Football Book Review by Mark

Nessfield

The Book Of Football Obituaries.

Author Ivan Ponting.

Not everyone is a fan of obituaries – for many they are a depressing reminder of our own mortality, even if they are often a celebration of a life that has undergone experiences we will never undergo, and have made an impact on countless other people down the years.

Even for fans of obituaries, this book may not be of interest if football is not their thing. However I am, and football is, so I decided to purchase this book from Stanchion books. I was not disappointed. One other reason I particularly wanted to get this book, was to find out what footballers did once their playing career was over. Naturally some remain in the game, either on the coaching side, or perhaps getting involved in media punditry. And of course some follow the stereotypical route of driving a taxi or running a pub. But after looking through this book I’ve found out that Len Shackleton owned a barber’s shop (among various activities), Jeff Astle ran an industrial cleaning business, and Arthur Rowley ended up as a district manager for Vernon Pools.

Most of the obituaries in this book are for British players, but one or two foreign stars get their entry too.

One thought occurs to me; do footballers in foreign lands have an easier or harder time adjusting to life after their playing career is over? I suspect it’s difficult in whichever country you play professional sport. The book covers obituaries that Ivan Ponting contributed to the Independent newspaper, and so the players catalogued are those who passed away between 1991 and 2007.

I’m not going to argue that point! There aren’t too many listings for football names that you’d associate as Leicester City history – I made a note of Arthur Rowley, Matt Gillies and Keith Weller, but there are also players such as Geordie Armstrong, Robbie James and John Doherty, who all had short spells at our Filbert Street home.

When I started reading book I thought the er was completely dom, but apparently . ey are in onological order, but n Ponting has made exception, starting h George Best whom describes as the most ptivating footballer of age.

Each entry finishes with a summary of playing career, both club and international football.

I was quite pleased with this purchase, and have already enjoyed reading the life stories of these football figures.

If you’re not into obituaries then it’s obviously not for you, but if you are and like football (which I assume is a given as you’re reading this) then I’m sure you’ll gain a lot of pleasure from this publication. It’s not a new book as it dates from 2008, and is a heavy hardback so watch out for postage fees if ordering online.

ISBN 9781905 449828.