Posted on Tuesday, 13th November 2012 by Harry Hotspur
Writing a biography of a football club is a task that routinely generates the sort of thing that Marks & Spencer slip into their Christmas offer. A hateful generic deservedly destined never to be read.
So when I was told of an impending biography on Spurs I replied, ‘Very good’ with the intonation you’d use at the dentist when you’ve just been told he’s identified two fillings that needed doing. Polite and on the faintly optimistic side of not bothered.
Thank goodness Julie Welch was commissioned to pen The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur.
This is a Tottenham treasure trove. I was trying to put my finger on why it worked so well, why I was so engaged and it’s the simple joy and kindness that Welch has managed to imbue the book with. It’s a rare talent to cover such well trodden ground and produce something that feels so fresh.
I’m hard work as a reader I really am. And I admit I’ve developed a horrible way of reading. I’ve deteriorated into a bloke that frequently scours, not reads. It takes a lot to get me to abandon these bad habits and actually read a book properly.
The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur is littered with fascinating quotes, exchanges with players, anecdotes and memories of those who were ‘there’ and people who understand what Tottenham Hotspur means. I would challenge all but a handful of people on the planet to lay claim to have heard or read them all before. In fact, I’d probably challenge more less anyone who isn’t Morris Keston.
The charm and understanding captured here is to be applauded. But then Julie Welch had an unfair advantage on so many who might have written it.
This is the book that love wrote.
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Posted in Blogs, Premiership, Tottenham Hotspur | Comments (22)
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November 13th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Thirst
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November 13th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Hunger
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November 13th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Turd
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November 13th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Burgler..
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Mabelode The Faceless Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse appear to have changed somewhat.
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Hartley Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
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Alspur Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
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November 13th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Verts fer captain pls… Who else?
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calebray Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 7:06 pm
dempsey everytime
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November 13th, 2012 at 8:20 pm
Avb out.
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wilboid Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Moany old wimmin out.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
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November 13th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Back on topic…..the book sounds good, wasn’t Julie Welch the girl in the Spurs film ‘Those Glory, Glory Days’ , or is that an urban myth?
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
She wrote the screen play!
About the author
Julie Welch was Fleet Street’s first female football reporter and is well known for her screenplay about her childhood following Spurs in the 1960s which was turned into a TV film, Those Glory Glory Days , by David Puttnam. She is also a bestselling author, her titles including ‘Out on Your Feet: The World of Hundred Mile Walking’ and ‘Ghosts of the Lane’ (with Rob White), the story of Spurs legend John White.
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Hartley Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
I see that she also co-wrote the John White book with his son….I enjoyed that!
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
ODM said of Julie, ‘Julie Welch? She’s proper!’
Boy Charioteer Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
“The Ghost of White Hart Lane”. An Everton fan I worked with for 30 years bought me it for my 60th (retirement) birthday.
Cheshuntboy Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
I’ve always liked Julie Welch, and I know she was an inspiration for another pioneering female sports journalist, Sue Mott. Sadly Ms Mott is a diehard Arsenal fan, and I remember her somehow getting a colour TV on approval to watch the 1978 Cup Final while she was a student at Nottingham – after her lot lost, she stayed in her room for two days in tears – I’d like to think she’ll be in the same state after Arsenal’s next game, but somehow I doubt it.
melcyid Reply:
November 13th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
Zoe Nathanson played the part of the spurs fan in the film.I used to do up her dads properties in Hampstead years ago.
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November 13th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
SBL should really do 1 now after complaint about spurs fans and telling tales about clatternburg turns out they’ve no evidence.. They should get banged up for wasting everyone’s time bunch of scumbags!
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November 14th, 2012 at 10:45 am
Julie Welch – I had her sister, Raquel, in my wank bank many years ago.
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November 17th, 2012 at 8:06 am
You’d better look before you leap.I see.15 divided by3 equals 5.Long ago, people believed that the world was flat.You’ve got a point there.¡°I wish I’d known about that rule earlier”, she said.Am I allowed to stay out past 10?Don’t forget to keep in touch.Time is running out.What’s the point of going to college?
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