Guest Review: Psycho: The Autobiography By Stuart Pearce

In an era of superstar prima donnas, Stuart Pearce's total commitment on the pitch earned him the affection of football fans everywhere, who nicknamed him Psycho. He will forever be remembered for two penalties - one missed and scored - for England, but there is so much more to him than that. This book reveals the fascinating story of one of football's greatest personalities. PSYCHO is as honest and straightforward as the man himself.

Review: Stuart Pearce is a professional football player and manager. During his playing days, he earned a reputation as a tough, uncompromising defender. He made over 500 league appearances and was capped 78 times for England. Due to his playing style, he was nicknamed “Psycho” by the fans. However, his disciplinary record was reasonably good and he received very few red cards, certainly fewer than such an epithet would suggest. He states in the book that if he was shown a yellow card during a match, he would tone down his subsequent play to avoid a second yellow.

Born in west London, he did not follow a conventional route into professional football but, instead, played for non-league side Wealdstone for five seasons whilst training and working as an electrician. He was signed by Coventry City, with whom he spent two seasons, before signing for Nottingham Forest where he spent twelve seasons, comprising the bulk of his playing career. This was followed by short spells with Newcastle United, West Ham United and Manchester City.

The book describes his childhood and his introduction to the game, along with many of the colourful characters with whom he has played and under whose management he has served. It also includes his international career playing for England. His time with the national team coincided with two semi-final appearances, one in the World Cup in 1990 and one in the European Championship in 1996. Both of these games were decided by penalty shootouts, and there is a whole chapter in the book devoted to penalties.

Published in 2000, the book describes the author’s playing career up to his first season at West Ham United. During his time at Nottingham Forest, he took over as player/manager for a short period from December 1996 until May 1997. The last chapter in the book describes his thoughts on going into management when his playing career is finished. Since the publication of the book, this is what he has done, filling a number of coaching and managerial roles at both club and international level.

I found the book to be a fascinating account of someone who did not take a conventional route into professional football, although I found the timeline jumped around on occasions. It will interest all football fans, giving an insight into someone who was a formidable opponent on the field, but who comes across as a grounded, family man off it.

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Guest Review: 66 On ‘66 By Matt Eastley

66 on 66 provides a unique perspective on what, 50 years on, remains the greatest occasion in English sporting history. Countless words have been written and spoken about this extraordinary match which made national heroes of the team and its manager. Yet this book eschews those men who sported the Three Lions that day and, instead, talks to dozens of other people who were present. For the first time, one book collects together the fans, the journalists, the celebrities, the musicians, the police officers, the ball boys and the officials who all witnessed that famous, wonderful match. Their stories are accompanied by newly-taken, world-class photographs making 66 on 66 the definitive record of England's World Cup glory.

Review: On Saturday, 30th July 1966, England beat West Germany by 4 goals to 2 to win the Football World Cup for the first, and only, time. Much has been written of this occasion and of the players who became national heroes on that day, whilst countless debates have raged over whether or not Geoff Hurst’s shot was over the line after bouncing off the underside of the crossbar for England’s third goal. This book, published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event, is a compilation of 66 interviews and photographs of people who were there.

None of the players who participated in the match are featured but, instead, the reminiscences are those of an eclectic mix of supporters, from both England and Germany, as well as persons essential for the staging of a major sporting event. Hence, there are Police Officers, members of the Royal Marines band that provided the half-time entertainment, ball boys, journalists, the FIFA president’s personal assistant and even one of the operators of the scoreboard (numbers were inserted by hand in those days). The interviews concentrate on how the individuals obtained their tickets, how they travelled to and from the venue, their impressions of the match and any celebrations that took place afterwards.

The result, following an introduction giving a brief outline of the group and knockout stages leading up to the final, is a collection of 66 highly individual accounts of one particular sporting occasion. I found this book to be a really interesting trip down memory lane, providing a snapshot of a bygone era. It also gave an insight into some of the different roles required to stage such an event. As expected, there were several opinions of the match itself and whether or not Geoff Hurst’s shot did cross the line. However, as in any sport, it is the referee’s decision, after consultation with the linesman, that is final.

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Guest Review: Match of the Day: 50 Years By Nick Constable

Remember Sergio Aguero's late goal to win the title for Man City? Or, best of all, Geoff Hurst's hat-trick wining the World Cup for England in 1966?

Over half a century, Match of the Day has witnessed some of the greatest moments in football history, week in, week out. From the big shorts and brown leather balls of the Stanley Matthews era, through the classic tussles of the old First Division, right up to the glamour of the globe-spanning game that we know today, football has undergone an incredible journey - and now, in this milestone 50th year, Match of the Day celebrates the very best of the drama and the heartache.

With evocative memorabilia and photography throughout, relive the story of the beautiful game, season-by-season. Featuring favourite Match of the Day memories from top players and long-standing members of the MOTD team, this is the ultimate collection of football memories for any fan.

Review: In August 1964, the very first football league highlights programme was screened on Saturday night on the television channel BBC2. Initially, there was opposition from the league clubs who feared that a highlights programme would harm attendances at the matches on Saturday afternoons. However, executives at the channel persuaded the clubs that very few people could receive BBC2 at the time since a new aerial was required, so it should not affect match attendances. Indeed, the crowd for the first televised game at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield outnumbered the show’s audience by 2 to 1. Later on, the programme was switched to BBC1, although there had to be an agreement that the featured match would not be revealed until full-time whistles had been blown and that it could not be shown before 10pm. Match of the Day grew to become a national institution and football clubs have come to recognise the beneficial effect of TV coverage.

This book was published in 2014 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the programme, which has kept going despite hiccups along the way when other TV channels mounted successful bids for the right to screen highlights for a few years. Its presentation and format has evolved as technology has advanced. Initially, before the advent of colour TV in this country, matches could be shown only in black and white. I can recall one commentator advising that since the strip of both teams appeared grey, they could be distinguished because one team wore white socks, and the other wore socks that appeared grey on the screen. Some of the commentators, such as Kenneth Wolstenholme, David Coleman and John Motson, have become legendary.

The book is divided into decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, and there is an outline of the events of each season, with sections featuring the player of that year and a selected match of the season. There are also sections on a few of the World Cups that took place. Of necessity, to keep the book to a manageable size, the descriptions of the seasons are fairly brief and some things have had to be omitted. There are illustrations throughout the book, and some eagle-eyed readers (and John Motson) will have fun spotting one or two that have been mis-captioned.

For a nostalgic review of a national institution, including hairstyles and playing strips of a bygone era, and a reminder of many footballers who have been forgotten over the years, I would recommend this book to all fans of the beautiful game.

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Guest Review: Glory, Glory Lane The Extraordinary History of Tottenham Hotspur's Famous Home for 118 Years By Mike Donovan

Glory, Glory Lane is the life-affirming history - including a momentous last season - of a world-famous football stadium, home to Tottenham Hotspur for 118 years. A Victorian structure turned wraparound 21st-century all-seater, it became a theatre of dreams for supporters all attracted by teams which played the 'Spurs way' to achieve glory. The Lane gave a stage to a conveyor belt of legends from Cameron to Alli via Nicholson, Blanchflower, Greaves, Hoddle and Klinsmann. It provided unforgettable memories in unforgettable atmospheres - heart-lifting, heart-breaking, nerve-racking. Its story veers from founders obsessed by Harry Hotspur to Harry Kane via Harry Redknapp; through matches, personalities, ground developments and threatened closure, all with first-hand accounts. It's hard to imagine how a new £750m stadium can ever replace the edifice which shut its gates for the last time after Spurs played Manchester United in May 2017, having created a daunting legacy.

Review: This book, written by sports journalist and Tottenham Hotspur fan Mike Donovan, is a testament to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and its famous ground, White Hart Lane. The club, founded in 1882, moved to the ground, the site of former nursery land behind the White Hart pub, at the start of the 1899-1900 season. The last match there was played at the end of the 2016-2017 season before the stadium was demolished to make way for the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The club played their home matches at Wembley Stadium until the completion of the new stadium, moving into their new home towards the end of the 2018-2019 season.

The book covers the formative years of this famous football club and its early grounds at Tottenham Marshes and Northumberland Park before moving to the ground that was to be its home for 118 years. There was extensive development of the ground during the early part of the 20th century, following the club's admission to the Football League. The club secured the services of the renowned stadium architect Archibald Leitch to undertake this work. Further developments took place over the years before the final ball was kicked at White Hart Lane.

The book is a testament to the old stadium and the famous managers and players that have graced it, including such legendary figures as Arthur Rowe, Alf Ramsey, Billy Nicholson, Danny Blanchflower, Jimmy Greaves, Glenn Hoddle, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. The chapters cover the various decades throughout the club's history at the stadium and there are numerous photographs throughout the book. At the end, there is a statistical section giving dates and records of the players' achievements.

As a Tottenham Hotspur fan myself, I found the book to be a fascinating and comprehensive insight into the history of this famous club, but it should appeal to sports fans of all persuasions.

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