The West Midlands Story
Steve Tongue's "West Midlands Turf Wars" reads like a love letter to the cradle of organized football. This isn't just another sports history – it's the story of how a cluster of industrial towns gave birth to the world's most popular sport as we know it today.
The book opens with a masterstroke, taking us back to the smoke-filled rooms where William McGregor and his contemporaries dreamed up the Football League in 1888. From there, Tongue weaves a rich tapestry of rivalry, ambition, and occasional madness that defines West Midlands football.
What makes this volume particularly special is Tongue's ability to capture the fierce tribal loyalties that still burn today. The Villa-Blues rivalry crackles off the page, while the Black Country derby between Wolves and West Brom emerges as one of football's most compelling blood feuds. Tongue's personal connection to the region – dating back to his first match at Coventry's Highfield Road in 1957 – gives his writing an authenticity that can't be faked.
The cast of characters reads like a who's who of football folklore: Stanley Matthews gliding down the wing, Billy Wright commanding the pitch, and "Deadly" Doug Ellis ruling Villa Park with an iron fist. But it's the lesser-known tales that really shine – like the failed attempt to merge Stoke City and Port Vale, which nearly sparked a revolution in the Potteries.
Tongue's journalist's eye for detail and broadcaster's gift for storytelling bring these historical figures to life. Whether it's Major Frank Buckley's pioneering use of monkey gland treatments at Wolves, or Jimmy Hill's modernizing crusade at Coventry City, each chapter adds another layer to our understanding of how the modern game evolved.
This third installment in the Turf Wars series might be Tongue's most compelling yet. It's a reminder that while London may be England's capital, the West Midlands was and in many ways still is football's spiritual home. For anyone interested in understanding why football means so much to so many, this book is essential reading.
The only thing missing? A few more pages on the region's non-league scene, though perhaps that's material for another volume. But that's a minor quibble in what is otherwise a masterful exploration of football's heartland.
The book opens with a masterstroke, taking us back to the smoke-filled rooms where William McGregor and his contemporaries dreamed up the Football League in 1888. From there, Tongue weaves a rich tapestry of rivalry, ambition, and occasional madness that defines West Midlands football.
What makes this volume particularly special is Tongue's ability to capture the fierce tribal loyalties that still burn today. The Villa-Blues rivalry crackles off the page, while the Black Country derby between Wolves and West Brom emerges as one of football's most compelling blood feuds. Tongue's personal connection to the region – dating back to his first match at Coventry's Highfield Road in 1957 – gives his writing an authenticity that can't be faked.
The cast of characters reads like a who's who of football folklore: Stanley Matthews gliding down the wing, Billy Wright commanding the pitch, and "Deadly" Doug Ellis ruling Villa Park with an iron fist. But it's the lesser-known tales that really shine – like the failed attempt to merge Stoke City and Port Vale, which nearly sparked a revolution in the Potteries.
Tongue's journalist's eye for detail and broadcaster's gift for storytelling bring these historical figures to life. Whether it's Major Frank Buckley's pioneering use of monkey gland treatments at Wolves, or Jimmy Hill's modernizing crusade at Coventry City, each chapter adds another layer to our understanding of how the modern game evolved.
This third installment in the Turf Wars series might be Tongue's most compelling yet. It's a reminder that while London may be England's capital, the West Midlands was and in many ways still is football's spiritual home. For anyone interested in understanding why football means so much to so many, this book is essential reading.
The only thing missing? A few more pages on the region's non-league scene, though perhaps that's material for another volume. But that's a minor quibble in what is otherwise a masterful exploration of football's heartland.