Dear reader,

I did promise in my last e-mail that I wouldn't bother you again, but in the very act of typing this message, that promise is turning into a brazen lie. Some of you will know this already - for those of you who enjoyed The Quiet Fan, I have a new book out next month (August 8) about my refereeing experiences in Germany: Reffing Hell: Stuck in the Middle of a Game Gone Wrong. You can…

Dear readers,

I was in the US last week and met up with my old football team to drink beer and reminisce about past glories - both real and imagined. A few old hackers brought along their copy of The Quiet Fan for me to sign. Others said, "I haven't received my copy yet?" I asked them if they"d clicked on the email from Unbound asking them to confirm their address. Responses included: 1."What's…

Dear quiet fans,

It's been a while since I've updated you, and if you're like me and groan whenever you see anything corporately branded in your inbox, then you're probably thankful for that. Nonetheless, I feel it's time for a quick message because one or two people have politely enquired, "Where the **** is my book?"

Since the turn of the year The Quiet Fan has undergone a stringent and highly…

Dear loyal supporters,

After funding for The Quiet Fan almost reached 50%, things went rather quiet. This occasionally happens with Unbound books, and when it does they sometimes agree with authors to publish their books in e-book/paperback editions only. As I was definitely not born to crowd-fund, this seems right for me.

 

The major upside is that an e-book/paperback edition requires less cash…

It's summer. It's quiet. Many people switch off their computers, and that's a good thing. It also means stagnation for crowd-funders. When the sun's shining, who wants to read emails asking you to pledge money? I freely admit that I usually press 'delete'.

Still, I'm going to appeal to you, my loyal supporters, to try and persuade just one or two football fans in your wider circles to buy The…

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for tolerating another update. Just wanted to alert you to another excerpt from The Quiet Fan, posted today by When Saturday Comes magazine, pertaining to the 1984 Scottish Cup Final. That was the day when, as a soft and very quiet Rangers fan, I was trapped in the Celtic section and forced to show the appropriate emotions in the midst of a crushing hangover.

The…

Dear backers and potential readers,

The boxed set for Chapter One, 'Lincoln City v Exeter City: Cursing' is now on my pledge page. There will be future boxed sets for each specific chapter, though not necessarily in any coherent order (depends which cupboards and boxes I open first).

After an Introduction severely doubting the worth of Albert Camus' quote connecting football to morals and…