In Search of My Father the Football Legend

The Ghost of White Hart Lane

From the publishers of My Father and other Working Class Heroes comes the incredible biography of sixties Tottenham Hotspur legend, John White, who died aged 27.

Deeply personal - a touching, heartfelt story

Emotional. [A] marvellously telling and touching book.

When John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. White was just 27 years of age. 
 
Nicknamed 'The Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played inside-forward for the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early sixties. British football was entering a golden period and Bill Nicholson's free-flowing Spurs side was right at the forefront. White himself was on the cusp of greatness. Appearing alongside giants of the game like Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, he'd already lifted the European Cup Winners Cup for Spurs (the first European trophy won by any British side) and gained 22 caps for Scotland. 
 
White was the archetypal footballer, but he was also a devoted family man. Six months before he died, his beloved wife Sandra gave birth to their second child, a son called Rob. 
 
Rob White never knew his father. The man who was known by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country was a complete stranger to him. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is the result of interviews with his father's teammates, followers, and family members. Within these pages Rob White and Julie Welch have built up a portrait, not only of brilliant and gifted young man but, also, of a lost era.

Julie Welch is the critically lauded author of Those Glory, Glory Days, 26.2: Running the London Marathon and Out On Your Feet: The World of Hundred-mile Walking. 
 
Rob White is a professional photographer. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is his first book

'Had John lived, he could have been one of the greatest footballers of all time' Jimmy Greaves 
 
When John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. White was just 27 years of age. 
 
Nicknamed the 'Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played inside-forward for the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early sixties. British football was entering a golden period and Bill Nicholson's free-flowing Spurs side was right at the forefront. White himself was on the cusp of greatness. Even alongside giants of the game like Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower, he stood out as a playmaker with incredible vision and touch. 
 
White lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup for Spurs (the first European trophy won by any British side) and gained 22 caps for Scotland, but he was also a family man. Six months before he died, his beloved wife Sandra, gave birth to their second child, a son called Rob. 
 
Rob White never knew his father. The man who was known by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country, was a complete stranger to him. The Ghost of White Hart Lane is the result of interviews with his father's teammates, followers, and family members. Within these pages Rob White and Julie Welch have built up a portrait, not only of a brilliant and gifted young man, but also of a lost era.

Rob White

Julie Welch

One of the most affecting sports books of the year

Heartfelt and compelling, and includes some superb evocations of football in a bygone era

Emotional. [A] marvellously telling and touching book

When Spurs legend John White was killed by a bolt of lightning in 1964, the football world was rocked by the tragedy. He was just 27 years of age. 
 
Nicknamed the 'Ghost' for the way that he could drift into space undetected, White played an inspirational role in the great double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early 1960s. Every fan has a story about him. 
 
When White died, his son, Rob, was only six months old and so never knew his father. The man who was revered by hundreds of thousands of football fans across the country was a stranger to him. Beyond the grainy Cup Final footage and yellowed newspaper articles, there was so much Rob didn't know, questions he had never had an opportunity to ask. To find answers he set out to speak to White's former teammates, his family and followers, and built up a touching portrait of a gifted young footballer and of a lost era. 
 
'Had John lived, he could have been one of the greatest footballers of all time' - Jimmy Greaves 
 
With a new afterword for the paperback.

Rob White

Praise for The Ghost

Deeply personal - a touching, heartfelt story

A special book about a special man

One of the most affecting sports books of the year

Deeply personal - a touching, heartfelt story

A special book about a special man

One of the most affecting sports books of the year

Deeply personal - a touching, heartfelt story

A special book about a special man

One of the most affecting sports books of the year

Books by Rob White

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