Product details
- ISBN 9781836804369
- Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
- Publication Date: 08 Jun 2026
- Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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The Unseen Sir Alf tears up the traditional narrative of Sir Alf Ramsey’s life and career. Using new evidence to tell Alf’s story afresh, it changes everything we thought we knew about the World Cup-winning manager. Rooting around in an archive several years ago, the author uncovered a secret chapter in Alf’s story. More digging showed history had got Ramsey wrong. Saddled with a racist nickname, rumoured to be a ‘gypsy’ and forced to play banned ‘Sunday football’, Alf only turned professional aged 26. His learning about football was obsessive. He thought of little else, and may have hidden his neurodiversity. As a player with Spurs, then a manager at Ipswich and England, Ramsey won trophies through relentless practice, observation and planning. He despised most journalists, was kind to fans, often rude to his FA employer and loved his players. Ramsey looked conformist but was really a radical. This odd, complex character became a national hero after England’s 1966 World Cup win. So, who really was Alf Ramsey, and what might modern England learn from him? This book holds all the answers.
Grant Bage has written football fanzines and academic textbooks. He plays and watches football, is an Honorary Fellow of The Historical Association and has a history PhD. His latest book, The Unseen Sir Alf: A Different Kind of Hero, draws on five years' intensive research. Grant's professional expertise as a manager, researcher and writer, plus his experiences as a fan, make him the perfect person to write this book.