Unthinkable!: Raith Rovers' Improbable Journey from the Bottom to the Top of Scottish Football

by Stephen Lawther, Val McDermid

Overview

From managerless crisis club to qualifying for Europe, the behind-the-scenes stories of the underdogs who defied the odds to win their first national trophy

At the start of 1986 Raith Rovers were a club in crisis. Languishing near the bottom of Scottish soccer, they were managerless and playing before crowds of just a few hundred. Yet less than a decade on the club would defy the odds to win their first ever national trophy, the Scottish League Cup, defeating Glasgow giants Celtic and qualifying for Europe in one of Scottish soccer's most dramatic cup finals. Unthinkable tells the inside story of that remarkable journey and thrilling final from the perspective of the management and players of the Kirkcaldy club. Drawing on illuminating interviews with all the main characters, it reveals exactly what the players were thinking each step of the way and what drove them on to achieve their unparalleled success. The true story of underdogs battling against the odds to take their place in the history of the Scottish game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909626867
Publisher:	Pitch Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

PR company director Steven Lawther has written widely on soccer in magazines, fanzines, and the Raith Rovers program. A fan of the Kirkcaldy club for more than 35 years, he sits on the board of the Raith Supporters Trust, and has worked with several clubs and Supporters Direct Scotland to help research fans' opinions on key issues. Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer best known for a series of mysteries starring Dr. Tony Hill.

Table of Contents

Foreword Val McDermid 9

Acknowledgements 11

This Is The One 14

Getting Nowhere Fast 18

Our Frank 25

Going Up 33

I Know It's Over 46

Here Comes Yer Man 54

Such Great Heights 67

Backwards Walk 78

Smells Like Team Spirit 89

Memories Can't Wait 99

Expectations 109

The Youngest Was The Most Loved 116

Ambitious Outsiders 129

Every Day Is Like Sunday 141

Roll Up Your Sleeves 150

True Faith 159

Just A Touch Away 170

Ecstasy 180

What A Day That Was 192

Dreams Never End 202

League Tables 1985-1995 210

Memorable Matches 215

Bibliography 224