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When Footballers Were Skint

A Journey in Search of the Soul of Football

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About this listen

Before agents and TV mega-rights ushered in multi-millionaire players, footballers’ wages were capped, with even the game's biggest names earning barely more than a plumber or electrician.

Footballing legends, such as Tom Finney and Stanley Matthews, shared a bond of borderline penury with the crowds they entertained on Saturday afternoons, on pitches that were far away from the pristine lawns of the modern era. Instead of the sports cars driven by today's top players, the stars of yesteryear travelled to matches on public transport and returned to homes as modest as those of their supporters.

Based on firsthand accounts, When Footballers Were Skint delves into the game's rich heritage and relates the fascinating story of a great sporting era.

©2018 Jon Henderson (P)2020 W. F. Howes Ltd Football (Soccer) Sports Sports History Game
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A fascinating book with a unique backstory of players remuneration and conditions in the 40's, 50's, and 60's and how badly they were treated. However one glaring error is the inability of the narrator to pronounce seven or eight players surnames, He obviously doesn't understand football or know many players. Other than the narrator the audiobook content is superb.

Unique Book Ruined By The Narrator!

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Great listen for football supporters who remember football before Sky or when footballers got up n carried on even with broken necks (go on Bert)
The only fault with this is the shite accents and pronunciation of famous players, who give this man the job needs sacking with a ten Bob pay off fee 😜

Give them a rise but not that much 🙄

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Fantastic book with great interviews and stories of days gone by however the narrators attempts at the regional accents of the former players is at best distracting

Great story

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A a child of the fifties and a Man City season ticket holder for almost 50 yeas and a supported for a further 8 . I really enjoyed hearing the stories of players I grew up with both in terms of watching them play and being told about the by my Gangan who born in 1890’s had seen such players over his life time.Football is a great game and for the true fans is welcome release from the stress and strains of everyday life. I am lucky to have seen players such as Colin Bell Freddie Hill, Francis Lee, Wyn Davies Shaun Goater and Mike Summerbee. Who were great Footballers and stand alongside the likes of Aquero ,Kompany , Zabaleta , DeBruyne and David Silva in today’s game. I would gladly pay what I do today to watch the likes of Bell as I do for the pleasure of the modern Footballers such a Silva.
Great book easy listening and full of anecdotes that stretch back over the time football has been played. Well worth listening too. Highly recommend it

A must for any football fan

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interesting listen if u love football when footy was real not like today's game

worth a listen if you love football

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