The latest book of bizarre football trivia featuring amusing and unusual incidents on and off the pitch is reviewed by Eric Brown…
BY ERIC BROWN
Trivia books are surely becoming the most common form of sporting literature these days.
They appear regularly, containing a cornucopia of unusual incidents in football, tennis, rugby union, cricket, horse racing and many other sports.
These fairly inexpensive vaults of literature introduce the reader to wacky, bizarre and amusing sporting happenings that challenge belief.
Yet another has just been published, involving a mixture of the well-known and the less well-known.
Some of the better known in Alan Ferguson’s football extravaganza Funny Old Game include the manager who blamed his team’s poor form on the colour of stadium seats, Ken Bates’ bizarre plan for electric fences at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, the manager whose reign lasted just 10 minutes, Maradona’s Hand of God goal, theft of the World Cup, Charlton’s 7-6 win over Huddersfield after being 5-1 down with 10 men and 20 minutes left, plus plenty about on-field punch ups and doggies on the pitch.
There are lesser-known gems to be unearthed here, like the Italian who appeared in four sets of World Cup Finals without ever playing a qualifying game.
Like how television coverage of World Cup finals was dragged kicking and screaming to life in 1954 when the BBC screened half a dozen matches but were not allowed to select which.
So on one occasion, English viewers had to put up with watching host nation Switzerland instead of England. Sometimes only the second halves were shown, and coverage of one of the semi-finals was replaced by an agricultural show.
🚨 A plethora of new football books out today, ahead of the World Cup!
— Pitch Publishing 📚 Sports Books (@PitchPublishing) May 18, 2026
⚽️ A Funny Old Game: The Most Bizarre and Amusing Tales from the World of Footbal
🏆 The outstanding Glittering Prize trilogy, by @OBrien_Jonathan
🇧🇷 1982 Brazil: The Glorious Failure
🔴 Into the Big Time,… pic.twitter.com/6uja077P59
Then there’s the day Harry Redknapp became increasingly irritated by a fan near the Oxford United dugout constantly criticising the centre forward in his West Ham team during a pre-season friendly.
His patience finally exhausted, Harry went into the crowd to confront the barracker with a question about whether he thought he could do better.
When the West Ham supporter said yes, Redknapp marched him into the dressing room, gave him some kit and ordered the rather portly fan to prove it.
The fan, who had prepared with a pre-match diet of beer, chips and fags, replaced the target of his insults and actually scored a goal!
There’s also a nice review of Harry Maguire’s early career. Before he became England’s centre half, he endured several setbacks. In the 2014/15 season, he played for Hull City and Wigan on loan. Both clubs were subsequently relegated.
Maguire’s debut season at Sheffield United in 2010/11 saw The Blades relegated from the Championship. He even suffered relegation when playing for England in the 2022 UEFA Nations League.
Open this book anywhere at any time and discover something to make you chuckle, snigger or guffaw.
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