Review of Pat Nevin and Anthony Quinn

Posted on: 29 April 2022 by Talia Stillwood in Liverpool Literary Festival 2023

Pat Nevin and Anthony Quinn brought the festival to an incredible close, they were a superb choice for the finale, discussing football and writing, and the art of connecting the two together. Both Pat and Tony expressed their love for football, but also their love for art and culture and how the two are not worlds apart as they are normally perceived to be.

Pat Nevin, a Scottish former professional footballer has received critical acclaim for his football memoirs in which he discusses his memories of the game, his family, and the issues he faced in terms of fitting into the football community. During his talk, Pat spoke about the fight to be different within the community, and the struggles of trying to fit into the ‘macho’ attitude often associated with footballers and football fans. Anthony Quinn, an established film critic and writer decided in the lockdown of 2020 that he wished to write a football memoir of Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Tony writes about Klopp from the heart, focusing in on his love for the city of Liverpool, the football club and Klopp himself, aiming to express gratitude for the values and personality that have been brought into Liverpool FC.

Both Pat and Tony spoke with full truthfulness, expressing both their love and disappointment towards the footballing industry. They discussed money within the game and the potentially corrupting ideology this has created, both expressing a certain level of moral questioning and worry. However, Pat followed this up by rightfully stating that there will always be football in the world and that there will always be levels of it that can be experienced without the corruption and moral dilemma, we just have to make those choices to change our attitudes. It is important to accept that some clubs may not be right to support and it's acceptable to change your mindset regardless of the family history and levels of adoration.

The discussions from Pat and Tony were truly amazing, they both spoke in such calm and collective ways, addressing issues that aren’t particularly easy to address to an audience full of football fans! Pat, Tony, and Frank bounced off each other with such immaculate energy that their discussions provided an inviting ease to the audience. It feels a privilege to be able to have listened to them both talk and I’m sure most of the audience, including myself, left with ideas to think about regarding the football industry.