Anyone who missed the first publication of Edgar Smith’s Bad Worse Worst (The Story of Derby County’s Record Breaking 2007/8 Season)) will this Christmas get a second chance to get their hands on this witty and insightful account.
Re-released as the first in the People’s History of Football Series, Smith’s book makes a great Christmas present for fans of Derby County or football in general, especially if the wounds of three seasons ago have finally healed.
Though the campaign started with high hopes as the Rams returned to the Premier League after a five-year absence, it soon descended into a downward spiral of misery, as record after record was broken.
As Smith says in his introduction to Bad, Worse, Worst: “For me, the moment of realisation was at one of the Christmas fixtures – I bought a Golden Goal ticket, but when I scratched off the time of the next goal, it said “February”.
The book is presented as a fan’s journal, rather than the more run-of-the-mill game by game review of a season.
Instead, the author regales us with tales of sighting a Rams star in Sainsbury’s car park; an appearance on Match of the Day Two by a friend of the writer; coping with working in an office with a lot of Nottingham Forest fans, a certain goalkeeper’s love of kick-boxing, a certain manager’s love of illicit text messages and being asked to collect the Nuts Magazine Fans of the Year Award on behalf of Derby’s long suffering supporters.
The book, whether you are a Derby fan or not, is simply hilarious, and a real insight into the travails that a die-hard fan goes through in a particularly bad season.
Most clubs have books reviewing their season, but few are done with the humorous touch that Smith brings to his review.
In addition, unless you are lucky enough to follow a team who are always winning trophies, few season-reviews document such a historic season.
When the book was first published, some Rams fans were still raw from the experience but as time has passed, the wounds have healed and people can look back and laugh.
Sales have ticked along and the publisher has now decided to re-issue a new edition due to the on-going demand.
Ideal as a Christmas present or a book to put in your bathroom and dip in and out of, this should be on everyone’s shopping list.
