Summer running.

[Bierzo Baggie]

That the same Gary Imlach used to appear of 'Fighting Talk' and had something to do with early attempts at American Football coverage on British telly?

I think that’s the one. He also presented some Tour de France coverage although I’d never heard of him before.

My dad gave me the book to read two Christmases ago and it’s a poignant document on the bond between father and son and also on how much top class football has changed. Imlach senior played for Forest and was a Scottish international (he played in the 1958 world cup) but would supplement his footballer’s wages by doing carpentry work around the ground in the summer. This was quite normal in the era of the 15 pound a week “maximum wage”.

One of dad’s favourite stories was of sitting behind Bobby Robson on the bus en route to some Albion match at The Hawthorns in the 50s. Dad was watching and Bobby Robson was playing. The dividing line between player and fan was minimal.

He kept asking me if I’d enjoyed the book but I never got round to reading it until last month. If you’re interested in how football’s social context has changed it’s a superb read.

Cheers.