West Brom's Cult Heroes

Assessing who the 20 greatest heroes in Albion's history are, this book traces the reasons for their rise to cult status. Including chapters on players, such as Don Goodman, Cyrille Regis, Derek Kevan and Joe Kennedy, it features fans' views, examines controversial talking points and raises a debate about who is the ultimate Albion Cult Hero.

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It's the great pub debate. Who is West Brom's greatest cult hero? Jeff Astle, Bob Taylor, Willie Johnston, Darren Moore? Or is it one of the less obvious Baggies icons, such as Bob Roberts, Tommy 'Mighty Atom' Magee, John Osborne or Richard Sneekes? Author Simon Wright, former editor of "Grorty Dick" fanzine, has spent a year assessing who the 20 greatest heroes in Albion's history are, tracing the reasons for their rise to cult status and in the process rediscovered the heart and soul of West Bromich Albion FC. "West Brom's Cult Heroes" is the result of his efforts, and a plethora of researchers, including renowned Albion folk Terry Wills, Steve Carr, Laurie Rampling, Colin McKenzie, Dave Hewitt, Glynis Wright and Adrian Goldberg, who, along with many Baggies fans, have helped put together a fascinating and inspirational book. Along the way, Simon discovered the incredible stories of the goalscoring legend who stole his fans' beer, the forward who signed for Albion whilst serving in a First World War trench, the goalkeeper who accepted cigarettes from the crowd during matches and the winger with a penchant for streaking. Including chapters on players, such as Don Goodman, Ray Barlow, Cyrille Regis, Derek Kevan and Joe Kennedy, the book features fans' views, examines controversial talking points and raises a huge debate about who is the ultimate Albion Cult Hero. The research has unearthed a plethora of new stories about legends, such as Jeff Astle and Tony Brown, while never before published details on the careers of such early luminaries as Bob Roberts, Harold Bache, Tommy Magee, John Osborne and Billy Bassett feature heavily. There are also plenty of hitherto unpublished photographs and in Simon's efforts to leave no stone unturned in his quest to explain the iconic status of these 20 greats, the book even features a contribution by George Bush's speechwriter!