Well, it’s finally happened. After all these years, one of my books has been released as an e-Book. The Long, Long Road to Wembley is read by someone who doesn’t sound much like me, but has a kind of daft naivety which suits the writing. Recommended for people who would rather listen then read, it’s available on Amazon and Audible, and is the perfect gift for pretty much every occasion..
Advertising campaign
I have embarked on a global advertising campaign for The Long Long Road to Wembley and some of my other books. To be honest, the total lack of a budget means that I'm having to rely solely on social media. These are the ads so far, designed by the writer of The Bromley Boys film (and builder of this website), Warren Dudley.
The £300 bag of chips
As many of you will be aware, mainly because of the begging emails I sent, the Long, Long Road to Wembley was crowdfunded. There were a variety of incentives to persuade people to contribute, one of the most obscure was to watch a Bromley game with me, including a half time bag of chips. Shockingly, this somehow found a taker, the hugely generous Tim Wheeler. Here he is enjoying his chips, most of which I ended up stealing.
THE MYSTERY OF THE MOVING BOOKS
It seems that an unknown person has been going into Waterstones branches throughout the country and moving Dave’s books into more prominent positions. Dave, who often seems to be in the area watching Bromley when this happens, would like to make it clear that he in no way condones such behaviour.
However, if you happen to find yourself in a branch that stocks Dave’s books, and you are tempted to move them to the front, this is the recommended way of displaying them.
MAN HOLDS BOOK IN WHICH HE APPEARS.
Uche Ikpeazu (who plays for Heart of Midlothian) appears in The Long Long Road to Wembley - he was a 16-year old who was playing for Didcot on a work experience programme. I laughed when he walked out - he looked nearer 14. I wasn't laughing when he scored one of the best goals I've ever seen to knock Bromley put of the FA Trophy. This is him now, nearly ten years later.
Welcome to Dave's brand new website. Now you can HELP improve it.
This is a brand new-look website, designed by Warren Dudley, who also wrote the Bromley Boys film. So if you want a website designed or a film written, you know where to go.
But to make this site look even better (I know - hard to believe) we need your help.
You may have noticed a section called SIGHTINGS. In it are photos of people, pets and even a stuffed toy belonging to Mrs Roberts, reading one of Dave's books. But more are needed, so if you could send a photo to add to the collection, you can take pride in knowing that you've done something very, very special.
THE LONG, LONG ROAD TO WEMBLEY - AN UPDATE
I had no idea when starting this crowdfunding how much money we'd raise for the book and while I'm flattered that so many people have pledged, things have slowed down and we are still a way off the target. I've talked things through with Unbound and we've decided to change The Long, Long Road to Wembley from a hardback to a paperback.
The upside of this is that the book is now completely funded. The downside is that I don't get the full weight of the Unbound sales and publicity team behind the book - so I'll be doing all the sales and publicity myself, which should be interesting. Unbound will be in touch with all pledgers about a partial refund but if you do decide to keep your full pledge in, that'll really help with the whole project, so thanks in advance if you do.
The book is now finished and, for once, I'm happy with it despite having to relive some Bromley memories I'd rather forget. Thanks again to the 138 people who supported this project and made it happen. You'll be the first people to get a copy and your name will be mentioned at least once. I don't think it'll make any difference being a paperback, to be honest - that's the only format all of my other books have been. Hopefully, what's between the covers will be what counts.
If you haven't made a pledge, and would like to, you can do it here.
THE BROMLEY BOYS MOVIE HAS ITS PREMIERE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM
The film, which is loosely based on the 2008 book, had its world premiere at England's national stadium - just four days after Bromley FC played there in the FA Trophy final. It was a fantastic occasion which almost made me forget the result of the game just mentioned. Here are some of the pictures showing me with Warren Dudley, who wrote the script, with Martine McCutcheon who played my mum, with Brenock O'Connor who played a young version of me and finally, with my wife Liz on the green carpet.
THE STRANGEST FOOTBALL STORY YOU WILL EVER READ
In August of 2007, I was living in New Zealand and writing The Bromley Boys. I needed some information on football boots in the 1969/70 season so I went online and managed to find a rather niche UK website devoted to boots. I emailed the man who ran the site and he was incredibly helpful - so much so, that after we lost touch a couple of weeks later, I thanked him in the acknowledgements.
Fast forward ten years and I've just moved to Guiseley, a small town near Leeds. When I was talking to one of the neighbours, a vaguely familiar name came up, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it before. I soon discovered that the man who helped me with football boot information all those years ago LIVES ABOUT 20 YARDS AWAY FROM ME, IN THE SAME STREET, ALMOST OPPOSITE. The picture shows us finally meeting up on New Year's Day. At a football match, naturally.
ON SET AT THE BROMLEY BOYS SHOOT
After five years in the making, The Bromley Boys film finally got under way in early October. Although the storyline differs dramatically from the book, it still retains the spirit of it. Having paid a few visits to the set, I can reveal that filming consists mainly of standing around getting cold, and pretending not to be starstruck when talking to the actors. The casting all seems to be spot on, and I managed to see Brenock O'Connor doing a great job playing the young me and Jamie Foreman making an excellent Charlie McQueen, the club chairman. The film is due out in the summer.
LATEST NEWS ON THE BROMLEY BOYS FILM. AGAIN.
The film is now due to be shot in August, with pre-production starting in June. The cast is the same, which means Alan Davies is playing me, with Martine McCutcheon as my mum. The title has gone full circle - originally it was The Bromley Boys, then it became The Beautiful Game, before becoming The Bromley Boy. It has now returned to The Bromley Boys.
LATEST NEWS ON THE BROMLEY BOYS FILM
he news is that it’s no longer called The Bromley Boys, for a couple of main reasons: firstly, investors thought it was a film about hooligans and secondly, the storyline is completely different from the one in the book - although it features the same characters. I don’t have a lot to do with the film, but I’ve read the script (by the brilliant Warren Dudley) and really like it. The producer (TJ Herbert, a fellow Bromley-ite) also keeps me up to date with all developments and, as you can see, is putting a splendid cast together. It’s hopefully going to be filmed in mid-October.
THE DAVE ROBERTS FAN CLUB
No, really. There is one. I found out about it in December, when they wrote to me saying that they were match sponsors for Bromley’s home game against St. Albans. It’s a very exclusive club, on the grounds that it only has four members. This picture is from the programme and means I have achieved a lifetime’s ambition - getting my name in the Bromley programme. A print of this page is on my wall.
SAD MEN COMES OUT IN PAPERBACK ON MAY 7th
Apparently there’s some kind of election going on that day, but the big story is the paperback of Sad Men hitting the shops. It has a brand new design and that lovely Tony Parsons quote on the front cover. They’ve also added the subtitle “How NOT To Get Ahead in Advertising.” which my wife Liz came up with. We’re moving to the UK a couple of days beforehand and certainly won’t be stooping to the level of going into multiple Waterstones branches and sneaking copies from the shelf into their main displays. I’ll leave that to you.
FRED BINNEY T-SHIRT NOW AVAILABLE
My love for portly Plymouth Argyle goal machine Fred Binney is well-documented in 32 Programmes. Reading about him apparently inspired Paul from Cult Zeros to produce the t-shirt I am so proudly wearing here. They also make a Warren McBean t-shirt, which should be news to quicken the pulse of many a Bromley fan. Their full range is here: cultzeros.co.uk
SAD MEN - THE COVER
One of my favorite parts of the whole book writing process is seeing the cover for the first time. I've always been lucky with these, but I couldn't have been happier when this arrived in my inbox. It 's the work of Lisa Horton at Transworld (who also did such a good job with 32 Programmes) and, as far as I'm concerned, is the best I've had by a long way. I think the design perfectly captures the feel of the book, where ability doesn't always match ambition. It comes out in March 2014.
ARTICLE IN JANUARY EDITION OF WHEN SATURDAY COMES
NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: SAD MEN COMING MARCH 2014
Dave's next book, Sad Men, will be published by Transworld in April 2014.
It's the story of his time as an ad man during the 1980s. This was the golden age of advertising, where the Creative Director turned up for work just in time for lunch, having spent the previous night sipping Martinis in exclusive clubs, scribbling ad ideas and women's phone numbers onto cocktail napkins.
That was in New York. The small provincial agency in Leeds where Dave started out was slightly different.
The only time these men ever got mad was when the sandwich shop forgot to put HP sauce in their chip butties. Cocktails in West Yorkshire? You'd probably get beaten up just for asking. And when the Creative Director rolled in after ten, it was only because his useless car, the one he was forced to drive because the manufacturers were a client of the agency, had broken down yet again and he'd had to walk the rest of the way.
This was the flipside to Madison Avenue's Mad Men. This was the world of the Sad Men.
And this is the story of Dave's time amongst them.
ARTICLE BY DAVE IN MAY EDITION OF THE CRICKETER
BAFTA WINNING DIRECTOR FOR THE BROMLEY BOYS
The production team are delighted to announce that Matt Lipsey will direct the film version of The Bromley Boys.
Matt is one of the top comedy directors currently working in television. He moved into comedy in the mid 1990's with the successful original series The Armstrong & Miller Show, which was hailed for its "delightful surrealistic edge". In 2005, Matt was presented with a BAFTA for his work directing the second series of Little Britain starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas. The 2007 Little Britain Christmas Special, also directed by Matt, won an International Emmy. Matt directed both series of the award-winning Psychoville for BBC2, written by and starring Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton with, among others, Dawn French and Dame Eileen Atkins. Other credits include the critically acclaimed Saxondale starring Steve Coogan and Human Remains starring Rob Bryden and Julia Davis. Most recently Matt has completed an eight-part Sky Atlantic comedy series This is Jinsy as well as Starlings for Sky 1/Babycow. Matt’s unique style of storytelling and impeccable comedic timing will ensure The Bromley Boys gets the best possible treatment in bringing the film to life!