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His story begins with young Cliff more intent on playing a tennis match than signing for Arsenal and ends with him running a restaurant in Edgware. In between there's a whole lot of football which includes his England caps, two FA Cup winners medals, his 178 goals for Arsenal and five League Championships. Bastin is acknowledged as having an ice-cold temperament and even looked the part of a cool guy with his up-turned shirt collar decades before Denis Law or Eric Cantona made such a look popular. Cliff 'Boy' Bastin became a regular in the Arsenal team at just 17 and later took Arsenals penalties because he was always so invariably unflustered. Such cool, calm and collected play, plus speed to burn, would help account for such an incredible goal tally.
Bastin's 178 goals were all the more remarkable due to his playing the vast majority of his career as a left winger. That said it was a standard Arsenal ploy for Alex James to play balls inside the full backs and for our wingers to cut inside. It was probably no coincidence that within three years of arriving Arsenal had their first FA Cup win and their first League Championship. As James declined so Bastin took over the inside forward role, having also played for a year on the right in 1936-7 to cover injuries within the squad.
Deafness became an increasing problem for Bastin and excused him war service thus spending his war years, as an ARP Warden when he would have been in his prime as a player. Like many players of his age the war deprived him of his prime years within the game. Because despite competing in Wartime football it just wasn't played at the same level.
Bastin's observation regarding Arsenal, England, players and management are very insightful, as you might expect from such a clearly intelligent man, while Brian Glanville's writing has never been anything other than top drawer. Students of the Club's history will no doubt cotton on to the numerous of insights contained within this delightful volume which have been picked up and reused in various other histories of the Club. This then is a far superior autobiography to the majority of player biographies churned out since and an absolute must for all Arsenal fans with so much as half an eye on the Club's history.