looking for and I learned quite
a few things that I hadn’t known previously. Reasonably priced and a
good addition to the library of any Tottenham fan.
|
DREAM ON by Alex Fynn and
H. Davidson Book
(Paperback - 445
pages)
Published by Pocket Books
Price £6.99
An old one, I know, but a
goodie nonetheless. This is the modern equivalent of Hunter Davies’
"The Glory Game", but a more financial view of proceedings
than the 70’s classic and more gloom than glory. Well written and
access to players and staff at the club provides an insightful account
of the workings of the modern football club. With lots of little
morsels of insider knowledge, this book is a must for all Spurs fans
and if you have it already, it always improves with another reading.
It will be interesting to see if anyone bothers to do something
similar in the "noughties" to continue the saga of Spurs
through the ages !!
|
WHAT’S THE
STORY - BORING GLORY by Mark Jacobs.
(Softback - 364
pages)
Price £8.99
For all the
mentions of DNA, lifeblood and genetic mutation, this is not a biology
textbook. It is in fact Mark Jacob’s view of the 1998/99 season
following Tottenham Hotspur. As many will know, Mark is involved in
the Tottenham Action Group, who regularly comment on the goings on at
White Hart Lane and he expands on the way the club is run and how it
should be run within the pages of this book. The flier advertising the
book calls Jacob "Chairman Alan Sugar’s most consistent
critic" and you have to admire his "stickability" to
the task. Like a dog with a bone he won’t let go in trying to return
the glory, glory days back at the club. While Sugar probably regards
him as a thorn in the side, the book portrays the author as something
more akin to a whole thicket of brambles which the Spurs chairman may
have to negotiate before being viewed as someone to believe in.
For each action
the club make, the author looks at all the possible motives and doesn’t
restrict his scope to Spurs, but to whatever is happening in the world
of football. Conspiracy theorists may find certain aspects of this
book compelling. While most fans are content to support their team
passively, Mark takes a more "fan-power" view of the game
and the reactions he provokes from Mr. Sugar are a real eye-opener.
For those who like to get involved, there is plenty in this work.
The book is easy
to read - capable of being absorbed in bite size chunks - as it is a
day-to-day record and you think that many parts ring true, because
there are areas which many fans would agree on. However, there are
things I would take issue with Mark on, but then football is all about
opinions, isn’t it ?? Whether or not you agree with all the author’s
views on the club, the book acts as a reminder of what was a(nother)
turbulent season for Tottenham Hotspur - on and off the pitch.
|
CUP KINGS - TOTTENHAM
HOTSPUR
CD
Price - £11.99Many of the songs on this
CD you might well have from other sources - the cup final songs by
Chas and Dave, some of the earlier efforts and Venables’ "Strollin’",
but what is new is the BBC radio commentaries of the Spurs FA Cup
finals 1961-91 and the Worthington Cup Final 1999. In the very old
days, there used to be LP’s (those big plastic things) with
commentary of the final on sale, but this went out once video came in.
However, it is nice to hear the plummy BBC tones of the 1961 FA Cup
final equivalent of Jonathan Pearce and it shows how far things have
come when you listen to the 1999 Worthington Cup final coverage in
comparison. While, this may not appeal to all, it certainly is a must
for Spurs collectors with good photos and the sleeve notes are written
by Chas (Hodges) himself. So sit back and relive those special Spurs
moments in the comfort of your living room, while letting your
imagination take you back to your particular favourite final. You can
get it from all good record stores, the Spurs shop or by mail order
from Cherry Red Records (0171 371 5844). Click
here for a special deal for MEHSTG readers.
|
SURVIVAL OF THE
FATTEST
(Softback - 454 pages)
Published by Red Card Publishing
Price -
£9.99 (or £8.49 direct from Red Card)
The fanzine writers end
of season round-ups are the staple meat pie diet of this annual book
release. And when you look at who wrote all the pies, you will be in
for a feast. Now in it’s fifth year, SOTF looks at the fortunes of
the teams from AFC Bournemouth to Wycombe Wanderers through the eyes
of their fanzines. There are thousands of stories to tell, but these
are just some of them and it is interesting to find out which clubs
hate Spurs - some you would never imagine !! There are two
contributions from Spurs fanzines - one from CaDD and the other by us,
about Tottenham’s season that had more peaks and troughs than your
average weather chart. A ripping good read and there really is loads
in there, so why not dip in and out to find out that compared to some,
life at Spurs may not be that bad after all. And it’s cheaper than
buying every other fanzine featured too !! Available at all good
bookshops or by mail order from Red Card Publishing Ltd., 23 Hamilton
Road, Brighton BN1 5DL.
|
THOSE
GLORY, GLORY DAYS (Film)
They
reckoned that 'Fever Pitch' was one of the best football films ever
made - well any film about Arsenal would have to be better than the
'Arsenal Stadium Mystery' ! But, although 'Fever Pitch' was pretty
good, it was by far outclassed by 'Those Glory, Glory Days'. It's a
Channel Four film and was part of their First Love Series.
The
film is inspired by the Tottenham double win in 1961 (remember
Gooners, we did it first and did it in style) and four girl’s love
affair with Tottenham Hotspur.
My
copy of the video had been hidden away in a cupboard until I
un-earthed it this past week, and I had forgotten what a bloody good
film it actually was. So, into the VCR went my copy and I stepped back
in time to those Glory, Glory Days.
The
theme tune sends tingles down my spine and the sight of our Danny
Blanchflower brought a tear to my eye. There are plenty of editoral
mistakes in the first ten minutes of the film - just how long is
Tottenham High Road? and is it possible to go past the Spurs shop that
many times, drive past it and then turn left towards it! But these
mistakes are easily forgotten because the film is brilliantly acted,
very funny and terribly sad - all at the same time.
I
learnt so much about football from this film "When not in
possession, get into position", and like one of the characters in
the film I did even consider changing my name to Danny (I settled for
calling my moped Glenn !) just because it had that effect on me.
I
don't know if it is possible to buy Those Glory, Glory Days on video,
but beg, borrow or steal a copy ! Or write to Channel Four and demand
that they put it on again!
Sarah
Lomas
|
ALBION
! ALBION ! by Dick Morland
Published by Faber & Faber
Price £3.95
A riveting read that
keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. A sci-fi novel,
but one which is much more than that. Based in the 90's, the
country is ruled by the four main hooligan gangs whose reign is
fraught with terror. Originally published in 1974, the portrayal
is a bit far fetched, but the intrigue in the story about football and
society makes it an entertaining book. A must for all Spurs fans
because of the relevance of the story-line (I will say no more, lest I
spoil it for you).
|
"THE
DOUBLE" by Ken Ferris
Published by Mainstream Publishing
Price £6.99This
book chronicles the years leading up to 1960-61 and the
way the side came together. It also details the
background at Tottenham, as well as what was going on in
football in general during a turbulent time for the game.
The style does not quite flow in the way the football
played by the subjects did, but the book is highly
readable and the chapters are fairly short, so you seem
to fly through them. Not only does the writer give
excellent match reports (with quotes from newspapers of
the time), but paints a picture of each player involved
that season and at the end, even does a "where are
they now" resume. A book that does a very good job
of informing those who never saw the side in the flesh,
just how famous they deserve to be. And in thirty years
time, will they be writing books about Manchester
United's side ???
|
"SIR LES - The
Autobiography of Les Ferdinand"
Published by Headline.
Price: £16.99 (although you may find it in the reduced
section)Written
shortly after his transfer to Tottenham, Les was hoping
for great things for the season and the following World
Cup. As we now know, it didnt happen like that.
Nonetheless, an interesting story of how he came to the
game late and struggled to make his mark, working part
time to pay the bills. Follow him through QPR, Brentford
and his experience in Turkey to signing for Newcastle.
His appearance on the pitch is explained here also,
though that does little to ease the pain. A good book,
simply written that should be even better after the last
year or so of Ferdinands life is added to the
story. No controversial Glenn Hoddle style revelations,
but then Les isn't like that (is he?).
|
CUP FINAL KID by
Martin Waddell
Published by Walker
Price : £3.50I
was going to say this is one for the kids, but although
aimed for that age group, many adults might enjoy the
happy ending (just for a change.)
|
DANNY
BLANCHFLOWER – A BIOGRAPHY OF A VISIONARY
by Dave Bowler
Book
(Paperback – 252 pages) Published by Vista
Price
£6.99
The man
who was partly responsible for putting the Glory into Tottenham is under
the microscope in this book. There are so many stories about the man during and after his
playing days that one book could not hope to cover everything in this
man’s life, but there are plenty of anecdotes and stories here to keep
the most avid Spurs fan going.
Starting
out in his youth in Belfast, the author follows the story through his
war-time experiences, joining Glenavon and dreaming of following his
idol, Peter Doherty to Maine Road. When he finally reaches England, the dark satanic mills of
Barnsley don’t offer him much comfort and the fact that his football
seems to be going nowhere prompts a move to Aston Villa.
While he
feels that the weight of the past is weighing on the progress the club
should be making, he tries to introduce new methods, much to the chagrin
of manager and Directors, who regard him as a troublemaker.
It was with this tag that Tottenham bought him and their
Directors were never entirely happy with his thoughtful approach to the
game on and off the pitch. There
are many instances where he was unhappy at White Hart Lane before he
found a kindred spirit in Bill Nicholson to take the club to the
greatest moments in their history.
Even then, he was not always a first choice and it is fascinating
to fathom from the text here, how he fitted into the final pattern of
the Double side. And when his time at Tottenham came to an end, there was
little emotion in the decision as had happened to a number of faithful
servants in his time at the club.
For all
the tales of “the game being about glory”, it is interesting to note
that when the situation required it, he was not opposed to using the
resources available to him in any way that would achieve a result.
When playing in the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden, this was
particularly true, as the reports of the tournament included here show.
His captaincy and virtual management of the national side was a
great honour for him, but again when the end came he wanted a swift end
to it.
While a
man whose thinking was way ahead of its time, his ideas still made
others feel uneasy. His
battles to achieve what he thought should happen are detailed here and
he upset a lot of people by wanting to get his own way.
His attitude to those in command who knew little of football was
one of scorn and his put downs of directors are very funny.
He never really wanted to go into management, but was tempted and
never scaled the heights he did as a player, but his journalistic
career, which he started when a Villa player, continued with great
insight and perceptiveness.
Blanchflower
had a pivotal place in Tottenham’s history and this book fills in the
information around that time and the paths that lead to and from White
Hart Lane. One of
Tottenham’s greats has been served well by this book.
TERRY
COE |
SPURS - A
DAY-TO-DAY LIFE AT WHITE HART LANE by Graham Betts
Book (Paperback) Published by Mainstream
Publishing
Price £9.99
A record of everything that
happened to do with Tottenham Hotspur on each day of the year. A
mammoth task undertaken by the author (who has also put together a
similar volume for Aston Villa) and one which just about encompasses all
you could possibly want to know about the club. Running up to the
end of the season at the time it was published (1997), each match and
major incident is covered under a day-by-day format.
Not a book for reading from
cover to cover, but one to dip in and out of at every opportunity to
find out what went on in the glorious past of our club on the day in
question.
TERRY COE |
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