The VFTT Literary Review

A Guide to the Club Histories [circa mid 90s] reviewing the three major works in the tangerine bibliography. All are quality publications, and when viewed as a trilogy they cover everything worth knowing in a complementary mix of styles and content.

Robin Daniels' Blackpool Football was the first to appear, and is the work of a skilled writer. A lively history of the club is followed by a series of interviews and in depth appreciations of prominent players and managers from the past. Also of interest is a look at the roles of the Chairman, Secretary and other non-playing staff crucial to the running of a football club. The author believes that the club is an important part of the community, and that the fortunes of a town are often mirrored by the success of its football team. This was certainly the case in Blackpool during the boom years of the fifties, a period during which Robin Daniels developed his love for football and Blackpool FC. His book was published in 1972, a time when the nostalgic glow of the Matthews / Mortensen era had not quite faded, and First Division status was not just a dream. It was only a matter of time before the Seasiders joined the big boys again, or was it?

No team has a divine right to First Division football, and Blackpool's time was up. Our worst nightmares were realised in the rapid decline and fall to the depths of the Fourth Division. This period, and the subsequent revival, is well documented in Dr. Ellis Tomlinson's Seasiders: The First 100 Years, produced to mark the club centenary in 1987. This second club history is a formal chronology, covering 100 years of ups and downs in plenty of detail, along with many of the author's own experiences and recollections. An extensive records section is appended, covering a multitude of facts and figures. On a personal note, I was a pupil at Baines' Grammar School, Poulton Le Fylde during Dr Tomlinson's final years in the teaching profession. A schoolmaster of the old style, his knowledge and character were sadly missed after he retired in 1974. Incidentally, he was also one of the country's leading heraldic authorities, and was responsible for designing the club's official badge as well as many other local Coats of Arms.


		The most recent addition to the series is Roy Calley's Blackpool - A Complete Record 1887-1992. It differs from the two earlier publications, in that its centrepiece is a statistical record of every first team game played since the club was founded. This epic piece of work, accounting for approximately half the book, details team members, scorers and attendances for each game. Obviously the result of many painstaking hours of research, a true labour of love. The records for the Second World War years were particularly fascinating. During this period Blackpool were one of the most successful sides in the country, indeed in 1943 they were the unofficial champions of England, beating Arsenal in a North v South play off. Some of the goalscoring feats by Jock Dodds were phenomenal, he scored eight in the 9-2 demolition of Stockport in 1941. If only we had him in the current line-up! The section headed Blackpool Stars makes interesting reading, whether the term 'Stars' actually applies in all cases is debatable, but at least the author admits they were a very personal choice. Matches to Remember looks back on 21 matches which, for a variety of reasons, were significant moments in the Club's history. A mixture of pain and pleasure!

Overall this most recent version of the Blackpool FC story is the least nostalgic of the three, the author is a realist, and 15 years in the lower divisions is enough to tarnish anybody's rose coloured spectacles. All are highly recommended and essential purchases for the committed fan.