Daniel Gray (3) (1981–)

In which a historian and football fan takes in a game per month at various lower-division Scottish football grounds, armed with a keen eye and a scathing wit. Each chapter contains, in some order, a history of the football team, a ramble around the town to comment on its residents and historic sites, and, more briefly, an account of the team's grounds and what happened at the match. The author is screamingly funny ("this happened in 1966, a date I wish English football commentators would show more mention more often") and yet manages to keep his historical observations substantive without losing the humorous side of his trek. The book has a few illustrations, which are well-chosen, but their reproductions are usually rather tiny and almost always too dark. That quibble is not nearly enough to derail this juggernaut of a book. show less

I've reached chapter 37 'Reading on public transport' in Daniel Gray's Scribbles in the margins: 50 eternal delights of books. I am on a train between Winnersh and Wokingham. According to Gray 'Reading suits the rat-tat-tat rhythms of rail travel, your eyes darting along a track of their own '. I'm not sure about that. The man sitting next to me has just farted. A less than mellifluous voice has informed me that the next station is Bracknell. I hear no rat-tat-tat just an irritating whir of show more a faulty heating system and the grind of a struggling engine. The 50 chapters in the book go rat-tat-tat. Some are interesting, some are artificial, some overegg the pudding, some are sentimental - all in my view, of course. Do two-page spreads in an atlas 'throb with detail and intrigue' (page 111)? I would be straight off to the doctor if an atlas set me off throbbing. As for enjoyment I think the girl on the seat in front of with red fingernails, painting and brushing her face meticulously while watching a romcom on her laptop was enjoying herself more than me. show less

Saturday, 3PM

All football fans have heard that the modern game is not as good as it was in the good old days, whenever that was nobody has ever told me. For all the ills of the game according too some it is the fault of modern football, they tend to forget the violent and racism of earlier times or the state of the grounds, the treatment of the fans and the general disregard of all things concerned with the spherical ball.

Saturday, 3PM is a modern love letter to the game from author and show more historian Daniel Gray and a clarion call to all us fans to reignite our love of the game once again. He has written fifty short essays about the game, whose prose is a sheer delight, and brings to life modern day fan culture, even those who watch from their armchairs.

In fact any fan of the game knows what it feels on the day when the fixture list is released, looking and planning for the derby games, the away games and where the boxing day game is. For me it is like the prelude to Christmas Eve, just as the first day of the season is Christmas Day an end to the three endless months of no football.

Any football fan would love this book as it will always make them smile and recognise themselves on the pages of this book. A great little book for any fan. show less

50 short articles to dip into, raising smiles about the rituals of a real football fan on a Saturday afternoon. As for 'eternal', I fear that many more of these delights will disappear. Fans don't seem to have much say these days; football behind closed doors may be here to stay. The football programme is at risk. As the author states proper dropped balls and the kicking of an opponent's shin have gone, outfield goalies are very rare, 3 o' clock kick-offs will soon be scarce, Cup match show more replays ditto. By the way, standing in the Paddock at Cheltenham Town pitchside is a great experience and how can it be that the atmosphere and quirks of Fratton Park don't get a mention? Perhaps in the next edition. show less