Inspired

One of the funniest things I have ever read -

Prepare to be entertained

A funny guy. Funny ha-ha that is!

Davies recounts the hardships and the pleasures with persistent wit, and does not insist that we feel sorry for him!

Reviews for Behind the Back Page:
Christopher Davies has a wealth of experience as a national newspaper journalist - and a wealth of stories to go with it. He tells them with great wit too...A funny guy. Funny ha-ha, that is - Ian Ridley, Mail on Sunday

Journalists like to imagine that theirs is a serious, stressful profession. The truth, at least as far as football reporters is concerned, is that it is a great life. Christopher Davies happily acknowledges that truth and his book takes the reader behind the scenes for a peek at the privileged, joyful business of being in the football media and a close-up view of some of the biggest names and biggest events of the game - Mick Dennis, Daily Express

When people ask about sports writing, it's difficult to convey to them the excitement, the frustration, the adrenaline, the anecdotes and the characters. Now there's no need. Just tell them to read Behind The Back Page. It's all in there - Nick Szczepanik, The Times

Roguish, wickedly acerbic and containing elements of Bill Bryson at his best in observing the humdrum and the everyday through a lens of hilarity - Vince Hogan, Irish Independent

Laugh out loud stuff. Christopher Davies adds a new perspective to sports writing. With his years of Fleet Street experience he brings to the reader a catalogue of hilarious stories and incidents from the unpredictable and sometimes incongruous world of soccer reporting - John Ley, Daily Telegraph

Christopher Davies is one of those sports hacks who has never forgotten how lucky he is. If playing sport is the absolute dream profession, then watching it is a privileged second-best. With an almost childlike "kid-in-a-sweet-shop" enthusiasm, he articulates the routine relish.
Some of the reminiscences will have fellow journalists purring nostalgically and empathising with the frustrations of life on the road - dodgy hotel rooms, faulty lap-tops, deaf copy-takers. But, at the same time, all sports fans will love to read how it really is. I've heard some of the Jack Charlton stories on the circuit, but - even sitting alone in my lounge - I was still helpless with laughter as Christopher re-told the tales of those vintage days with Ireland. If you were making a documentary about life on the front-line as a national sports journalist, then this would be your script: humour, reality and - above all - a genuine sense that the author remembers (when other hacks sometimes forget) just what a wonderful professional life he's been fortunate to live! - Peter Drury, ITV

An absorbing, entertaining and amusing journey through the world of sport's journalism. From the inside story of Roy Keane's explosive departure from the 2002 World Cup to paying a prostitute for a lift in rain-lashed Glasgow, Christopher Davies captures the highs and lows of life on the road - Jon Brodkin, Guardian

2008-07-03 Wise Old Bird? Sad Old Sourpuss!

Don't be put off by WOB's negative review - this book is wonderful!

There are plenty of serious "docudrama" sports books out there, some of them excellent, many of them dreary. If that's what you want, go get one.

This is something different - the diary of a professional sports journalist. It's a witty, refreshing and always entertaining account of the seamy reality of his job, from someone who doesn't take himself or life too seriously.

Very highly recommended!

(And I'm still laughing at Paul "Plat Du" Shaw!)