32 Programmes

When Dave Roberts relocates to the USA, his wife informs him that they can only take what is 'absolutely essential'. Packing his collection of football programmes (1,134 of them - football fans are sticklers for statistics), Dave is aghast to be informed that the programmes do not fall into that category. He must whittle down his treasured archive to only what will fit inside a Tupperware container the size of a Dan Brown hardback.32 Programmes tells the story of how Dave made the selection of his most important programmes, and how the process brought back a flood of nostalgia for simpler times. As the sights, sounds and smells of those 1,134 football matches return, the choices Dave makes reflect the twists and turns that life takes. Finally, with just hours to go before the flight, the container is full to the brim. One more programme will be added to the collection - one that Dave never thought he would see and which means more to him than any other.32 Programmes is the story of youthful football obsession, crushes on disinterested girls, rubbish jobs and trying to impress skinheads. But most of all, it is the story of a man's life and loves, of family, friends and football.

Préface
The hilarious and moving story of a man called Dave (a football fan) and his most precious possessions...

Auteur

Dave Roberts has been one of those annoying bike couriers, a security guard, a Civil Servant, a KFC chef who was fired for trying to steal a sample of the secret recipe, and a train driver - all before reaching the age of twenty. After that, he settled for a career in advertising, which was eventually cut short by illness, but not before accidentally winning a Silver Lion at Cannes. He now writes books, which all seem to have a theme in common: obsession ...

Texte du rabat

When Dave Roberts and his wife take the momentous decision to move to the USA, he naturally assumes that his treasured collection of 1,134 football programmes will be accompanying him on the plane. Wrong. In no uncertain terms, Dave is informed that space is at a premium and he will have to whittle his precious hoard down to what will fit in a Tupperware box.

As Dave relates the story behind each of the 31 (yes, 31) programmes he selects, they stir memories of times gone by, evoking bittersweet reminders of how far he's travelled. And Dave would never have predicted the chain of events that lead to the final, 32nd programme and a homecoming that would bring a lump to the throat of even the most hardened midfield destroyer.

32 Programmes is a brilliant, funny, charming and heart-warming tale of an obsession. But it is also a story about the passage of time and the true meaning of family, friends...and football.