Manchester is a football city, home to some of the best football in the world. The Red Devils have a great history, one that includes an equally great crop of players, from the Busby Babes, Bobby Charlton, and George Best to Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Most teams experience a “Golden Age” or a “Golden Generation” once in a lifetime, but United has found a way to be golden almost all the time.
City, the other big club in town, has a history that rivals that of United thanks to a young group of players that lit up the English game in the late 60s.
They were truly great and this was in a time without massive TV money or a billionaire owner. They certainly reminded folks of the Busby Babes for a lot of reasons. Unlimited potential, passion, enthusiasm, and pure talent and skill are just a few commonalities among the Manchester groups. And you’ll hear why the likes of Joe Mercer, Malcolm Allison, Francis Lee, Colin Bell, and others deserve the same attention as the big names mentioned above.
James Lawton was the right (and only) choice to author Forever Boys: The Days of Citizens and Heroes, the newest offering from our friends at Bloomsbury. He started covering the professional game at the young and tender of 19 and would see just about everything in his time covering, watching, and observing all that was Man City.
Lawton brings back the “good old days” of a City team that was ever so dominant in the Sixties, bringing hardware to a club that was ever so deserving. This generation of great players has laid the foundation for City’s success currently, showing today’s players how to get the job done.
This is a great book for a lot of reasons. Simply put, it is some of the finest sportswriting to be seen in 2015. It is an obvious choice for Man City fans or anyone that loves the English game or the city of Manchester.
It’s also a great piece of nostalgia, a great opportunity to hear living legends talk about their journey in the beautiful game. It’s a magical and unique experience, one that is an enjoyable from cover to cover.
Mercer once said “always remember to celebrate your victories because in this old game, and this old life, you never know if you will have another one.” And that is how the boys from Man City played as if it was their last victory, their last game.
