Bruce Talbot – författare

The Four Rons: A Journey Through West Midlands Football in the 1980s tells how the region’s big four clubs – Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers – slid into spectacular decline after starting the decade poised to challenge Merseyside and Manchester as the powerhouse of English football. It is a tale of colourful owners, managers and players set against the backdrop of a game in crisis, with plummeting attendances, rife hooliganism and the fortunes of its clubs mirroring a wider regional decline. Chock-full of unforgettable figures – from Ron Saunders and Ron Atkinson to the Bhatti brothers, Andy Gray and Steve Bull – this is the gripping story of a proud footballing heartland in freefall.