Give Us Tomorrow Now: Alan Durban's Mission Impossible - Hardcover

David Snowdon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785314483 ISBN 13: 9781785314483

Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd, 2018

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

"Snowdon's tale of a manager with a vision coming up against an impatient board and hard-to-please fans is an interesting examination of the kind of frustrations and what-might-have-been episodes familiar to most in Durban's profession." --Backpass

"A rundown of Durban's turbulent spell at Sunderland in which he struggled for the most part when contending with then owner Tom Cowie, a relationship which ultimately broke down to the point where the Welsh manager was dismissed from his post in March 1984." --Roker Report

"Snowdon succeeds in providing a thumping read, so much so that its 384 pages, like that old Roker Park, seem to ROAR!" --Mark Wadkins, Dare Radio-

About the Author:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1785314483
• ISBN 13: 9781785314483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384