The Mavericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares

by Robert Steen

In this book, Rob Steen recreates the early 70s, the era when football joined the vanguard of English youth culture. This personal account revolves around seven Englishmen who followed in the trail blazed by football's first tabloid star, George Best—Stan Bowles, Tony Currie, Charlie George, Alan Hudson, Rodney Marsh, Peter Osgood, and Frank Worthington. Proud individuals amid an increasingly corporate environment, their invention and artistry were matched only by a disdain for authority and convention. During their heyday, they were largely ignored by a succession of England managers, none of whom were able to assemble a side competent enough to qualify for the World Cup finals. Against a backdrop of increasing violence on the field and terraces alike, of battles between players and the Establishment, this book examines an anomaly at the heart of English culture, one that symbolized the death of post-Sixties optimism, and the end of innocence.

Genres: Football

188 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Ipswichblade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book about seventies football but the writing style is dated

[Steve Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tribute to a past age of English football, with diversions into the music, movies,and fashions of the 70s, which grated for me after a while. The author obviously loves his subject and seems to hark back to that era as somehow better. Celebrating the talents of Osgood, Hudson, Worthington etc he also decries the people who ran the game, who deemed their skills unworthy of building an England team around. A good read, if you like the subject.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these days of packaged sports stars, it's hard to imagine those we see on screen and at the main event being in any way like us. They're too rich, too pampered, often too arrogant and certainly too wrapped up in their own dubious celebrity. Fortunately life wasn't always this way. 30 years ago English football was blessed by the rare wayward genius who acted like your crazy Uncle Ronnie - argumentative, idiosyncratic, game for a laugh, liked a beer, a bird and a flutter, selfishly single-minded and utterly, beautifully talented. The names drip with memories : Marsh, Bowles, Hudson, Osgood, George, Currie, Worthington, I defy anyone who watched football at the time not to instantly recall their face with total clarity, the way they ran, the stories they created, and without doubt at least one, but most likely many instances of their sublime skill.
OK, they weren't always team players, and they had many run-ins with their bosses, and yes.....if you're honest, they made you a little crazy at times if you supported their team. If there is one criticism of The Mavericks, a wonderful collection of stories, quotes and generally honest appraisal, it's the old "they could have built the England team around them" fallacy that Rob Steen supports. They couldn't, these weren't men who wanted to be team players. In truth, based on the cold criterion of sporting success, you probably wouldn't choose them if you had to pick the league champions - that's probably why they actually won only the occasional medal between them - but, and shouldn't sport be like this at times, you wished you were their mate.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you to a time when Football was still a man's game, where the tackling was hard and the scoring happened both on and off the pitch. Looking at players such as Rodney Marsh, Tony Currie and George Best but also others of that ilk!