Football on the Brink in the '80s

LONGLISTED FOR 2025 WILLIAMHILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

In the 1980s, politicians declared war on football;football supporters declared war on each other inside crumbling stadiums thatresembled bomb sites and the '82 and '86 World Cups were played against thebackdrop of the Falklands conflict. It was a decade in which some fans diedwatching the game they loved, and at times, the 'slum sport' seemed set toimplode. Yet, remarkably, the game was on the cusp of morphing into thebehemoth it has become today.

Set against a backdrop of economic recession,rampant hooliganism and suspect fashion, Go To War tells the story ofhow triumph and tragedy shaped English football during the 1980s. Throughoutthis explosive book, author Jon Spurling delves into the stories behind thesuccesses and strife.

Thirty years in the making, Go To War drawson interviews conducted with '80s icons including Terry Butcher, Graeme Sharpand Ray Wilkins, managerial legends like Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson and FACup heroes Ricky Villa and Norman Whiteside. Like its precursor, thebestselling Get It On, Go To War provides a unique insight into apivotal footballing decade.