It could have been a classic 'boy meets girl' romance but the football soon ended any such delusions.

When I firsy met my wife Angela in February 1999 there was no immediate indication of the impact she would have on my life, romantically or otherwise. Of course, at first there were the breaks away - York, Paris, The Lake District, a couple of weeks driving around the western USA. Even a trip to Nuremberg, Angela's place of birth, promised to be romantic and nostalgic. But then we went to watch 1.FC Nuremberg play.

Just as Angela had captured my heart, so did the Franconian city and its underachieveing football team.

For Better Or For Wurst is not a tale of a conventional relationship. It is about the relationship between myself, an ever expanding group of friends and acquaintancies, and 1.FCN.

I can say without doubt that some of the most pleasurable times of my life have been spent in Germany following the fortunes of this historical football club. But it is not the football alone which has provided the pleasure; 1.FCN opened a door for myself and many others to allow us to begin to get to know the real Germany, the people, German football and German football fans. We've even shared a few beers and Bratwurst along the way.

The book tells of some of the adventures of our rapidly formed 1.FCN United Kingdom fan club, 1FCNUK. It reflects on not only the fun we've had but also the seriousness of the support many of us now have for a team we had never given any thought to just a decade or so ago. Hope and despair are statutory travelling companions and it is the unpredictability of 1.FC Nuremberg, and the passion of the fans in spite of the constant 'flattering-to-deceive' situation on the pitch, which makes supporting the team so special.

But For Better Or For Wurst could not have been written about the football alone. The times spent in the company of so many wonderful friends have more than made up for some of the footballing disappointments we have witnessed. These times and friendships have made the fact that several of us now appear to be in this predicament for life, more than tolerable. 

Football is not just twenty-two players kicking a bag of air around a field although from some of the performances I've seen, it is not always easy to agree with this statement. The banter and the willingenss to return time-after-time, the company of friends and strangers, the shared moments of ecstasy and nausea, the theories and excuses - these are football - and For Better Or For Wurst tells the tale of how some of us fly to Germany to experience all that football throws our way.

Visit the homepage of the official 1.FCN UK fan club                >>>