Bottled: English Football's Boozy Story

by Benjamin Roberts

Bottled tells the story of English football's complicated relationship with booze through the experiences of the players who found themselves in crisis when they could no longer put it down - from George Best and Paul Gascoigne to Tony Adams and Paul Merson, as well as many others who escaped the headlines. Footballers play under intense pressure in the unforgiving glare of the media spotlight. But what do their stories tell us about ourselves? Are some challenges they face specific to a player's lifestyle? With insights from those at the sharp end, here is an examination of footballers in need and the help available from the industry. Untangling the complex web of links between alcohol and the beautiful game, Bottled explores the stories that characterised the origins of many of England's clubs, as churches and breweries vied for the souls of young men. From trashed hotel rooms to the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous via the China Jump club, Bottled navigates the journey from the stars to the gutter and, sometimes, back again.

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Tacitus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a heartfelt exploration of the impact of drinking on players’ lives, aided by the fact that Roberts is an admitted compulsive drinker himself. However, its narrative is disjointed; in one section there is a shift from the early days of English football to 1970s Germany, for example.

In the early days, churches sponsored teams in order to give working class men something to do other than drink on Saturday afternoons. Then breweries got involved, sponsoring teams and owning their fields.

Beyond these historical origins, though, Roberts does not explore how the culture of the game evolved. He does acknowledge how team pressures and burying personal problems compelled many to drink to excess, but how many players did so is not exactly clear. The brief asides to other club countries don’t do enough to compare and contrast, so it’s hard to tell how unique this was to England.

It’s clear that the situation has evolved, as players now are under pressure to maintain shape and performance, because the financial rewards are astronomical and life changing. Teams also have better internal support structures in place. Many players do not come from England and it’s pub culture. That said, gambling is easier to hide and has replaced drinking somewhat, at least until players retire.

[Paul McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, well written