Bring Me the Head of Trevor Brooking: Three Decades of East End Soap Opera at West Ham United

by Kirk Blows, Ben Sharratt

West Ham United last won a major trophy in 1980, but the roller-coaster ride of the past three decades has produced enough twists and turns, heroes and villains, and contrasting emotions to grace the script of the most thrilling TV soap opera. Since Trevor Brooking headed home the FA Cup final winner against Arsenal, the Hammers have experienced delight and despair in not so equal measure, with a cast of controversial characters—either adored abhorred—playing the key roles in a tale of fact rather than fiction. The saving of the club by David Sullivan and David Gold, as West Ham stared into the financial abyss following the ill-fated Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson reign, is the latest chapter in a saga that includes numerous promotions and relegations, great escapes, contentious changes of ownership and management, internal feuds, bust-ups and power struggles, the Carlos Tevez affair, and the passing of legends Ron Greenwood, John Lyall, and Bobby Moore, as well as several false dawns in the endless quest for success. Including brand-new interviews with key protagonists, Bring Me The Head Of Trevor Brooking tells the inside story behind the 60 most significant developments at Upton Park in the modern era. Whether examining the contributions of Gianfranco Zola, Paolo Di Canio, Alan Curbishley, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, or Iain Dowie, among many others, it is a book about the good, the bad, and the ugly of West Ham United.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2010

About the author

Kirk Blows is an American journalist, editor and author within the fields of sport and music.

He is the former editor of Hammers News, the official monthly magazine of West Ham United, and has been a weekly columnist on the club for the East London Advertiser for years.

He has also edited magazines for Arsenal, Leeds United and Crystal Palace football clubs, produced various World Cup, European Championship and FA Cup specials and worked for the Daily Star, The Sportsman and Teletext. In recent years he has been a staff sportswriter for The London Paper and sports sub-editor for The Sun and is currently the chief sportswriter for the Bromley Times, Bexley Times and Dartford & Gravesend Reporter.

Before moving into sports, Kirk was a rock music journalist, editing Metal Hammer magazine and contributing to a range of publications.