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The Smell of Football 2

Rob reviews the follow-up to Mick 'Baz' Rathbone's candid memoir of his career in football as he returns to Everton following an eight-year hiatus

By Mick ‘Baz' Rathbone

Reviewed by Rob Sawyer

The Smell of Football, Mick ‘Baz' Rathbone's candid memoir of his career in football was a runaway hit on its release in 2011. It documented — in hilarious and searingly honest style — a playing career at his hometown club, Birmingham City, dogged by self-doubt, followed by happier spells at Blackburn Rovers and Preston. It culminated in his switch to physiotherapy, initially at Halifax (combined with an unexpected extension to his playing career) and Preston North End and, ultimately, under David Moyes at Everton for eight years. The down to earth humour, sparkling anecdotes and warts and all approach to storytelling saw the autobiography earn great praise (it was long listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award)

A decade on, ‘Baz' kicks off the new installment with the fateful day in May 2010 when he bid farewell to the Blues, seemingly for the last time. Losing his mojo at Finch Farm, worn down by the relentless nature of the role and a season beset by injuries, he got the bullet from David Moyes before he had the chance to walk, himself.

This sets the backdrop for the book as, over the decade that follows, he experiences (and enjoys, for the most part) a varied career at club and international level. Mick details a journey that took in various junior levels of the England set-up (putting him in contact with the likes of Jonjoe Kenny), a brief return to Deepdale, a stint as a loosely defined ‘under 21 squad mentor' at Manchester United and stints at a hint of lower league — and often troubled — clubs including Coventry City, Blackpool, Wigan, Nottingham Forest and Crawley Town. Most surreal was a stint alongside former Everton coach Willie Donachie, overseeing the team on the Caribbean island of Montserrat — devastated years earlier by a volcanic eruption. Aided by a spiritual guru in the form Joe Royle's ex-sidekick, the trips give Baz a new perspective on life after years obsessing over battling (and beating) old father time and an unceasingly troublesome knee.

All the while, the physio can't stop himself looking back wistfully on his time as a Toffee. One paragraph, describing him catching up with Scott Gemmill whilst on international duty encapsulates this:

‘We did a lot of reminiscing about Everton. What is it about the club that leaves such a deep connection…? Will I ever get Everton out of my system? Do I want to get Everton out of my system? Is it even possible to get that club out of your system?'

In a fitting finale Willie Donachie's son, Danny, brings Baz back to his beloved Everton in the autumn of 2018, working with David Unsworth's Under 23 squad. It's a different Everton by this point — post the departure of David Moyes and the arrival of Farhad Moshiri as majority shareholder. In Baz's opinion, it's not always for the better. He experiences, much to his chagrin, next minimal mixing between Marco Silva's first team set-up (with Silva's coaching team being notably aloof) and the Under 23s. He is more enamoured with Carlo Ancelotti and his friendly team of coaches — getting to know then better when brought into the first team fold in the midst of the COVID crisis, to help get the likes of Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes back on the pitch. Mick's second period at Finch Farm drew to a close of his own volition in April 2021. The end of his time in football? Not quite…Of course, it's the latest in a series a of false finales for this fitness (and football) fanatic. Baz just can't say ‘no' when the phone call comes from a club in need. Mick's odyssey now continues at Salford City.

As in the first memoir, the pages are littered with self-deprecation-laden amusing stories. It's also interesting to read that Baz, a sceptic of many ‘newfangled' sport sciences methods, focused on marginal gains, is won over (to a degree) by the march of science, notably during his spell at the City Ground.

For Evertonians, the chapters bookending the tome will be of greatest interest. David Moyes comes across well — Baz acknowledges that the decision to dispense with his services in 2010 was the right one. The pair remained on good terms and the Scot was there for the final match in the physio's second spell with the Toffees, an Under 23s fixture against West Ham.

For this born-again Evertonian, the club has lost some of its soul — almost becoming ‘just another' Premier League club; it demonstrates of the fine line to be trodden by clubs seeking to join the elite whilst also hoping to maintain traditions and the connection to their communities. That said, his love for the Toffees endures.

The Smell of Football 2 is a welcome companion to its predecessor and is enjoyable for its coverage of life at lower league clubs, as much as for its passages covering the Blues. Self-published, it can be ordered (with a dedication of your choosing) via this link: https://www.thesmelloffootball2.co.uk/

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