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Viking signs 'inspiring' story of Watford FC, Elton John and Graham Taylor from Preston
Viking has signed Watford Forever: How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other from journalist John Preston in collaboration with Elton John.
Former editorial director Tom Killingbeck acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Andrew Wylie at the Wylie Agency in association with Natasha Fairweather at Rogers, Coleridge & White. Senior commissioning editor Shyam Kumar will publish the book in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 16th November 2023.
"Fans of John Preston, undoubtedly one of our best living narrative non-fiction writers, will appreciate how he brings to life the grime and glamour of 1970s Britain like no one else," said Kumar. "Fans of Elton John will rejoice reading his heart-warming and often hilarious recollections about Graham Taylor and his boyhood club. As a lifelong Watford supporter and Elton John fan myself, it’s a huge honour to be publishing this book for Viking."
Watford Forever is the "remarkable" account of John’s ownership of football club, Watford FC, and its "transformational journey to the top of the First Division under iconic manager Graham Taylor". The synopsis continues: "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."
John commented: "I cherish my relationship with Graham as one of the greatest of my life. What we accomplished together was extraordinary on and off the field, but so was the lifelong bond we built. He was like a brother to me and I loved him dearly.
"When we started working together in 1977 I had huge ambitions and hopes for my childhood club, but Graham’s understanding of the game and leadership achieved something beyond even my wildest dreams. He was a true genius. We took a club in financial turmoil at the bottom of the football pyramid to 2nd in the league, an FA Cup final and European football. It’s one of the greatest managerial accomplishments of all time. Myself and every single Watford fan will be forever grateful to him for the memories he gave us and what was achieved for the club and the community."
Rita Taylor, Taylor’s widow, added: "It was a very special time in mine and Graham’s lives.”
Preston said: "One of Elton’s first acts as chairman was to appoint Graham Taylor as manager, a man as ostensibly conventional as Elton was flamboyant. But the two of them would form an extraordinarily close bond and take Watford FC from the bottom of the Football League to the top in just five years – something that’s never been done before or since. In the process, they would have a hugely dramatic effect on one another’s lives. The chance to work in close collaboration with Elton has been the fulfilment of a long-held dream, and I hope we’ve managed to produce a book that does justice to the ultimate story of underdogs triumphing against all the odds."
