At 11.30pm on the night before the 2013 play-off final, Sid Simmons checked he hadn’t mislaid his ticket for Wembley. He found the ticket by the kettle – exactly where it had been on each of his previous four checks during the last hour. ‘Dependable … Continue reading Only Till I Die?
(As told to Olly Wicken) 1977-1982 The Big I Am Wherever I was manager, I always made people call me ‘Boss’ or ‘Gaffer’. It was a hard and fast rule: if players used any other name, they were in trouble. But part and parcel of … Continue reading Graham Taylor: The Unofficial Autobiography
Feet sliding in soft sand, I launch a tennis ball towards my fifteen-year-old. After he deftly bats it towards fine leg, to the left of the wind-break, I’m suddenly aware of my sand-roughened hands. I rub them together and realise my ring is missing. It’s … Continue reading The Ring (2011)
In the 1890’s, sportsmanship mattered more than winning. But, a century later, only one football team plays to the same principles: Old Corinthians FC. This was an interactive cartoon series, hosted on sites such as Sky, Carlsberg and Football365 in 1998. More than 20 years … Continue reading The Old Corinthian Spirit (cartoon)
Small boys are easily seduced by glamour. In May 1974 my twin gods of soccer and pop music were at their most glamorous: Bowles and Worthington had both just played for England in the 1–0 Home International win over Northern Ireland, while Slade had just … Continue reading Delusions Of Grandeur
The day my son completes his eighteenth year I’ll take him to a pub and buy him beer. It’s something every father has to do. A crucial Rite of Passage. Dad-Son glue. * A milestone, it’ll be, but not the first. I’ve had to … Continue reading The Family Club (2003)
We all like to think that when we find ourselves in the right place at the right time we’ll take our chance. Me? I had the chance of uniting Europe. There I was, shoulder-to-shoulder with Mitterrand, Kohl and Berlusconi. But I blew it. Bigtime. I … Continue reading Corfu Blimey (1994)
It may be a healthy passion or it may be a fetish. I’ll leave you to judge. But ever since a very young age I have had a strong interest in goalnets. Great big, bulging goalnets. I love them. They do something for me: if … Continue reading The Joy Of Nets (1992)
Olly Wicken 