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Who Are Ya?: 92 Football Clubs – and Why You Shouldn’t Support Them
"Excellent" –The Times"Kevin's immense knowledge shines on every page." – Gary Lineker"A football book by a fan for the fans. A treasure trove." – Alan Davies"An entertaining romp through the back alleys and glamour parks of English football." – FourFourTwoPartly autobiographical, partly polemical, but mostly funny, Who Are Ya? is a snapshot of modern football, exploring the history of all 92 English Football League clubs .During his time as a broadcaster, comedian and former Match of the Day presenter Kevin Day has spoken to thousands of football players, managers and most importantly fans from across the generations. He spent thousands of hours crossing the country on trains, planes, automobiles, coaches – and once a donkey called Lightning – watching football at all levels.This book is the result of a tale of being chased down a railway line at Cardiff, a story of meeting George Best, an account of a lady getting her first Hull City tattoo at the age of 80!Crisply funny and with a host of celebrity football fan contributors – including Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, Alfie Boe, Eddie Izzard, Gabby Logan, and Romesh Ranganathan – Who Are Ya? celebrates the joys and miseries of being a football supporter.
320 pages, ebook
Published October 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 27, 2021
Who is Kevin Day?: 1 shallow football book - and Why You Shouldn't Buy It
Contains detailed personal recollections of lots (& lots & lots) of Palace away days and and a few superficial, i.e. Wikipedia level, details on clubs that aren't Palace.
Feels like he got bored with writing the book only shortly after I got bored reading it, about a third of the way in - I like to persevere.
Picking it up as a paperback from a 99p bargain bin would have been OK but its not worth £7.13 for a Kindle edition.
Did I mention that he supports Palace?
Ged
Contains detailed personal recollections of lots (& lots & lots) of Palace away days and and a few superficial, i.e. Wikipedia level, details on clubs that aren't Palace.
Feels like he got bored with writing the book only shortly after I got bored reading it, about a third of the way in - I like to persevere.
Picking it up as a paperback from a 99p bargain bin would have been OK but its not worth £7.13 for a Kindle edition.
Did I mention that he supports Palace?
Ged
August 4, 2026
Who Are Ya?: 92 Football Clubs – and Why You Shouldn’t Support Them is a very enjoyable and engaging survey of the clubs that make up the four top tiers of English football. Written by Kevin Day, a comedian, football addict and dedicated Crystal Palace supporting, this tome does very well indeed to offer the reader an introduction to the world of English league football, including supporter culture and club history. Throughout the 'narrative' of the book Day posits each club as a rival to 'his' Crystal Palace and then gives reasons why the referenced club should not be supported. It's a little bit of a gimmick, and much of what precedes each comment is a bit tongue in cheek. However, these aspects of the book are very much work in its favour; one would get easily bored with a more erudite, less silly text.
A core reason why Who Are Ya works so well is that Day brings his own personal life, memories and humour into his survey, thus providing a point of connection for the reader, whether he or she is a fan of English football or not. As the book progresses Day reminds us of how the communal passion for the sport is a mixture of the trivial and the significant, the ridiculous and the sublime, the past and the present, the triumphs and the disasters. Underpinned by his sense of humour and how his own life has been informed by football, Day makes it abundantly clear that for all the flaws and rivalries within the English football systems, the Leagues and their communities are vital and important.
For me where I though the book really excelled was capturing something of the world of the smaller clubs, the non-EPL entities that battle it out in the lower leagues, or maybe make a brief appearance in the to flight only to disappear back down the relegation ladder not long thereafter. For example, consider what Day says of Accrington:
“However, there is still a glorious touch of the past about them that befits a team called Stanley. In 2018, after a 2-1 home victory against AFC Wimbledon, the club announced that a pair of false teeth had been found on one of the terraces. Eager to reunite them with their owner, the club dutifully released a photo of said teeth to the press, although my guess is that the owner had already realised that he/she had lost them. Can you imagine the PR department of any big club allowing them to publicly admit that one of their fans had left their teeth behind? If it was Man United they would have made a few discreet enquiries, hired a private detective, gone door-to-door. Accrington just treated it like a living episode of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. I like that”
Putting aside in the ineffably English nature of what Day writes of here, as well as the slow build up of the (obvious) humour in the described situation, one can definitely sense the accessible and communal aspect of Accrington FC. Day ventures into similar territory again and again with these smaller clubs, making what I would suggest is rather respectful if not loving fun of them:
“There were only about a hundred Mansfield fans left at the end, but at the final whistle they went on a mini-rampage that took as many as one policeman to stop, but not until about £3.50’s worth of damage had been done to the away terrace. It didn’t make any headlines the next day.”
Another reason why Who Are Ya deserves commendation is that whilst surveying all 92 clubs he also helps create a sense of both the unity and diversity of England as a society, something that perhaps one might not be so concerned with or even find a bit meaningless. When Day speaks to the regional aspects of each club, including their own unique derbies or the away day experiences for travelling fans, the differences between the English in their own country are made very clear indeed. Furthermore, Day writes about this with an appealing mix of intellect and fun:
“I’ve never been a fan of nominative determinism, the idea that your name may somehow influence your character or your occupation. Gordon Banks would have ended up at the NatWest, not the World Cup; David Seaman would still be on a trawler; and somebody called Kevin Friend surely wouldn’t even consider becoming a referee.
Having said that, if you name your baby town Barnsley, it could only ever grow up to be in Yorkshire. Barnsley could only sound more Yorkshire if it was called Barnsley-by-Eck and moaning about London beer prices. A town called Barnsley is never going to be in Surrey, is it? It’s in YORKSHIRE! And away fans at Oakwell can have no doubt they are in YORKSHIRE!”
Again and again and again each club has its history reviewed, including their origins, their most important achievements and perhaps more than a few key identities associated with them. It’s rather surprising to learn so many were founded by cricketers looking for something to do in the winter months, whereas it’s not so surprising to learn many clubs have not really done that much when it comes to winning trophies. One of the best moments in Who Are Ya? that takes on a clubs history is that for Northampton Town, and Day’s account of their pre-WW1 player Walter Tull;
“Instead, let me introduce you to a player you may vaguely have heard of but who should really be as well known as George Best. Walter Tull was the first black outfield footballer in England (and the second black footballer overall). He was born in 1888 to an English mother and a father from Barbados. Both died when he was very young, and Walter and his siblings were separated, with Walter ending up alone in an orphanage in the East End of London. He excelled as an athlete and was spotted by local amateur side Clapton, from where he signed for Tottenham. It was not a happy experience. In 1909, following a game at Bristol City, one reporter wrote that ‘a selection of the crowd made a cowardly attack on him in language lower than Billingsgate’.* The same reporter went on to write: ‘Let me tell those Bristol hooligans that Tull is so clean in mind and method as to be a model for all white men who play football. Tull was the best forward on the field.’
In 1911 he joined Northampton Town and went on to appear 110 times, until war intervened. Tull volunteered for the Middlesex Regiment, part of the famous ‘Footballers’ Battalions’. Walter may have been the second black footballer, but he became the first black officer to lead white soldiers into battle. His own commanding officer commended his ‘gallantry and coolness’ after one night raid into enemy territory.
This story has no happy ending. On 25 March 1918, the Germans launched the last major offensive of the war. Lieutenant Walter Tull was shot and killed attempting to stem the tide. Private Billingham, Leicester’s goalkeeper, tried and failed to drag his body back for burial, but a remarkable man lies unknown with many others in the mud of France. There is a beautiful memorial to him close to Sixfields, where Northampton now play.”
Day does a wonderful job of bringing such stories (some more detailed than others) to the reader’s attention, and I would suggest this is possibly the strongest academic aspect of the book. That the author doesn’t just load up his book with jokes and reminiscences about his own experiences is crucial to adding gravitas to his work.
Finally, as a mad keen supporter Day understands that being at the game and/or supporting a team isn’t just about the football. In his summary of Wigan Athletic he picks up on one the most crucial of game day experiences, food (aka scran):
“Oh my God, the pies! Those pies were a-ma-zing, darling, it’s a 10! I mean, I’d tried balti pie (see chapter on Man United) but these were different gravy, literally. For a start, the filling actually filled it. I was used to pies that had so many gaps in you could use them as a flute. And what fillings! I think they were actual meat, with not a kidney in sight. And which evil genius would put cheese and onion in a pie? It was like eating hot melted crisps in puff pastry, and it turns out I’d always wanted to eat hot melted crisps in puff pastry.”
Who Are Ya? isn’t perfect, and it won’t readily appeal to non football fans. I suspect that one has to really have a strong hold on English league football to get all the references, and it also got a little tiresome seeing so many footnotes added to the text (I began to ignore them). Having said that, this is a bloody good effort at given the neophyte or the curious an insight into the round ball game in the country that arguably began it all. I know several of my friend would enjoy Kevin’s work, and maybe you will too.
A core reason why Who Are Ya works so well is that Day brings his own personal life, memories and humour into his survey, thus providing a point of connection for the reader, whether he or she is a fan of English football or not. As the book progresses Day reminds us of how the communal passion for the sport is a mixture of the trivial and the significant, the ridiculous and the sublime, the past and the present, the triumphs and the disasters. Underpinned by his sense of humour and how his own life has been informed by football, Day makes it abundantly clear that for all the flaws and rivalries within the English football systems, the Leagues and their communities are vital and important.
For me where I though the book really excelled was capturing something of the world of the smaller clubs, the non-EPL entities that battle it out in the lower leagues, or maybe make a brief appearance in the to flight only to disappear back down the relegation ladder not long thereafter. For example, consider what Day says of Accrington:
“However, there is still a glorious touch of the past about them that befits a team called Stanley. In 2018, after a 2-1 home victory against AFC Wimbledon, the club announced that a pair of false teeth had been found on one of the terraces. Eager to reunite them with their owner, the club dutifully released a photo of said teeth to the press, although my guess is that the owner had already realised that he/she had lost them. Can you imagine the PR department of any big club allowing them to publicly admit that one of their fans had left their teeth behind? If it was Man United they would have made a few discreet enquiries, hired a private detective, gone door-to-door. Accrington just treated it like a living episode of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. I like that”
Putting aside in the ineffably English nature of what Day writes of here, as well as the slow build up of the (obvious) humour in the described situation, one can definitely sense the accessible and communal aspect of Accrington FC. Day ventures into similar territory again and again with these smaller clubs, making what I would suggest is rather respectful if not loving fun of them:
“There were only about a hundred Mansfield fans left at the end, but at the final whistle they went on a mini-rampage that took as many as one policeman to stop, but not until about £3.50’s worth of damage had been done to the away terrace. It didn’t make any headlines the next day.”
Another reason why Who Are Ya deserves commendation is that whilst surveying all 92 clubs he also helps create a sense of both the unity and diversity of England as a society, something that perhaps one might not be so concerned with or even find a bit meaningless. When Day speaks to the regional aspects of each club, including their own unique derbies or the away day experiences for travelling fans, the differences between the English in their own country are made very clear indeed. Furthermore, Day writes about this with an appealing mix of intellect and fun:
“I’ve never been a fan of nominative determinism, the idea that your name may somehow influence your character or your occupation. Gordon Banks would have ended up at the NatWest, not the World Cup; David Seaman would still be on a trawler; and somebody called Kevin Friend surely wouldn’t even consider becoming a referee.
Having said that, if you name your baby town Barnsley, it could only ever grow up to be in Yorkshire. Barnsley could only sound more Yorkshire if it was called Barnsley-by-Eck and moaning about London beer prices. A town called Barnsley is never going to be in Surrey, is it? It’s in YORKSHIRE! And away fans at Oakwell can have no doubt they are in YORKSHIRE!”
Again and again and again each club has its history reviewed, including their origins, their most important achievements and perhaps more than a few key identities associated with them. It’s rather surprising to learn so many were founded by cricketers looking for something to do in the winter months, whereas it’s not so surprising to learn many clubs have not really done that much when it comes to winning trophies. One of the best moments in Who Are Ya? that takes on a clubs history is that for Northampton Town, and Day’s account of their pre-WW1 player Walter Tull;
“Instead, let me introduce you to a player you may vaguely have heard of but who should really be as well known as George Best. Walter Tull was the first black outfield footballer in England (and the second black footballer overall). He was born in 1888 to an English mother and a father from Barbados. Both died when he was very young, and Walter and his siblings were separated, with Walter ending up alone in an orphanage in the East End of London. He excelled as an athlete and was spotted by local amateur side Clapton, from where he signed for Tottenham. It was not a happy experience. In 1909, following a game at Bristol City, one reporter wrote that ‘a selection of the crowd made a cowardly attack on him in language lower than Billingsgate’.* The same reporter went on to write: ‘Let me tell those Bristol hooligans that Tull is so clean in mind and method as to be a model for all white men who play football. Tull was the best forward on the field.’
In 1911 he joined Northampton Town and went on to appear 110 times, until war intervened. Tull volunteered for the Middlesex Regiment, part of the famous ‘Footballers’ Battalions’. Walter may have been the second black footballer, but he became the first black officer to lead white soldiers into battle. His own commanding officer commended his ‘gallantry and coolness’ after one night raid into enemy territory.
This story has no happy ending. On 25 March 1918, the Germans launched the last major offensive of the war. Lieutenant Walter Tull was shot and killed attempting to stem the tide. Private Billingham, Leicester’s goalkeeper, tried and failed to drag his body back for burial, but a remarkable man lies unknown with many others in the mud of France. There is a beautiful memorial to him close to Sixfields, where Northampton now play.”
Day does a wonderful job of bringing such stories (some more detailed than others) to the reader’s attention, and I would suggest this is possibly the strongest academic aspect of the book. That the author doesn’t just load up his book with jokes and reminiscences about his own experiences is crucial to adding gravitas to his work.
Finally, as a mad keen supporter Day understands that being at the game and/or supporting a team isn’t just about the football. In his summary of Wigan Athletic he picks up on one the most crucial of game day experiences, food (aka scran):
“Oh my God, the pies! Those pies were a-ma-zing, darling, it’s a 10! I mean, I’d tried balti pie (see chapter on Man United) but these were different gravy, literally. For a start, the filling actually filled it. I was used to pies that had so many gaps in you could use them as a flute. And what fillings! I think they were actual meat, with not a kidney in sight. And which evil genius would put cheese and onion in a pie? It was like eating hot melted crisps in puff pastry, and it turns out I’d always wanted to eat hot melted crisps in puff pastry.”
Who Are Ya? isn’t perfect, and it won’t readily appeal to non football fans. I suspect that one has to really have a strong hold on English league football to get all the references, and it also got a little tiresome seeing so many footnotes added to the text (I began to ignore them). Having said that, this is a bloody good effort at given the neophyte or the curious an insight into the round ball game in the country that arguably began it all. I know several of my friend would enjoy Kevin’s work, and maybe you will too.
March 27, 2021
Entertaining in a gentle way rather than laugh out loud funny. Easy to read and, because each or the 92 teams has it’s own chapter, it comes in nibble sized chunks so it’s more of a little and often type of read.
February 7, 2021
An enjoyable and knowledge read around the English league with brief but interesting and amusing facts about all the clubs, adding on some ex-senior clubs. Some genuine laugh out loud moments, many from his experience as a Crystal Palace fan on away trips (away trips are always better, although it does help if your team wins).
February 22, 2021
A really enjoyable read.
January 15, 2026
Some people (jede) need a trigger warning for the title of this book
July 27, 2026
For the first time on here I am reviewing something by someone I’ve met a few times, we are both Palace fans.
As a book it’s quite formulaic - origins (often cricket clubs wanting to do something in the winter), rivalries, famous players, silverware, and why (as a Palace fan) you shouldn’t support them, often bringing in his away days to their home grounds.
Throughout there is always a recognition that as football supporters there is far more that unites us than divides us. This is typified by the reference to the ‘To me, to you, to me, to you’ chant that went all round Rotherham’s stadium on 73 minutes the match after Barry Chuckle’s death.
The three or four page chapters are well crafted and written in humorous style with delightful anecdotes often first hand experiences and a genuine love of the game.
It’s a book for dipping into, not attempting to read cover to cover in one sitting. It would struggle to three stars if you read it in one sitting.
As a book it’s quite formulaic - origins (often cricket clubs wanting to do something in the winter), rivalries, famous players, silverware, and why (as a Palace fan) you shouldn’t support them, often bringing in his away days to their home grounds.
Throughout there is always a recognition that as football supporters there is far more that unites us than divides us. This is typified by the reference to the ‘To me, to you, to me, to you’ chant that went all round Rotherham’s stadium on 73 minutes the match after Barry Chuckle’s death.
The three or four page chapters are well crafted and written in humorous style with delightful anecdotes often first hand experiences and a genuine love of the game.
It’s a book for dipping into, not attempting to read cover to cover in one sitting. It would struggle to three stars if you read it in one sitting.
July 13, 2024
I don't really envy Day having to write this, as I suspect having to get 92 amusing chapters out to cover every league club had been quite the chore by the end, and this is borne out by the odd repetitive joke. He'd done his research too, trying to find out the origins of clubs and draw parallels or contrasts amongst the short portraits.
And yet it also came across as quite lazy at times, with passages that didn't require any effort and a sense that it was midly amusing, without being outright funny. I read it for a few chapters at a time, and would have struggled to do any more in one go, because it was something that passed a few minutes here and there, but didn't have the flow or humour to make me want to keep reading.
I quite liked Day's podcast with Kieran Maguire, then stopped listening when the topics got exhausted and just came around again with a new club. I finished this, but wanted to like it more than I did, and I think Day is just a different type of football fan.
And yet it also came across as quite lazy at times, with passages that didn't require any effort and a sense that it was midly amusing, without being outright funny. I read it for a few chapters at a time, and would have struggled to do any more in one go, because it was something that passed a few minutes here and there, but didn't have the flow or humour to make me want to keep reading.
I quite liked Day's podcast with Kieran Maguire, then stopped listening when the topics got exhausted and just came around again with a new club. I finished this, but wanted to like it more than I did, and I think Day is just a different type of football fan.
February 23, 2023
Reading Kevin’s text, you immediately feel you’re one of the pre-match fans huddled around a table in his beloved Pawson’s Arms. He writes in a chatty style as a passionate fan underscored by extensive knowledge of all the clubs thanks to his home and away support of Crystal Palace.
His gentle humour (even when describing his arch-nemesis Brighton) comes through on every page. To be fair, he suggested they were left out but, on advice from Matt at Bloomsbury, he reluctantly accepted Brighton’s extensive bookshop network would hurt sales if it redacted the Seagulls in favour of the Eagles. With each club getting its own chapter, it was tempting to head straight for Exeter City, but resisting that urge gave a satisfying feeling that, despite the Greedy Six, we have something very special in English (and British) football.
For those yet to pick up a copy, it serves as the perfect appetiser to his and Kieran Maguire’s book coming out in October about how (not) to run a football club. The big question is, will it be ‘Kevin and Kieran’ or ‘Kieran and Kevin’? There could be tears…
Please note: this book is NOT available as an NFT.
His gentle humour (even when describing his arch-nemesis Brighton) comes through on every page. To be fair, he suggested they were left out but, on advice from Matt at Bloomsbury, he reluctantly accepted Brighton’s extensive bookshop network would hurt sales if it redacted the Seagulls in favour of the Eagles. With each club getting its own chapter, it was tempting to head straight for Exeter City, but resisting that urge gave a satisfying feeling that, despite the Greedy Six, we have something very special in English (and British) football.
For those yet to pick up a copy, it serves as the perfect appetiser to his and Kieran Maguire’s book coming out in October about how (not) to run a football club. The big question is, will it be ‘Kevin and Kieran’ or ‘Kieran and Kevin’? There could be tears…
Please note: this book is NOT available as an NFT.
April 11, 2021
I know Kevin Day as Kieran Maguire's stooge on the Price of Football podcast, so it's nice to see him step out of his shadow with this thoroughly entertaining book. I read it from start it finish, which was enjoyable but it probably works best as a book you dip in and out of whenever you want some trivia about a football league club. The balance between historical facts and personal anecdotes worked well and I found myself chuckling along.
March 16, 2023
Great read, I love the passion every fan has for their club. My team, Hartlepool United didn't even get a mention in the 'didn't have time to mention' segment. 1) Because we chose the time of writing to take a rest from league football, and 2) I suspect Kevin bears a grudge for the his Palace team being the first Premier League side to lost to a non PL team. He won't need to look up who the winners were 😉
January 29, 2021
This is an excellent book to read when you really need a pick me up. Kevin ay is a very fun man and his comedic talents shine through on every page. Not only is he a passionate football fan (yay Crystal Palace) he is equally passionate about history, and I found his historical research fascinating.
July 17, 2021
Torn about whether this is a *** or **** so let's call it a strong ***.5.
The jokes come at a volume which means it's impossible for all of them to land (and yes, I know Day is a comedian), which makes certain bits drag on a bit. Appreciate his refusal to be impartial. Ended up enjoying much of it and even, somehow, learning something.
Still hate Palace, though.
The jokes come at a volume which means it's impossible for all of them to land (and yes, I know Day is a comedian), which makes certain bits drag on a bit. Appreciate his refusal to be impartial. Ended up enjoying much of it and even, somehow, learning something.
Still hate Palace, though.
June 9, 2022
The writing is very funny and witty. Has rare facts and stories about all the football clubs. Most are very fascinating to read about. If you want to prepare questions for an entertaining football quiz, THIS IS THE BOOK.
However, reading through stories about 92 football clubs can become a bit monotonous especially when you only care about one of the 92 clubs.
However, reading through stories about 92 football clubs can become a bit monotonous especially when you only care about one of the 92 clubs.
Read
November 3, 2020Very funny, full of information (mostly accurate) by an accomplished master of words. Give it to all your friends interested in football as well as to friends who will become football fans after reading it.
January 17, 2021
Lovely journey around the football teams by a football fan
January 30, 2021
Highly entertaining read for all lovers of football. Well written and easy to read
August 9, 2021
One of the best football books you will ever read. Funny and enjoyable all around.
February 1, 2022
Laugh out loads funny in parts and genuinely interesting. Chapter on Newcastle was too short though
April 11, 2022
Very enjoyable read. Lots of jokes, some of them funnier than others and plenty of interesting information about how clubs were founded, their kits, badges, and much more.
July 12, 2022
Fun factoids and stories about the 92 clubs in the top 4 divisions of the pyramid. I didn't know so many started off as cricket clubs!
August 19, 2022
Excellently witty insight into the history of almost every English league club.
October 27, 2022
A funny and insightful look at the football league teams.
I really liked this book and learned a lot more about the football league teams- even my own!
I really liked this book and learned a lot more about the football league teams- even my own!
December 29, 2023
Really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun look at the 92 plus other clubs who have either left the league or come back (Wrexham). Funny, factual and just all round fun.
July 26, 2024
A really easy and fun little read
October 19, 2024
Wonderful storyteller, written in his own voice
I loved the stories and the first-hand insight. Easy to read in one go, or else to return back to.
I loved the stories and the first-hand insight. Easy to read in one go, or else to return back to.
July 10, 2025
Really enjoyed this! Wonderfully informative and very funny throughout. A must for 'proper' football fans.
August 15, 2025
kevin day is very funny and should write more books
August 20, 2026
Loved it, perfect for football nuffies like me because it's written by one of us
May 7, 2023
Not that funny, not that revealing, but perfect for reading short little snippets before bed; the literary equivalent of a nightly mug of warm milk
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews