The Ghost (eBook)

When Spurs legend John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. He was just 27 years of age.

Nicknamed the 'Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played an inspirational role in the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early 1960s. Every fan has a story about him.

When White died, his son, Rob, was only six months old and so never knew his father. The man who was revered by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country was a stranger to him. Beyond the grainy Cup Final footage and yellowed newspaper articles, there was so much Rob didn't know, questions he had never had an opportunity to ask. To find answers he set out to speak to White's former teammates, his family and followers, and built up a touching portrait of a gifted young footballer and of a lost era.

'Had John lived, he could have been one of the greatest footballers of all time' Jimmy Greaves

With a new afterword for the paperback.

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When John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. White was just 27 years of age.

Nicknamed 'The Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played inside-forward for the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early sixties. British football was entering a golden period and Bill Nicholson's free-flowing Spurs side was right at the forefront. White himself was on the cusp of greatness. Appearing alongside giants of the game like Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, he'd already lifted the European Cup Winners Cup for Spurs (the first European trophy won by any British side) and gained 22 caps for Scotland.

White was the archetypal footballer, but he was also a devoted family man. Six months before he died, his beloved wife Sandra gave birth to their second child, a son called Rob.

Rob White never knew his father. The man who was known by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country was a complete stranger to him. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is the result of interviews with his father's teammates, followers, and family members. Within these pages Rob White and Julie Welch have built up a portrait, not only of brilliant and gifted young man but, also, of a lost era.

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When Spurs legend John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. He was just 27 years of age.Nicknamed the 'Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played an inspirational role in the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early 1960s. Every fan has a story about him. When White died, his son, Rob, was only six months old and so never knew his father. The man who was revered by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country was a stranger to him. Beyond the grainy Cup Final footage and yellowed newspaper articles, there was so much Rob didn't know, questions he had never had an opportunity to ask. To find answers he set out to speak to White's former teammates, his family and followers, and built up a touching portrait of a gifted young footballer and of a lost era. 'Had John lived, he could have been one of the greatest footballers of all time' Jimmy GreavesWith a new afterword for the paperback.