Fever Pitch was obviously and entirely autobiographical.

Pitching is so important. You don't get anywhere without pitching. The better we pitch, obviously the better we'll be down the road. ... And right now, I think the (starters) have a little competition going between them.

Yes, yes, I know all the jokes. What else could I have expected at Highbury? But I went to Chelsea and to Tottenham and to Rangers, and saw the same thing: that the natural state of a football fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.

...So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium.

Det var nästan som att upptäcka en författare man inte läst, fast man stöter i och för sig hela tiden på författare som man inte har läst medan det är mycket sällsynt, åtminstone i vuxen ålder, att man plötsligt hittar en stor popartist som har gett ut massor av bra skivor. Oftast är det fördomar snarare än okunnighet som gör att man missar stora artister, och fördomar är svåra att göra sig av med (det är ju så roligt att få dem bekräftade).

But there was an important and essential truth contained in the idea, and the truth was that these things matter, and it’s no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently, or if your favorite films wouldn’t even speak to each other if they met at a party.