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When Footballers Were Skint

A Journey in Search of the Soul of Football

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When Footballers Were Skint

By: Jon Henderson
Narrated by: Andy Cresswell
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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
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What listeners say about When Footballers Were Skint

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Interesting Book

Story of change supporters assume they know, delivered as a story of people. Enjoyable listen

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1 person found this helpful

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You couldn’t make it up!

A Very enjoyable listen & an interesting insight to the honesty and integrity of footballers at that time. Great stories and memories of a bygone age, when personalities were in abundance compared to the sanitised tip, tap, pass it back and across over coached stuff on Sky today, apart from Leeds who are a breath of fresh air!
The narrator was a bit iffy, but the content was well researched and made you nostalgic at times, but the Bosman ruling changed everything, not always for the better and now we have owners that don’t give a flying for fans & their communities...and they call it progress!
Definitely Worth the money or the credit.

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2 people found this helpful

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Give them a rise but not that much 🙄

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 😜

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1 person found this helpful

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Really good and a great insight

it is a great book and any football fan should give it a listen

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Unique Book Ruined By The Narrator!

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.

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Trip down memory lane!

Football when it was football! Before money was king and the players were real people.

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A must for any football fan

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

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Great story

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

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great audiobook


I don't usually leave reviews, but this book is brilliant a proper walk through the years and an understanding of where the modern game is headed towards. Please read or listen to it

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Fascinating insight

What a fantastic book.
Meningitis in my mid 20s all I have known from football is these very wealthy players earning millions and being sold/bought for even more. This has gave me a terrific insight into what football was like back then, and how it should be now. I think I can safely say I’d prefer to be around and watch the game back in the 50s/60s!

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