Former Welsh international footballer John Hartson made a scheduled appearance at the Edinburgh Book festival recently...

 

 

Big Bad John (or BBJ), whose playing career included spells at Arsenal, Wimbledon, Luton Town and Celtic, rubbed shoulders with the literary glitterati for an evening, to talk candidly about his new book, Please Don’t Go, which charts his life over the last few years of his sporting career, including his recent very public battle with testicular cancer.

 

The event was hosted by Hartson’s fellow TV pundit Pat Nevin, who assured the audience at the outset that BBJ’s book was much more interesting than the usual footballer’s tedious yarn of birds, booze and bookies. He then went on to quiz his subject for the first half an hour or so about a variety of things, especially birds, booze and - you’ve guessed it - bookies.

 

However, the more serious issue of the big Welshman’s fight against cancer was also discussed in detail, and it must be said that BBJ – despite warning everyone that he still finds his illness very difficult to talk about - spoke eloquently and movingly about his return to health, and former gambling habit.

 

Describing his gambling as once being “out of control,” BBJ admitted that he used to take £10k for a day at the races. “Nowadays, my wife controls the purse strings, and allocates the spending money,” he said matter-of-factly.

 

Understandably on more comfortable ground when discussing his playing career, BBJ responded to a question about his no-nonsense playing style as “physical” and “arsey”. The latter not at all related to his attitude, so much as a personal homage to his, er, generously proportioned arse!

 

The audience, as you might expect, was littered with Celtic fans, who were clearly eager to discuss some of their hero’s finest moments in the famous hooped jersey. Funnily enough, a high proportion of those great goals fondly recalled came against the Parkhead club’s Old Firm rivals, Rangers!

 

And the audience lapped it up when he reminded them that Rangers had spurned the opportunity to sign him first, on account of his so-called dodgy knee. “Not sure where they got that from. I think I had ice on that knee once during my entire career,” BBJ snorted to rapturous applause.

 

BBJ did admit to feeling somewhat distracted during his appearance, given he was anxious about his beloved Swansea City’s opening Premier League match against Manchester City, which was taking place as he spoke. “They’re losing 1-0” came the unwelcome update from an audience member. “Ah. Thanks for that,” BBJ said through clenched teeth.

 

The consensus was that Nevin made for an inspired choice as Book Festival host, given his own bookish ways. Wee Pat, who, seated beside BBJ on stage made it look as if a ventriloquist act might commence at any moment, was renowned in his playing days for neglecting the usual card playing school on the team bus, in favour of quietly reading a book. Former team-mates – most of whom assumed Nevin was gay, on account of his reading inclinations(!) - used to comment to the effect that “Nevin not only looks intelligent, he very nearly is!”

 

Afterwards, as he was signing copies of his book, Hartson was asked to comment on a rumour that he and footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones had once had a fight outside a London restaurant to establish once and for all who was the hardest man in English football. “I can’t talk about that,” the big Welshman grinned, “unless, that is, you’re a reporter with the Sun offering me five grand for the story!”