When the Seagulls Follow the Trawler – Football in the 90s, by Tom Whitworth, published by Pitch Publishing, Price: £12.99
TRYING to cover a decade of English football in 250-odd pages is a tricky task, but Tom Whitworth has certainly given it his best shot.
The game was going through a major transformation in the 90s. Amongst other things, there was the emergence of the Premier League, new stadiums being built in the wake of the Taylor report, a greater influence of foreign managers and players, and Euro ’96.
No one can accuse Whitworth of not doing his homework for this book, as shown by an extensive bibliography. There are some excellent interviews with those around at the time, whether it be players, managers, owners and fans.
One chapter I particularly enjoyed was the one on Newcastle and their days, albeit unsuccessfully in the end, chasing the Premier League title. What a team that was under Kevin Keegan. Then-chairman Sir John Hall recalls in a candid interview: “When we were 12 points clear we were actually planning the victory parade.”
The interview with former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein about how Arsene Wenger ended up in the manager’s hotseat is another interesting one.
The players weren’t too impressed when this relatively unknown manager, who looked like a schoolteacher, turned up.
Still, he didn’t do too badly.
For those of us old enough to remember the 90s, this is a lovely trip down memory lane. Younger fans will also find plenty to entertain them.
Rating out of 10: 8
