A Love Letter to Football: From the Terraces to a Transplant and Back Again – The Perfect Stocking Filler for Football Fans this Christmas
£10.10£12.30 (-18%)
A Love Letter to Football is the story of how the beautiful game, from the litter-strewn pitches of the grassroots to packed stadiums at the top of the sport, can help carry us through our darkest days.
In 2016, Mark Davies was diagnosed with a rare and incurable blood cancer. A lifelong supporter of Middlesbrough Football Club, his devotion to the club and passion for a game so cherished by billions of people has been essential in helping him navigate the uncertainty of diagnosis and treatment. It’s been a fundamental part of his life in other ways too, from dealing with depression to fatherhood, not to mention some of the trials and tribulations of life’s broader challenges.
This honest, funny and entertaining account of a life-changing experience, love for a football club and the way the game has been a bedrock throughout his life underlines that football may not be more important than life and death, but the joy and ecstasy it can bring – even for a Middlesbrough fan – really can help when times are hard.
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | First Edition (2 Oct. 2023), Pitch Publishing Ltd |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 180150489X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1801504898 |
| Dimensions | 13.7 x 1.9 x 21.5 cm |
by Andrew Davies
A Story That salved the authors issues, but was disjointed and aimless in parts. Disappointing in truth..
by Robert Press
If you are a Boro fan, there’s no question, you need to own this book.
If you are a football fan, particularly of a club which rarely if ever wins anything, then you’ll love this book
And if you dislike or even loathe football but would like to read a heartwarming tale of how one man’s love for an unfashionable, and largely unsuccessful, football club from the north east of England helped him overcome an incurable form of cancer then this book is for you.
by Andrew Davies
Such a thoughtful and honest book. Inspirational. A book about life, the challenges it throws at us – and how sport and the things we love can help you through. Highly recommended.
by Nicole Valentinuzzi
Wonderful book, very moving – and I don’t even like football!
by Declan McHugh
Now, I should say that I know the author. So I sort of felt obliged to buy this. But I really enjoyed it. In fact unusually for me I read it in about three days. That’s a testimony to how well written this is – engaging and funny. I had suspected (feared?) that this might be a bit too Middlesbrough FC focused for me. But it’s about much more than Boro or indeed football. It helps if you like football, of course. The chapter on Juninho I loved. Turns out he is a really good guy. But the book has a really nice balance of trainspotterish reminiscence of old matches mixed with the contemporary story of what it’s like to get diagnosed with cancer, undergo the treatment and live to tell the tale. It is ultimately an uplifting story, but it exposes the bloody hard challenges life can throw down. It’s a really nice read.
by Martin H.
A great read. If you like football it’s a must (whoever you support) and if you don’t like football but enjoy a well written, at times amusing, book about life’s ups and downs and dealing with challenges then it’s also for you. An honest account that’s feel good but not sugar coated. Takes you on a wonderful journey.
by SM Close
As a Boro fan of a similar vintage to the author I found this a heart warming account of the joys and (mostly) otherwise of following an unfashionable football club. 50 years of loyal support with only rare glimpses of potential glory, this is a book that most fans of clubs outside the big four/five/six will relate to.
In addition there is a thread running through it of Mark’s experience of the impact of cancer on his and his family’s life in general and his football supporting, in particular. I’ve read dozens of stories of ‘ordinary’ football fans and their experiences. This is, by far, the best.
by bibliophile 1961
It doesn’t really matter what football team you support (the author’s is Middlesbrough, mine’s Crystal Palace), if you’ve got an interest in the game you’ll get plenty of enjoyment from this heartwarming and engaging memoir. One thing I especially liked was that the author’s reminiscences got me musing about my own formative experiences and obsessions as a fan. In fact, I was particularly thrilled to read about the recollections of an ancient game (Palace v Boro, 1979) which I actually attended when I was a kid and my dad had started taking me to Selhurst Park.
The author doesn’t shrink from the personal challenges he’s had including bullying, mental health issues and – more prominent as the book progresses – a cancer diagnosis but these prove just as absorbing as the football-related trials and tribulations (along with the occasional triumphs).
I’ve seen one journalist compare this book to Fever Pitch and I think that’s more than reasonable. However, as this book relates to a slightly unfashionable club like my own I found it even more relatable. Recommended.