MY current bedtime read is Duncan Hamilton’s “Provided You Don’t Kiss Me”, one of two books he has written - the other being a biography of the Notts fast bowler Harold Larwood - to have been named William Hill sports book of the year.

I find Hamilton’s style a little flowery, all skies, for example, seem to be described as cobalt, but I’ve found both to be well worth reading.

He spent more than 20 years as a reporter for the Nottingham Evening Post and “Provided You Don’t Kiss Me” tells the story of his relationship with Brian Clough. It’s packed with stories, both poignant and funny, and set me thinking about my relationships with the managers of Tameside’s six senior football clubs, and indeed the men in charge of Glossop North End.

For those who don’t know, I’ve been covering non-league football in the Tameside area for 30 years. I began by supplying Hyde United reports to The Advertiser then, in 1984, I was employed by the Ashton Reporter Group, learning my trade alongside the one and only Martyn Torr.

In 1987 I replaced Martyn as sports editor, a role which I held until 1999. In the meantime, however, I became non-league football reporter for BBC Radio Manchester, and stayed in that post until 2010 when I moved over to 103.6FM Tameside Radio.

During my 12 years as Reporter sports editor I rang the various managers every week and have kept in touch with them ever since. I never really visited their offices as Hamilton did with Clough - generally they didn’t have an office - but we spoke on the telephone and whenever I attended matches. Usually they were fine with me. Occasionally they lost their tempers.

Most of the verbals I had to endure came from one man: the late Pete O’Brien, and generally during his last stint in management - 1994-95 when he was in charge of Droylsden.

Quite a few Hyde fans were disappointed when O’B quit Ewen Fields to take over at the Butchers Arms and I commented on that when I wrote my Droylsden preview for the football special we used to compile every August. However, I added that Pete was thoroughly professional and would no doubt turn up trumps, even though Hyde fans might be willing him to fail.

He was not happy and told me so in no uncertain terms. He hooted at me down the phone and it took two or three weeks for the ice to be removed from our mutual atmosphere. No sooner had that happened than I was in his bad books again. This time because some Hyde fans had given him a hard time when he went to Ewen Fields to watch a game. Tigers boss Mike Mckenzie asked me to voice his disgust. “Former managers should be treated with respect,” said Macca.

O’B exploded again. “No one gave me a hard time.  They were shaking my hand and saying ‘welcome back’,” he insisted. Such was his vehemence that I assumed I must have made a mistake and rang Mike McKenzie to clarify. “Well,” said Macca, “If chuff off back to Droylsden is welcoming someone back, then fair enough.”

I’m glad to say that everything was ultimately sorted out with Pete and I’m pleased that the executive lounge at Ewen Fields has been named in his honour. But my altercation with him proved a point: it’s generally the little things that cause rows. Whenever the group editor unthinkingly put a dodgy headline on one of my stories there was rarely any comeback.

Once, in the days before QuarkXpress, the ed attached a headline that said Taffy Jones might be in line for the chop at Curzon Ashton. I had a knot in my stomach as I walked through the gates at National Park, wondering what Taff’s reaction might be, but he greeted me with a handshake.

Going back to offices, the only time I can remember visiting one was in 1995, when Stalybridge Celtic had extended the facilities in their main stand. I was given the grand tour and as I emerged into the sunlight, there was Peter Wragg pushing a mower on the pitch.

“What do you think?” he shouted. “Great,” I replied. “That’s right.” he yelled back.”It’s great in there. Crap out here.”

I could write a book on all the managers I’ve dealt with - Les Sutton and Peter Wragg might merit one on their own - so I’ll limit myself to one from each club.

ASHTON UNITED: The first Hurst Cross manager I had dealings with was Albert Pike back in the mid-1980s. He hounded me when I was new to the job of sports editor and feeling my way. He would appear from around corners, out of the crowd at a game - even from a toilet cubicle. “I know we’re in a crap league but you can still write about us,” he would say. Yet, whenever I rang him he’d give me nothing. He was superstitious about talking to the press.

CURZON ASHTON: It has to be David “Taffy” Jones (1993-95). His programme notes were incredible, full of mad references to rowing boats toward palm trees in the distance. Taff, who was not the thinnest man in the world, once wedged himself next to me on the team bus as Curzon were heading to play an obscure Midlands club in the FA Vase.

“I feel sick,” he told me and then belched vomit-flavoured air all over me. I truly feared that he was going to throw up at any moment and, as I couldn’t move, I would be covered with diced carrot. Then suddenly, we turned a corner and the ground was there. “Stop, stop,” yelled Taff. He ran off the bus, into the ground, and up to the tea bar. He bought a giant hot dog, covered it with a river of mustard, downed it in two gulps, and then proclaimed “oh I feel better now”.

DROYLSDEN: It has to be Dave Pace, who else? One day in 1995 he managed to sack Pete O’Brien, appoint Phil Staley, and then reinstate O’B, all within the space of about three hours. I never rejigged and rewrote a back page so many times.

In 1996 he gave the manager’s job to Manchester United and Scotland star Arthur Albiston and then sacked him saying what Arthur knew about football could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

I could go on.

GLOSSOP NORTH END: Brent Peters (1990-91) - he could talk! No swift five-minute chats with Brent who was appointed by a chairman who was, shall be say, a bit of a rough diamond. If only his eccentricities had been limited to his demands for a 10-0 victory in the first game of the 1990-91 season at home to Kidsgrove Athletic. Had things gone straightforwardly, I’m sure Brent would have managed the league and Vase double.

HYDE UNITED: Les Sutton (1976-83) if only for his comment after the first game of the 1981-82 season when the Tigers lost 1-0 at Chorley. “We’re two points behind the leaders”.

MOSSLEY: Bob Murphy (1992-93). Bob had achieved magnificent things at Seel Park in the late Seventies and early Eighties but at the start of 1993 he lost 19 games on the bounce. I had to ring him at 9am every Monday and he’d keep me on the phone for an hour without supplying a single quote. He didn’t say anything abut his team or the officials and he liked the opposition to worry abut Mossley, not the other way about.

STALYBRIDGE CELTIC: It would have to be their three-time boss Peter Wragg whose face could go through all the colours of the rainbow during a match. He was unpredictable, crazy, and surely one of the most successful non-league managers of all time. Who could forget Macclesfield winning the Northern Premier League treble in 1987?