bfcpete
Vital Football Hero
I bought this book when it came out but I have only just read it. What a terrific, down to earth account, that is revealing, amusing and sometimes sad. Covers his early family life in Belfast (his father sounds a character) and his playing career at Crusaders, Oldham, Bury, Blackpool, Southend and abroad in Greece (very corrupt) and Hong Kong. And his experience as a lower league player appearing for Northern Ireland with George Best, Jimmy Nicholl, etc against the great players at the time, like Cruyff.
It really focuses on the people as well as events and the narrative comes across with real feeling, including how profoundly it affected his love for football when Billy Bingham left him out of the 1982 Word Cup squad for Spain. Bingham sounds a right mercenary jerk. He, of course, talks about BFC, both good and bad, and both during and after his playing career.
I hadn't realised how instrumental and innovative he was in setting up and running community sports iniatives on the Fylde, initially via the PFA and then through the establishment of the Blackpool Community Trust. That lead to encounters with both Tony Blair and John Prescott, as well as managing a local girls school team to win a national tournament at Wembley and to the States on tour. I also hadn't realised he became deaf in the latter stages of his playing career.
He also reveals why former team-mate, Steve Harrison, was dismissed from Graham Turner's England setup - probably not a suitable story for repeating on here. Would love to hear him as an after dinner speaker.
Very committed to the Fylde and for the last 24 years he has lived in contently in Fleetwood.
There is a final chapter written by Steve Rowland from BST who describes the original community base of BFC and the struggle to get the club back from the Oystons.
Well worth a read for those that remember him and the players and managers from that time and from an ex player who values people, the fans and the community base of football. A world so different from the current PL clubs and the agents and mercenaries they have attracted
It really focuses on the people as well as events and the narrative comes across with real feeling, including how profoundly it affected his love for football when Billy Bingham left him out of the 1982 Word Cup squad for Spain. Bingham sounds a right mercenary jerk. He, of course, talks about BFC, both good and bad, and both during and after his playing career.
I hadn't realised how instrumental and innovative he was in setting up and running community sports iniatives on the Fylde, initially via the PFA and then through the establishment of the Blackpool Community Trust. That lead to encounters with both Tony Blair and John Prescott, as well as managing a local girls school team to win a national tournament at Wembley and to the States on tour. I also hadn't realised he became deaf in the latter stages of his playing career.
He also reveals why former team-mate, Steve Harrison, was dismissed from Graham Turner's England setup - probably not a suitable story for repeating on here. Would love to hear him as an after dinner speaker.
Very committed to the Fylde and for the last 24 years he has lived in contently in Fleetwood.
There is a final chapter written by Steve Rowland from BST who describes the original community base of BFC and the struggle to get the club back from the Oystons.
Well worth a read for those that remember him and the players and managers from that time and from an ex player who values people, the fans and the community base of football. A world so different from the current PL clubs and the agents and mercenaries they have attracted
