Lane of Dreams
by Norman Giller
255 pages
NMG Publishing
ISBN 978-0-9543243-4-6
Price :  £18.95  (Steve Perryman and Jimmy Greaves autographed copies £30.00)
Available from http://www.thelaneofdreams.co.uk

To say that Norman Giller is prolific is like saying supporting Spurs is something you just can't give up on.  And he should know.  His co-authoring of some of the Jimmy Greaves books and enough of his own on football and other sports means he has a breadth of knowledge and while not a Spurs fan, he has seen enough football in his time as a correspondent to know a club with a fine history and great moments when he sees one.  And he has enlisted the help of a tumult of Spurs fans to give their reminiscences and memories about players, games and the White Hart Lane ground to show how strong the feeling for the club from it's supporters is.

Neatly split up into sections, the book logically leads you from the formation of the club, through the early years and right through the Glory years to Harry Redknapp taking over at the Lane.  Beyond that, there are fans pages including their memories of the earliest trips to see Spurs play, about their favourite games and the best Spurs XI of all time.  The writing of the "voice of the people" have given the book a personal feel that many readers will be able to relate to and the recollections will either fill in the parts of your Spurs knowledge that might be lacking (i.e. from the years before you were born) or bring back happy times following Tottenham Hotspur.

Whichever it might be, there is enough in this book to give you something new to add to your depth of love for the club.  Whether it be Jimmy Greaves' assessment of the players who made up the Double team, the small stats and firsts section, short pen pics of 50 Spurs legends and other events that have taken place at the old ground.  All of which fill out the history of the club and the stadium.  There are also a smattering of black and white and colour photographs from the archives to flesh out the thousands of words included herein.

With a shiny new ground (which won't be known as White Hart Lane) on the horizon, this is a timely summing up of how the club got to the Lane and what the stadium has come to mean to both the club and it's followers.  It is perhaps an interesting venture that comes from outside the club, but one which is richly deserving of your custom.

wyart lane