The latest book by a Haverhill author is not only a personal account of life as a Tottenham Hotspur fan but a tribute to two men who helped to shape his love of the team.
Hayden Gribble’s new book, Post Traumatic Spurs Disorder: Being a Tottenham Fan in the Premier League Years, was released on September 9, the ninth anniversary of the death of his dad Alan, 56 – the man who took him to his first Spurs match.
The 35-year-old is a prolific writer who, since publishing his debut novel in 2012, the crime thriller The Man in the Corner, has gone on to publish another nine, covering genres such as horror, science fiction, non-fiction and autobiography. His new offering is his first based on sport.
All of Hayden’s books are available to buy on Amazon and through his website.
Hayden, who is married to Sophie with whom he has a son, William, three, and a daughter, Isabelle, six months, began writing his latest book six weeks after her birth.
Just five months later it has been written, re-written, proofed numerous times and published – all while also having a full-time job.
“It was a book I had in mind for about 15 years,” said Hayden.
“It’s probably the oldest idea for a book I had, but I didn’t know how to write it. I didn’t have a clue.”
Having written the book, he said: “I suppose things have been a bit painful as a fan and personally as well because my dad passed.
“There’s a lot of bits which are quite hard to look at because I lost my dad in 2015 and obviously he played a big part in it; father and son going to a match and introducing me to the team.
“I used it [the book] as a bit of therapy because I published it on the [ninth anniversary of the] day he died and it’s a tribute to him and my grandad as well, because he was a Spurs fan too.”
As for his favourite Spurs player, Hayden plumped for winger Gareth Bale, partly because he was ‘living the dream I had when I was younger’. His favourite manager was the Dutchman Martin Jol.