Author Mark Hodkinson's book, The Longest Winter, about both the town of Rochdale and the club's infamous season of 1973/73 (two wins in 46 League matches, oh dear), has been reprinted, four months after first being published. We caught up with Mark...

Q: Is it usual for football books to go to a reprint so quickly?
A: Pitch [the publisher] did an initial run of 1,000 which is a fair number for a book about a club with a relatively small fan base such as Rochdale. I'm hoping that because I wrote it to a wider brief, trying to sum up the whole town and period, it may have had a broader appeal than the usual football book. It also comes on the back of a book I had published earlier this year [No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy] which has sold extremely well and upped my national profile quite a bit.

Q: Is there any difference in the two prints?
A: The only difference is a press quote from the Daily Mail ['Hodkinson weaves poetry out of the mundane'] on the front and one from The Times on the back ['Hodkinson writes quite beautifully, which means that those of us with lesser gifts are given a glimpse of his soul']. Publishers often do this to take advantage of good press.

Q: Did you imagine, when you wrote the book, that we'd have a season like this, which is very similar to 73/74 with much of the same wider social and political unrest?
A: Not at all. In fact, there was a kind of perverse pleasure in writing about such bleak times from a position of stability and security, as if it was firmly in the past. It's been said so many times over the past few years that 'it feels like we're in a film'. To me, having spent so long researching the mid-1970s, it also feels as if we've actually gone back in time.

Q: Are there parallels at the club now with how it was in 1973/74?
A: Well, we're obviously still working to a small budget but, otherwise, the circumstances are very different. Back then, Walter Joyce [manager] had a near-obsession with playing very young, inexperienced players and he moved on most of the senior pros. It was a magnificent failure, sadly, and set the club back decades. Our current squad, man for man, has more experience but they are similarly poor players. I fear this season will also have lasting negative impact.

Q: Do you still follow Dale avidly?
A: That's a very germane question. Last Saturday [v Harrogate], I opted not to attend a Dale home match for the first time in my life. I just stayed at home and read a book instead. My dad and eldest lad didn't go either and we each have season tickets. I suppose we all have that line in the sand and, after all these years, I've finally reached it. I hurt far too much when we lose and the enjoyment factor at Spotland over these past few seasons has been paltry. I just can't bond with this set of players and I'm wondering whether, off the field, we're missing experience and know-how in the board room and elsewhere within the club's structure.

Q: Can you see yourself ever writing about this period in the club's history?
A: I might do the odd article here or there but I won't be doing any more books about Dale. I'm all wrote out! Besides, Chris Fitzgerald is a conscientious, savvy journalist and, the same as me, he bleeds the blue of Dale. It's his turn!

Q: Where can fans buy The Longest Winter?
A: The best place is: https://www.pomonauk.com/shop/store.php I am happy to sign or personalise books. When Dale fans order, they should email lucy@pomonabooks.com and she will pass on any signature or dedication requests. The books will be mailed on the day they are ordered, so even with the strikes etc, they should arrive for Xmas.

Photo: Action Images

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