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The Golden Age Football : Extraordinary Images from 1900-1985
Featuring extraordinary images from 1900-1985, "Football The Golden Age" is a unique collection of over 275 star-quality images from football's golden age in a lavishly illustrated history and celebration of a long and rich period for Britain's favourite sport. The range of the photographs collected here - the players, the grounds, the fans and the bizarre - is truly remarkable. And between them, these images articulate all of the emotions, from agony to ecstasy, that football is capable of producing. Guaranteed to inspire feelings of pride and nostalgia in any football fan.
- GenresFootball
384 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 23, 2017
Having played, watched and commentated on football almost all my life, I am sorry to say that I have become disenchanted with the modern game and I rarely watch a game at all these days. However, John Tennant has provided the ideal antidote to my lethargy by producing a sensational book of over 275 photographs, all in black and white, which makes them even more evocative, covering the period from 1900 to 1985. And therein lies my interest, for the game in those days was still a sport and not ruled by big business, television, astronomical wage bills and the rise of the ubiquitous agent. Anyway, enough of that rant!
The images in the book, mostly acknowledged but some not so, do not concentrate solely on match action, obviously many do, but there are shots of the terraces, more often than not packed to capacity, stadia being redeveloped following World War I, different types of equipment that was being used or tried out, groundsmen at work, spectators enjoying themselves, amateur football, football in unusual places, snow covered pitches and giant-killing acts by unfashionable teams. And there are many more, all of which makes this book a magnificent spectacle of football.
Some examples are: Stanley Rous, president of The Football Association, selecting the type of ball to be used in the 1966 World Cup finals; a craftsman at Webbers, the London-based football manufacturer at work in 1950; a complete Tottenham Hotspur side taking a preventative gargle before training to fight against influenza in 1933; the primitive Colchester United supporters' registration hut (and it is a hut!) in October 1950; Wilf Copping of Arsenal in an ice bath in August 1934; the finishing touches being put on the 80-pound football-pitch-and-players-style cake made to celebrate Southampton's 50th anniversary in November 1935; Plymouth Argyle trainer Tommy Haynes, dressed as a policeman, pointing the way to promotion to his players at a pre-season training session in August 1926 - he stands by a road sign that reads '2nd Division' [unfortunately the ploy did not work for although Argyle finished second, they did not win promotion because there was a Third Division North and a Third Division South in those days and only the top club from each division went up into the Second Division].
There are also one or two frightening health and safety issues pictured, probably the most worrying one is a view of a section of the 45,000 crowd at Ninian Park, Cardiff, watching Cardiff City play Chelsea in March 1921 - spectators, all suited and hat-wearing, are precariously placed on what looks like an uncompleted upward extension to the packed stand below and also on the stanchions that are supporting the uncompleted upper tier. Cardiff won 1-0 so it is to be hoped they are all Welshmen who hung on when the goal went in!
There is a fabulous view of spectators arriving at Wembley to watch England take on Hungary in November 1953 and they all look delightfully happy as they prepare to watch the home country retain their unbeaten record at the ground - sadly that was not to be the case for Hungary gave England a footballing lesson and won 6-3 with Alf Ramsey scoring a late penalty for England to make the score a little more respectable!
And speaking of Alf Ramsey, he features quite often in the book, mainly because he was, of course, the England manager when the World Cup was won in 1966, and he is seen stopping George Cohen swapping his shirt with an Argentinian player after England's quarter-final victory and also as a forlorn figure in the snow before a friendly game against the USSR in February 1968. As for Wembley, the most spectacular photograph from there is the one that shows workmen scaling, on wooden ladders and planks with no safety harnesses, one of the twin towers as it was under construction in 1923.
As for the amateur game, there is a splendid aerial view of all the pitches at Hackney Marshes while games were in progress [I never did play there although I did play all around London at similar venues where a game was going on behind you and if a shot went wide, the ball had to be retrieved from the other game - and vice versa of course!]. And in January 1929 there was a football pitch within the walls of the Tower of London for a snow covered pitch is where some of the guards were enjoying themselves with a (quiet?) game.
Exotically and gaily dressed spectators feature from a variety of clubs (but unfortunately not the Atomic Boys of Blackpool): Arsenal supporters are seen leaving Kings Cross station en route to Huddersfield for the FA Cup semi-final against Grimsby Town in March 1936, 'Ye Silent Twins' are a couple of Manchester City supporters who are wearing the outfits that apparently won them first prize at the Blackpool Carnival of 1926 and they are seen in London that same year to watch their side take on Bolton Wanderers and the way they look makes me think they are pictured after the game for their downcast looks would relate to Bolton's 1-0 victory! And one celebrity fan who features is Rod Stewart, on the terraces at Hampden Park in May 1974 and in a stretch limo leaving the same venue following Scotland's 2-0 victory in May 1974; he came out even in the photographs for the first game ended 2-0 in England's favour!
Finally, Rodney Marsh provides an insightful introduction and in particular he mentions Jimmy Greaves (quite rightly) as 'probably the greatest goalscorer of all time' (I was lucky enough to see him score five goals in a game on two occasions, a 5-4 victory over Preston North End and England's 8-3 victory over Northern Ireland). Marsh also remarks as to how the images within the book 'tell the story of football's previous boom' and then wonders whether 'we'll look back upon the 1990s and beyond as the start of another golden era' and poses the question, 'Will these moments be captured in the same way?' I very much doubt it ... and his answer to both is 'I doubt it.' Surely we can't both be wrong ... or can we?
The images in the book, mostly acknowledged but some not so, do not concentrate solely on match action, obviously many do, but there are shots of the terraces, more often than not packed to capacity, stadia being redeveloped following World War I, different types of equipment that was being used or tried out, groundsmen at work, spectators enjoying themselves, amateur football, football in unusual places, snow covered pitches and giant-killing acts by unfashionable teams. And there are many more, all of which makes this book a magnificent spectacle of football.
Some examples are: Stanley Rous, president of The Football Association, selecting the type of ball to be used in the 1966 World Cup finals; a craftsman at Webbers, the London-based football manufacturer at work in 1950; a complete Tottenham Hotspur side taking a preventative gargle before training to fight against influenza in 1933; the primitive Colchester United supporters' registration hut (and it is a hut!) in October 1950; Wilf Copping of Arsenal in an ice bath in August 1934; the finishing touches being put on the 80-pound football-pitch-and-players-style cake made to celebrate Southampton's 50th anniversary in November 1935; Plymouth Argyle trainer Tommy Haynes, dressed as a policeman, pointing the way to promotion to his players at a pre-season training session in August 1926 - he stands by a road sign that reads '2nd Division' [unfortunately the ploy did not work for although Argyle finished second, they did not win promotion because there was a Third Division North and a Third Division South in those days and only the top club from each division went up into the Second Division].
There are also one or two frightening health and safety issues pictured, probably the most worrying one is a view of a section of the 45,000 crowd at Ninian Park, Cardiff, watching Cardiff City play Chelsea in March 1921 - spectators, all suited and hat-wearing, are precariously placed on what looks like an uncompleted upward extension to the packed stand below and also on the stanchions that are supporting the uncompleted upper tier. Cardiff won 1-0 so it is to be hoped they are all Welshmen who hung on when the goal went in!
There is a fabulous view of spectators arriving at Wembley to watch England take on Hungary in November 1953 and they all look delightfully happy as they prepare to watch the home country retain their unbeaten record at the ground - sadly that was not to be the case for Hungary gave England a footballing lesson and won 6-3 with Alf Ramsey scoring a late penalty for England to make the score a little more respectable!
And speaking of Alf Ramsey, he features quite often in the book, mainly because he was, of course, the England manager when the World Cup was won in 1966, and he is seen stopping George Cohen swapping his shirt with an Argentinian player after England's quarter-final victory and also as a forlorn figure in the snow before a friendly game against the USSR in February 1968. As for Wembley, the most spectacular photograph from there is the one that shows workmen scaling, on wooden ladders and planks with no safety harnesses, one of the twin towers as it was under construction in 1923.
As for the amateur game, there is a splendid aerial view of all the pitches at Hackney Marshes while games were in progress [I never did play there although I did play all around London at similar venues where a game was going on behind you and if a shot went wide, the ball had to be retrieved from the other game - and vice versa of course!]. And in January 1929 there was a football pitch within the walls of the Tower of London for a snow covered pitch is where some of the guards were enjoying themselves with a (quiet?) game.
Exotically and gaily dressed spectators feature from a variety of clubs (but unfortunately not the Atomic Boys of Blackpool): Arsenal supporters are seen leaving Kings Cross station en route to Huddersfield for the FA Cup semi-final against Grimsby Town in March 1936, 'Ye Silent Twins' are a couple of Manchester City supporters who are wearing the outfits that apparently won them first prize at the Blackpool Carnival of 1926 and they are seen in London that same year to watch their side take on Bolton Wanderers and the way they look makes me think they are pictured after the game for their downcast looks would relate to Bolton's 1-0 victory! And one celebrity fan who features is Rod Stewart, on the terraces at Hampden Park in May 1974 and in a stretch limo leaving the same venue following Scotland's 2-0 victory in May 1974; he came out even in the photographs for the first game ended 2-0 in England's favour!
Finally, Rodney Marsh provides an insightful introduction and in particular he mentions Jimmy Greaves (quite rightly) as 'probably the greatest goalscorer of all time' (I was lucky enough to see him score five goals in a game on two occasions, a 5-4 victory over Preston North End and England's 8-3 victory over Northern Ireland). Marsh also remarks as to how the images within the book 'tell the story of football's previous boom' and then wonders whether 'we'll look back upon the 1990s and beyond as the start of another golden era' and poses the question, 'Will these moments be captured in the same way?' I very much doubt it ... and his answer to both is 'I doubt it.' Surely we can't both be wrong ... or can we?
October 7, 2023
This is truly beautiful book showcasing all that is beautiful about the beautiful game.
Thanks you so much for putting this together. It makes me love football.
Hackney marshes, Wembley being built, football being chosen, and stars of the sport in normal life being some of my favourite images.
If anyone has any similar books to recommend I’d love to hear them.
Thanks you so much for putting this together. It makes me love football.
Hackney marshes, Wembley being built, football being chosen, and stars of the sport in normal life being some of my favourite images.
If anyone has any similar books to recommend I’d love to hear them.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews