Book Review: Luka Modric – My Autobiography

If Luka Modric had a bucket list, it would surely read something like this: play in the Premier League (tick), become a Galactico (tick), win the Champions League (tick), lead Croatia to their best ever result at a World Cup (tick), win the Ballon d’Or (tick). After all that, there was only one thing left for Croatia’s most capped player to tick off – write an autobiography – and it’s now mission accomplished.

Modric emerged onto the global footballing radar in his four-year spell at Tottenham, but he’d already made his mark in his native Croatia at Dinamo Zagreb, via loan spells at Zrinjski Mostar and Inter Zapresic. His story started, though, much earlier, in modest and turbulent roots, set against the backdrop of a brutal Croatian War of Independence that robbed him of his beloved grandfather and his home. Despite these challenges, as the universal footballer narrative goes, Modric was drawn to football. Questions over his size and physicality which lingered throughout a lot of his career were raised early in his formative years, but there was perhaps no better test for a young Modric, nor a better schooling, than the notoriously tough Bosnian Premier League, where he became Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year aged 18. His time at Dinamo Zagreb brought a host of trophies and eventually a move to London, where Modric’s career took off, before his journey became stratospheric at Real Madrid. Modric’s autobiography, however, is bookended by perhaps the most important and yet arguably the most disappointing moment in his career – finishing as runner-up in World Cup 2018. For a nation of some four million people, this is a staggering achievement, but for Modric, a man who has won virtually all there is to win in the game, it initially felt like a failure. His autobiography fills in the story of how a young boy from war-torn Zadar reached the dizzy heights of a World Cup final and becoming the best player in the world.

The style of the autobiography itself is very traditional; there is nothing flamboyant or excessive in the way the book is ordered or told. Although, it’s a nice touch for the book to have 10 chapters – referencing Modric’s hallowed number 10. Modric, who comes across as a modest, humble man, appears as such in the book, but there’s also a hint of steel and tenacity that I hadn’t necessarily expected. The content is much to be expected, however, and gives a thorough overview of his whole life, although detail is sometimes a little bit lacking, but that’s hardly surprising given the amount Modric has to pack in to the book. Indeed, it’s great to have one of the best players of his generation and a recent Ballon d’Or winner not only penning an autobiography but doing so whilst still very much integral at club and national level. There’s a real sense of currency to the book as a result.

It’s also brilliant to see a different culture and nationality represented in footballing autobiographies. Indeed, I don’t think I’ve read another Croatian autobiography, nor I am aware if there are any others, but certainly it’s not the usual fare available. Perhaps Modric’s tome will open the floodgates, not only for other Croatian players – the likes of Davor Suker, Vedran Corluka, Niko Krancar, Davor Suker, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic, Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Eduardo da Silva and Mateo Kovacic, to name a few – but also lesser-represented nations.

I also enjoyed getting a greater sense of Modric the man, as although he’ll be familiar the world over as a footballer, he’s not one of the game’s most accessible personalities, so it’s intriguing to get a glimpse into his character. And anyone who followed the Harry Kane saga this summer will also note a very telling insight from Modric into one of the most formidable chairmen in the modern game – Tottenham’s Daniel Levy. Modric speaks often in the book about fate and had he got his way in negotiations at Spurs, he may have ended up at Chelsea instead of Real Madrid and who knows just how his story would have unfolded then. As it is, having been sold to Los Blancos, Modric went on to win two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, three Supercopa de Espana, four Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cup, and that’s before any individual accolades. So, however Modric’s career developed, it’s not bad for a boy who was rejected at Hadjuk Split for being too little. The phrase ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ springs to mind here!

Jade Craddock

 

(Bloomsbury Sport. May 2021. Paperback: 304 pages)

 

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Book Review – The Fifty: Football’s Most Influential Players by Jon Driscoll

Jon Driscoll’s book The Fifty aims to spotlight fifty footballers who have been most influential in terms of shaping the history of the beautiful game. I always love these sorts of books and features but never envy the author the task of selecting the chosen few and it’s fascinating to see just who gets picked, and equally who doesn’t.

Starting from football’s earliest days through to the present moment, Driscoll’s task is far from easy. A lot of the expected names are rightfully included – the likes of Pele, Maradona and Messi – but what is great about this book is that in choosing the most influential, rather than the best players, other names like Walter Tull, Jimmy Hill and Hope Powell are given their place in football’s narrative. Indeed, it is a fantastic premise that allows a really rich and encompassing view of the sport, that takes in players that not only changed the game on the pitch but off it too, comprising issues like women’s football, racism, corruption and pay, and whether or not these are the fifty names that individual readers would choose, Driscoll makes a very valid and informative case for each.

Of the fifty players, Driscoll chooses, I was familiar with most of them to some degree, but even with those that are household names across the board, Driscoll manages to unearth lesser-known, intriguing tidbits about them, whilst introducing a few names that were new to me and raising my awareness of their contributions and histories. It was great to genuinely learn something about each individual and to have a greater understanding for names that I’d previously only had limited knowledge of, to have my impressions or perceptions of a player revised or my appreciation improved. Indeed, I came away from each chapter having learnt something new and my overall experience of the book was of a really enlightening and insightful read. It was one of those books that had a real impact on my sense of knowledge and understanding.

Of course, one of the main talking points about this book, and any selection of this kind, revolves around the choice of players and there’s always a degree of debate and discussion about such things. Driscoll has clearly done his research and aimed to create a wide-ranging and inclusive collection of players that takes in all facets of the game and, as I said before, he offers strong justification for each choice. Ask 100 football fans to name their most influential 50 players, however, and no two responses will be the same. To my admittedly less-knowledgeable mind, Driscoll seems to have done a thorough job and I particularly appreciated the inclusion of Lily Parr and Brandi Chastain, as well as the earliest selections in the book which gave me a greater insight into football’s origins. I felt that some of the more recent names are perhaps more debatable, but given time Cafu and Ozil, who were both defining and exceptional players, may fully justify their places, though for me, in terms of football’s story, the development of the Premier League and the effect of the Invincibles, Thierry Henry may have been a more fitting choice than Ozil. But every reader will have their own thoughts and neither Ozil nor Henry may feature. As Driscoll says, compiling this history is ‘like completing a moving puzzle’, but without doubt he has done a mighty fine job of laying out a comprehensive template and beginning the debate.

With the most influential players in history having thus been examined, Driscoll’s book does open up a myriad of avenues for further exploration – the fifty most influential managers, teams, Premier League players… If Driscoll has the time or the inclination, I’d be delighted to read his take on any of these as he’s proven himself with this book to be a hugely accomplished and informative football writer and it’s a rare treat to read a book that leaves you so much the wiser and discerning not just on finishing the book but with every chapter.

(Pitch Publishing Ltd. November 2020. Hardcover: ?320 pages)

 

Jade Craddock

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Book Review: Pat Nevin – The Accidental Footballer: a memoir.

Depending on your age and interests, Pat Nevin is either an ex-Scottish International footballer and Chelsea legend, a DJ much influenced by the indie music scene or a respected media journalist and writer. One man, many facets and with a story to tell. Much like the release of Arsene Wenger’s autobiography, My Life in Red and White, Pat Nevin’s book was also keenly anticipated by many in the sporting world and beyond. And like the ex-Arsenal manager’s offering, Pat Nevin’s The Accidental Footballer is a book that has a sophistication, insight, depth and humour that is not always associated with the genre of football writing.

Growing up, football biographies and autobiographies tended to be very much along the lines of the ‘boy done good’, containing a less than inspiring linear plod through the matches and seasons the subject played in, with machismo tales of drinking and night club excesses adding the ‘colour’. During Nevin’s career at Chelsea and Everton (from 1983 to 1992), which he focuses on in his book, this was indeed the culture that he found himself amongst. However, where his fellow squad members were happy to lounge by the hotel pool on club and international trips abroad, downing a few beers in the sun, Nevin wanted to get out and see the countries and the culture, wherever he found himself, whether that be in Europe or further afield in China and Iraq.

This wasn’t the only aspect that singled out the Glasgow born fleet-footed forward from his clubmates. Nevin never intended to be a footballer (as the book’s title infers) with no clamour for the glamour and fame that a successful playing career could bring. Indeed even though he was released by Celtic, the club he supported and watched from the terraces as a boy, Nevin was determined to follow the educational path taken by his siblings and would have turned down the club whatever their decision. That he found his way into the game through playing for Clyde, was determined by his desire to play the game he loved purely for enjoyment, whilst allowing him to continue his University studies and earn some money on the side to get to various music gigs in Glasgow. Indeed, you get the impression his love of the arts, and the chance to get to more involved in the indie music scene was as much as a draw as he moved to London and Stamford Bridge, than going full-time in England.

The move saw Nevin become part of a successful Chelsea side as his goals and assists for Kerry Dixon saw the Blues gain promotion from the old Second Division in 1983/84 with him picking up the Player of the Year Award that season and in 1986/87. When Chelsea were relegated in 1987/88, he stayed in the old First Division by moving to Everton, where his time was blighted by injury and the return of former Toffee Manager Howard Kendall, which after a loan spell saw Nevin stay on Merseyside by signing permanently for Tranmere Rovers. Internationally, he was talented enough to earn 28 caps for Scotland, playing in the European Championship Finals in 1992 and was Player of the Tournament as Scotland became European Under 18 Champions in Finland ten years earlier.

Whilst football is central to Nevin’s ‘memoir’ (his parents always encouraged their children to use the best English they could), his love of music is evident not only through his interesting tales of his relationship with John Peel and meetings with others in the business such as Morrissey, but that each of the book’s 32 chapters headings are in fact song titles, handily detailed at the end with the artists also listed.

Football and music aside, readers also get to learn of Nevin’s politics, influenced by the hard-working ethos of his family and the reality of growing up in working-class Glasgow, a city divided by the Catholic and Protestant religions. Indeed, as a Catholic, Nevin believed that despite his father’s years of dedication to his job on the railways, he was always overlooked for promotion in favour of his Protestant colleagues. It is evident that Nevin’s father was an incredible inspiration, not only working long hours for British Rail, but spending hours coaching his son and various youth teams, and even when Nevin moved South, getting to games in London.

And just as Nevin feels able to articulate his view of the discrimination against his father, he is open in expressing opinions on major issues such as racism, the child abuse scandal at the Celtic Boys Club and the continuing sectarian problems at both Celtic and Rangers. Indeed, it will be interesting to see whether that particular issue would be explored in any potentially further book to come from Nevin, which could also look at parts of his playing career not mentioned in this memoir, at Kilmarnock and Motherwell, where he also had a stint as Chief Executive.

It was a pleasure to be let into Nevin’s world through The Accidental Footballer, a book which so easily have been called, The Arty Footballer, The Artistic Footballer, The Articulate Footballer, The Alternative Footballer or indeed The Accomplished Footballer.

(Monoray. May 2021. Hardback: 352 pages)

 

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Book Review: Football for Brains! by Steven End

The lockdown during COVID saw people turn to various activities whilst at home. For Steven End it provided the opportunity to produce a book, prompted by the loss of a relative to dementia and the increasing cases in the football world, called Football for Brains! The title reflecting that this is predominantly a quiz book of football questions to get the grey matter ticking, and additionally that the author is making donation to The Scores Project (details below) looking into dementia at the University of East Anglia.

It is not End’s first writing venture, having independently published the Ups and Downs of Ipswich Town in December 1997. This latest offering though whilst dominated by over 700 football quiz questions (741 to be precise), there are also some very short articles on the following, Collecting Cards and Stickers, A diary of a memorabilia Collector, Football Programme Reviews, eBay news and views before and during lockdown, Football in Lockdown, Promotion Winning Canaries, and Family Footie between lockdowns.

Like any good quizzer will know, the questions are only easy if you know the answer! To give you an indication of the type of questions there are in this book, here are the first and last questions.

(1) Everton beat Liverpool 2-0 in the Premier League on 20th February 2021. Can you remember the last time Everton overcame Liverpool in the Premier League?

(741) Brett Emerson played internationally for which country?

The questions vary in style, so there are some anagrams, some multiple choice, some true or false and as above just straight questions, which take in non-league players, managers and teams all the way through to the international game.

It would perhaps have been good to have sections within the questions so that for instance, readers would be presented with a set of questions on stadiums and grounds, another on players and so on. However, this is a book that will be ideal for those away days sat on a train or in the car as fans travel to games or for those having a few pre-match drinks.

As detailed above, a donation from the sale of each book goes to The Scores Project which is an independent research study designed to better understand the cognitive health of athletes as they age. Their current focus is on former professional footballers and studying links between dementia, head injuries and heading the ball.

(Independently published. April 2021. Paperback: 100 pages)

 

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Book Review: Arthur Kinnaird – First Lord of Football by Andy Mitchell

An excellent biography of an extraordinary man.

If you haven’t already delved into Victorian football this book will whet your appetite and also provide you with new opportunities to explore the early years of what is now the Global Game through, to give him his full title, Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, the 11th Lord Kinnaird.

Just where do you start with this man of many facets? Kinnaird the footballer? The humanitarian? The politician? The administrator?

Of all these, prior to reading this book I was aware of Arthur Kinnaird’s’ exploits in football from my interest and knowledge of the FA Cup, especially during the Victorian era, with an additional insight provided by the Netflix mini-series The English Game, which although not totally historically accurate was an otherwise excellent programme.

Author Andy Mitchell has written a number of other football books, primarily concerning Scottish football, and here he has utilised a great source for this biography, with access to the family records and Arthur Kinnaird’s personal papers and scrapbooks through Kinnaird’s great-granddaughter, the Hon. Caroline Best, proving invaluable. Overall, the book is well written and concise, although I would have preferred some expansion in some areas of the book. The source material though enables Michell to provide readers with detail of his life outside of his football career, which in itself was so influential.

Despite Kinnaird’s Old Etonian education and wealthy family background he was extremely pious and cared greatly for social issues especially those affecting the poor. Along with his wife he used these attributes to be influential in the establishment of the YMCA and YWCA. Indeed, his early philanthropic leanings saw the couple teaching the children of the poor to read and write, with Kinnaird involved himself in a range of areas specifically those of a humanitarian nature covering education (for the poor and refugees), religion, poverty relief and health, as well as political and financial. As a Member of the House of Lords, he was a politician with a conscience, something those in positions of power and wealth today would do well to remember.

Kinnaird’s legacy to football came in two ways. On the pitch as a player, he was undeniably the superstar of his day, the Victorian Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo or Messi. Mitchell details his football career quite extensively, covering the great teams of the period with Kinnaird playing for Wanderers and Old Etonians, earning himself five winners’ medals from the nine appearances he made in FA Cup finals between 1873 and 1883. Additionally, he was involved in setting up the first international games between England and Scotland, and despite being born in London, as a son of an old Perthshire family, he turned out for the Scots.

Off the pitch, he was involved in the evolution of football as an administrator, where Kinnaird worked hard to standardise the rules of game and was involved in the formation of the English Football Association (The FA), serving as President for 33 years. During his stewardship, he oversaw the introduction of professionalism within the game, as the influence of the Southern public schools and the upper classes was usurped by the North and its professional teams, with this battle also featured within the aforementioned Netflix series.

Besides Kinnaird’s story, what I also loved about the book were the reproduction of newspaper articles and memorabilia from his own scrapbook which paves the way for readers to exploring more about football in the Victorian era in conjunction with an extensive bibliography.

Purely from a football perspective, this is where I would have wanted more, however, the reality is this is a biography of the man, not simply a history of Victorian football. Readers should be aware that the author assumes a level of knowledge around the formation and tactics of the Victorian game which were significantly different to that the modern fan is used to, and which evolved during Kinnaird’s playing and administrative career.

Overall though Mitchell has produced an excellent read and as I say will lead the curious amongst readers down a wormhole through the origins of the Victorian game and one of its significant influencers.

Steve Blighton

 

(Independently Published. March 2020. Paperback: 189 pages)

 

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Book Review: Blinding Floodlights by Peter Miles

In 2016 Mike Floate released Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights, and five years later once again via the Newlands Printing Services stable, another title has been released focusing on floodlights, this time from the camera of Peter Miles, with the double-meaning title of Blinding Floodlights.

This book has the look and feel of Floate’s original title, with a repeat of the design, A5 size and art catalogue feel. Miles’ edition is larger than, Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights, at 116 pages, with over 200 images from 150 clubs and stadia from across 34 countries. This look at lights from further afield, gives the feeling that this is the Continental cousin, to Floate’s essentially UK based book.

As with Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights, the text is limited to a brief introduction, which despite its brevity is informative as Miles’ point out some early milestones in the history of floodlights such as Southampton becoming the first English professional club in 1950 to have permanent floodlights installed at their old ground, The Dell. Interestingly, The Saints capped a unique double in lighting terms when before the 2014/15 campaign, St Mary’s (Southampton’s current stadium) became the first stadium in Europe with full LED floodlighting.

This volume as with Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights contributes to recording architectural, industrial, social and visual history. However, where this book varies to an extent to Floate’s, is that the images provide a visual narrative, indeed a journey, as the grounds and lights are seen as the day progresses, with bright blue skies giving way through sun-set, and dusk to nightfall.

There are so many startling images, and any reader/viewer will have their own favourites and indeed see different things each time they open the pages of this book and revisit the wonderful colourful pictures. A couple which stand out for involve statues which are juxtaposed with the stadiums and lights they are situated near, at AFC Tubize, a Belgian amateur club and the Osterbro Stadium in Denmark which hosts both football and athletics.

Another one to mention, is that due to my allegiance with Fulham. In Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights, Floate’s images of Craven Cottage still had the glorious old pylons, whilst here in Blinding Floodlights the famous Cottage looks a little less impressive with the favoured modern tubular structures for lighting. Progress, I know, but certainly visually less appealing.

It would be easy to wax lyrically about each and every picture, but instead can only say, get your self a copy and feast on the visual treats on offer.

(Newlands Printing Services. May 2021. Paperback: 116 pages)

 

This books and a range of other football related titles can be bought through Mike Floate’s website: www.footballgroundsfrenzy2.com as well as eBay and Amazon.

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Book Review: Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights by Mike Floate

As a kid travelling to away games, spotting the floodlights was part of the excitement of the day. And if I’m honest, even all these years later, there is still a thrill from spotting the pylons whether in the car or on a train. However, as old grounds have slowly disappeared and technology has advanced in the field of lighting, those distinctive pylons of my youth, are a very rare sight these days.

Therefore it is a real pleasure to be able to review two book about these metallic behemoths, the first Football Grounds Frenzy Floodlights by Mike Floate and the second Blinding Floodlights by Peter Miles. This review focuses on Mike Floate’s offering with a separate one for Peter Miles book.

This A5 sized book is in four parts, Introduction (providing the only text), The Underview, The Groundview and Getting to the Vetch Field. Over its 84 pages, 48 grounds are featured through 83 wonderfully atmospheric colour images.

The introduction details how this collection started, when Floate visited the Scottish club Queen of the South in 1996 and snapped the images of their floodlights (featured on pages 43 and 56), with the last picture to feature in this book taken in 2015. Whilst the majority of the pictures come from English League clubs, there are some from the non-league scene as well as Scotland and Belgium.

Some may argue that this is a pretty niche area within football, but what is important to remember is that nearly 40% of the stadiums featured have been demolished and those old style stands, and floodlights are now lost forever. This book contributes to recording architectural, industrial and social history in a brutalist-style artistry.

They also provide for me great memories and reminders of growing up in London and my regular visits to Fulham at Craven Cottage and Wimbledon’s old Plough Lane venue. The pylons at the Cottage that could be seen walking to the ground with my dad and indeed the nation, viewed as they were on the BBC every year at the Varsity Boat race as the Oxford and Cambridge crews swept past the ground on the Thames. Now as the stadium has changed, Fulham have adopted the tubular structures now favoured in the modern era, with the new Riverside Stand to have lighting within its roof, another feature of new ground design.

The images of Plough Lane also brought back a sadness, at thoughts of the grounds subsequent demolition, but Floate’s pictures on pages 38, 39, 57 and 58 made me smile too, as I recalled that The Dons, as they climbed the Football League arranged the bulbs in a ‘W’ formation in each of their four pylons. Happy days indeed.

Besides those wonderful nostalgic images from my days in South West London, there are some other eye-catching pictures within the book. And that is one of the beauties of this collection, in that you will notice something different every time you look at the images. Take for instance the pylon at Hereford’s Edgar Street ground (page 22), where the lower reaches of the structure were used to advertise businesses and forthcoming fixtures on various boards. Incongruously, an advert for World of Florida, Luxury Homes for Sale or Rent, sits side by side with those for local building and plumbing firms.

The book closes with Getting to the Vetch Field, a cracking photo-study and homage to Swansea City’s former home. The photos feature the lights from various spots around the streets, illustrating the stadiums land locked site in the heart of the city, and having a wonderful glow and atmosphere that only attending games at night can somehow bring.

Such a small book, but such a treasure.

(Newlands Printing Services. March 2016. Paperback: 84 pages)

 

This books and a range of other football related titles can be bought through Mike Floate’s website: www.footballgroundsfrenzy2.com as well as eBay and Amazon.

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Book Review: Anna Black – this girl can play by Texi Smith

Texi Smith has brought readers three books so far, Introducing Jarrod Black, Hospital Pass and Guilty Party, featuring the central character, successful fictional Socceroos player Jarrod Black. In his latest offering from his ‘unashamed football novel’ series Smith brings readers Anna Black – this girl can play, as we are introduced to Jarrod’s younger sister, Anna.

Whilst the Jarrod Black books are set predominantly in England and in real-time, the Anna Black story takes place mainly in Australia, and looks to the future with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the heart of the plotlines, which incidentally will be hosted in two years’ time by the Antipodean neighbours of Australia and New Zealand.

Format-wise this book follows those of the first and third Jarrod Black stories, with fifty short sharp chapters keeping the readers attention and the action moving along at pace, as the football career of Anna unfolds. As with his other titles Smith displays his own love, knowledge and experience of the game through his writing with the plots and situations strong with their usual convincing credibility thanks to his research, aided by those who he acknowledges provided insight and guidance into the life of elite players in the women’s game down under.

Whilst this is a football-tale, Smith hasn’t been afraid in this book to touch on sexuality within women’s game and he deals with it in a sensitive manner, engendering a positive message about football being an inclusive game.

There is also a nod to how technology can be used in modern-day publishing with QR codes dotted throughout for the World Cup matches. It’s a nice touch and for those unable to access the codes a dedicated page on the web has been provided at https://www.annablackbook.com/

This book is undoubtedly a celebration of the women’s game and hopefully will be inspirational to young girls who want to take up the sport. Anna Black – this girl can play well Texi Smith – this boy can write.

[Note: The QR code that appears on page 206 should have sat between pages 215-216. This should be rectified in later copies of the book.]

 

(Popcorn Press. March 2021. Paperback: 254 pages)

 

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Book Review: Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football by Matt Piper with Joe Brewin

With football fever sky-high right now and Kane et al living the football dream, it is easy to look on and see only the positive side of the beautiful game, but what happens for players when the reality of life as a footballer doesn’t live up to the dream, when that dream ends prematurely? In truth, this is the more realistic side of the story, with numerous players who don’t make it for every player that does. And even for those who do break through that is far from the end of the football journey. These are the stories, however, that we tend not to see or hear about, yet these are the ones that are just as important, if not more so, than the success stories, and former Leicester and Sunderland winger, Matt Piper, shares his own poignant tale as life as a young footballer and what happened when that life was over.

Piper’s story starts in Leicester, where, like so many other young footballers, he had that innate love of the game, as well as a single-minded focus and determination to succeed. Making it into the academy was the first step on the journey, before working his way through the age groups and being singled out ahead of his time, to step up to the first team, that boasted the likes of Muzzy Izzet, Robbie Savage and Stan Collymore. Despite his prodigious talent, it was not all plain sailing for a quieter, more introverted young player like Piper, negotiating big characters and tackling injuries, but, whilst still a teen, he began to make his mark. Whilst Leicester were going through their own challenges as a club, Piper settled in, but the turning point in his journey came when a move to Sunderland was pushed through. Though Piper made a go of it at the Stadium of Light, Howard Wilkinson didn’t make life easy, and although things vastly improved with Mick McCarthy, Piper was beset by injuries that would lead to him ultimately calling time on his career at just 24.

Piper offers a hugely honest reflection on what it is to be a player who suffers injuries and the mental challenges it poses. His admission of freedom at leaving behind his football career and the psychological merry-go-round of going through rehab only to suffer the inevitable setbacks is both eye-opening and hard-hitting. Again, we tend not to see these stories of struggle and despair, only the successful recoveries, and it’s easy to forget the physical demands of a footballer’s life, and crucially, the mental demands when the body breaks down. But Piper lays all of this bare, as he does with regard to life after football.

Indeed, after an initial smooth transition out of football, Piper’s life sadly soon spiralled, and he opens up without reservation about his struggles with depression, alcohol and drugs. It is a stark reminder of the difficult road many footballers face after the end of their careers, the loss of identity and purpose, especially so for young footballers. With the help of Sporting Chances and a supportive family, but crucially with his own desire to change, Piper turned his life around, ultimately leading to him setting up his own FSD Academy to help youngsters with life skills and football and he speaks poignantly and with a real sense of perspective about what matters in life.

It is easy to warm to Piper in the book and root for him and it’s really pleasing to see Piper not only having come out the other side but helping others. Indeed, all profits from this book go to FSD and Sporting Chances Clinic. Piper’s story is not the only one of this kind, but it is one that generally doesn’t get the attention or coverage it deserves, given the important issues at stake. Tackling the notion of young footballers falling out of love with the game, wanting to escape it, the physical but also the mental struggles of injury, as well as the challenges of negotiating different scenarios, managers and team-mates as a young player are all incredibly significant matters that need to be addressed more often and Piper has done a superb job of removing the taboos around certain subjects and opening up these issues for discussion. It is saddening but also refreshing and crucial that these issues come to light and gain acceptance and visibility in order to help other footballers understand and take control of their own journeys. And it’s crucial not to forget the other side of the footballing dream – and those for whom that dream may have turned into a nightmare. Piper’s book is testament to a rewarding and inspiring life after football, but also a reminder of the support and guidance needed to help former players – and youngsters especially – thrive.

 

(Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2020. Hardcover: ?320 pages)

 

Jade Craddock

 

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Book Review: Robbo: Now You’re Gonna Believe Us: Our Year, My Story

Andy Robertson has had something of a meteoric rise since joining Liverpool four years ago, culminating in becoming a Premier League winner in 2020. His first book – Robbo: Now You’re Gonna Believe Us – follows the year-long journey from becoming Champions League winners in 2019 to that historic title win that saw Liverpool crowned champions of England for the first time in thirty years.

The book opens in the dressing room of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid following Liverpool’s triumph over Tottenham in the final of the 2018/2019 Champions League, but Robertson explains that the seeds of that victory were actually sown twelve months previously when Liverpool were defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid in Kiev. That loss galvanised the team going into the following year’s competition and made the victory all the sweeter. Robertson takes readers inside the changing room in the immediate aftermath and onto the celebrations in Madrid and the parade in Liverpool. Whilst there is not really much in the way of fly-on-the-wall party antics, with what goes on behind closed doors staying behind closed doors in terms of celebrations, Robertson captures some of the more poignant and reflective moments in the chaos, highlighting just what it means to win.

And so on to the 2019/2020 campaign that would redefine Liverpool’s history and that of the current crop of players, and Robertson charts it every step of the way. He gives some insight into preseason and the novel methods Jurgen Klopp used in their training camp in Evian, as well as the camaraderie and rivalry between teammates when it comes to competitive sportsmen. Then it is into the season proper, which covers the European Super Cup, the opening games, national duty, the Club World Cup, fixture congestion, the FA Cup and Champions League runs, the emergence of COIVD and suspension of football and, of course, the charge towards Premier League victory. Insights into Robertson’s own views on some of the issues the media play up, including the debate over Liverpool’s presence in the Club World Cup and the fielding of a younger side in the FA Cup, are particularly interesting, and so too are the glimpses of the manager and other players from an insider’s perspective, seeing in snippets the interactions, the respect and friendships that make up a dressing room. The human side of the players, and Robertson in particular, also really comes across, especially in the more difficult moments beyond football, and it’s a refreshing reminder of another side of their lives and characters that takes place away from the camera lens.

Ultimately, this is a book in that depicts the incredible effort and determination that goes into winning one of the toughest leagues in world football, and those at the heart of it – the players, the managers, the backroom staff and the fans. It is also an insight into Robertson’s personal experience of this journey, from worries over injuries and family illness to reflections on his teammates and ‘rivalry’ with Trent Alexander Arnold, and, above all, the desire to improve and the will to win. One flaw, I find, in a lot of football autobiographies is that focusing on a whole career condenses even the most significant of moments, so this season-long view is a really appealing one. Naturally, there’s still a need to condense matters, but the book seems to cover all of the key moments and maintain a good balance of on-field and off-field action. The fact the book also charts a historic title-winning season is a bonus and will certainly resonate particularly with Liverpool fans, but, in truth, I think the whole approach of a player’s logging of a season is one that could work, and would be appealing, across the board, with each team having its own highs and lows, struggles and achievements, regardless of whether they win the league, finish mid-table or get relegated. So it would be great to see other books in this vein. As for Robertson’s tome, it’s a book that captures the essence of what it meant to be a Liverpool player – or a fan – in a season that was so momentous in so many ways.

(Reach Sport. March 2021. Paperback: 304 pages)

 

Jade Craddock

 

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