NO PLACE FOR BOYS (2020)

Few football matches in the birthplace of the beautiful game have quite captured the public imagination as the two-legged FA Cup Final of 1970. Don Revie’s Leeds United were the most professional and feared side in the country; Dave Sexton’s Chelsea were the most glamorous and envied side in the country - one seemed to embody the grit of the Monochrome North and one appeared to personify the swagger of Swinging London. In 1970, they went head-to-head in two of the most enthralling, exciting and brutally competitive encounters ever to take place on a football pitch.

Staged at the dawn of a new era of colour TV coverage and showbiz patronage, the legendary clash of the two competing titans represented the moment at which football collided with the cultural zeitgeist and transcended the terraces. When Leeds and Chelsea couldn’t be separated at Wembley, they had to do it all over again at Old Trafford, generating an unprecedented level of interest in the outcome that went way beyond anything the domestic game had ever witnessed before. Over 28 million viewers watched the drama unfold as the major players in this duel to the death became household names to even the most casual of observers. The sport would never be quite the same again.

‘No Place for Boys’ - a title lifted from the words of BBC TV commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme - is a book that places a classic FA Cup Final and its notoriously combative Replay at the central core of the narrative, as well as recounting the events leading up to it and the events that followed it. Johnny Monroe presents an original and enjoyable chronicle of a landmark event as well as celebrating the 24 men whose commitment made it so memorable.

‘This is an enjoyable read about two games with two teams at the peak of their performances. 1970 was a hard tough season with the World Cup on the horizon . The Wembley pitch was a disgrace. I was at both games but on reflection I can’t remember the games being particularly violent, that's how the game was played in those days. The players had no animosity towards each other after the match, that's how it was then, no pettiness or dramatic falls when tackled. A great book.’

Roger Smith, Amazon review

‘VERY good and well-written book about the details of the 1970 FA Cup Final. It provides the build-up to that absorbing 1970 FA Cup Final, the happenings in the country at the time, as well as the match and then what happened afterwards. There is a VERY good writing style to the book, it can make you laugh as well as being quite poignant at times. The 1970 FA Cup Final, held over two games, was a classic contest that was fought for by both teams with such tenancity that it HAS gone down as one of the greatest FA Cup Finals ever. This book captures the essence of that hard-fought and breath-taking match that was watched by millions and will NEVER be forgotten. This book reminds us why.’

A Scrutineer, Amazon review