"A tremendously readable chronicle of English football in its darkest age, brimming with evocative anecdotes. From the violence on the terraces to the high drama on the pitch, GO TO WAR perfectly captures the atmosphere of the 1980s. I enjoyed it enormously.”
——Dominic Sandbrook

Set against a backdrop of economic recession, rampant hooliganism and suspect fashion, Go To War tells the story of how triumph and tragedy shaped English football during the 1980s. It was a decade in which some fans died watching the game they loved, and at times, the ‘slum sport’ seemed set to implode. Yet, remarkably, the game was on the cusp of morphing into the behemoth it has become today.

Throughout this explosive book, author Jon Spurling delves into the stories behind the successes and strife at clubs including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, investigates the trials and tribulations of the England team and explores how ‘small-town boys’ from Luton, Watford and Wimbledon made their mark. The decade also heralded the arrival of artificial pitches and fanzines, and Spurling introduces us to the new breed of high-profile executives, like Irving Scholar and Martin Edwards, who soon got busy changing the face of football.

Thirty years in the making, Go To War draws heavily on interviews conducted with ’80s icons including Terry Butcher, Graeme Sharp and Ray Wilkins, managerial legends like Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson and FA Cup heroes Ricky Villa and Norman Whiteside. Like its precursor, the bestselling Get It On: How the ’70s Rocked Football, Go To War provides a unique insight into a pivotal footballing decade.

Jon Spurling
A history and politics teacher by day, Jon Spurling has written articles and interviewed footballers for numerous publications at home and abroad, including FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes, The Blizzard, Nutmeg and 11 Freunde. Jon has authored seven previous books, including the bestselling Highbury: The Story of Arsenal in N5 and Get It On: How the ’70s Rocked Football, which was shortlisted for the Sports Writing Award at the 2023 Sports Book Awards. He is currently writing the third book of his footballing history trilogy, which will be on the ’90s. He lives in Canterbury with his wife and two daughters.