{"product_id":"crosbie-centre-half","title":"Crosbie, Centre-half","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the publisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Great War broke out there were British citizens who had the misfortune to find themselves trapped within German borders. Ruhleben, the site of a Berlin racecourse, became a prison camp for such citizens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSteve Bloomer of Derby County and England fame was one of them. Being England's most prolific goalscorer of his day, his fame ascended to legendary status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fellow prisoner was John Cameron who had been player-secretary-manager of Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup winning team of 1901. He was the first secretary of the Players' Union and a prime force in guiding Spurs from the Southern League to the higher echelons of the English game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth Bloomer and Cameron were on coaching assignments in Germany at an inopportune time. They were largely influential in organising football leagues whilst in captivity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the proliferation of former professional footballers within their midst, the standard of football was consistent with the meticulous planning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Crosbie, Centre-half, his first novel, established football historian and author Duncan Carmichael imagines a similar scenario from a different angle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuncan Carmichael is the author of 15 books on Ayr United. With his wife Carol, son David, and daughter Jill he has spent rather a lot of money on the fruitless search for a football equivalent of Shakespearean happiness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e---\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product_spec\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eKennedy \u0026amp; Boyd\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e22 x 14 cm\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003ePaperback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e312 pages\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product_spec\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eMarch 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eEnglish\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product_spec\"\u003e9781849212632\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Duncan Carmichael","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58930128454013,"sku":null,"price":14.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/stanchionbooks.com\/products\/crosbie-centre-half","provider":"Stanchion Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}