Search results for ""Author Neil Fitzsimon""
Pitch Publishing Ltd Rebirth of the Blues: The Rise of Chelsea Football Club in the Mid-1980s
Rebirth of the Blues is the third instalment in Neil Fitzsimon's acclaimed trilogy on Chelsea FC. The book considers one of the most exciting eras in the club's history - 1977 to 1985. It was a period when Chelsea narrowly escaped relegation into the Third Division in 1983, before being resurrected under the management of John Neal when the likes of Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin and others catapulted the club to new glories. The next year, Chelsea took the Second Division by storm with their new brand of quicksilver flowing football to make a triumphant return to the top flight as champions. But Rebirth of the Blues is more than just a chronicle of football history. It's a gripping memoir of a Chelsea fan growing up in the late 1970s to mid-80s and his experiences of living through the political unrest of Thatcherite Britain when excess and greed were seen as ideals to be admired. Fitzsimon recalls his tentative first steps with girlfriends, the changing face of the music scene and what it was like to be single and one of the lads.
£12.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd A Deeper Shade of Blue: Eddie Mccreadie's Blue and White Army and a False Dawn
A Deeper Shade of Blue charts the tumultuous years of Chelsea Football Club between 1972 and 1977 when the glittering cup-winning side of the early 70s was broken up, and stars such as Peter Osgood and Alan Hudson departed, along with manager Dave Sexton. It was an era that saw Chelsea relegated to the Second Division while massive debts pushed them to the brink of extinction. But the Blues bounced back with the birth of Eddie McCreadie's brash, young and exciting side, led by the precociously talented Ray 'Butch' Wilkins. McCreadie guided the club back to the First Division only to leave acrimoniously in bizarre circumstances - a golden opportunity spurned by the club's owners. A Deeper Shade of Blue is the eagerly awaited sequel to Neil Fitzsimon's Rhapsody in Blue. It reveals how the author made the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood as a Chelsea supporter during those turbulent times. We discover how the innocence of youth was replaced by the harsh experience of growing up in 1970s England.
£12.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Rhapsody in Blue: How I Fell in Love with the Great Chelsea Team of the Early Seventies
Rhapsody in Blue is a joyous celebration of growing up in the late 1960s and early 70s in the aftermath of England's 1966 World Cup victory. It was a time when football and pop culture merged - an era of smoke-filled pubs, when Fray Bentos pies and fry-ups were consumed without guilt and parents had no fear of letting their kids stay out after dark. It was also a time without live TV football, when being a fan meant traipsing through the turnstiles every week. The book vividly recalls how a boy fell in love with Chelsea Football Club, cheering the Blues on week after week, while at the same time becoming immersed in the culture of street football. Neil Fitzsimon skilfully transports us to the Stamford Bridge of his youth, when the likes of Ian Hutchinson and Peter Houseman lit up the pitch. Away from the terraces, he played in his own street team in bitterly contested games against rival street sides. Rhapsody in Blue is a moving and nostalgic tribute to a lost era and way of life.
£12.99
