A phrase guaranteed for fans of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton. Amazing facts, startling statistics and bizarre happenings – plus “Perspective" snippets, that demonstrate that while football is just a game, life is a whole lot more serious.

But if it's plain "barmy" that you want, check out each club’s Barmy Yarny! Here, hundreds of current and former footballers have their surnames woven seamlessly into a quirky tale, each referencing the featured football club to varying degrees.

So, you could read the Arsenal yarn entitled Four Weddings And A Gooner Called Al, with the eponymous lead character, a devoted Arsenal fan, going through the mill with his four wives! Or perhaps you would prefer the Aston Villa yarn, The Prepared, which is all about four Villa fans who set up a car-ringing network! There are 210 Villa players’ surnames woven into that one! See how many you can remember.

No doubt Chelsea fans will prefer Pensioner’s Picnic which has a strong The Two Ronnies influence about it, while Everton fans will appreciate the classic 1980s line-up embedded into Toffee-Nosed Cow!

Don’t be put off by the “barmy” elements though, as this book offers so much more in terms of conventional reference and club history – albeit accompanied by club slants you won’t have seen before. Guaranteed!