Stamford Chidge interviews Kelvin Barker about his new book: “Days (I’ll Remember All My Life)”
Kelvin Barker, author of ‘Celery: Representing Chelsea in the ’80’s’ and writer for cfcuk, talks about his new book “Days (I’ll Remember All My LIfe)”. Celebrating the 50 years Kelvin has been following Chelsea, the book is a rollercoaster of emotions entiwined with a touching personal journey.
In the book, it all begins with Kelvin’s first match – Chelsea v Ipswich Town in 1973 and continues with him recalling momentous matches for Chelsea over the last 50 years including Chelsea v Hull City in 1977; Chelsea v Liverpool in 1982; Arsenal v Chelsea in 1984, the 1997 FA Cup final, and the Champions’ League finals in 2008 and 2012, right up to Chelsea v West Ham in 2019, alongside more idiosyncratic matches such as Chelsea v Orient in 1978 and even Wrexham v Dagenham & Redbridge in 2019.
While each match has significance for Kelvin as a Chelsea supporter, they also note a particular personal memory or milestone as he goes from wide eyed boy to world weary middle age.
The book in many ways is a love letter to his family and friends and especially to Chelsea, his constant companion for 50 years. Chelsea haven’t always made him happy, they have sometimes reduced him to tears, but as summer begins to turn to autumn in the relationship, Kelvin has decided that, just like his life, it all turned out nicely in the end.
Kelvin’s book can be purchased from Amazon or from Gate17 Books
