Whitehead, Richard (10 November 2003). "Writes of passage". The Times. London . Retrieved 4 May 2010. (subscription required) Davies joined the sixth form at Carlisle Grammar School and was awarded a place at University College, Durham to read for an honours degree in History, but after his first year he switched to a general arts course. He gained his first writing experience as a student, contributing to the university newspaper, Palatinate, where one of his fellow student journalists was the future fashion writer Colin McDowell. [2] After completing his degree course he stayed on at Durham for another year to gain a teaching diploma and avoid National Service. [3] Writing career [ edit ] Nantes: “All they have to do is play it simple. That’s the answer, but they won’t do it. When you get into difficulties, when the opposing team are doing well and not letting you do anything, all you do is play it very simple and things go your way.”

Davies was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, to Scottish parents. For four years his family lived in Dumfries until Davies was aged 11. Davies has quoted his boyhood hero as being football centre-forward, Billy Houliston, of Davies' then local team, Queen of the South. [1] First day: We passed a school and all the kids in the playground stopped to cheer and wave. One or two shouted ‘Arsenal, Arsenal’. Davies’ 1972 book offered incredible insight of life at a football club as he was granted unprecedented access to Tottenham Hotspur’s 1971-72 as they went on to win that season’s UEFA Cup and challenging at the sharp end domestically. Ken Loach might have turned all this into a powerful social film, but the avuncular Davies sprinkles in so many cheery anecdotes that the book bounces along enjoyably ' ( Sunday Times ) - Praise for VOLUME 1: THE CO-OP'S GOT BANANAS!

The book is divided into two parts. The first part, "The Men," provides an in-depth look at the personalities of the players, coaches, and staff. Davies spends time with each one, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at their lives both on and off the pitch. From the hard-nosed manager Bill Nicholson to the star striker Martin Chivers, Davies captures the personalities of each member of the team with great detail. The team in question is Tottenham Hotspur, who Davies followed closely for a season during the late 1970s.

Much of the talk of great teams from Dynamo Moscow to Dynamo Kiev and Steaua Bucharest is repeated in Inverting the Pyramid, but it’s the people to whom Wilson speaks for this book that implore the reader to care about teams they may otherwise ignore. Each country, each club, is dealt with great tact. In the 1971/72 season, Davies was granted unprecedented access to Tottenham boss Bill Nicholson and his 19-man first-team pool. With no official contract behind him, he admits to “worming my way in” at White Hart Lane, and convincing all those concerned that an “inside story” book charting Spurs’ season would be a worthwhile project.

The Glory Game: Davies' Spurs Season '70s

When the first edition of The Glory Game was published in 1972, it was instantly hailed as the most insightful book about the life of a football club ever published. Hunter Davies was, and still is, the only author ever to be allowed into the inner sanctum of a top-level football team (Tottenham Hotspur) and his pen spared nothing and no one. 'His accuracy is sufficiently uncanny to be embarrassing, ' wrote Bob Wilson in the New Statesman. 'Brilliant, vicious, unmerciful, ' wrote The Sun.

The exposure of the dreadful state of English social attitudes; whether it be about gender roles or sexuality or race relations. This tells of a white male only world that was becoming at odds with the progressive and inclusive world that was over-taking it. There are numerous cringe-worthy sections and several that would have been indefensible even in the dark ages of 1971. The book moves across one season through chapters on the players, manager, staff, directors, and even fans. Almost anyone connected with the team who would talk to him, and even a few who were reluctant to, are profiled. In the chapter ‘Bill Goes to Bristol ‘, Davies takes a trip with manager Bill Nicholson to watch a reserves match. For all of the difficulties in getting the manager to open up, the conversation that they share in this chapter reveals Nicholson as a man whose life is as measured and considered as the answers he gives. “I get no pleasure out of being a manager,” he tells Davies. “It’s a job.” I bought ‘ A Life in the Day' on a whim when it came up as an Audible deal of the day. The only other book I have read by Hunter Davies is ' The Glory Game', a brilliant study of a season embedded with Tottenham Hotspur FC in the early 1970s.

Retailers:

I never heard of the author before since I don't read biographies very often, but I liked his writing and I was super fond of his witty character, his curiosity, that brought him to meet many people in the park and learn about all his secrets. Many times I googled corners of Hampstead to see how they were when Davies moved there or even before when it wasn't even a public park. The format. A season makes for a good story. The opportunity to explore different aspects of the club and the characters therein. You get to know people and care a little about them in human terms. I've enjoyed a few books that have taken this approach and this challenges my favourite which up until now has been I Lost My Heart to the Belles by Pete Davies where Davies once again showed himself to be a generation ahead of his time.

In children's literature, he has written the Ossie, Flossie Teacake and Snotty Bumstead series of novels. The writer. He is present with the players and readers equally. He has just the right touch. He's aware and informed not just about the game but also about the culture. I've been a fan since I used to read his columns in Punch while waiting for a girlfriend to finish her shift at a dental practice. I've allowed our "Hunt" to tell me all about the Beatles and to guide me along Hadrian's Wall. The fellow can inform and entertain without either getting in the other's way. Davies, Hunter (20 July 2016). "Hunter Davies: After Margaret died, I had to sell our family home". The Daily Telegraph. London . Retrieved 16 December 2018. a b c Davies, Hunter (28 June 2007). The Beatles, Football and Me. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0755314034. During the summer months they lived in their second home near Loweswater in the Lake District. [17] It was sold in July 2016. [18] His autobiography The Beatles, Football and Me was published in 2007. [3]The Glory Game, written by Hunter Davies, is a book that provides an in-depth look at the players, the coach, and the tactics used by Tottenham Hotspur during the 1971-72 season. This book is considered to be one of the best sports books of all time, and for good reason. It provides an unparalleled insight into the workings of a football team and the personalities involved. One of the things that sets Tottenham Hotspur apart from other football clubs is its rich history and culture. The team has always had a strong connection with its fans, and this is something that Davies captures brilliantly in his book. He describes the passion and dedication of the supporters, and how they form an integral part of the club's success. The Glory Game is a book that has stood the test of time. More than four decades after its initial release, it is still considered a classic of sports literature and is widely read by fans of football and lovers of great writing alike.