Bob Booker

Bob Booker

Obviously planning on selling more to Sheffield United fans though.
 

Bob Booker

Sultan said:
Obviously planning on selling more to Sheffield United fans though.
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I suspect so as he is still idolised up there. Lots of interest in the book in Sheffield too. He is very popular in Brighton too.
 

Bob Booker

My dad used to bring the Ealing Gazette home every Friday from work and I used to cut all the pictures out and put them in a scrap book. I got Bob and Terry Hurlock plus others to sign their photo's at an open day, they spent ages going through the book and thought it was great. I still have it in my office next to me now. Unfortunately I ruined it by putting pictures of me in it playing against England schools in 1982 ad some World Cup pictures of Keegan missing that sitter versus Spain.
 

Bob Booker

Love to see it as I have been wallowing in 70s and 80s nostalgia for the last year.
 

Bob Booker

Actually looking forward to this.
 

Bob Booker

North London Bee said:
Just to say that after a year of research, interviewing about 30 ex-players and managers and writing nearly 150,000 words, "OOH-AAH The Bob Booker Story" is now completed and will soon be off to the printers with the aim of mid-August publication.

I have enclosed the cover below which took a lot of choosing. Should it be a Brentford, Sheffield United, Brighton - or neutral image? The final choice changed yesterday and I hope you don't mind it being a Sheffield image - but it is a lovely photo of Bob looking up and smiling at his dad with pride and amazement just before he made his First Division debut against Liverpool in 1990.

Hope some of you check the book out next month.
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Can you just scan it in and email it over , ta
 

Bob Booker

Does it include an explanation of the derivation of the iconic Bob Booker 'Egyptian Sand-Dance' chant?
If not, it's a 'no' from me.......
 

Bob Booker

Bobs fault that my family started following the club, he has a lot to answer for !!!!
 

Bob Booker

Bob Booker

I will be buying for my hols :sorted:
 

Bob Booker

When is it out NLB? Really looking forward to the nostalgia. One of my early heroes at BFC
 

Bob Booker

On my Birthday and Christmas pressie list.
 

Bob Booker

David Brentford said:
When is it out NLB? Really looking forward to the nostalgia. One of my early heroes at BFC
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It's at the printers now. I'm waiting for the club shop to make an order which hopefully they will do.

It should be available by the mid to end of August.
 

Bob Booker

North London Bee said:
It's at the printers now. I'm waiting for the club shop to make an order which hopefully they will do.

It should be available by the mid to end of August.
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Just as the home kit arrives.
 

Bob Booker

Got the first printed copies today. It looks great.

It's a normal sized paperback but nearly 400 pages for £12.99. Lots of photos too.

Sheffield United have made a big order. Hoping Brentford follow suit.

Will be available in 2-3 weeks. Also on Amazon and Kindle.
 

Bob Booker

Cliffk said:
Any plans for a personal signing at GP?
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The club shop ordered some copies today for which I am grateful.

They will be delivered by the middle/end of August.

I will speak to Bob and see when he is free to come up for a signing session.
 

Bob Booker

OOH-AAH - The Bob Booker Story is now available on Amazon Kindle.

https://t.co/Egoy47hbIA

It can also be pre-ordered now on Amazon as a paperback.

It will be in the club shop maybe in time for Nottingham Forest but hopefully Bristol City.
 

Bob Booker

Just ordered mine through amazon in sunny Cyprus.
 

Bob Booker

North London Bee said:
Got the first printed copies today. It looks great.

It's a normal sized paperback but nearly 400 pages for £12.99. Lots of photos too.

Sheffield United have made a big order. Hoping Brentford follow suit.

Will be available in 2-3 weeks. Also on Amazon and Kindle.
Click to expand...

How many copies are going to be available?

Don't want to miss out.
 

Bob Booker

TW3Bee said:
How many copies are going to be available?

Don't want to miss out.
Click to expand...
The club shop has frankly made a small initial order. Hopefully they will sell out quickly!

They might be there for the Forest or Bristol games.

Bob is coming up for a signing before the Wolves game on 26/8 as long as the shop manager agrees.
 

Bob Booker

Book signing with Bob confirmed for Wolves game on 26 August at 1.30 pm in the club shop.

There might also be something happening in the evening too after the match - watch this space!
 

Bob Booker

Book is now on sale in Brentford stadium store.

Go for it!!
 

Bob Booker

I have very fond memories of Bob's performances partnering Francis Joseph in attack in the spring of '84. He added physical presence to the frontline and was key to us staying in the Third Division that year.
 

Bob Booker

Bob will be in the club shop before the Wolves game on Saturday to meet fans and hopefully sign books.

Hope to see some of you.
 

Bob Booker

Just looked the book up on Amazon. It looks a real must-read for supporters of a certain age, and an antidote for those of us fed up with the 'will I, won't I' antics of some players today who earn far more than Bob ever did. But Bob put his heart into every game and I also remember him coming back to GP in '88 and starring in a Sheffield United team that beat us 4-1. He just kept getting better and thoroughly deserved his cult status as part of that successful, and exciting, Blades team.
 

Bob Booker

bee82 said:
Just looked the book up on Amazon. It looks a real must-read for supporters of a certain age, and an antidote for those of us fed up with the 'will I, won't I' antics of some players today who earn far more than Bob ever did. But Bob put his heart into every game and I also remember him coming back to GP in '88 and starring in a Sheffield United team that beat us 4-1. He just kept getting better and thoroughly deserved his cult status as part of that successful, and exciting, Blades team.
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Thanks for your kind words and I hope you enjoy the book. I went with Bob to Sheffield United v Bees a couple of weeks ago and he is truly loved up there. You are spot on. He played every game as if it was his last and gave everything.

He's a lovely man too.
 

Bob Booker

Mine arrived yesterday :sorted:
 

Bob Booker

Just a reminder that Bob will be in the club shop before and after today's game - hope to see some of you there!
 

Bob Booker

Bob Booker

Nice bloke.
Junior got her picture taken with him which she always likes (pictures with the players rather than stalking Bob Booker).

I know I've said it a few times but well worth getting the book.
 

Bob Booker

Met him in the shop and got him to sign a copy. Lovely man and one of my earliest heroes at GP along with Danis Salman and Steve Phillips. Looking forward to reading it.
 

Bob Booker

Finished it - but for family, work and other commitments I would have read it in a couple of days.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the book - probably more than I thought I would. A sign of a good book is feeling a bit bereft when you've finished it and I think that spurred me on to go and watch a non-league game this afternoon on the spur of the moment (more on that later).

I started supporting Brentford as Bob was coming to the end of his first stint with us. But as a Brentford supporter for the best part of 30 years, having been a student in Sheffield, having watched Brighton a fair bit prior to that and being an historian by trade the book was likely to appeal to me.

I found all of the sections equally interesting which is rarely the case with footballing biographies. In many ways the coaching stuff was the most interesting which surprised me. I really liked the way Bob does not hide what he felt about people without really throwing most under the bus. There were some things that were not covered in massive detail but I can understand why that was. When I was getting a book signed on Saturday Bob stressed the way the book gave a flavour of what it was like to be a player then and I would agree with that.

There were a few events that I remembered or witnessed which were linked to the book.
I remember seeing Bradley Walsh on TVAM wishing Bob Booker good luck as he would be playing for 'Sheffield' - I am pretty sure he just said Sheffield and I was very surprised to hear a mention of Brentford and about the transfer (I normally only heard things through Ceefax in those days).
I remember him on the 'United' programme - I remember the women who did the laundry seeming to particularly like him.
In my first week as a student I went to a Sheffield United reserve game and he was playing (that would have been after his last first team appearance I believe).
I remember Sheffield United supporters telling me about their liking for him and the two goals against Southampton were particularly mentioned.
I was at the derby game when his departure was announced - I was really interested to hear how he was almost 'bounced into' his goodbye. I saw him waving away but did not catch what was going on. One of my friends who was elsewhere in the ground later told me they said he was going to Brentford - I think I said he must have misheard.
Of course I saw some of his performances when he returned - It was interesting to read they were as frustrating to him as many of them were to me at the time. Clearly the signing was a mistake in retrospect (as Bassett suggests) and really frustrating to the player.
Ironically his performance at Fulham in the league cup was probably the best he gave that I saw and that was pretty much it.
And then minutes after finishing the book and driving to the non-league game I saw a sign to the place he said he now lives - that seemed a bit strange. I resisted the urge to drive down there, make a few cooing sounds and see if he appeared from the undergrowth (he's a very keen 'twitcher').

In short, the book is a great read - I never thought the author could surpass his commentaries on Ashley Bayes' faux pas but he has. I'd heartily recommend anyone with an interest in any of the clubs or football in the period to buy it.
 

Bob Booker

Downbeat Bee said:
Finished it - but for family, work and other commitments I would have read it in a couple of days.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the book - probably more than I thought I would. A sign of a good book is feeling a bit bereft when you've finished it and I think that spurred me on to go and watch a non-league game this afternoon on the spur of the moment (more on that later).

I started supporting Brentford as Bob was coming to the end of his first stint with us. But as a Brentford supporter for the best part of 30 years, having been a student in Sheffield, having watched Brighton a fair bit prior to that and being an historian by trade the book was likely to appeal to me.

I found all of the sections equally interesting which is rarely the case with footballing biographies. In many ways the coaching stuff was the most interesting which surprised me. I really liked the way Bob does not hide what he felt about people without really throwing most under the bus. There were some things that were not covered in massive detail but I can understand why that was. When I was getting a book signed on Saturday Bob stressed the way the book gave a flavour of what it was like to be a player then and I would agree with that.

There were a few events that I remembered or witnessed which were linked to the book.
I remember seeing Bradley Walsh on TVAM wishing Bob Booker good luck as he would be playing for 'Sheffield' - I am pretty sure he just said Sheffield and I was very surprised to hear a mention of Brentford and about the transfer (I normally only heard things through Ceefax in those days).
I remember him on the 'United' programme - I remember the women who did the laundry seeming to particularly like him.
In my first week as a student I went to a Sheffield United reserve game and he was playing (that would have been after his last first team appearance I believe).
I remember Sheffield United supporters telling me about their liking for him and the two goals against Southampton were particularly mentioned.
I was at the derby game when his departure was announced - I was really interested to hear how he was almost 'bounced into' his goodbye. I saw him waving away but did not catch what was going on. One of my friends who was elsewhere in the ground later told me they said he was going to Brentford - I think I said he must have misheard.
Of course I saw some of his performances when he returned - It was interesting to read they were as frustrating to him as many of them were to me at the time. Clearly the signing was a mistake in retrospect (as Bassett suggests) and really frustrating to the player.
Ironically his performance at Fulham in the league cup was probably the best he gave that I saw and that was pretty much it.
And then minutes after finishing the book and driving to the non-league game I saw a sign to the place he said he now lives - that seemed a bit strange. I resisted the urge to drive down there, make a few cooing sounds and see if he appeared from the undergrowth (he's a very keen 'twitcher').

In short, the book is a great read - I never thought the author could surpass his commentaries on Ashley Bayes' faux pas but he has. I'd heartily recommend anyone with an interest in any of the clubs or football in the period to buy it.
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Wow, what a wonderful review. Reading that mades all the hard work worthwhile. Thank you. I did not realise your connection to all three clubs Bob was involved with and i am delighted that it rang true to you.

Would you possibly be able to put this review on Amazon too?

Many thanks.

Greville
 
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