About Football Yobs
Football Yobs is a site about football, pure and simple. We give you the straight news and views with plenty of humour and verve. You are invited to comment on any and all of the writing, no matter how stupid your opinions. Now that you’re ‘ear, you might as well ‘av a butchers about the place.
Cockney, are ye? Our apologies. Here’s the message translated into your language:
Blimey! Football Yobs is a site abaaaht football, pure an’ simple. We give yew da straight news an’ views wiv plen’y ov ‘umaaahr an’ verve. You are invited ter commen’ on any an’ all ov da writing,
2008
12
Feb
- Posted by aaron at 03:20 am
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Hello
This is a quick email to tell you about the book I’ve produced for Sport Relief 2008, which you are probably aware takes place this month. I heard about this a few months ago and hoped to take part in the sponsored run. I have quite bad asthma though and was concerned that I wouldn’t get very far before wheezing to an embarrassing standstill!
At the time I was doing research into the role of the fan in the history of football, partly to explore whether there was sufficient material to write an academic text about this. Unfortunately this didn’t seem to be so. But then I had the idea of compiling my research into a small book for Sport Relief – a lot easier than running, you might say. Hence The Time-travelling Football Fan.
The book is an introduction to the curious history of the beautiful game. Various themes are interwoven with an easy to read narrative – much in the style of Sophie’s World. Throughout the emphasis is on ordinary people not the big players, as it were. For example, I begin with a look at the earliest form of football and how it appealed to the medieval poor. Other topics include the famous match during the Christmas Truce of 1914, how the game became popular amongst working-class men in the latter half of the nineteenth century, as well as the rise and decline of the women’s game. Racism in football is explored in a chapter about that great Evertonian Dixie Dean. There’s a chapter about the infamous FA Cup final between West Ham and Bolton played at the original Wembley Stadium. Also included is an exploration of homophobia in football, the economics of the game, various scandals, the history of televised football, the tragedies of Heysel and Hillsborough. And much, much more…! The book should appeal to anyone who has a love of football, history, or both.
It’s being sold for £5/copy, with the profits donated to Sport Relief 2008. I’d welcome all the support I can get: the more copies sold the more money is made for this worthwhile cause.
Would you be willing to buy a copy or preferably copies? Also, would you be willing to put a mention on your site or write a review/article? I’m a university teacher with a background in the humanities, particularly history and literature. The standard of the book is very high considering that it has been written in such a short time – for samples please visit the website detailed below.
Anyway, I very much hope to hear from you soon.
All the best, Mike Clough.
Please go to: http://www.timetravellingfootballfan.co.uk