Having travelled the length of Britain taking photos for a revied edition of Simon Inglis's acclaimed book The Football Grounds of Great Britain, Tony Davis explains why he often had mixed feelings about what he saw
I’m on the phone to the secretary of a First Division club. I ask if I can photograph the stadium. She says no. I tell her it’s for a book about football grounds. She tells me she’s never heard of it. We bat the question about for a few minutes. She keeps asking me who else I’ve spoken to at the club about coming to take pictures. I tell her I’m asking her now. Finally we come to an arrangement – I’ll fax a request in writing before turning up. Finally, she’s happy – although she still takes the precaution of phoning the next club I was due to visit that day to check that I’m going there too.