Introducing ‘Underdogs and Newshounds’

A World Cup Odyssey

Hi. My new book ‘Underdogs and Newshounds’ is now out! (Oct ‘22) 😊

https://projectispublishing.com/its-bloomin-good/

ORDER: £ 11.50 (includes free post & package).

ORDER WORLD: £ 16.99 (includes post & package).

A new book about the World Cup, but never told like this before – Chris Skudder’s Underdogs & Newshounds is a triumph of ‘unique and addictive storytelling’.

The broadcaster and journalist, best known for his 25 years at Sky takes us on an evocative road trip, a journey viewed through, and beyond the eye of the camera lens that accompanied him around the globe covering seven tournaments from USA ‘94 through to now banned Russia in 2018. He’ll soon be adding a further chapter on his travels to Qatar ‘22. These are stories that you rarely heard or that could never be fully told on television.

A book of up close tales from one of the most travelled and experienced sports correspondents in British broadcasting, and the club ‘education’ that got him there. But there’s much here for more than just sports fans, from someone who saw the bigger picture. It homes in on the human stories, the people and the places, littered with wry humour, punctuated by dark tales from the road.

This highly respected broadcaster’s passion and humility elevate Underdogs and Newshounds into the football literature stratosphere.

"Entertaining tales and insights from a top reporter who was always on the front-line of World Cup action” (Paul Hayward)

“Unique, interesting and addictive storytelling” (Tom McDermott)

Paperback. 250 pages with 4 pages of colour photos. 19.7 x 13.2 cm. ISBN 978-1-913984-09-0. 

About the author:

Chris Skudder is one of the most travelled and experienced sports correspondents in British broadcasting. Chris was one of the original wave of broadcasters from the satellite revolution of the early 90’s when Sky News shook up the establishment - one of the pioneers of rolling news and sports news.

Chris also earned a place in history as the first person to commit the words 'Sky Sports' to tape, a voiceover for the original commercial tender from the days when the idea of a dedicated sports channel was first in play.

Eye witness to seven football World Cups, he is known for being in the thick of the action - interviewing everyone from die-hard fans to undercover officers and some of the biggest names in sport.

With a career spanning more than 35 years - 25 of them with Sky News and Sky Sports News, he now works for ITV News, among others. He is also a podcaster, gig goer and music fan, with each chapter of his debut book, Underdogs and Newshounds, hitting the right note with a musical reference tied to the storytelling

Chris is the newshound who always roots for the underdog. As a lifelong follower of his original hometown club - perennial underachievers Birmingham City - he is the first to admit, it keeps him grounded!

Social Media:

Twitter: @chris_skudder

https://youtube.com/user/oftenpartisan1

For interview requests, please contact the author directly: keeprighton@hotmail.com

How to buy the book:

Published in October 2022 readers can order directly from the publisher, via indie bookshops and book retailers including Waterstones, Foyles and Hatchards or via Amazon.

ORDER: £ 11.50 (includes free post & package).

ORDER WORLD: £ 16.99 (includes post & package).

This is the fourth book by Projectis Publishing – a small, independent book publisher established during lockdown - which has a focus on a diverse range of genres from technology, sport, poetry and psychological thrillers. As with the previous titles, Underdogs and Newshounds is also hashed onto the blockchain, to protect the author’s rights.

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I’ll be adding multimedia content here to complement the book’s manuscript. Bits of video and pictures from the storytelling for which there wasn’t room on the pages 😊

The last World Cup’s a good place to start. Russia may not be a different place now as far as the ordinary people are concerned - I’ve kept in touch with a number of them since 2018 and they tell me that despite the gloom brought on by war their lives remain much the same for now. Though the guide I spent a fair bit of time with on the Trans Siberian Express just told me a number of his relatives have fled the country amid talk of mobilisation.

This is roughly chronological. Sochi stadium below, resembling a swan, photo taken from the then open space which has staged the F1 Grand Prix on numerous occasions before the widespread post Ukraine invasion Russian bans.

Below, the giant Mamayev Kurgan war memorial overlooking Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad - pics also below - scene of one of the bloodiest battles in history) and where England played Tunisia in opening group game. Met some adventurous England fans up here (checkout the tiny people next to statue to give you an idea of scale). Always found England fans knowledgeable and eager to visit military sites around the globe. Saw lots who travelled several hours on bullet train to visit Hiroshima in 2002, ditto Auschwitz and Birkenau death camps a year or so later.

Below the last view from the local lads’ rogue drone of the Mamayev Kurgan, before Russian officials knocked it out of the Sky.

Stalingrad war museum (below), buildings left as they were after the battle in 1942/3

More to follow …

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