Overview

The story of how one small boy's near impossible dream became a reality. Growing up in poverty in the austere 1950s Fife coalfield, Tommy Hutchison had an unshakable belief that one day he would wear the dark blue shirt of Scotland. To an outsider it seemed an improbable ambition. Too weak to cross a ball from the byline to the goal area, the teenage Hutchison was overlooked by his teachers and never made the school football team. Through sheer determination, an indomitable spirit and hour upon hour of lonely practice, the adolescent Tommy was finally noticed by his local team, and his journey to Hampden and World Cup glory began. Tommy's football genius ultimately took him all over the world to play with and against some of the greatest footballers of the 1970s and 80s in a career spanning four amazing decades. Hutch, Hard Work and Belief is the funny yet inspiring story of how the seemingly unattainable can be achieved by unwavering, resolute self-belief.

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9781801501910

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Reviews

"""This is a pleasingly old school autobiography. While many footballers lives espouse hot takes or settle scores, Hutchison and his collaborator, first time author, Kevin Shannon, opt for old style story telling. The reader is taken through a career covering more than a thousand games including interesting sabbaticals in Seattle and Hong Kong. The tone is conversational, like a fireside chat with a kindly grandfather who just happens to have been a top class footballer. and peppering the narrative are a series of anecdotes that feel honed by a series of sportsman’s dinners... Hutchison comes across as a man obsessed with the rhythms and rituals of the game and this book is a refreshingly uncynical account of a football life well lived."" -- Michael Gallgher * When Saturday Comes * ""This is a biography grown out of love and that drips from every syllable on the pages. It has heart and it has soul."" * Football Book Reviews * ""There have been many former Coventry City player’s biographies over the years - some shall we say are very much a mixed bag. Kevin Shannon is to be congratulated on doing justice to the great Tommy Hutchison. A thoroughly good read with plenty to interest those beyond the clubs Tommy played for."" * Cadhain’s Blog * ""I might be biased but this is one of the most inspiring football biographies I have read and I recommend it to all Sky Blue fans as well as football fans in general. Tom and his ghost writer Kevin Shannon deserve credit for a welcome addition to the Coventry City library of books."" * Jim Brown’s Journal *"

Author Information

Tommy Hutchison shared many pots of tea and the odd Scottish fudge donut with Kevin Shannon while writing his life story. After retiring from teaching, Kevin co-wrote this book to fulfil a long-term ambition. As an obsessed Coventry fan, he could think of no better subject for his debut tome than the player he regards as the greatest-ever Sky Blue, the wonderful Tommy Hutchison.

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