Book description
From the World Cup-winning days of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and
Martin Peters to highly acclaimed modern-day heroes such as Joe Cole,
Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe, West Ham United supporters have
always had the greatest affection for homegrown Hammers. Since the
1960s, talents such as Trevor Brooking, Tony Cottee, Paul Ince and Rio
Ferdinand (who has twice hit the headlines as the world's most
expensive defender following his move to Leeds and Manchester United)
have been nurtured and brought through the club's ranks, ensuring the
Hammers can rightly lay claim to having one of the country's most
fruitful youth policies.
In this revised and fully updated paperback edition, Claret and
Blue Blood brings together all these characters and others for
the very first time, including new chapters on Anton Ferdinand,
Stephen Bywater and Kevin Horlock. Using exclusive new interviews, the
authors present biographical pieces that collectively tell the story
of West Ham United's evolution over the last half-century. Focusing on
each player's roots, development and personal achievements, Claret
and Blue Blood is a unique book that features key characters,
candid conversations, successes, failures and controversies as it
explores the very essence of West Ham United.
Kirk Blows is a successful journalist and the author of
Fortune's Always Hiding, Terminator and The
Essential History of West Ham United. He is the former editor of
Hammers News, West Ham's official monthly magazine.
Ben Sharratt is a freelance journalist who writes for numerous
magazines and websites, and was formerly the assistant editor of
Hammers News.
