Publisher Description

The period leading up to 1999 had been grim for Stoke City fans - relegation, stagnation, embarrassment and board conflicts were commonplace at the club. As the new millennium approached, fans demanded change, but no one could have predicted what would come next. An Icelandic consortium, brought together by Gudjon Thordarson, set sail for the Potteries with the promise of exciting foreign imports and Premier League football. What followed was a mixture of flashy arrivals, cup successes, broken curses, flop signings and plenty of fallouts, with extraordinary on-field moments along the way. Cult heroes and villains were made as Stoke became a living soap opera for seven remarkable years. Twinned with Reykjavik lifts the lid on that rollercoaster ride with the views of the people who experienced the wild journey. Integral players and fans look back on the key moments that defined the era as the book ponders that vital question: was the Icelandic takeover actually a success for Stoke City?

Author Biography

Liam Bullock is more accustomed to writing about Icelandic volcanoes than footballers. He has written numerous articles in his day job as a geologist, but this is the first time he has turned his attention to his main passion - Stoke City FC. Liam was present for key moments of the 1999 to 2006 era, so provides a supporter's-eye view in his riveting book.

Details