FOREWORD

I have known the author of this fine book for over 20 years. During that time, he has written countless jokes for me. Some of them were actually quite funny, only to be ruined by my delivery. Others were good enough to not be spoiled by my rotten delivery. Others have occasionally landed me in a bit of bother, whatever my delivery. This was all during 15 seasons of They Think It’s All Over – for those of you who are unaware, this was a comedy sports quiz show that was pretty popular in its day, lots of fun to be part of, and got very respectable audiences who quite enjoyed watching sportspeople being made fun of. Kevin Day was one of the scriptwriters for the show and despite his allegiance to Crystal Palace, we became friends. I did, though, pretty much always score at Selhurst Park, and because of this I always had a soft spot for Palace (please don’t tell him). Despite the show reaching its inevitable conclusion, Kevin would still write the odd joke for me if I had a speech to make, or a big show like BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, in the days when we had time to ask more questions than we do now.

Well, who would have thought that after all this time, Kevin would ask me to write for him? I, of course, was more than happy to do so, especially when I saw the idea for the book: a tome that would prove invaluable for research to those of us who work in the sport and for those who are just enthusiasts of the beautiful game. It would also inevitably be an amusing read, and so it proved to be. The cultural history of every one of the 92 Football League clubs. Well researched, wittily transcribed and accurate.

Or so I thought. Naturally, the first pages I looked at were those of the club that I have supported since I waddled around in just my pants (funny how your childhood catches up with you). As I was reading about Leicester City’s miraculous triumph in 2016, when against all the odds they won the Premier League, I noticed that Kevin had written: ‘How did a decent team with only … one genuinely top-class player win the Premier League? Jamie Vardy, who came from nowhere to score goal after goal.’

I beg your pardon, Kev, mate.

At this point I was about to call him to say ‘forget your foreword’, but as I went for the phone I spotted a small [*] and a footnote at the bottom of the page. Here he begrudgingly accepts that N’golo Kanté (World Cup winner) and Riyad Mahrez (Premier League winner again, with Manchester City) were also top-class players. That, readers, is the author’s equivalent of a last-minute equaliser having been outplayed throughout.

Genuinely, though, I’ve always enjoyed Kevin’s wit, his writing and his regular appearances on Match of the Day 2. He loves his football, he’s a passionate supporter of his club and the game and his immense knowledge shines on every page. I just wish I could think of something funny to finish with… Oh, I know, I’ll ask Kevin.

Gary Lineker