From Father to Son: How Fate and Family Made Me a Watford Fan

From Father to Son is Paul Bishop’s semi-autobiographical account of his love of football, and most of all his local team Watford. It touches on the innocence of childhood and the influence of parents, family, friends, and in Paul’s case Jimmy Hill, Johnny Haynes and many others. Part history, part travelogue, the book takes the reader on a nostalgic trip from the early 1960s, when football was a game and not a business. It explains why a five-minute segment in Kes makes it a better football film than Escape to Victory. It was an era when all English grounds were dominated by terraces, you could meet your mates and have a chat on the ‘cinder curve’ at Vicarage Road, as you marvelled at the skill of Ray Lugg and the heading ability of Barry Endean. The author also acknowledges the original ‘boss’ in his young eyes… Watford’s legendary manager Ken Furphy, who went from Workington to New York Cosmos, via Watford, and ended up coaching both Pele and Johan Cruyff.