Author:John Cairney
Those who have been football supporters all their lives can never forget the first match they ever saw, although they might not recall the result. This is because it is the players that stay in the memory and the magic moments they provided for millions of spectators in their time.Every generation throws up its own football field magicians and The Scottish Football Hall of Fame encapsulates the Saturday afternoon spell cast by fine footballers for ordinary working men who lived to cheer on their heroes every week. Fervour was passed down from father to son, and in this way the future of the clubs as well as the fame of a few golden greats was guaranteed. Players like R.S.McColl (Queen's Park), Bobby Walker (Hearts), Alan Morton (Rangers), Denis Law (Manchester United) and Kenny Dalglish (Celtic) are in this pantheon, and they span the arc of Scottish football from its earliest days till modern times. These, and more than a hundred like them, are the men you will read about in these pages. Men who were once household names are captured here in their sporting immortality and introduced to generations of football enthusiasts who never saw them play. The Scottish Football Hall of Fame gives a unique overview of the beautiful game, where by means of illuminating narrative and anecdote, legend can unite with historical fact to honour not only the wearers of the famous dark blue shirt but every foot-soldier in the Tartan Army who has ever shouted 'Scotland! Scotland!' from the terraces.
Impressive and well-produced . . . the key to this book's success is the choice of interviewees and the quality of the writing
—— Irish TimesRiveting and powerful; an extraordinary story of an extraordinary tragedy. Reading No Way Down is the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day
—— Sir Ranulph FiennesA tour de force of a book...a triumph of storytelling
—— Associated PressOne of the best books I've ever read. But take it to the beach at your peril - it's impossible to put down. Sunburn is guaranteed
—— Outdoor ScienceStories of heroism, sadness and extraordinary endurance against all the odds are woven into a thrilling drama
—— Christopher Hudson , Daily MailProbably the best mountain-disaster memoir since Into Thin Air
—— Mail on SundayUnputdownable... a portrait of extreme courage, folly and loss, leavened by a small dose of survival'
—— Financial TimesA gripping hour-by-hour dissection of events in the Western Himalaya over three deadly days... a fitting shelfmate to the modern classic Into Thin Air
—— Brian Schofield , Sunday TimesJones has unearthed and told quite brilliantly the tragic story of a man condemned not only be authority but also by his own stubbornness
—— Sunday TimesMoving
—— Sunday Express[Moore] entertainingly unravels the complexities of the relationships within the peloton
—— Richard Williams , GuardianOne of Bike Radar’s favourite books of the past 12 months
—— Bike RadarMoore unearths a dazzling array of detail through interviews and anecdotes, telling a tale that holds suspense even for those who know the ultimate outcome of this epic battle. As racing books go, Moore’s book just might be “the greatest ever"
—— Kent Petersen , Outside MagazineThe measure of a great book is a great start.Richard Moore’s introductory anecdote in Slaying the Badger set a new standard in cycling literature
—— Cycle Sport