Mark Hodkinson - The Overcoat Men: How Two Unsung Heroes Staved Off the Bulldozers and Saved Their Football Club from Oblivion

Hodkinson has a light touch and a modest, self-effacing style. He is a fine writer. The Daily Telegraph

His writing is free of clich and acutely on the money.
Q

His prose is never less than first-rate.
The Independent on Sunday

He writes with economy and elegance, self-deprecating but never self-pitying. The Times

Hodkinson can weave poetry out of the mundane.
Daily Mail

If, like me, you have a habit of lending your new favourite book on the pretext of getting it back, you may think twice about letting Hodkinsons beauty out of your sight. The Quietus

A deft writer, poignant and funny at different times.
The Guardian

He has an evocative turn of phrase with an impressive economy of language and the writing flows effortlessly. The Observer

Hodkinson writes quite beautifully, which means that those of us with lesser gifts are given a glimpse into his soul. It is a richly rewarding place to be. The Times

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2019

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Mark Hodkinson, 2019

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Publisher.

A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library

Print ISBN 978-1-78531-525-1

eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-592-3

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Also by the author

The Last Mad Surge of Youth (Pomona)

That Summer Feeling (Pomona)

Blue Moon: Down Among the Dead Men with Manchester City (Penguin/Random House)

Life at the Top (Queen Anne Press)

For George and Alec

Ive reached the stage where I dont like footballers. Theyre on 2030,000 a week [in 2007] and theyre not earning it; it makes you resentful.

David Sullivan, Birmingham City owner.

If someone is a shit or a bastard, they deserve everything that comes their way. And they probably wouldnt care less. But if you are genuinely doing your best, making decisions for the right reasons and putting money in that you know you will never get back, then the unfair criticism does become hard to take.

Jason McGill, chairman, York City.

Football attracts a certain percentage of nobodies who want to be somebodies at a football club.

Brian Clough.

At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.

Bill Shankly.

First and foremost, the owners are the most important part of a club [Lewes is a community-owned club]. Then, the fans. The players are last because there is no loyalty in football, even at this level.

Stuart Fuller, chairman, Lewes.

The only way to make a small fortune from owning a football club is to start with a large one.

John Madejski, chairman, Reading.

We are reliant on owners, and football needs to look at how it treats the owners at some of its clubs. Fans not happy about the investment that is going into their club? Trust me, without them [the owners], they wouldnt have a club.

Shaun Harvey, ex-Football League chief executive.

We are enjoying it greatly. Its a wonderful franchise and we just love it.

Malcolm Glazer, owner, Manchester United.

Owning a football club is like drinking prune juice while eating figs. However much extra money came in, it would sift away, to players, transfers and agents.

Alan Sugar, ex-chairman, Tottenham Hotspur.

Chairmen seem to get themselves into a hole at times. They keep digging and all of a sudden the only way out is to sack the manager. There is a massive weakness in a lot of boardrooms.

Jim McInally, manager, Peterhead.

For too long, football clubs have not followed the basic principles of running any successful business.

Mark Rubin, ex-chairman, Southend United.

Ive been a football fan and a gambler since the age of about seven or eight. My interest in both developed at the same time.

Tony Bloom, chairman, Brighton and Hove Albion.

Directors should really stick to what they do best, whatever that is, and keep their noses out of the playing side of the game.

Bob Stokoe, manager.

Even if I built a 50,000-seat stadium and bought Ronaldinho thered still be complaints about crap hot dogs.

Simon Jordan, former owner of Crystal Palace.

Mr Chairman, when I want your advice Ill give it to you.

Tommy Docherty, manager.

The author wishes to thank the following for their help and support in writing this book: John Abraham, Les Barlow, Sue Berry, Mark Binner, Allen Brett, Christian Brett, Mark Brierley, Rod Brierley, Trevor Butterworth, Jane Camillin, Paul Camillin, Gary Canning, Austin Collings, Tim Davies, John Dennis, George Dodds, Chris Dunphy, Lisa Edgar, Terry Eves, Fred Eyre, John Faulks, Graham Hales, Dean Rockett, David Hammond, Derek Hammond, Andrew Hindle, Charlie Hindle, Steve Harrison, James Heward, Dale Hibbert, Mark Hilditch, Judith Hilton, Jean Hodkinson, Roy Hodkinson, Trevor Hoyle, Garfield Hunter, Chris Jones, Karen Kerr, David Kilpatrick, Michael Kilpatrick, George Lee, David Luxton, Richard Lysons, Jim McCalliog, Jane McCarthy, John McDonough, Ian McMahon, David Madden, Peter Madden, Julie Matthews, Rob Meaden, Beryl Morris, Christian Morris, Graham Morris, Bill Norris, Duncan Olner, Richard Partington, Guy Patrick, Dave Picken, Godfrey Pickles, Kevin Pocklington, Dan Plumley, Geoff Read, Eric Snookes, Jim Stringer, Nige Tassell, Julie Thomas, Helen Thompson, Joe Thompson, Alex Wade, James Wallace, Chris While, Mark Wilbraham, Graham Williams, Richard Whitehead, Rob Wilson, Emily Wood, David Wrigley, Dan Youngs. And, most especially, Kellie While.

Among its many qualities, football allows players and spectators to be resolutely in the moment. As a fan, once youre ensnared by the game in front of you, lost to it, there is no today, yesterday or tomorrow, especially when you are partisan and willing on your team, heart and soul. The noise of the crowd is all around you and youll hear snippets of conversation, but you are elsewhere, a place where self-awareness, memory and protocol have been chased away.

All fans criticise or commend certain players or managers but they have an implicit trust in their team and everyone connected to the club; it seems part of the deal. In fact, there is a perverse pleasure in accepting that a football match and, indeed, a football club is an arbitrary concept and out of our control, much the same as the weather. A football ground, after all, is where we can stop the habitual thinking and fretting of normal life. It is leisure time. We let go of our scepticism.