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Nick's parents divoce
His parents divorce had a huge impact on him as he states that this divorce wounded all of them. After the divorce, he seemed really distant and sad and unwilling to take part in any outdoor activity with his dad. Throughout the book, it is obvious that the divorce had been the reason why he was unhappy not only when he was with his family but it was also responsible for the way he confronted situations that others would find a cause of laughter and joy whereas he kept a straight face. -
First time in a football match-falls in love with Arsenal
That is when the most dramatic change occured in his life-the day he became an Arsenal fan.Even though the game was trivial to him,the thing worth remembering for him was the vivid presence of anger and dissapointment in the fans faces and voices even when their team was winning -
His girlfriend faints and Nick doesnt act
After all the pain and distress football had caused in his life,it was time it affected his relationships too.This is understood when his girlfriend faints during a match and he does nothing to help her as he is so hung up in the moment he doesnt realise what happens around him.Of course this inability of his to act at that moment put him in a lot of thought concerning his obsession in football teams and where this was leading him as a person as well as what his priorities are in life. -
Understanding football's impact on his life
The lack of interest in his job,his indecision concerning his life goals made his longing for football and Arsenal matches even bigger. He also describes the anxiety and pain listening to the matches commentary through the radio would bring him and how after all being in the field watching a game or being home listening to it was more of an ordeal for him than pleasure. It is the period when Nick starts to realize that he must turn his life around and escape his past. -
Reconciliation with his ''other family''
Between the years of 80/81 Nick lived with his dad and his stepmom. What is important during this period is that Nick got the chance to not only break bread with his stepmom who he saw as the enemy and at the same time the cause of his traumatic childhood but also spend more time with his dad without needing the excuse of a football match to engage in a fruitful conversation. -
Changing career path
At this period of time in 1983 with the joining of Charlie Nicholas in Arsenal, Nick realized that what he really wanted to do was to become a writer and he quit the job. That is of course the stepping stone to him becoming something that he loves and his relative success in the future. After all if he weren't successful we woudn't be reading about him now would we?