Cumbrian author Hunter Davies is perhaps best known for his ground-breaking 1972 book The Glory Game that looked at life behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur. However, the only time he gave his 'local' side any real coverage was in this 1990 book, published by Mainstream. As it is a book I have never read, I leave it to Paul Harrison, author of the Lads in Blue, to give his own account of it:

My Life In Football by exiled supporter, Hunter Davies, provides six pages dedicated to the 'Super Blues', pages 73 - 78 inclusive. Davies, now a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur recalls those glorious days of First Division football and how United stunned the football world by claiming top spot for three weeks, by virtue of demolishing Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, mastering Middlesbrough 1-0 at Ayresome Park, then torturing Tottenham 1-0 at Brunton Park.

It's a nice touch but somewhat patronising in the sense that he makes the club and the players out to be also rans who had no right to be there in the first place! Of course we had a damn good right to be there, we finished third in division two and won the right to replace Manchester United in the top flight! So what, we didn't have a mega stadium or any household names outside the Carlisle district, but we did have some quality, Balderstone, Balderstone and Balderstone, and some triers, Train, Green, Martin et al.

Sadly, Davies continues much in the same vein throughout the brief narrative upon United, dedicating a three page chapter to our victory over Spurs, a team photograph which includes himself and is nothing to do with CUFC whatsoever takes up half a page of this chapter! Mmmmm! says it all really. Perhaps I am overly sensitive on such issues, I don't know, but I hate the patronising diatribe that is often used when referring to Carlisle United or Brunton Park, 'Football Outpost,' 'The Edge of the World,' all that kind of stuff has been said time and time again. Carlisle United and its supporters don't need a pat on the head and a sickly sweet smile whenever we are referred to. One feels that Davies is smiling sweetly as he refers to United within this book. To be brutally honest, the pieces upon United are the only parts of the book I have read, Davies may be a literary genius for all I know, or care, but his coverage of United is virtually transparent as opposed to shallow, and that put me off.

All in all, Davies' book adds nothing to the United canon, read his sycophantic clap-trap upon United at your peril. One point of note, when I was researching my book I tried to make contact with Mr Davies, left countless messages and sent numerous letters, never once did I get a reply! Perhaps his phone had been cut off and his postman was dodgy, failing that, perhaps he simply wasn't interested in speaking to a Carlisle United supporter?

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