|
|
|
Televised games |
BOOK REVIEW BORN UNDER A GRANGE END STAR David Collins Price £6.95
Chapter One ‘Boy for Sale’ is the author’s early years from birth and his growing up in the Splott area of Cardiff. .His early years are a mirror of mine he never made the school football like me and I had George Best football boots with a hundred fifty studs. I enjoy the bit in the book about FA, the best way to have a game of football with your mate's. I never did win and as a kid I must have played it 1000's of times. The ultimate football knockout game. I was a goal hanger, which was ok in the early rounds. He was soon caught with the Cardiff City bug with the help of is father who took him to his first game. Chapter Two ‘Tank Top City’ Girls, music and football in any order and who from this time could not forget Gwyns in the market upstairs it was the place to get togged out with the latest fashions. He told us about his nickname and how everybody needed a nickname in them day’s, His first away trip, we can all remember our first trip and the bus pecking order, nutters at the back, the supporter club officials in the front and unless you were sitting with a mate, not the window seat. Chapter Three ‘Only a Game’ No-one can write a book about Cardiff City and get away without mentioning the dreaded word ‘hooliganism’. Well David piece on it was very interested and I agree with him about the ‘tiny bit of pride’. Chapter Four ‘Y Ddraig Goch’ David line on Wales and a big section on the 76/77 game with England. Chapter Five ‘They Brayed in Blue’ His all time Cardiff City Top XI with some interesting names and pick in his time which happens to be mine the 70’s onwards. Chapter Six ‘The Thin Blue Intifada of Happiness’ Football chances in the 90’s with a new breed of fans and the take off of Football on Sky with wall to wall football. The club Fanzine’s of which the writer of the book was a contributor of with some of his input in the book. Chapter Seven ‘What’s our Song then, Dad?’ David Collins top ten songs at Ninian Park but wait no. ‘He’s black, he’s mean, he robs your fruit machine Nathan Blake, Nathan Blake’, or no ‘I’ll be there with my’. Chapter Eight ‘This is Tomorrow’ The author looking at the City over the last few years and the future under Sam Hammam. I very much enjoyed the reading of ‘Born Under a Grange End Star’ change Splott for the Docks and this could be my story down, from standing with your dad on the corner of the Bob Bank and Grange End where you would find me and my dad to my dad’s possible disappointment in not seeing me running out of the tunnel on my debut for the Bluebirds. The early years are a mirror of mine, it’s so uncanny. The book is funny in places and it feels like you were reading a fanzine, but the chapters run freely and you can see and feel the writer’s passion. The book feels light on pages and I felt there is more there. You are left to think to yourself, “what about”. But I would recommend the book. -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Soul Crew By Davis Jones and Tony Rivers Price £7.99
The first half of the book David’s Story deals with the early year’s and it opens with the mother of all game's Cardiff City v Manchester Untied ‘Turning Back the Red Army’. His accounts of the encounters between the two sets of fans are close to mine. In the early years David Jones was on the outside of the soon to be named Soul Crew. He tells in the book how you goy to join at the time, to be noticed, it was the best way in them days and still is today. This was really the height of football hooliganism the 70's with the police not being has well organised has today’s police, pitch battles between crews were common place. The book tells you like it was holding nothing much back and unlike most books on this subject, tell you the Soul Crew didn’t win every battle. The Book tells of the in fight between the Cardiff fans themselves. Also David tells of the fear of being in a group’s like this and the friendship made and loyalties forged. The terrace dress code is talked about throughout the book. The other chapter are ‘A Sea of Diamonds and Bright Colours’; Pass the Dutchie’; ‘New Street Horrors’; ‘The Big One’; ‘The First Picture of Summer’; ‘The Ultimate Season’; Zulu Dawn’; The Famous CFC’; ‘Satellite Wars’; ‘Pump Up The Volume’; The grounds the Bluebirds were visiting at this time is like a who’s who of today’s Premiership Man Utd, Leeds, Chelsea, West Ham and these were league game's and Wolves, Man City, Birmingham Tony’s story deal’s with the later years, the 90s mainly and opens up with a bit about him and goes on to fashion and how he was seduced by the ‘dark side’ in the opening chapter ‘Small Steps’. The next chapter is about the fans from the west ‘The Jacks’ tell about the encounter between the two sets for fans since his first trip to the Vetch in 88 for the Littlewoods Cup and his account of the swim away incident. Next up ‘City in Europe’ and it contain a big piece on the Liege game. ‘Court in the Act’ Tony’s run in with the law after the Fulham away game with a home visit from the Fulham and Chelsea CID and a short stay on her Majesty. Plus a little remising about Pompey and Birmingham City two of the leading lights on the lower league hooligan trail. Next chapter is ‘The Road to Wembley’ is about the Bluebirds in the FA Cup and visit to non-league teams and the Middlesbrough FAC home game where the Soul Crew were turned over on their own ground. ‘The Plymouth Brethren’ Wales/England rugby so where would a true Bluebird be, off to Plymouth v Cardiff. This chapter is more about the games off the field with Plymouth. ‘Yorkshire Man’ Huddersfield 95/96 the first trip to the McAlpine and Bradford City ‘Crossing Swords’ with Wrexham home and away, also the Cardiff/Wrexham encounter at the Wales v Belgium game also Newport and some other small mobs. ‘Having the Nose’ Mixing with other fans. ‘Bushwhackers’ Millwall (no one likes us we don’t care) the book as a lot to say on Millwall both in Tony’s and David’s Story. ‘The Final Whistle’ comes up to date with Stoke game and end on a short piece on the Mansfield trip with Sam Hammam Well I enjoyed the book for what it is and I know a lot of City fans will have a go at me for it. The Book is more than a list of battles and it is written with feeling. I’m no hooligan but I not one of those who would go a round saying these guys are not City fans. If you are looking for a fight all you have to do go to town and look at someone and you will soon find a fight and it would save the average Soul Crew member a fortune.
|
|
|
|
The book
opens with the king himself Phil Dwyer writing the forward, this more than a book
about Cardiff City more a book about David Collins and his love for Cardiff
City. 
