Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Watford Forever

  • How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other
  • By: John Preston, Elton John
  • Narrated by: Alex Jennings
  • Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (43 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Watford Forever

By: John Preston, Elton John
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

An unforgettable British underdog story from one of our greatest narrative nonfiction writers, John Preston, and the international musical icon and bestselling author, Sir Elton John.

Britain in the 1970s was beset by unrest and unemployment, as inflation soared, fuel was scarce, and hooliganism was on the rise. And for Watford FC, the outlook was even gloomier. Rundown and rat-infested, Watford were an ailing side with holes in their kit and barely enough fans to fill a stand. Of the 92 clubs in the Football League, spread across four divisions, Watford were in 92nd place.

Meanwhile, Elton John was the most successful rockstar in the world. With six-inch platforms, spangled jumpsuits, and peroxide hair, he was glamorous, gay, and seemingly a world away from the council house in Pinner where he had supported Watford FC as a child. Many assumed he would move to America. Instead, he bought the football club.

Watford Forever is the remarkable story of Elton John's ownership of Watford FC and its transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor. Perhaps most remarkably, four of the same players who had been written off as has-beens went with them all the way from the bottom to the top. Inspiring and infectiously funny, this is a tribute to football's unlikeliest friendship as Elton John and Taylor, a straight-talking former fullback with a love of Vera Lynn, beat the odds and their personal demons to save a club and a community. Immersed in the grime and glamour of '70s Britain, Watford Forever is one of sport's great underdog stories and a love letter to the beautiful game.

©2023 John Preston and Elton John (P)2023 Penguin Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Rambling Man cover art
How They Broke Britain cover art
Tough Crowd cover art
Turning Points cover art
The Plot cover art
On Days Like These cover art
This Is the Life cover art
Troy Deeney: Redemption cover art
The Autobiography of a Thief cover art
Quiet Genius cover art
Jock Stein cover art
In It for the Long Run cover art
Newcastle United Stole My Heart cover art
The Accidental Footballer cover art
Matt Jansen: The Autobiography cover art
One cover art

What listeners say about Watford Forever

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    36
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A trip down memory lane

What a great story to tell and so relatable, having been part of the experience myself in those heady days for the golden boys.

It was good to put a back story to the one I experienced as a young boy standing on the terrace at the Vicarage Road end. Watching Watford as they were promoted into the top flight from the then 2nd division to play the likes of Liverpool, Man United, and Arsenal.

Riding out the trials and tribulations of the lower leagues to finish division one runners up, then on to Europe, and an FA cup final.

This tale tells the convergence from two perspectives of Graham and Elton who came together to build a team and a club from the ground up. Two chancers who had the ambition and drive to pit their wits against the odds and achieve the impossible.

This book is highly recommended to anyone else who was there on those terraces during those heady days. When the likes of Ross Jenkins, Nigel Callaghan, Johnny Barnes, and Luther graced us with unconventional, but exciting, effective football.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Just brilliant from start to finish! I'd started listening as a way to relieve stress and stop my mind racing and ruminating, having something else to focus on and think about. The audio book proved highly successful at just that and highly engaging. Not a Watford fan, but have come to respect and admire Graham Taylor, overcoming the 'turnip' rubbish I was subjected to in the media, as a child. I highly recommend this to anyone, a brilliant story, football fan one need not be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply the Best!

A magnificent book written about a magnificent relationship charting an enchanting journey over an exciting period. Oh to have those days repeated.....Cmonyawns

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a love story

great story of triumph against the odds, passion and a beautiful friendship. terrific narrator and clearly written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastic account of the ongoings at the club in the EJ Taylor made army era

A well written, personal and intimate account of the happenings inside the club within this period. Would recommend to all WFC fans and football fans alike.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a story

I did like all of it. Smashing story. A real life fairy tale. Great, great, great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

I am not a Watford fan but I am old enough to remember how Watford progressed through the leagues. Fascinating story bring together two.people with one common interest great book well performed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book

Really entertaining book that covers the football lives of both Elton John and Graham Taylor very well

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A true fairy story

This book is well constructed. The story it tells is almost unbelievable but because it is true it makes a riveting read. The central figures, Elton and GT had a shared vision that gained momentum as the years flew by and the central subject, Watford FC became a “forever” torment for thousands of supporters. From the introduction to the reflections at the end the commentary was so engaging. Hope the sequel “…….and Ever” is already in draft.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mostly very good.

Very interesting story, backed up by research with some of the key figures. Well written and narrated. Let down by rushed final section full of factual errors regarding the 90s people period.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!