I’d like to thank Howard Burr and all at Reddish MCFC Supporters Club for making Peter Barnes & I so welcome last night. It was a great night and we really enjoyed talking about the book.
Reddish is a great branch (if you’re local and not a member then why not?) and it was wonderful to be in a room with City fans again.
Thanks for supporting the book and keep up the excellent work. Some great questions and I hope our answers encouraged a few to take a look at the book and see what it’s all about.
I’m delighted to say that earlier this week I agreed to write a regular column for the new Manchester City Match Programme. If all goes to plan it should be included in today’s programme. There will be two pieces written by me…
One will be about 3 pages or so on a historical theme and the other will be a crowd puller style feature where I provide brief information comparing City’s volume of support with the day’s opponents (the stats may shock a few of City’s rivals as the season progresses!).
Today’s main feature (v Norwich) is on City’s Olympic gold medalists – obviously there have been a few gold winners for football connected with our club but today’s feature focuses on two men connected with City who won gold for other sports.
Hopefully fans will find it interesting.
I’m keen to hear from fans who buy the programme about what areas of history they’d like to read about. Obviously, I want to ensure there’s a connection to the present in some way, but I’m keen to cover topics that fans want to read or learn about.
Please either leave comments below or email me at gary@GJFootballArchive.com
Tonight Peter & I will be talking about my new book on Peter’s life and career. At Reddish MCFC Supporters Club. If you can’t make it you can still order the book here:
United Kingdom
The Peter Barnes Authorised Biography – UNITED KINGDOM
Order today for £16.95 (incl UK Postage and Packaging).
£16.95
This 372 page, colour paperback book is £16.95 (including UK postage).
You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account. UK postage included; outside UK contact me for additional postage costs.
Here are the contents pages:
This is the life story of Peter Barnes who, at the age of 18, scored the opening goal in the 1976 League Cup final. Playing for the team he supported, Manchester City, Peter was idolised by fans and was awarded the 1976 PFA Young Player of the Year award. The following year he made his England debut and was described by one journalist as the ‘saviour of English football.’
These were the days when Manchester City won the League Cup; were runners up in the League (missing the title by a point); and were challenging in Europe but then Malcolm Allison returned as coach and within months Peter, and a whole host of international stars, were on their way out. Peter was sold for a record amount. City’s fortunes suffered while Peter carved out a new career at West Bromwich Albion (where he played for Ron Atkinson).
Another record breaking transfer to Leeds United followed, before spells at Real Betis, Coventry City, Manchester United (playing for both Ron Atkinson and his replacement Alex Ferguson) and Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Written by acclaimed author Dr Gary James, this book covers the highs and lows of Peter’s life with stories about his time playing for some of the game’s biggest clubs and most famous managers. It also discusses Peter’s ongoing involvement with the sport and the significance of his family.
Oh, and if you’re wondering where the cover came from… it’s based on the packaging and advertising for the cult toy from the late 1970s The Peter Barnes Football Trainer.
If you run a book shop and would like to know more about the book please email: accounts@manchesterfootball.org
If you’re a media company interested in interviewing Peter or Gary about the book then please contact author Gary James: gary@GJFootballArchive.com
The ISBN is 978-1-9168852-0-2 and stocks are now available for book shops.
You can listen to Peter in conversation with myself about the book here:
As usual, I asked on Monday: ‘Can you name the ground featured in the image above?’ I explained that at first glance this is a real challenge BUT there is one feature on this poor quality image that is still recognisable today. The answer is…
Everton’s Goodison Park in 1909 when the club were spending £12,000 on ground improvements, including the erection of new dressing rooms.
I had planned to run this feature during the close season as in previous years, but it’s proving of interest so I’ll keep it going for a little while yet. If you have an old image of a ground that you think it’d be worth including in this weekly quiz then please get in touch. They don’t have to be from the 1900s to 1960s – even ground images from the 70s and 80s may prove a challenge to identify these days.
Next ground is on Monday.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
I had planned to run this during the close season as in previous years, but it’s proving of interest so I’ll keep it going for a little while yet. If you have an old image of a ground that you think it’d be worth including in this weekly quiz then please get in touch. They don’t have to be from the 1900s to 1960s – even ground images from the 70s and 80s may prove a challenge to identify these days.
So, if you’ve not seen this feature before… Each week for the next few weeks I’ll post an image of a football ground taken in the past and you can see if you can recognise the ground. Some will be easy (believe it or not there are some grounds that have not changed much in all those decades!), others not so. You’ll be able to post your view in comments at the bottom of each page.
The following Friday I’ll post the answer. So here goes….
Can you name the ground featured in the image above?
I think at first glance this is a real challenge BUT there is one feature on this poor quality image that is still recognisable today. I’d best not say anything else as I’d give it away. This image is pre-WW1.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
On Monday I asked: ‘Can you name the ground featured in the image above? It looks tough but you can see that I’ve blocked out the club’s name from above the doorway. If you recognise that doorway (they also used to have the name written in a similar way above some turnstiles, certainly into the 1980s) then you’ll get it. The only other clue is that the ground is no longer standing. Leave your comments below.’ The answer is…
Leicester City’s old Filbert Street ground. The photo is from 1939.
Each Monday for the next few weeks I’ll post an image of a football ground taken in the past and you can see if you can recognise the ground. Some will be easy (believe it or not there are some grounds that have not changed much in all those decades!), others not so. You’ll be able to post your view in comments at the bottom of each page. The following Friday I’ll post the answer.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Each week for the next few weeks I’ll post an image of a football ground taken in the past and you can see if you can recognise the ground. Some will be easy (believe it or not there are some grounds that have not changed much in all those decades!), others not so. You’ll be able to post your view in comments at the bottom of each page.
The following Friday I’ll post the answer. So here goes….
Can you name the ground featured in the image above?
It looks tough but you can see that I’ve blocked out the club’s name from above the doorway. If you recognise that doorway (they also used to have the name written in a similar way above some turnstiles, certainly into the 1980s) then you’ll get it. The only other clue is that the ground is no longer standing. Leave your comments below.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
On Sunday I asked ‘Can you name the ground featured in the image above? It’s a much more recent image than the others I have posted but this ground is no longer standing.’ The answer is:
Stoke City’s Victoria Ground. The image is from 1991 during an inspection by the Football Ground Safety Committee.
Each week for the next few weeks I’ll post an image of a football ground taken in the past and you can see if you can recognise the ground. Some will be easy (believe it or not there are some grounds that have not changed much in all those decades!), others not so. You’ll be able to post your view in comments at the bottom of each page.
The following Friday I’ll post the answer.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
On this day (2nd August) in 1981 the Sunday Mirror published an interview with Peter Barnes saying he would return to Manchester City if he could. The player was at WBA and, following Ron Atkinson’s move to Manchester United, it looked like Peter was to move from the Hawthorns.m
Both City and Leeds United seemed interested. This article from 1981 talked of Barnes’ final days at Maine Road two years earlier. Of course this time is extensively covered in my new book The Peter Barnes Authorised Biography which is now available direct from most bookshops. If yours doesn’t stock it then let them know they can get hold of it from their usual supplier or direct from me.
For those who use online retailers and prefer to use Amazon here’s their link:
Each week for the next few weeks I’ll post an image of a football ground taken in the past and you can see if you can recognise the ground. Some will be easy (believe it or not there are some grounds that have not changed much in all those decades!), others not so. You’ll be able to post your view in comments at the bottom of each page.
The following Friday I’ll post the answer. So here goes….
Can you name the ground featured in the image above?
It’s a much more recent image than the others I have posted but this ground is no longer standing. Leave your comments below.
While you’re here why not subscribe to my site and you can then access every article, interview, audio recording etc. already posted and those that will be posted during your subscription. It costs £20 per year (about £1.67 a month) or you can sign up on a monthly basis at £3 per month (you can cancel at any time, so you could sign sign up for a month, access everything you want and then cancel). You can subscribe below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Gary James' Football Archive 