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I came across an interesting couple of books yesterday as I was on the web and followed through to see who the publishers were. It is Wibble Publishing in the UK. They have an eclectic mix of books that I thought merited some sharing! They say, “Our goal is to help you to get your literary work published. We will do it for you or advise you on the best ways to avoid the challenges and pitfalls of trying to self publish.” Seems a good offer.

This is a subject close to my heart, ” Before the Premier League: A History of the Football League’s Last Decades.”

Before the Premier League looks at the major developments in English football between the late 1950s and the early 1990s that led to the transformation of the game. The book traces the changes over the last decades of a unified Football League, and details how they combined to revolutionise the sport. From the transfer market and attendances, playing conditions and wages, to the influence of sponsorship and television, Before the Premier League is an account of the factors which shaped modern football. Several in-depth interviews with players and fans of this era bring the history to life and illustrate the main themes which run throughout the book. Their first-hand experiences and memories of English football give a unique insight into how the game was played and watched long before the Premier League.

Biography: Born in Leeds at the start of the 1973-74 season, the author, Paul Whittle, has spent much time playing and watching football ever since. He writes about the game’s history at the1888letter.com and this is his first book.

Take a look at the Wibble Publishing website for a fill list of titles.

Well, it’s that time of year again. As well as a huge holiday feast of games at all levels, it is often an opportunity to catch up on all the books you intended to read through the year ……. but never quite did!

Equally, the holidays give many of us the opportunities to check out new books and recommended books. Here are a few I read (or re-read this year) which I think could be of interest.


Football Against The Enemy – Simon Kuper
No, not the rivalry between West Ham and Millwall but some harrowing tales of modern history.
“If you like football, read it. If you don’t like football, read it”

A Season With Verona – Tim Parks
Possibly my favourite season-long guide of all time. Parks follows his beloved Verona the length (long) and breadth (narrow) of Italy. Fantastic read whether you love football, Italy or quality writing.

Stamping Grounds – Charlie Connelly
The quirky story of following the Liechtenstein national football team across Europe.

Fear and Loathing – Sid Lowe
Along with “Morbo”, this is a must–read if you have any interest in Spanish football

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro – Joe McGinniss
If you liked the craziness of Spanish lower leagues, I am sure you will love the craziness of the Italian lower leagues. Imagine, say, Gillingham making it to the Championship. Oooh, it can happen. Unlike Parks, the late Joe McGinniss was an outsider to both football and Italy. In some ways, that’s a plus as nothing is taken for granted for the reader

Messi – Luca Caioli
Yes, I know the whole world is a Messi fan now. Maybe it’s a good time to look back before PSG and the Argentinian World Cup win. I can’t claim to be a huge fan or biographies but this one is very readable.

England Legends
(Maybe an oxymoron!)

‘England Legends’ is Jim Norley’s new A5 hardback book containing original digital illustrations of over 75 England legends across all eras.

Contains all England’s heroes from 1966 and the recent Euro 2020 tournament as well as many of the other greats to wear the three lions. Buy direct from GillinghamLegends

The Games People Play / A Whole New Ball Game – Gary Thacker
Two seasons and two separate docunovels about life in levels 9 and 10 of the Spanish structure.
Far-fetched? Yes. Impossible? Absolutely not. Life away from Real Madrid, Barcelona and others.

Black Friday


I cannot claim to be a fan of Black Friday (or even consumerism!) but a couple of my contacts have interesting deals this weekend

Our friends at Stanchion Books have a 20% off discount (check exceptions) which makes great reads even better! They stock a huge range of football books and get a big shout out as they support the postal workers.

Some ideas….

Glory #8: Ukraine
£12.00
Special Ukrainian issue of this football and travel mag.
BUY

The Blizzard: The Football Quarterly #46
£13.00
Latest issue of this football quarterly.
BUY

Against All Odds: World Cup Upsets, edited by Adam Bushby and Rob MacDonald
£15.99
Join football writing’s biggest names for a definitive journey through the most unlikely results in World Cup history.
BUY

Red Dragons: The Story of Welsh Football by Phil Stead
£14.99
Covers the story of Welsh football since its earliest days. It looks at the characters, controversies and developments of the country’s clubs, players, and most importantly, the national team
BUY

Black Friday is live in the COPA webshop, starting today Friday the 25th of november throughout the weekend and Cyber Monday. This is your chance to shop selected styles at a 25% to 50% discounts.

Don’t miss out and click HERE to go to the Black Friday shop right now or scroll down to see a small selection of styles on offer.

3 Retro have an up to 50% sale on. Click HERE to see a selection.

Qatar

It is strange really; the whole “The Shirt” project started with Bjorn Heidenstrom, the Bold, Bald, Man of the North”, cycling from Norway to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010. Everything that the project has done since and will do in the future started off with that journey.

Literally at the very moment I write this, my beloved Spain are playing Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Amazingly, I have zero interest. Between politicians, the higher echelons of FIFA, Big Business, the candidacies of Russia and Qatar a huge dark cloud floats above the 2022 competition. The tiny state should never have been awarded the competition and since that fateful day when Mr Corruption himself, Sepp Blatter, pulled the name out of the envelope ….. to everyone’s amazement ….. nothing I have seen tells me that it was anything but a wrong decision. Now in Qatar we have farcical decisions in the fanzone, a ban on alcohol for a competition sponsored by Budweiser, huge arguments about the whole LGBTQ+ debate, stadiums far from full but “official attendances” massively inflated etc etc etc …

I will leave it there, I could get annoyed. I am not going to tilt and windmills. I will merely say that I hope football wins. I doubt it will but I can but hope.

I can’t deny that I am an avid groundhopper and a keen shirt collector but those who know me well would acknowledge I have other hobbies and interests. In fact a nurse called them “passions.” I am a life-long language learner, a massive fan of chess and a world traveller. Yes, I love learning the history of villages and cities the world over. 

I am up to about 50 countries and am looking forward to some serious groundhopping this autumn through Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. Next summer is Romania and Georgia for the UEFA U-21 Finals. For the moment I am in London and following my beloved FC Deportivo Galicia and Gillingham. I am also exploring the nooks and crannies of London. Despite love affairs with Spain, Italy, Romania and Scandinavia, I still think it is the greatest city on earth. I love its diversity, its history, its sport (obviously!) its transport infrastructure and, well, pretty much everything about the city. I also think, arrogantly, I know a fair bit about it ….. or I did until yesterday! Let me explain …. 

I saw an advertisement for Guided London Walking Tours I followed a link to a very professional website where there was a fantastic range of tours to select from. What interested me was that this was not the usual “Free tour of Westminster” or “Free Tour of Theatreland.” I’d done several of those and felt rather unimpressed after I had paid my tip to somebody who had clearly been in London only a few months or years and was regurgitating a script. Those trips are fine for an overview – I have done them in several European cities and they were excellent starting points but I fear the Canadian guide of Amsterdam might struggle if she moved 100 yards off the route or a few words off the script. 

What caught my eye with London Guided Walks was the  specialist nature of the tours. These are not “fluff and stuff.” The “Heretics and Horrors City Walk” looked particularly interesting, I booked (easily and quickly) on their website and yesterday found myself at St Paul’s Cathedral. To be more accurate I found myself on “the concrete steps outside the CoOp on Cheapside, adjacent to St. Paul’s tube station.” The welcome email gave excellent directions, a contact number and an overall image of professionalism. Impressed.  

I was delighted that it was a small group of just eight people – two couples and four single participants. The guide Susan introduced herself, advised on safety requirements and we set off promptly (another tick!) She advised us what we would see and it was clear from the first few sentences that this was not for a first-timer. Excellent.    

The next ninety minutes went very fast. Susan was hugely impressive, clearly had an in depth knowledge of the area and shared this very competently. She was always in control of the group and did not allow herself to be interrupted by unnecessary or trivial questions and comments. When I go on one of these tours, I attend to learn from the guide. I am not interested in the thoughts of some random tourist from New Jersey who thinks we want to hear what he “knows” about Lady Di or Green Park!  I certainly walked away far more knowledgeable about that area of the Square Mile. What was most impressive was that at almost every building, Susan had a story and an explanation. I am guessing we only walked a mile at most and never more than a hundred yards at a time. Being just a few weeks off crutches, I was grateful for that. 

I should perhaps confirm that this was a paid tour. I wasted a couple of hours in Bucharest recently on a “free” tour. Sadly, there were over 50 participants including about 20 Madrid school kids who clearly had zero interest in the history of “Romania – The Road to Democracy.” From the questions and comments of the visitors yesterday it was clear that they were all very knowledgeable about London and, like me, were keen to learn even more. I am sure each one was delighted. I was.

All in all, an excellent tour. What did I learn? Well, I will let you find out for yourselves but I can assure you that you will be interested in Paul’s Cross (NOT St. Paul’s Cross!), Newgate Prison, Temple Bar and the history of St Barts to name just a few. What’s next?  A couple of big games this weekend and I think I will register for the “Wonders of Whitehall Walk” or maybe the “Southwark” tour…. or maybe both! You are most welcome to come to join me ….. as long as you do not interrupt the guide!  If you have a specialist interest, London Guided Walks also do private tours. The Rise of Chelsea under Mou?

Nowadays it is very easy to follow clubs througout the world. The web is full of content about teams near and far. If you don’t speak Polish or Latvian, there is no problem. Google translation services can help. So, many of us have a soft spot for a team tat peraps we have never seen in real life …. but want to! Then we think how difficult it is to get tickets to Premier League games in the UK and that bumps our idea for a moment. Not deterred we start looking at flights but realise that we are not sure whether there is an airport convenient for Palermo, there is (actually there are at least two!) Then we wonder whether an advertised 3pm Saturday kick off in Spain will turn out to be Friday evening an hour before we land or even moved to Monday evening for TV purposes. OK, no problems, let’s look at the resale sites. “What, Schalke U23s v Bayern Munic U23s ONLY 349 euros!!!!!. No, not what I am looking for.” Then we stop and decide that it’s a great idea but …..

Help is at hand in the form of the Euro Ticket Club.

Euro Ticket Club cuts out the ugly fees so you can focus on the beautiful game. British football is the most cost-prohibitive in the world. Euro Ticket Club is all about High-quality football and Low-cost flights and match tickets for European games. Sign up for information on the best offers to travel to European football matches. We aggregate the cheapest flights and match tickets for teams across Europe, sold directly from football club websites, cutting out the middleman.

We were inspired to start Euro Ticket Club after a concatenation of difficulties attempting to watch live football. Firstly, as an Arsenal fan, it can be near impossible to get face-value tickets for a game at Emirates Stadium. I’ve watched Arsenal a handful of times but often at great expense, a cost that UK rail-travel exacerbates. Noticing how cheap flights can be from Edinburgh to other European cities, my brother and I began looking abroad for games. We first attended a match in Belgium but ran into difficulties when we turned up hoping to get tickets on the day only to find a sold-out Lotto Park.

Next, we secured a £26 return to Eindhoven, a city famed for its insistence that Phillips – the electronics company – really is the worthy subject of an entire museum. The match was a genuinely entertaining 4-0 drubbing, however had we known how limited the city was in other aspects, we may have chosen a different destination. The city’s official guide lists its airport and its proximity to numerous European capitals as 2 of the ten reasons to visit. That’s correct – 20% of the city’s highlights are, in fact, escape routes. By the time we booked Milan we had ironed out the kinks and saw a fantastic game of football at a great price and enjoyed the city, visiting the Piazza del Duomo and Leonardo da Vinci National Museum. These experiences encouraged us to create a service which combines top-quality football with a cultural European trip.

Aside from the fact we pair tickets with cheap flights, the biggest distinction between ourselves and our competitors is that our customers like us. While Ticketmaster and Viagogo are regarded as a last resort, often leaving customers embittered by the fees, we are the first port of call – letting customers know how and when to get the best possible deal. With Euro Ticket Club, users get a coup; not a con. Though football package providers save users time at the expense of money, acting as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, we save time and money by distributing information without taking a cut. We’ve offered return flights and match tickets for just £17 per person.

Check out our latest offers https://www.facebook.com/euroticketclub

In a world that sometimes seems so cynical, I am delighted to highlight the good works of Alan at The World’s Most Expensive Link. He has been a supporter of The Shirt Project since he first heard of it way back in 2009. I remember the first time I met Bjorn in the autumn of that year. We were in Germany and he was a few weeks into his multi marathon cycling trip from Oslo in his native Norway all the way to South Africa. Bjorn explained to me his intent and, as they say, the rest is history. I was “hooked” and offered to assist. Likewise when Alan heard of my mini-tour of the English clubs, he was happy to support. Since then, I have always been able to count on his support.

The nice thing is that it is a win-win. I am a very keen advocate of his business. We caught up again last week when Alan told me that the site is going well, the customers are happy and that he continues to raise money for charities. By total coincidence, we are both big supporters of Prostate Cancer UK and I am always delighted to see them being supported on the site. What is his project? Well, at its most basic, it is a way of promoting any business, charity, sporting association. Everybody wants visitors to their sites. That’s what The Link provides. How? Alan explains……

• Register your website from as little as £1. Yes, for less than a coffee, you can be promoting your link
  NO MONTHLY FEE! NO REGULAR PAYMENT! JUST OPTIONALLY TOP UP YOUR LINK WHEN YOU WANT!
• To add your link is a ONCE OFF payment and your link will stay on till at least December 31st 2024
• 30% (less VAT & PayPal Payment processing fees) of all income will be donated to charities selected by the participants.
  (Whenever a participant’s total is £10 or more we will make a payment directly to your chosen charity.)
• The site has been live and continuously promoting our participants’ websites since 2007.

One thing I have always liked is that you can start with as little as £1. In fact most of those who have followed my recommendation and registered did just this. Let’s be honest, there are few ways that you can promote your business or charity for £1 nowadays! Have a read, have a look and if you want to know more, just drop Alan a line and he will be sure to assist. If you do come onboard, please ping me too and I will help you promote your business or cause. My pleasure.

Thanks as always for your support, Alan. Bjorn and I have been fortunate to have a lot of loyal supporters over the years. It is always nice to recognise them.

More Miles for More Smiles

It was an absolute pleasure, honour and privilege to meet up with the guys from Miles for Smiles this week. Take a bow Callum Worker, Jordan Packer, Joe Elkin and their support driver, “Wardy.”

You will remember that they are walking from Liverpool to London and back to the Midlands to raise money for the Me&Dee charity appeal (see below.)

I walked with them from Park Royal to Wembley. That was perhaps two miles and the furthest and fastest I have walked in almost two years since my cardiac arrest. It put me in bed for almost 48 hours….these heroes had a mere 400 miles to do! Gentleman, thanks for everything you have done. You have raised an incredible amount of money for a magnificent cause. You have also restored my faith in the human race. What with Covid deniers, Brexiteers and Johnson apologists, the world can seem a dark place at times. You have proved that there are good people out there too. Thank you.

From Wembley, they had another five days of walking via Watford, Luton, Northampton and Leicester. Big shout to all the clubs along the way and an extra trumpet call for Leicester City who really rolled out the Red (Blue?) Carpet for the team. At the King Stadium they were joined from a group from Me&Dee and “allowed” to walk an extra lap of the pitch!!!!

The boys have done everything they set out to do and more and they deserve our total respect. Obviously, they could not have raised £40,000 without the help of the sponsors. It is invidious to name anybody as a £500 donation from a multinational business might hurt the company less than the £10 sent from a pensioner’s savings. I wish to thank you all and I know that everybody involved with the event would also like to thank you sincerely. Every £1 made the next painful step a little easier. Every good wish on Facebook (and there have been hundreds) made the next mile a little shorter.

Congratulations to everybody and if you have not made a donation, please do so here. There IS still time.

Me&Dee

We are a Derby based charity that provide holidays in our lodge that is located in Sherwood Forest. We give memory making holidays for adults and children who face a life changing, life shortening or terminal conditions. By donating, you have become a memory maker, thank you for supporting us.

Charity Registration No. 1146147

I was excited to read about Callum and his friends yesterday. They were off to see Macclesfield Town play. Nothing special about that except they were walking there from Liverpool!!

Read on, dear readers!

So, Callum and his friends Joe, and Jordan are WALKING 440 miles to visit 33 football clubs over just 16 days. Impressive! Hugely impressive! I reached out to them on Facebook and soon got a bit more of the story.

They say, “When time is precious for families who find themselves facing a life changing, life shortening or a terminal condition me&dee provide a break in our lodge for them to create precious memories to hold forever. By making your donation you help me&dee deliver something that means the world to both adults and children, ensuring that the environment and the experience they have somewhere to cherish, love and remember. Thank you for your support, as a self funding local charity we depend on donations from people who believe in the work we do.”

How can you help? Well, the good news is that everybody can help. A very practical way is too share their story (see below). Secondly, you are welcome to walk with them as they pass your area. You can check where they are on their Facebook page in real time. If you can’t do that, you can walk one mile anywhere in the world and donate £1. Obviously, if you are able, you are welcome to donate more but just a few thousand people donating £1 would make a massive difference. If you are a business, they have sponsorship offers and I will additionally highlight you on any of my sites too. You can contact them via Facebook or Twitter.

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About the charity

Me&Dee

We are a Derby based charity that provide holidays in our lodge that is located in Sherwood Forest. We give memory making holidays for adults and children who face a life changing, life shortening or terminal conditions. By donating, you have become a memory maker, thank you for supporting us.

Charity Registration No. 1146147

Donation summary

As of 14 August 2022 17.00

Total raised £32,054.00 (+ £6,285.50 Gift Aid)
Online donations £28,362.00 Offline donations £3,692.00

Supporters to date 224

• Julie slater7 minutes agoAmazing guys for a well worthy charity x£30.00
• Anonymous9 minutes ago£10.00 + £2.50 Gift Aid
• Jo Duma19 minutes agoDoing amazing!£20.00 + £5.00 Gift Aid
• Tats family33 minutes agoFantastic effort£30.00 + £7.50 Gift Aid
• Hayley Lees44 minutes agoWell done guys! Keep going xxx£30.00 + £7.50 Gift Aid

Show more supporters Give Now

Portobello FC

I was delighted to find a new club local to me this week. I was even more delighted to see their unique shirts. The boys at Portobello Football Club were kind enough to send me some details of the club and its ethos. I wish them well.

“Portobello Football Club is a hyper-local football club representing the world-famous Portobello Road and the local community in Notting Hill and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Kicking off this season (22/23), Portobello FC aims to challenge the status quo and to become one of the most exciting projects in non-League football by embracing the colourful and creative nature of the community.

The area is known across the world for the Portobello Road Market, the Notting Hill Carnival, and the film ‘Notting Hill’ starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts! Popular with tourists, it was also the stomping ground for the iconic punk-rock band The Clash as well as the British reggae group Aswad!

Working with American sportswear brand Icarus, Portobello FC have been able to produce an eye-catching collection of kits that are far from boring and have sold across the world. Portobello FC have also collaborated with London-based street artist FacesOrFaces to produce a limited edition, graffiti-style football kit!

Behind the Badge: The peacock, a symbol of pride, integrity, and beauty. A bird as colourful as Portobello Road, a nod to the Notting Hill Carnival, and a promise to play the beautiful game the way it is supposed to be played. The crown, a symbol to represent the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – our wider community.

The club will be competing in the Middlesex County Football League at the very bottom of the English Football pyramid.”

I wish them every success in the seasons ahead. If Dorking Wanderers can do it ………

Get in touch with the club via their website or via Twitter