Wolverhampton author's cheeky new football quiz book will get fans guessing, he says
A Wolverhampton writer has blended British football terrace and Japanese cultures with the launch of his first book.
With a title based on a cheeky terrace chant, this new quiz concept features all 92 teams in the English professional football pyramid, with a haiku written for each. Readers are then challenged to guess the teams hidden in their three-line stanza.
A haiku is a Japanese poem that typically consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third.
"This is where the 'highbrow' element of the book starts and indeed ends," said the book's author Matt Eccles, a Barnet FC supporter who has lived in Wolverhampton for more than 25 years.
"I’ve been watching the game for almost 50 years, so I thought I’d turn my observations into something for other fans to enjoy.
“The West Midlands football teams are all represented, but can you work out they are? There’s an ode to prize strikers, heavy metal gods, noses, cultural ground breakers and good fellows.
“The clues feature references to TV, film, music, famous commentary lines, players, managers and fans, terrace chants, grounds, club crests and even some Latin mottos."
To continue the theme, Japanese characters throughout offer an additional clue for each club to the bilingual, or indeed smartphone-owning, reader.
Matt will be promoting the launch at a ‘Cob Talk’ spoken word event at Wolverhampton Arts Centre between 6pm and 8pm on Thursday, September 11.
The book is published by Halcyon, printer for authors who tell "real stories about real football".
Publisher Rob MacDonald added: “We believe in celebrating the beautiful game, finding hope and inspiration between the lines and in the deeply personal relationships our writers develop with the sport over their lifetimes. We work with them to tell their stories and turn them into beautiful books.”
‘Who the F*cking Hell Haiku?’ will be published on September 11 and is available for pre-order at halcyonpublishing.co.uk.
