Tie Me to the Mast

David Johnson, who works for the Stoke Sentinel newspaper, wanted to go to Stoke City's first match of the season. The problem was it was at Cardiff and as the proud father of his first child he had already used up his weekly "pass" by going out with his wife Alison's brother. In desperation he tells her "I'm writing a book" and from then on he has to. The result is a wry, sideways look at what it means to be a football fan. He captures the pecularities of being appalled by hooligans, but secretly fascinated at the same time. As he says: ?gThe book is loosely based on following Stoke City for a season, but there are no long, dull descriptions of games and no dry, in-depth analysis of soccer statistics. As well as football, recurring themes include fatherhood, friendship, rubbish adverts, redemption, why National Trust members shouldn't be allowed to own cars, urban regeneration, poverty and the impossible art of dishwasher-loading. A funny and thoughtful book for anyone who feels slightly at odds with what's expected of them."