Book description
Wolverhampton Wanderers is one of English football's great clubs.
In the 1950s they were the Manchester United of their day, hugely
successful and feared by all. They have suffered since like all clubs
from smaller cities. They managed a period of renaissance in the
seventies before falling into the third tier in the eighties. They are
back in thePremier League now. The book tells the history of the club
from its Victorian origins as a founder member of the Football League
to the current day, concentrating on the quirky and combining factual
passages with humour. So, for example, the club's first FA Cup Final
appearance at the Oval in 1889 is told in the style of cricket
commentary by Henry Blofeld and Geoffrey Boycott. But there is also
perceptive historical analysis, plus an attempt to give a wider social
context to the different eras. In adding music and local flavour to
the book, Mark Gold has made it more entertaining while retaining its
serious purpose. Gold believes that the current vogue for adding
humour to history helps to bring the subject alive for the many people
who don't have an academic interest in learning about the past. The
title relates to an enduring popular chant among Wolves supporters,
sung to the tune of Lord of the Dance. It will be recognised by all fans.
Mark Gold watched his first FA Cup Final on television as a
seven-year-old in 1960 - the last time Wolves won the trophy. He has
been hooked ever since. His previous football book, Under A Wanderers
Star - Forty pain-filled years following the Wolves (2002) was widely
praised for light-heartedly capturing the hopes and frustrations
experienced by many Wolves supporters over the decades. He is also the
author of five other books, including a novel, Cranks And Revolutions
(2008), and Living Without Cruelty (1988), voted by The Observer as one
of the top green books of the period. Mark also works for Animal Aid and
Citizens Advice. He now lives in Devon.
