Tony Book: The late-blooming bricklayer who became a Manchester City great Tony Book’s story at Manchester City began at the age of 32, with the full-back affectionately known as Skip going on to captain the club to success in the late 1960s and early 1970s before also becoming a trophy-winning manager during a golden era at Maine Road.
A late-blooming defender who also played for Bath City and Plymouth, Book remained a familiar face at Maine Road and the Etihad Stadium long after retirement, serving City in numerous capacities despite having been sacked as manager following Malcolm Allison’s return in the late 1970s.
Anthony Keith Book, whose death was announced on Tuesday at the age of 90, followed an unusual path to the top of the game and did not play top-flight football until his move to City at the age of 32.
In fact, most of his early career prior to joining City in 1966 was spent in non-League football for hometown Bath as he combined playing the game with work for a building firm.
With his family travelling with him, Book and elder brothers Rheece and Mervyn spent a large portion of their childhood living on various military bases in India.
