The Mavericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares [Paperback]

Rob Steen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

In this book, Rob Steen recreates the early 70s, the era when football joined the vanguard of English youth culture. This personal account revolves around seven Englishmen who followed in the trail blazed by football's first tabloid star, George Best—Stan Bowles, Tony Currie, Charlie George, Alan Hudson, Rodney Marsh, Peter Osgood, and Frank Worthington. Proud individuals amid an increasingly corporate environment, their invention and artistry were matched only by a disdain for authority and convention. During their heyday, they were largely ignored by a succession of England managers, none of whom were able to assemble a side competent enough to qualify for the World Cup finals. Against a backdrop of increasing violence on the field and terraces alike, of battles between players and the Establishment, this book examines an anomaly at the heart of English culture, one that symbolized the death of post-Sixties optimism, and the end of innocence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851587403
• ISBN-13: 978-1851587407
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,754,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mavericks: Why English Football went wrong, August 21, 2006

By 

Jeremy Leatherman "Football Phreak" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mavericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares (Paperback)

An interesting look at the development of hard-tackling, work ethic football in England and how it marginilized the truly gifted players. The author points to Ramsey's '66 Cup team as the beginning of the problem when Jimmy Greaves was excluded from the side. The author tells the story of Charlie George at Arsenal, Peter Osborne at Chelsea, Rodney Marsh at QPR and so on and why these players were rarely selected to play for England in internationals. England's total lack of sucess in the 70's can be chalked up to Don Revie and Joe Mercer's refusal to select these unique footballers. His traces the career of each man as they were tranfered to the smaller clubs and labelled as "lazy" and "undisiplined".

The author tracks down each individual he talks about in the book and tells their story up to 1994 (when the book was written). A great book for any football fan especially those who love the English game.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sunshine in a grey era, November 2, 2004

By 

Brian Maitland (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mavericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares (Paperback)

Covers the true flashy stars of '70s English soccer--George Best, Rodney Marsh, Charlie George, Alan Hudson, Peter Osgood, Frank Worthington, Stan Bowles and Tony Currie. A fun read as it was the '70s after all.