BOOK REVIEWS
Twenty Football Towns, by Steve Leach, published by Saraband, Price: £9.99
AT A time when Project Big Picture is creating headlines, Steve Leach’s Twenty Football Towns reminds us why football is so important up and down the country.
For while the Big Six and their cronies might like us to believe the world revolves around them, it isn’t the case. True, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United may have massive fan bases and bank accounts, but that doesn’t mean they are more important to their supporters than Barrow and Morecambe are to theirs.
Most people have a club they support, a team that means a lot to them. It may be a local club, a club they liked the name of or a successful one – but they all count.
Leach’s book is a highly personal one as he takes us on tour and covers not one club, but 20.
As he says in his preface: “It is an evocation, using football as the focus, of what these places have meant to me on my journey through life.”
The book chronicles Leach’s journeys from Barrow-in-Furness in late December 2017 to Walsall a year later. There’s a simple but effective format – he describes the place he’s visiting and his connections with it before going on talk about the match he witnessed (except at Manchester and Liverpool where he didn’t attend a game).
Sometimes it does tend to veer off topic a little and there are a few names that have gone a little awry, but it is a relaxing read and flows well. It’s a book you can dip in and out of when you want.
It’s a plus that there’s a ‘What happened next…’ chapter that tells us about the progress – or otherwise – of the teams he visited. Leach also goes on to make some reflections after his yearlong adventure.
It’s clear how much enthusiasm he has for the game itself and how important it can be in people’s lives. Perhaps he should send a few copies to the Big Six.
Rating out of 10: 7
