It's a bit long winded, but here's a review for Jimmy Armfield's
autobiography. I'm between books at the moment, has anyone a
suggestion for the next football book I should read? Nothing too
expensive please, but otherwise I'm up for any suggestion.

Bob7071

May 2007
'Jimmy Armfield the Autobiography: Right Back to the Beginning' by
Jimmy Armfield with Andrew Collomosse.
(Headline, 2003)

Jimmy Armfield's grammar school origins permeate this whole book. He
comes across as an intelligent, well mannered diplomat, who loves his
football and his life. I keep saying it, but why people waste their
time reading biographies of the current stars when they can enrich
their lives by reading life stories like Jimmy's I will never know.
Jimmy was a child during the war years and the opening chapters
capture a unique moment in English history when children got on with
their childhood whilst the adults did their best to bomb the world
into oblivion. In the future if social historians need source
material of living an ordinary life in 1940s Britain they need look
no further than biographies such as Jimmy's.

Some of Jimmy's lifetime ability to seamlessly marry the
stereotypical male world around him with more feminine-side pursuits
began at school, when as a boy in Lancashire he appeared on stage
dancing the Cracowiak for the Polish troops, and got away with it.
Rather sweetly, though unknowingly at the time, one of the other
dancers was his future wife. In later life he replicated this by not
only devoting his life in the male attributed world of football he
was also his local church organist.

Jimmy was a natural sportsman and it was not long before his talents
were spotted by Blackpool, one of the top Division One (when it
really was Division One) sides of the era. Like all lads of his age
he still had to do his National Service, and his early football
career was defined by juggling his duty to the army and turning out
for Blackpool, working his way up from the reserves to being a first
team regular playing alongside Stanley Matthews.

'He would have been sat next to Duncan when the tragic plane accident
in Munich 1958'

The army team at this time was rather handy including as it did
future Manchester United players Duncan Edwards and Eddie Colman.
Jimmy's description of the brilliance of Duncan's skills was one of
the most touching moments of the book. Duncan and he would sit next
to each other on trips to army matches. Later Jimmy tells us
Manchester United came in for him and was turned down without
discussion, in the days when the clubs really did own the players,
and no more was said. Jimmy reflects that had Blackpool sold him, the
chances are he would have been sat next to Duncan when the tragic
plane accident in Munich 1958 killed him and Eddie Colman.

Next follows his rise to being a Blackpool regular then captain, and
ultimately being England regular and captain - taking over from
Johnny Haynes after the 1962 World Cup finals. In these Finals Jimmy
was an established player and Bobby Moore was an emerging star. Over
the next four years of course, England was evolving into the most
famous team in its history. Gordon Banks also debuted around the time
of the '62 World Cup, Ray Wilson, Bobby Charlton were also
established. Roger Hunt was alternating with Jimmy Greaves.

'Being cold-hearted, Jimmy's loss was Sir Alf's gain'

The rest did not debut until 1964, and in what must have been a
personal tragedy for Jimmy one of the team's casualties by this time
was Jimmy himself. In the last game of the 1963-64 season playing for
Blackpool against Ipswich Town in front of Sir Alf Ramsey, Jimmy got
a groin injury which kept him out of the England's 1964 Summer
preparations and allowed Bobby Moore to take over as captain.
Being cold-hearted, Jimmy's loss was Sir Alf's gain. By the time
Jimmy was fit again George Cohen had taken his place on the field and
Bobby had taken his captaincy, but Jimmy was the perfect standby,
whom Sir Alf could rely on to fill the shoes if Bobby or George had
either been injured in the 1966 Tournament itself. Jimmy played just
two more internationals, both in 1966, both as captain, and both in
which he played well enough to be selected, but in retrospect it
seems that Jimmy's experience was the reason for his recall in Sir
Alf's mind.

There then follows the most intriguing part of the book in which
Jimmy plays the perfect role as the unofficial leader of the 1966
World Cup squad Second XI. It is fascinating to read the tale from
the perspective of a player once removed from the first team action,
and it seems he took the role on with the dedication and diligence he
gives to everything in his life. After a training match v Arsenal in
which the second team won 3-1 the players hoisted him onto the
shoulders to leave the pitch.

'Jimmy was chosen .... after the nuclear bomb of Brian Clough's 44
days'

Jimmy's football career ended in 1970-71 season. Jimmy had already
been player-manager of the FA tour to Tahiti, New Zealand and the Far
East in 1969, so it was natural he should go into club management,
and Bolton Wanderers is where he headed. He won the Third Division
Championship in 1973, and became the surprise new manager of Leeds
United in October 1974. It seems Jimmy was chosen for his level-
headed diplomacy, to steady the ship after the nuclear bomb of Brian
Clough's 44 days.

As a Leeds fan, who had bought the book in the Leeds United
supporter's shop, this was obviously the reason I'd come along for
the ride, and I was not disappointed. Jimmy by all accounts did the
job he was hired for. Rather than callously sweeping away the old
guard he took a softly softly approach and the Revie players
eventually found new clubs, some with considerable transfer fees
considering the late stages of their careers.

Though the old boys reached the 1975 European Cup final losing to a
Bayern Munich team that outplayed Leeds United at their own game of
snatching a barely deserved goal then soaking up the pressure - even
managing to score a second on the break of an ever more desperate
Leeds side in its death throes. As the old team was unpicked and the
new side took shape, its lack of instant success, and the general
lack of flair in Jimmy's management style meant the board lost
patience. By his own account, the team that Jimmy built was never
given a fair chance; he was sacked and he left the football frontline
for good. But even now we're only two thirds the way through the
book.

'BBC Radio Five Live, the means by which
whole generations of football fans know Jimmy
to the exclusion of his playing career!'

For anyone interested in football commentating, this book is a dream.
Jimmy follows his journalistic roots from reporting minor league
matches in the Blackpool Gazette, through being a serious sports
journalist for the Daily Express, and finally on to his legendary
commentary on BBC Radio Five Live, the means by which whole
generations of football fans know Jimmy to the exclusion of his
playing career!

What a book! The later chapters include his head hunting role when he
helped the FA to pick Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle as England
managers, and his emerging status as a statesman of the game. I would
love to hear repeats of his radio series in which he interviews of
some of his football heroes. This sounds like an archive for which
the BBC should be very proud they chose the right man for the job.
Again, his diligence comes through and you know he wants to do it to
celebrate the heroes he was interviewing rather than the sound of his
own voice.

As I read the concluding chapters Jimmy announced he is undergoing
treatment for cancer, so as you can imagine I was stony throated by
the final page. I hope his treatment succeeds; we need legends like
Jimmy around who not only inform us about former times but still
embrace the glories of the new. I'm proud to say that this site once
voted Jimmy the best commentator in the media! An accolade he truly
deserves; but this book shows he has had four separate football
careers - player, manager, headhunter and reporter - and he excelled
in them all!