The Last Champions by Dave Simpson
When the Leeds United players celebrated winning the championship in April 1992, they had no idea how momentous the occasion was. Manchester United, losers at Liverpool that Sunday afternoon, had now gone 25 years without winning the league. This book explores the roots of that success and the characters who came together to fashion the triumph.
In just three and a half seasons, following almost a decade in the wilderness, Wilkinson transformed a relegation-threatened second-level side into League winnersThe sheer size of the achievement has finally been given the recognition it deserves in The Last Champions. To put it into context, imagine Southampton winning the Premier League title in 2013-14. That is what Wilkinson and his players achieved and it is what makes this story so special and worthy of Simpson's insightful homage. -- Simon Creasey * When Saturday Comes *
I really enjoyed the book... it's a great read -- Lee "Chappy" Chapman, Leeds United centre forward, League Championship winner, 1991-92
Unbearably poignant. Simpson neatly captures football's key appeal, the way it can restore the simple certainties of childhood. These men are now postmen, pensioners, disabled, successful, travel agents and the seemingly lost. But they talk with equal wonder about their greatest season * The Last Word *
A welcome reclamation of Wilkinson's success... breaks the mould in exploring team-building. As Simpson so wistfully explains, we shall probably never see their like again... Clearly written by a fan. -- Juliet Jacques * New Statesman *
Excellent book * Yorkshire Post *
I really enjoyed the book... it's a great read -- Lee "Chappy" Chapman, Leeds United centre forward, League Championship winner, 1991-92
Unbearably poignant. Simpson neatly captures football's key appeal, the way it can restore the simple certainties of childhood. These men are now postmen, pensioners, disabled, successful, travel agents and the seemingly lost. But they talk with equal wonder about their greatest season * The Last Word *
A welcome reclamation of Wilkinson's success... breaks the mould in exploring team-building. As Simpson so wistfully explains, we shall probably never see their like again... Clearly written by a fan. -- Juliet Jacques * New Statesman *
Excellent book * Yorkshire Post *
Dave Simpson is a Guardian journalist who writes mainly on music. His first book, The Fallen, was a monumental quest to track down everyone who had ever played in Mark E Smith's legendary band.
Living in Yorkshire, he has supported Leeds since the early 1970s, which has brought about a small amount of pleasure and a great amount of pain. He also wrote for the LeedsLeedsLeeds magazine which documented United's rise and mostly fall from 1998 to 2011.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780857501011 |
| ISBN 10 | 0857501011 |
| Title | The Last Champions |
| Author | Dave Simpson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Ltd |
| Year published | 2013-06-20 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |