Jumpers for Goalposts
Whilst walking this last week with a couple of old school friends the conversation invariably turns to football – the reminiscing of our slightly rag-tag school football team, mis-matched kit, hotch-potch of different sized kids, bags of fun and beaming smiles – it really was jumpers for goalposts. Those were the days when the FA Cup was at the pinnacle of the football season – watching the game on TV was an all-day affair – the coverage was comprehensive, the journey of each team through the various rounds to the Wembley final, player profiles, I’m sure there wasn’t, but there may have been details of the players’ breakfasts (?). And one of the oddest but most exciting parts: the helicopters following the team buses, no doubt from some leafy Surrey hotel through the streets of west London, weaving through huge crowds of fans to the distinctive white towers of the original stadium. One stand-out game was that of the 1972-73 season – Sunderland vs Leeds United. As mis-matched as they come, the game won by the plucky underdogs from Wearside – and as soon as the trophy was lifted, out came the Subbuteo and as faithful a recreation of the game as was possible was played out on the living room floor by over-enthusiastic 9 year olds.
This coming together for the enjoyment of a common passion was evident this week at the book shop – not quite the capacity of Wembley, but our sell-out evening with musician Bernie Marsden was just such an event. The joy of a shared experience is one of the greatest pleasures there is – Bernie’s acoustic version of ‘Here I Go Again’ was one of those I was there moments – conversations are fulsome, a variety of guests from far and wide, laughter, bags of fun and beaming smiles – great things happen when good people come together.
From A.E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad – ‘Twice a Week the Winter Thorough’
Twice a week the winter thorough
Here stood I to keep the goal:
Football then was fighting sorrow
For the young man’s soul.
Now in Maytime to the wicket
Out I march with bat and pad:
See the son of grief at cricket
Trying to be glad.
Try I will; no harm in trying:
Wonder ’tis how little mirth
Keeps the bones of man from lying
On the bed of earth.
With today being FA Cup Final Day, it seemed appropriate to include some new Coles Signed Editions from a couple of previous FA Cup winners – Sir Geoff Hurst and Olivier Giroud. Our other new Signed Editions this week feature great storytelling from Mick Herron, Louise Hare, Mieko Kawakami, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Casey McQuiston, Caryl Lewis and Alison Weir. We have two Barrister’s this week – one is Secret, the other is the novelist behind ‘Momenticon’; fact can sometimes be stranger than fiction and that is very much the case in Sam Knight’s extraordinary ‘The Premonitions Bureau’. And our younger readers will take delight in Michael Morpurgo’s tale of a Princess who becomes a much loved Queen.
The complete Newsletter can be found HERE
