High Ball to the Wee Man

"Exuberant, varied and at times almost moves you to tears - just like Scotland's World Cup misadventures. Walsh captures them so well in this delightful, inimitable wee book”

Jonathan Northcroft, Chief Football Writer, Sunday Times 

Measuring out his life in Scotland World Cup campaigns, Stephen Walsh journeys into the past in this book to explore Scotland's fated flirtations with football's top competition from the 1970s to the present.

His mazy dribble through Scotland's almost golden years starts with memories of watching 1974 with his grandfather and ends in 1998, when he must say goodbye to his father and to Scotland's place at the top table. Along the way there are guest appearances from such true blue Scottish heroes as Joe Jordan, Archie Gemmill and Diego Maradona.

The poems are witty and accessible, and evoke a range of moods. Like all good Scottish dances they involve a bit of jumping about but they are also in strict tempo. Rich with football lore, these four yearly memories offer jumping-off points to explore the past, both sporting and personal...