SYNOPSIS

WHEN West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City arrived in the promised land of the Premiership last season it was a milestone for the football-mad West Midlands - the first time all three city clubs had played together in the top flight for 16 years. BRUM'S THE WORD charts the progress of the "Big Three" through the eyes of the region's football folk. From international violinist Nigel Kennedy to Chelmsley Wood cabbie Paul Collins.

Originally published as a weekly series for The Times newspaper, the book stumbles upon Ron Atkinson's bid for a Christmas number one and plots his progress towards the coveted top spot under the watchful eye of hitmaster extraordinaire and Walsall FC fanatic Pete Waterman. It tracks down Aston Villa's European Cup-winning captain Dennis Mortimer in a bingo hall in Bilston. West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore preaches the gospel at a Baptist Church in Halesowen, while Birmingham City's former goalkeeper Dave Latchford is found among the dead in Solihull.

The remarkable journey through the season begins at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford and ends on a humble housing estate in the borough of Sandwell. In between there's a visit to the theatre to delve into Dion Dublin's passion for ballet, a trip to a West Bromwich cough-sweet factory with Albion striker Bob Taylor, and a voyage to Holland to uncover the true story behind the Baggies "boing boing" song. It even tells the tale how The Cheltenham Gold Cup was discovered in a Villa fan's loft.

It gets to the heart of the matter with a definitive interview with Lorraine Astle, widow of Jeff, and includes Mowtown legend Edwin Starr's last newspaper interview before his untimely death. The season offered the West Midlands a taste of paradise - it delivered a bucket full of passion - And it's all been catalogued through the eyes of the football crazy in BRUM'S THE WORD.