The Working Man's Ballet

by Alan Hudson

Alan Hudson was Chelsea Football Club's home-grown boy genius. He broke into a team already fizzing with the flamboyant talent of Peter Osgood and Charlie Cooke, his mercurial skills and style imprinting themselves on football fans far and wide. The Working Man's Ballet documents Hudson's journey from a prefab in working-class Chelsea to the heights of global football via Chelsea, Stoke City, Arsenal, Seattle Sounders and England.A true maverick, his story is set against the backdrop of The Kings Road - the spiritual home of the Swinging Sixties and Seventies - and captures the essence of a man who could delight and frustrate in equal measure. His post-football life has seen many twists and turns, with a road accident nearly killing him in 1997. A natural storyteller, a friend and contemporary of George Best and Bobby Moore, Alan Hudson remains an intriguing London character.This new updated and extended edition from London Books comes with an introduction by John King (author of The Football Factory and Human Punk) and an afterword by Martin Knight (biog-rapher of George Best, Peter Osgood and Charlie Cooke).

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alan Hudson was something of a hero of mine when he started playing football. I saw him make his home debut. He was certainly a controversial player and his book has some off-beat views. It gives a fresh perspective on many players and managers of the that era. He tries very hard to write as stylishly as he played, but sometimes wanders around his life/plot and ideas come streaming in from everywhere. A very entertaining read though and, as happens with footballers all too often, covers a not very distinguished later life.