TIM ROLLS
At the age of fifteen Tim was told by his English teacher, a Miss Brown,
that he was ‘a philistine’ because of his inability to be remotely interested
in the works of William Shakespeare and the like. He preferred reading
New Musical Express and Football Monthly. The NME is a tawdry, embarrassing
and tragic shadow of its halcyon 70’s days, and Football Monthly is sadly
long gone, but Tim’s passion for music and football is undimmed 45 years
later. His sixth form ambition (insofar as he had one) was to be a football
writer or music journalist. This was sadly unrequited, as he lacked either
the wherewithal, drive or talent make it happen.
Forcibly but willingly removed from an increasingly repetitive and stifling
corporate life with a multi-national at the start of the decade, Tim decided
to spend as much time as possible doing things he actually enjoyed. He
was involved in the formation of the Chelsea Supporters Trust in 2012/13
and was chair until 2016. He also, with the encouragement of David Johnstone
and Joe Tweeds, in 2011 started writing for cfcuk fanzine and the Plains
Of Almeria website. Conversations with Mark Worrall, Chelsea Historian
Rick Glanvill and a number of other published Chelsea authors gave him
the idea of writing a book about Chelsea under Tommy Docherty, a period
of club history that had always fascinated him. Some four years and countless
days in the British Library later, that idea is becoming a reality with
Diamonds, Dynamos and Devils.
Tim’s first Chelsea game was against Stoke in September 1967, three weeks
before Tommy Docherty left the club, and he has watched them regularly
for over forty years in the company of The Curator, The Driver and The
JCL. He increasingly struggles with the corporate, commercialised, homogenised,
sanitised, selfie-stick culture that increasingly pervades top level football.
He particularly rails against the fact that thousands of loyal supporters
have been priced out of attending games whilst monied dilettantes turn
up to observe but not to actively support. Readers of his cfcuk pieces
will be familiar, and possibly bored, with his perspective.
Married to Nicki, an artist who designed the book cover, and with two grown-up
children, Tim has still never read any Shakespeare but, in a move that
would doubtless have astonished Miss Brown, he has now written a book.
Tim’s second book, Stamford Bridge Is Falling Down was published
in 2019.
Follow Tim on Twitter @tim_rolls
For further information, check out Tim’s Diamonds, Dynamos and Devils blog
|