From the publisher:
This is a biography of one of West Ham United's greatest ever players, and the history of the club during his time in claret and blue. During those dozen years, Len Goulden had a glittering career, and became an England star. He scored the final goal in the defeat of Germany in May 1938; the game being made infamous by the England players being obliged to give the Hitler salute prior to the kick-off.
West Ham goal-keeping legend Ernie Gregory, who watched Goulden from the stands of Upton Park before signing for the club in 1936 claimed that: "We've had some great forwards over the years at West Ham but Len was the greatest-the daddy of them all. He was the one I paid my money to see...I can still see Len now-controlling the ball, he killed it instantly...Len was the tops." 'Golden Len Goulden' plucks from history a player who ranks with the best ever to wear the hammers over his heart.
The author:
Emerging from the East London gang culture of the early 1970s, Brian Belton is a lifelong West Ham United supporter. After professionally qualifying in youth work, he gained a doctorate from the University of Kent, and is currently a senior lecturer at the YMCA George Williams College in London. Brian has written close to eighty books, as well as numerous articles and learned papers, and he has spoken regularly on radio and TV, and at conferences throughout the UK and beyond. Brian is an internationally recognised and respected academic and writer in the fields of professional youth work, ethnicity, and identity.
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