Give Us Tomorrow Now offers an entertaining and powerful narrative of a manager striving to satisfy legions of fanatical supporters and an impatient boardroom. Success and stability had long proven elusive objectives for Sunderland managers attempting the task of 'waking the sleeping giant'. In the summer of 1981, a new dawn shimmered as Alan Durban was persuaded to relinquish his comfortable Stoke post and enter the white heat of North East football mania. This disciple of Brian Clough battled to lay enduring foundations and find an on-field blend amidst constant boardroom interference and an intense media spotlight. A restless hierarchy failed to back their manager's judgement, and the lack of a cup run heightened boardroom impatience to boiling point. The book explores Durban's long-term vision and strategy - and how, heartbreakingly, his embryonic 'tomorrow team' would never be granted the chance to reach maturity.

David Snowdon is the author of Writing the Prizefight: Pierce Egan's 'Boxiana' World, which was awarded the prestigious British Society of Sports History Aberdare Literary Prize in 2014. After studying English literature at Sunderland and Newcastle Universities, David emerged with a PhD in 2008. He first saw Sunderland AFC play at Roker Park in 1975.