The life and times of Tony Book | OneFootball

Following the desperately sad news of the passing of former Manchester City captain and manager Tony Book at the age of 90, we reflect on and pay tribute to the remarkable career of a true Club icon.

A legendary Club figure and part of the very fabric of Manchester City, it’s doubtful there will ever be another story quite like Tony Book’s.

There are few who have served City with greater success, longevity or dignity with Tony’s indelible impact on the Club stretching over five remarkable decades.

Indeed, for many he was and will forever be Mr Manchester City.

A unique part of the Club’s history, Tony played more than 300 games for City between 1966 and 1974 – the majority as captain – during what was a golden era of achievement, before subsequently becoming manager for five successful years from 1974 to 1979.

Tony – affectionately known as Skip - then later became a key figure in City’s youth set-up, helping guide us to a maiden FA Youth Cup triumph in 1986 with a side featuring several future first team stars.

Yet the remarkable path of his football journey is both unique and inspiring and serves as a story that nigh on impossible to imagine happening ever again.

Born and bred in Bath, having spent of part of his childhood in India where his father served as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry during the Second World War, Tony and his family returned to England at the end of hostilities.

On completion of his education, Tony became an apprentice bricklayer whilst also playing for local side Peasedown Miners initially as an inside centre forward. Upon being summoned for National Service, Book also played with the Army team where he was converted to the full-back role that would  later become his professional calling card.

In 1956, upon completion of his National Service Tony then returned to his bricklaying job and initially furthered his footballing education with Frome Town before joining his hometown team of Bath City.

The epitome of a humble, hard-working man, Tony was on £4 per week, laying bricks in the morning, training in the evenings, and seeing his girlfriend (later to become his wife) Sylvia when time permitted.

When he began his eighth season with his hometown club Bath City in the Southern Premier League, a 30-year-old Tony Book must have thought all hopes of league football had passed him by.

Despite interest from a number of clubs during his many years at Twerton Park, nothing concrete had ever materialised and as he approached 400 appearances, it seemed Tony was destined to end his career as a non-League footballer.

However, during Malcolm Allison’s time as Bath City manager, Book had impressed the innovative young coach both with his reliability and leadership qualities - not to mention the fact he had continued to be a bricklayer when he wasn’t playing or training for Bath.

Further evidence, if any were needed, of the incredible work ethic that was one of the hallmarks of his life.

When Allison was subsequently invited to take control of Toronto All-Stars over the summer of 1964, he promised Book he would arrange for him to join him in Canada once he had settled in.

A few weeks passed before Book received a call, as promised, by Big Mal and a few days later he had crossed the Atlantic and was playing for Toronto.

Tony hugely enjoyed his time in Canada, but Allison soon had to fly back to England after being offered the manager’s job at Plymouth Argyle.

Once again though he didn’t forget about Book and he duly returned to Bath to make ‘Skip’ his first signing for Argyle, though in order to get the deal over the line, he told the Home Park board the defender was 28, not 30, advising Tony to doctor his birth certificate by two years!

It had taken an age to achieve Skips’ ambition of playing league football. But though that big break came at a time when most players were starting to consider retirement, Tony was cut from different cloth altogether.

It was proof too that it is never too late to realise a lifelong ambition if you have the talent, perseverance and cast-iron will to stay the course… all qualities that would later become the hallmark of Tony’s stellar City career.

Allison again subsequently moved on, taking up an offer to become Joe Mercer’s No.2 at City in the summer of 1965 and just a year later, Book once again received a call from Big Mal with the Club having earned promotion back to the top-flight.

Despite by then being 32-years-old, he was snapped up for just £17,000, though his true age was once more purported to be a couple of years younger in order for the deal to go through.

Initially reluctant to sign a defender the wrong side of 30, Mercer finally conceded that he himself hadn’t signed for Arsenal until he’d turned 31, so was living proof of what could be achieved at what was considered an advanced age for a footballer back in the 1960s.

It’s fair to say it proved to be one of the best bits of business ever conducted in the long, illustrious history of Manchester City.

Book made his debut away to Southampton in August 1966, just a few weeks after England had lifted the World Cup, winning the man of the match award.

From there on in, things just got better and better for the quietly spoken, modest and humble Bathonian who liked nothing more than a cigarette and a bottle of stout in his local after a game.

Had Tony’s career ended there, it would still have been quite a tale. But, of course, there was more to come – much, much more.

A City squad now supplemented by such superb, exciting talent as Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee, Alan Oakes, Glyn Pardoe and Neil Young to name but a few, ended that maiden season back in Division One in 15th place.

However, all the portents were firmly falling into place with Skip being named City’s inaugural player of the season.

The arrival of pocket battleship striker Francis Lee from Bolton in the summer of 1967 then served as what Mercer called ‘the final piece in the jigsaw’.

But equally significant that close season was the appointment of Book as City captain in the wake of the long-serving Johnny Crossan’s move to Middlesbrough.

It was to prove an inspired appointment.

In his first campaign as skipper, City were crowned Division One champions thanks to a remarkable 4-3 win at Newcastle on the final day of the season, the achievement being made all the sweeter by pipping Manchester United to the crown.

It was the Club’s first top-flight title triumph in 31 years and was the harbinger of a golden era decorated by a plethora of silverware.

Book missed the first half of the 1968/69 season with an Achilles injury but then, aged 34, returned in style to help City lift the FA Cup with a memorable 1-0 Wembley win over Leicester City in April 1969.

Such was his own impact, Skip was also named as the PFA Player of the Year, an award he shared with Dave Mackay.

In his third season at Maine Road, Skip and City then lifted the League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup within the space of six unforgettable weeks – taking his overall tally to four trophies in three years as captain – not bad for a 35-year-old in only his fifth season in league football!

More silverware would follow in the shape of the Charity Shield in 1972 though that would be the end of the major trophies for Book the player.

But though the miles on the clock were accumulating, Skip continued to defy the odds.

He missed just two games during the 1971/72 season and played 30 league games the following year before officially retiring during the 73/74 campaign.

With Mercer and Allison by then gone, Johnny Hart had taken over as City boss but had been forced to step aside after less than a year in the hot-seat through ill health.

Book was the logical choice to step in until a permanent replacement was found – which he did admirably - and when Ron Saunders became the new City manager, he asked Book to be his assistant and hang up his boots.

By then 39 years of age, Book agreed, though he later admitted he regretted not playing on a little longer.

Saunders’ reign was a brief but disappointing affair, and he was sacked before the end of the ’73/74 campaign.

This time, not least thanks to the direct intervention and insistence of several senior City players, chairman Peter Swales handed Book the manager’s job for keeps and one of his first tasks was to oversee the iconic 1-0 win at Old Trafford in April 1974 that effectively condemned Manchester United to the Second Division.

Suffice to say, his credit rating with the City faithful went through the roof!

While Book had never been a eye-catching figure in the manner of Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell or Francis Lee, he was still a crowd idol in his own measured way.

The epitome of class and consistency, Skip enjoyed the total respect of the City supporters, players and board.

His fellow professionals thought he was a bit special, too. George Best once declared Book proved his most difficult opponent – quite an accolade.

After what had been a turbulent period at Maine Road, Skip’s dignity, professionalism, eye for talent and meticulous attention helped mark him out as an equally accomplished manager - albeit in his own understated way.

Very quickly, Tony helped turn an ageing City side headed in the wrong direction into a genuine footballing force once again.

Book’s judgement in the transfer market proved sharp-eyed and shrewd whilst Skip also handed a number of exciting City youngsters their opportunity to great effect.

Under his inspired stewardship, City went on to win the 1976 League Cup thanks to a memorable 2-1 win over Newcastle United before then finishing Division One runners-up the following term, the side ending the campaign just a point behind Liverpool.

The return of Big Mal towards the end of the seventies saw Book’s managerial reign end, but he returned to the Club in the early 1980s - initially as head of youth development - and went help nurture and oversee a wonderful crop of youngsters.

The high point of that era saw Book and fellow youth coach Glyn Pardoe guide City’s youngsters to a maiden FA Youth Cup success in 1986 with seven of that side going on to feature for the first team and two represent England.

Alongside his vital work helping develop the talent of tomorrow, Book twice more stepped into the helm as caretaker manager – in both 1989 and 1993 – as well as also becoming part of Peter Reid’s City coaching staff before finally calling time on a magnificent career later in the 1990s.

Typically, though, Skip’s bond and association with City continued apace.

He was subsequently named an Honorary President as well as holding down a role as Life President of our Official Supporters Club and remained a hugely popular member of the matchday legends at our Etihad home games.

Tony was also being afforded a rapturous reception when introduced on the pitch before our home win over Brentford as part of his 90th birthday celebrations last September.

Now we mourn but also celebrate the remarkable life and impact of man for whom Manchester City was embedded into his very soul.

There will never, ever be another Tony Book.

Fans can add their messages to our online condolence book which is available to access via the link below.

Tony Book: Book of condolence