Product Description

The inside, in-depth and indiscreet story of a season with Britain’s worst football club – East Stirlingshire. The Shire are lucky if all eleven players make it to a game, they have an average home attendance at their dilapidated Firs Park ground of 200 and they ended the 2004/05 season bottom of the Scottish Third Division – for the third consecutive year. Granted access to all areas, Jeff Connor gets into the dressing room, the board room and the dug-out. But, above all, he gets into the spirit of the club. He began the season a scoffing cynic and finished it lost in admiration for one of the dottiest sporting institutions in Britain as the Shire attempted to reach the promised land – SECOND bottom of the Scottish Third Division. At times funny, sad, heart-warming and embarrassing, as events on and off the pitch unfold, Pointless is an unmissable insight into a unique football team

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #233453 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author

Jeff Connor was born in Manchester and now lives in Edinburgh. He is the rugby correspondent for Scotland on Sunday. He has written nine books, including the definitive story of the Busby Babes, The Lost Babes, and Up and Down Under, an account of the 2001 British Lions tour.

Customer Reviews

a great story of grass roots football
I thought this was a great read.
Everyone of those glory hunters out there who follow the big boys(chelsea,man utd,arsenal) should read this book and appreciate what being a true dedicated football fan is all about.
to stick with the team through season after season of despair is a tribute to the heartly souls of East Stirling.
i found the book very enjoyable and the trips to the small clubs around the lower leagues of scotland a pleasure .
hats off to the author for writing a highly enjoyable and different slant on football writing.

Pointless - A winner!!!
Being an exiled, football mad scotsman, I found this book enthralling. It was well written, witty, satirical but above all honest. The author must have had a fantastic time doing this book and the insight into the running of any football club must be an eye-opener for anybody, but I am sure he had to put on his sunglasses (and earplugs) sometime, as the content of the managers' comments would make anyone cringe. I felt like I was visiting the football ground myself (as I have done years ago) and nothing has changed in over 35 years. An honest, down- to-earth book. Not to be missed by any, and I repeat any, true football enthusiast.

An Apt Title!
As a Beano I was hoping that this tome about one of our local rivals would be an entertaining warts and all behind the scenes look at the running of East Stirlingshire, instead we get one tired old story after another.

The pre-historic joke about the players who are in the wrong town gets dragged out again and all the while the author sneers at the Shire players whilst sticking the boot into the Board of Directors.

Instead of the nitty gritty of lower league football we get "hilarious" tales of having to stand in the toilet or sit on the washing machine.

And if you are going to write a book on the Shire then I suggest you at least get the FACTS right and correctly state when they have won trophies and been promoted the author here obviously hasn't done his homework as he makes glaring errors about both the Shire and Scottish football in general.

An open goal squandered.