Author:Jack Milburn
Written by his own son, Jackie Milburn: A Man of Two Halves gives an unprecedented insight into the life and career of the legendary Newcastle United forward. To this day, 'Wor Jackie' remains the Magpies' top goalscorer, having notched up 238 goals in 492 appearances in the black-and-white shirt throughout the 1940s and '50s. Milburn also won the FA Cup with Newcastle three times in five years.
Jackie Milburn delves beneath the surface glory to reveal how, in spite of his remarkable success as a player, Milburn was constantly tortured by his lack of self-belief. It details his days across the Irish Sea after becoming player/coach at Protestant Linfield FC and explains why he felt the need to move on after receiving menacing threats directed at his family. It reveals how, as newly appointed manager of Ipswich Town, he had a totally unexpected falling out with the departing England supremo, Alf Ramsey. We also learn how the pressures of work took their toll on Milburn and how he spent his post-football days working in a scrapyard, before being rescued by the world of sports journalism.
Later in life, many honours continued to be bestowed upon Milburn, and when he died in 1988 huge crowds lined the streets for his funeral parade.
Few people had a bad word to say about Jackie Milburn, and this candid biography, with contributions from Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer, expertly demonstrates why he is still held in high esteem half a century after the peak of his career and 16 years after his death.
Well crafted
—— Sunday TimesThe book's main strength is in its warm northern nostalgia, but the general interest lies in exposing just how badly even an iconic player like Milburn could be treated by his club
—— FourFourTwodestined to become a classic in the genre of mountaineering literature
—— Bernadette McDonald , Himalayan JournalA fascinating portrait of a friendship that pushed the boundaries of knowledge and endeavour
—— Sunday TimesThe author’s great strength is his knowledge of climbing, which gives him an insight into the psychology and practice of mountain exploration
—— GuardianThis comprehensive and important book, the result of 30 years of research, deserves to be read to the end. It gets better and funnier, as it progresses and it leaves even those such as me, for whom mountaineering has always been something of a mystery, beginning to understand and respect what drives true climbers
—— Country LifeJim Perrin takes us over peaks and glaciers as he recounts Shipton and Tilman’s exploits during a time when exploring meant travelling to places never before mapped by man. A humbling, gripping read.
—— Compass MagazineGives several new insights into the lives of these two great men and additionally shows a number of previously unpublished photos, maps and etchings of Tilman and Shipton.
—— CLIMBER Magazine