PAUL SMITH ON NOTTS - WITH KEYS & GRAY

PAUL SMITH ON NOTTS - WITH KEYS & GRAY

PAUL SMITH ON NOTTS - WITH KEYS & GRAY

Author Paul Smith recently guested on beIN Sports' popular Keys & Gray Show, discussing his book Record Breakers: The Inside Story of Notts County's Momentous 1997/98 Title Win.

The good news: Richard Keys hailed the book as "A really good read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And Sam Allardyce loved it!"

The bad news: The world's oldest football league club are currently adrift at the bottom of League Two, at serious risk of losing their hallowed, historical status. 

Click here to listen to the entertaining conversation - looking back on Andy Gray's time as a Notts player, the great 1997/98 season under Sam, and analysing the club's current predicament.

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Record Breakers.

Record Breakers: The Inside Story of Notts County’s Momentous 1997/98 Title Win delves into the inner sanctum of a basement-league dressing room in the 90s, as its inhabitants attempt to write themselves into the history books.

Led by future England boss Sam Allardyce, taking some of his first managerial steps, Record Breakers is the inspirational tale of how the world’s oldest Football League club fought back from a plunge down the divisions, falling attendances and financial strife to become the first side in postwar English football to win a title in March.

The momentous feat is relived by the players themselves, lending a unique insight into their record run. It’s packed with characters and anecdotes, and augmented with memories of supporters who lived through this season of tumbling records. From training ground punch-ups to transfer tales and unforgettable celebrations, Record Breakers is a remarkable winners’ story in what now seems a bygone era.

Relive the camaraderie, remember the unique atmosphere and winning mentality that contributed to Notts County’s unforgettable 1997/98 season. Go behind the scenes with Record Breakers and discover:

  • The financial strife that threatened to pull the club apart before the season had even started
  • What football used to look like through the eyes of a lower-league English club in the previous millennium
  • The real reasons behind Sam Allardyce’s acrimonious departure from the club – as told in an exclusive interview with the manager
  • Which player offered Allardyce out for a fight during a team-bonding night out
  • The numerous records broken by a special group of footballers in the course of one historic season
  • The identity of the player whose celebratory antics meant he stayed awake for the duration of Notts’ post-season Marbella jaunt
  • How ruthless teammates punished losers in training-ground contests – with  one player losing a tooth from a flying cone
  • Which of the class of 1997/98 became a Tesco driver, who emigrated to Menorca and who worked for Formula One’s Mark Webber