Ex-Saddlers, Chris Marsh and Jimmy Walker, both decided that their life-stories needed telling and I agreed as I put my hand in my pocket and shelved out the cash needed to buy their biographies.
Marshy went first with the provactively tilted ‘The Good, The Bad and the Boozy’. It is an hilarious journey through the loveable rogues career at Walsall that saw him play in every position (including goalkeeper), win promotion, experience relegation, be the bane of Sir. Ray Graydon, hide the team bus behind a bush, form an unlikely drinking partnership with Ally McCoist, meet Jonny Wilkinson and still have time to come close to signing for Liverpool FC. It is a must-read for any Walsall fan.
Next up was Jimmy Walker and his ‘Size Isn’t Everything’. This was a more thoughtful book than Marshy’s but that isn’t to say that it was without its fruity moments. Walker, like Marshy, had his arguments with Sir Ray but there is a genuine tenderness towards each other that comes across in his writing. One of the best stories involves Chris Nicholl hiding in the bushes and preventing some youth team players from getting on the bus in order to toughen them up for the demands of league football.
People may ask me why am I reviewing these books so long after they have been issued. Well the answer is, I was looking in eBay for Walsall souveniers and came across these listings:
The cynical people out there may think that they are my own listings and I did these reviews in order to earn a few extra pennies. If I did, which I may or may not have done, then please remember that I write this blog for free and some of us have got to earn a living. Cheeky wink, smiley face. Happy reading, readers.
Got my copy of Jimmy’s autobiography at his book signing night at Bescot. The likes of Paul Merson, Darren Wrack, Mark Robins, Ian Roper and Martin O’Connor were on hand and good to meet all of them.