Black Boots and Football Pinks: 50 Lost Wonders of the Beautiful Game

· Bloomsbury Publishing
5.0
1 review
Ebook
160
Pages
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About this ebook

A collection of lyrical sweet-nothings whispered to old-fashioned wingers, ramshackle dugouts, multiple cup replays and 47 other wonders that made us love football.

Goalkeepers in trousers, proper division names, turf patterns, pixelated scoreboards and, of course, Saturday evening pink newspapers... They were the gritty stardust that made football sparkle.

Here, 50 such wonders are drawn together with evocative charm before they slip from memory forever. Dedicating a chapter to each wonder, Daniel Gray's pieces read more like love letters than essays.

Here is a sentimental meander beneath main-stand clocks and through streets where children still play football. Written in the same wistful and whimsical style as Gray's much-admired previous book, Saturday, 3pm, the unashamedly nostalgic Black Boots and Football Pinks will warm the heart and prompt fond sighs of recognition.

Gray's words preserve on paper the relics and minutiae of a shared obsession and identity. They make yesterday's football feel within touching distance, and offer cosy refuge from a boisterous game and world.

Ratings and reviews

5.0
1 review

About the author

Daniel Gray is the author of Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football and Scribbles in the Margins: 50 Eternal Delights of Books. He has written five other books on football, politics, history and travel. His recent work has included screenwriting for the BBC, presenting social history on television and radio, and writing across a number of national titles.

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