It was back in 1884 when a number of young footballers pledged nine pence each to buy a ball and formed Leicester Fosse FC. So began a fascinating story that brings us through to the modern Leicester City Football Club. It is a tale of continued excitement and occasional spectacular success but also battles to survive and give the Midlands city a team to be proud of. This book celebrates the unique history of a club where the one thing that has never been in short supply is the passion of its fans. We recall heroes from the 1920s like John Duncan and Arthur Chandler who both scored six goals in one game, and 1950s star Arthur Rowley whose 44 goals in a season remains a club record. There are tales of European adventures too in the 1960s, as well as during Martin O'Neill's more modern period of success. When Football was Football follows the highs and lows of nearly 130 years of drama, remembers the players, managers, and back room staff from laundry lady to first team coach, and most of all the thousands of Leicester fans who have shared the adventure.
Author Biography
Ralph Ellis has covered football in the Midlands since he moved to the area to work for the Sports Argus as chief sports reporter in 1983. After joining the Daily Star he remained based in the region while rising to become chief sports columnist. Now, as a successful freelance, he is the Sunday Mirror's main man in the Midlands. A regular guest on talkSPORT, he also writes a successful column for Betfair, while previous books include the When Football Was Football edition for Birmingham City, the history of Aston Villa and Birmingham derbies as part of the 'Rivals' series, as well as a collaboration with Sir Ian Botham and 'An Away Game Every Week', a unique history of Bristol Rovers.
