The Final Score Book

My guiding light has been a piece of advice I once received from the late Lord Ted Willis, prolific writer, creator of Dixon of Dock Green and a wonderful friend: "Never use a one pound word when a sixpenny one will do", he said. For a football commentator like me, that has never been a problem. I've made a good living out of sixpenny words. One of the most recognisable sounds in sport, Brian Moore--the Voice of Football--looks back at more than 30 years in television and radio and on what is has meant to him to share a nation's sporting passions.Moore reveals the untold stories behind his public career with humour and humility, casting an affectionate but critical eye on colleagues such as Jimmy Hill and Ron Atkinson, and sporting greats as diverse as Niki Lauda and Maradona.His even-handed appreciation of the mercurial genius of Brian Clough--a colleague and friend of 30 years--is typical of the fan who never lost his critical sense while enjoying the company of his heroes. Retirement from television commentary at the end of the 1998 World Cup finals came hard on the heels of arguably his greatest ever performance. The record 27 million people who experienced the England-Argentina match with him enjoyed vintage Moore--spare, elegant and with a sense of occasion which never degenerated into bombast. All qualities he has brought to these recollections of a life at the big match. --Alex HankinRead More