Peter Chapman’s Out of Time: 1966 and the End of Old-Fashioned Britain is a brilliant coming of age story offered up by our friends at Bloomsbury. It is a story of a young man (the author) beginning his adult life, a football team finally meeting expectations, and a country becoming less of an empire.
It’s a beautiful text, a nostalgic look back at a different world. It was a different time, a different political climate, and a different game of football. It was football that was free of billionaires or even millionaires. We’re talking about a world without global TV deals. It was a game that was ruled by genuine down-to-earth stars, not athletes with millions of followers on social media and even more in the bank.
This is certainly a book about the beautiful game, but it is also about making decisions in a changing world. Chapman had to decide his future, a future where dreams of being a professional footballer were slowly fading away. It came at a turbulent time for the English game, a time where many scoffed at Alf Ramsey’s idea that England would actually walk away with the Jules Rimet Trophy.
England did win the World Cup in 1966, but hasn’t been a real contender since then. Chapman experienced change as well, becoming a journalist for the BBC and The Guardian. He would go on to cover two World Cups and eventually made his way to the Financial Times, where he became an editor and writer.
It was quite a journey for England, the Three Lions, and a young Chapman and this book captures it in a brilliant light. It will be thoroughly enjoyed by just about anyone, but truly cherished by those that are passionate about the beautiful game.
