The engaging and richly researched story of a turbulent period in the intense world of Sunderland AFC and North East football. Set amid a fascinating late-1970s backdrop, the book features first-hand accounts and authentic dialogue.

Written by David Snowdon, winner of the prestigious British Society of Sports History Lord Aberdare Literary Prize and author of the acclaimed Give Us Tomorrow Now, this enthralling book:

• Explores the fluctuating fortunes of Sunderland in the late 1970s, chronicling a period brimming with an intoxicating mix of hope, excitement, disappointment and tragedy
• Features a contribution from former Sunderland ace Gary Rowell
• Analyses the decline of ‘Messiah’ Bob Stokoe and the long-lasting fallout from the club’s lost opportunity to appoint former son Brian Clough
• Charts the struggle and failure of Jimmy Adamson to satisfy the expectations of a fanatical fan base
• Includes tales of the club’s wonderfully wacky searches for a ‘big name’ manager and proven striker
• Spotlights a plethora of North East connections, interweaving a bountiful blend of characters and subjects (clubs, managers, players, sport, popular culture and politics)

Perfect for all Sunderland supporters and North East football fans, this book will also appeal to anyone interested in the fascinating wider milieu of 1970s Britain.

"Meticulously researched... fascinating delve into the second half of the 1970s, and highlight some of the reasons why the club struggled to make progress during the era... The context behind a period that promised much and delivered little, gave rise to hopes of an ambitious appointment of somebody like Brian Clough or Bobby Robson, and, interspersed with cultural and political references, provides the wider backdrop to this muddling period of SAFC lore. It is a must read for those of us that want to better understand how it panned out in the way it did." * Roker Report *

David Snowdon is a former winner of the prestigious British Society of Sports History Lord Aberdare Literary Prize, and author of the acclaimed Give Us Tomorrow Now. 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.