{"product_id":"the-mavericks-9781472974853","title":"The Mavericks","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eArtfully combining sports journalism with social history and sharp pop culture references, \u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks \u003c\/i\u003eexplores 1970s football when a cult group of footballers delivered flair on the pitch and flamboyance off of it. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCocky, coiffured strikers meet David Bowie and Alvin Stardust; Gola boots exchange kicks with \u003ci\u003eA Clockwork Orange \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Likely Lads\u003c\/i\u003e; Admiral sock tags, platform heels and kipper ties mingle with cod wars, Harrods bombings and three-day weeks. In this, Steen recreates the early Seventies, the era when football joined the vanguard of English youth culture. This personal account revolves around seven Englishmen who followed in the trail blazed by football''s first tabloid star, George Best--Stan Bowles, Tony Currie, Charlie George, Alan Hudson, Rodney Marsh, Peter Osgood and Frank Worthington. Proud individuals amid an increasingly corporate environment, their invention and artistry were matched only by a disdain for authority and conv\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuite splendid... just delicious – and brilliantly researched. * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eA lovely read, the kind in which you constantly annoy people by reading the funny bits out loud * Irish Post *\u003cbr\u003eA great book * Henry Winter *\u003cbr\u003eIf you enjoyed \u003ci\u003eThe Damned United \u003c\/i\u003eyou will savour Rob Steen's \u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks\u003c\/i\u003e, an evocative look at football when the game was enhanced by genuinely edgy entertainers rather than overpaid characterless robots. * Waterstones.com *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks \u003c\/i\u003eis irresistible, artfully combining sports journalism with social history and sharp pop-culture references. * Impact *\u003cbr\u003eIn an era of PR-bleaching and PC-niceties, \u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks\u003c\/i\u003e is an oasis of flair, hair and devil-may-care attitude. Yet beneath Rob Steen also highlights with real poignancy the sometimes grim and earthy reality behind the curtain. This brilliant book remains essential reading for anyone who likes social history with a nice backheel. -- Rick Broadbent * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eAn evocative work which is given its cutting edge by the author’s success in uncovering the idiosyncrasies that set the fancy dans apart from each other as their mutual non-conformism. * The Independent *\u003cbr\u003eGreat to see \u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks\u003c\/i\u003e back in print. Wonderful evocation of the early 70s, an era when players weren't afraid to express themselves - on the pitch or in the bar. -- Kevin Mitchell * The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eOne of the conundrums of football in the Seventies, now perceived as a golden age by a certain generation, is why did England fail to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cup when a decade before they had been world champions? One of the main reasons is that managers Ramsey then Revie shunned a group of hugely gifted 'Rock and Roll' players - Marsh, Currie, Bowles, Osgood, George, Hudson and Worthington. Rob Steen's book brilliantly gets under the skin of the era both on and off the pitch when the game was more about passion than pound notes. -- Rob Shepherd * talkSPORT *\u003cbr\u003eAn irreverent and unflinching look back at football in the Seventies * Choice Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eFor that missing element in a decent football book, the confessional Rob Steen has this down to his customary fine writer's art with \u003ci\u003eThe Mavericks\u003c\/i\u003e. -- Mark Perryman * Philosophy Football *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroduction (2020)\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIntroduction (1994) edition\u003c\/i\u003e  1 Sucking in the Seventies 2 Chairman Alf and the Godfather 3 Gunning for Trouble 4 Blue Was the Cover 5 I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea 6 Queen's Park Arrangers (i) The Jean Genie (ii) The Bookie's Favourites (iii) Dr Heckle and Mr Jive 7 It's Not All Never Afterword  \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBibliography\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBy the same author\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eAbout the author\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408791511383,"sku":"9781472974853","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781472974853.jpg?v=1730504221","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-mavericks-9781472974853","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}