The Official Illustrated History of the FA Cup Book

As one of the most knowledgeable and respected figures currently writing on football, Bryon Butler is the ideal author for this illustrated history. Following a foreword by FA Cup legend Stanley Matthews, Butler's words narrate the life of the oldest football tournament of them all. Each year's competition, from the first in 1872 to the most recent in 1998, is covered. Considered reports on every tournament and details on each final are accompanied by a selection of black-and-white photographs, even for the early years. Shorter sections of coloured images are also included. In addition, the story of the cup is recounted for each decade of its existence, a narrative which adds up to an interesting commentary on the development of the game on these shores, from the early amateur days of the 19th century to the multi-million pound business, Sky television era of today. Throughout the reader is presented with a diverting mixture of historical review and miscellaneous FA Cup anecdotes, and refreshingly, the balance is not weighted too heavily on the recent past. With modern champions such as Manchester United and great cup warriors of yesteryear such as The Wanderers receiving equal accolade, one suspects that Butler's accounts will find most favour with keen students of the development of the game from past to present. --Trevor CroweRead More