A new book - 'Too Good To Be Forgotten: Three Wise Men From Football’s Golden Era' -provides an alternative look back on Ipswich Town's halcyon days.

Author Ben Dobson revisits the period of 1975-1985, telling a football tale through the prism of Sir Bobby Robson, Brian Clough and Lawrie McMenemy - three managers who led Ipswich, Nottingham Forest and Southampton to great heights. 

Town legends Russell Osman, John Wark, Bryan Hamilton and Allan Hunter all provide contributions, as well as Blues fans from that era.

"This was the last sustained period in which the hegemony of the big-city football clubs in England was challenged, and at times usurped," says Dobson.

"These were days when fans could follow their dreams that their local side might – just might – become a contender on the global stage.

"It was a time when three of the greatest-ever football managers – three wise men of the North East – took three unfashionable, provincial clubs to global recognition.

"It is a football book, but not merely about results. The achievements of these men and these clubs demand a different measure, their success being as much about the impact on the communities as the unprecedented on-pitch success which created it.

"Pride, community and happy bewilderment were delivered as they made the extraordinary ordinary and left a legacy in these places and in management techniques which still offer lessons today.

"It’s a time which, unfortunately, will surely never come again."

Osman, talking about Robson in the book, says: "He gave you standards – from how you turned up to how he expected you to appear on the pitch. He would tell me every time I left the dressing room to tuck my bloody shirt in. These may seem small things, but they were all part of making us what we were. And I believe Cloughie and Lawrie Mac were the same.

"If you ever started to slacken off, Bobby would pull you in and say, ‘You could be working down the mines … go to Lowestoft, have a look at the trawlers and see if you fancy being out there.’ I heard it was the same with Lawrie at Southampton with all the dockers and so on.

"Bobby reminded you back then that it was a working-class game – the people coming to support you had worked hard all week and ‘if you aren’t prepared to put a shift in, you’re letting them down’."

Lifelong Ipswich fan, Tim Smith, who attended his first game in 1974, says: "For me, a community needs somewhere to go together. I suppose the church was once the ultimate, but our football club in those days is where our community came together. It was a sense of belonging, and when there’s success, of course people want to be part of it. That’s what Bobby Robson did for Ipswich."

Author Ben Dobson will be in conversation with Town legends Osman and Hamilton during a signing session at Ipswich Waterstones on Tuesday, May 7 from 6pm to 7.30pm.

A book and entry costs £22, while general admission is £5. You can purchase either here.