Book description
'Had John lived, he could have been one of the greatest footballers
of all time' Jimmy Greaves
When John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the
football world was rocked by the tragedy. White was just 27 years of age.
Nicknamed the 'Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space
undetected, White played inside-forward for the great double-winning
Tottenham Hotspur side of the early sixties. British football was
entering a golden period and Bill Nicholson's free-flowing Spurs side
was right at the forefront. White himself was on the cusp of
greatness. Even alongside giants of the game like Dave Mackay and
Danny Blanchflower, he stood out as a playmaker with incredible vision
and touch.
White lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup for Spurs (the first
European trophy won by any British side) and gained 22 caps for
Scotland, but he was also a family man. Six months before he died, his
beloved wife Sandra, gave birth to their second child, a son called Rob.
Rob White never knew his father. The man who was known by hundreds
of thousands of football fans across the country, was a complete
stranger to him. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is the result of
interviews with his father's teammates, followers, and family members.
Within these pages Rob White and Julie Welch have built up a portrait,
not only of a brilliant and gifted young man, but also of a lost era.
Julie Welch is the critically lauded author of Those Glory,
Glory Days, 26. 2: Running the London Marathon and Out On
Your Feet: The World of Hundred-mile Walking.
Rob White is a professional photographer. The Ghost of White Hart
Lane is his first book
