"The Game of Our Lives"  by David Goldblatt.  It covers the change in football over the last 30 years from a struggling working class game to big business now.   I bought myself  this football book for Christmas, after reading some excellent reviews. Simon Kuper, a respected writer of original football articles also gave it a glowing endorsement.

Naturally, before buying it I checked out any references to Grimsby Town.  On page 86 the point is made that only 4 League clubs with good motorway connections have slipped into the Conference in the last Years.  (Luton, Stockport, Cambridge and Bristol Rovers).  Luton and Cambridge have since got back and Rovers only went down last season.

In contrast, teams east of the A1 and M1 have all but been wiped out.  ( Eg, Scarborough, Rushden & Diamonds, Boston United, Lincoln City,  Mansfield Town and Grimsby Town).  I would strongly dispute that "us" and Lincoln have been nearly wiped out.    We are only 1 step away from promotion.  Mansfield did make it back as well.  (The book is supposed to be "well-researched).   There are other new and interesting points made.  

The Henry Kissinger visit (??) to a game at Blundell Park is mentioned on page 299.  This is reported as when Tony Crossland, MP for Grimsby (and Foreign Secretary) took him to the game v Gillingham in the 1970s.  If they did go, god knows what an american political academic made of the experience!  This story has been reported on the Fishy before. I think that "Barralad" or "Oldun" dismissed it as "a good anecdote about the Club, but that it was not true".  Any further views in the like of this book? (And a specific game - v Gillingham).

Overall, from dipping into the book it looks an excellent Christmas read for any football fan interested in the recent history.  I cannot comment further as my wife is going to wrap the book.      



  

I thought Henry Kissinger saw us beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 3-2 and instantly became a fan because of our 'free flowing attack minded approach to away games'. He was quoted as saying something similar in a Sunday Newspaper supplement in the 1980's: sorry can't even remember which paper.

According to Susan Crosland's biography of her husband. Kissinger's plane landed at RAF Waddington at 8:56 on the morning of the game. By 10:20 it was back in the air with him on board on the way to Nigeria. Kissinger was reputedly furious that he had been inconvenienced with an "early" morning meeting 150 miles from London because Crosland had a very important constituency appointment-which turned out to be Town v Gillingham...

Quoted from MyDogsThoughts

I thought Henry Kissinger saw us beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 3-2 and instantly became a fan because of our 'free flowing attack minded approach to away games'. He was quoted as saying something similar in a Sunday Newspaper supplement in the 1980's: sorry can't even remember which paper.

He may have but Crosland had been dead for four years. Kissinger was a Democrat and we were into Reagan's presidency by then... :-/

Surely Mansfield has a good motorway connection?