Book Review: The Long, Long Road to Wembley by Dave Roberts

Following his previous football titles, The Bromley Boys, 32 Programmes and Home and Away, Dave Roberts brings us his latest offering, The Long, Long Road to Wembley. Once again at the heart of his book, is his beloved club, Bromley FC.

This time the inspiration for another excellent tale of the Lillywhites, is a framed picture of the Bromley skipper carried shoulder-high by his teammates, celebrating the 1948/49 FA Amateur Cup win at Wembley against Romford, which the young Roberts remembers adorning the tea-bar at Bromley in his early years supporting the Club. The image inspires in Roberts the desire to see his side repeat that journey and so begins the story as the sub-title of the book details, One man’s fifty-year journey towards his ultimate football dream.

The book is divided into two parts, the first (covering nine chapters) finds the author excitedly anticipating the 1968/69 FA Amateur Cup draw and takes readers through to 1979 and a visit to Wembley, at the Arena, rather than the twin-towers of the stadium, for a five-a-side competition involving a number of Isthmian league teams. During that time the FA Amateur Cup was ended in the 1973/74 season as the FA abolished the amateur status, with the FA Trophy beginning in 1969/70 and becoming the senior competition for non-league clubs. Whatever the title though of the tournament, Bromley never go near a return during that period to walking up Wembley Way.

One of the great strengths of Roberts writing is that it isn’t just tales of events on the pitch, and it brought a smile to the face to read of the author’s growing pains in the first part of the book. Readers are treated to Roberts in his Bryan Ferry phase, resplendent in white suit and smoking French cigarettes, Disque Bleu, from a black holder ivory, through to his punk transformation, black bin liner et al. with a tale of a near fatal experience with a three-wheeler, thrown in for good measure.

Part two covers the period from the end of the 1970s up to the 2017/18 season, as Roberts moves around the UK and even has spells abroad in New Zealand and United States, limiting his visits to Bromley’s home ground, Hayes Lane. Of the remaining eight chapters (and Epilogue), five are dedicated to the 2017/18 season, as Bromley, now a National League side, make another assault on reaching a Wembley Final.

Once again, the author in this book has captured what it is like to be a non-league fan, capturing the bond that exists at that level between its players, volunteers and die-hard fans. It also reminds us that as fans we should never give up on our dreams, and that despite all the ups and downs, our teams are in our blood.

(Unbound, August 2019. Paperback 212pp)

 

 

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Book Review: Fixing Sixty Six – A tale of political corruption that could just be true by Tim Flower

World Cup football and corruption? It’s never been known!

Well, there was that rumour at the 1978 tournament that Argentina needing to win 4-0 against Peru to progress to the Final, gave their South American neighbours a boatload of cash and grain. Full-time score, Argentina 6-0 Peru…

1982. Austria v West Germany in the Group Stages. A win for the Germans would see them and their opponents Austria through and would eliminate Algeria. Horst Hrubesch puts West Germany ahead after ten minutes and that is effectively the last action of the game, as both sides effectively stop playing. Full-time, Austria 0-1 West Germany…

Then there were the accusations in 2002 that the match officials were ‘got at’ as joint hosts South Korea achieved unbelievable wins over Italy and Spain to reach the Semi-Finals…

And of course, who can forget the debacle of the awarding of the 2018 Finals to Russia and Qatar in 2022 due to corruption within FIFA.

Oh, for the good old days, times like 1966 when England showed the world about fair play and sportsmanship in lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy. Not a whiff of corruption. Or was there?

Tim Flower’s Fixing Sixty Six is a fictional look at the tournament told through the eyes of retired journalist Harry Miller. It tells of an undercover government operation to ensure that England win the World Cup, ensuring at the same time the boosting of the popularity of the Labour government under Harold Wilson at a time of economic struggle in the country. Flower’s cleverly weaves fact and fiction to provide a very credible story as government advisor Ludovic Forsyth manipulates and spins away behind the scenes.

The book also provides a believable sketch of life in the 1960s, where a ‘woman’s place is in the home’, where ‘foreigners’ and ‘homos’ aren’t to be trusted, and the idea of exotic food is a boil in the bag Vesta Curry. Whilst football is the focus of the book, the author also touches on providing a comparison with the political situation in 1966 and that when Harry regales his sensational story in 2016, as Britain once again struggles with its identity and its position not only in a European context, but globally.

A minor criticism is that it could have done with a tighter edit as a number of avoidable typos are present. Overall though, it is ultimately an intriguing and absorbing read. That day back in 30 July 1966 may never be seen in the same light again.

(“Talk About Productions” November 2019. 428pp)

 

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Book Review: Tangled Up In Blue – The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC by Stephen O’Donnell

Growing up in the 1970s as a football mad kid in England I absorbed all I could about the nations favourite game and even though my team, Fulham, were rooted very much in the Second Division, BBC’s Match of the Day, allowed me to see the great teams of the First Division, as Arsenal, Derby County, Leeds United, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest won the top-flight title during that decade. During that same period in Scotland, only Celtic and Rangers won the First Division title, giving rise to the limited view of myself and so many others south of the border, at that time, that they were all there was to Scottish Football. And to some extent that view still pervades, when you consider that the last time a side other that the Glasgow giants won the top-flight Championship was Aberdeen back in the 1984/85 campaign.

But what do I really know about the Old Firm and indeed their relationship within the Scottish football scene? In reality – pretty generic things. Celtic, based in the East of Glasgow, the first British Club to win the European Cup, playing at Celtic Park, where its Irish Catholic connections are evident in the shamrock that adorns the club badge. Rangers, based in the West of Glasgow, playing at Ibrox, where the flags of Northern Ireland and the Union Jack are just as likely to be flown as the cross of St Andrew, highlighting the clubs Protestant leanings.

Of course, being a football fan, the big stories associated with these clubs since the seventies have also made it on my radar, such as the Ibrox disaster in 1971, Kenny Dalglish’s move from Celtic to Liverpool in 1977, Graeme Souness taking charge of Rangers in 1986, the 1991 signing of Maurice Johnston by Rangers as their first openly Catholic player and more recently in 2012 when Rangers went into liquidation, and a new side had to start life in the fourth-tier of Scottish football.

The reality is that I’ve never delved any deeper into many of those stories until now. Tangled Up In Blue – The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC by Stephen O’Donnell, is an incredibly well researched book split into two parts. The first, Rise: Religious Bigotry, looks at the formation of Rangers and provides an insight into the Protestant ‘influences’ on the club that despite great strides are still in evidence through sectarian chanting at the club. Insights are also provided on the Ibrox disaster in 1971 when 66 spectators lost their lives, with O’Donnell offering a different prospective on the possible cause of the tragedy and indeed the way the authorities dealt with the aftermath.

Part two, Fall: Financial Malpractice, looks at the period from the arrival of Graeme Souness to Rangers eventual return to the Scottish top-flight in the 2016/17 season. This is at times a quite extraordinary read as the eye-watering amounts of spending on players increases year-by-year, which whilst bought the incredible nine in a row titles between 1988 and 1997, creates the spiral of financial disaster that saw the club crash and burn. O’Donnell lays out the illegal financial transactions that contributed to their demise with the detailing of the ‘top-ups’ made through the Club’s Employment Benefit Trust, which came to be investigated by the Scottish Football Association and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, as well as issues such as the mortgaging of four years’ worth of season-tickets to Ticketus.

There is no doubt that this will be an uncomfortable read for Rangers fans, as O’Donnell does not pull his punches in examining both their club’s history and ultimate demise. However, it is hoped that the book is not merely seen as anti-Rangers or a hatchet-job and is therefore judged instead as a salutary lesson to club, owners and fans alike.

(Pitch Publishing Ltd, 2019. Hardcover 320pp)

 

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Book Review: Billy Bremner – Fifty Defining Fixtures by Dave Tomlinson

Never judge a book by its title?

If we tackle this question first, we can then move on to what Billy Bremner – Fifty Defining Fixtures is really about and we will find a pretty enjoyable book on the Leeds United era of ‘King Billy’ who was voted the best player ever at Leeds United and the greatest captain in the Football League’s history.

First things first, though; To judge or not to judge? that is the question. Another work by author, Dave Tomlinson, which has been reviewed on this site,  Leeds United – a History is claimed in the publishers’ press release to be a ‘definitive’ history of the club. But they don’t seem able to define ‘definitive’. This is hardly surprising since the publisher and author don’t even agree on where Dave actually resides. Amberley think he lives in Leeds, whilst his own website thinks he lives in Birmingham.

We have a similar problem with this book’s title. Amberley also struggle to define ‘defining’. And is it likely there are exactly 50 ‘defining fixtures’ for him? Of course not. Does that matter? Of course not. It is a celebration of a genuinely inspirational footballer who was loved by Leeds fans and hated by almost all opposition ones who would, still, have loved him to play for them.

We have to wait till Fixture 14 when Bobby Collins suffered a terrible leg break away to Torino to find something really interesting about Bremner. It is unsurprising, given how the book is constructed, that information comes via a quote from Billy himself. Describing his feelings towards the perpetrator of the top-of-the-thigh-when-the-ball-was-ten-yards-away horror tackle, he admits to murderous intent, such was his extreme loyalty to any and every team mate.

As someone who saw him play in his prime, I am confident that he deserved the highest praise and I enjoyed reading about a defining (yes!) period in the club’s history. And yet, Dave Tomlinson struggles to capture the essence of Billy Bremner’s qualities because so much of the author’s work is cobbling together match reports. In fact, Billy seems to be barely mentioned in so many of the matches described. And the selection of 50 does miss some really important ones, like when he scored the only goal of the game in the second replay of the 1970 FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and sent us Leeds fans at Burnden Park wild with delight. And Billy tells us himself about a match that really should be in the 50. In Fixture 20, he reflects (in You Get Nowt For Being Second) that it was the recent Fulham match which earned him a lengthy ban and forced him to finally change and calm down – a bit. It was the defining moment of his career.

The best illustration of what Bremner was truly about has to wait till Fixture 42, a match of relatively low importance against Hibernian. But, finally, Tomlinson begins to focus on Billy’s leadership qualities. And, a little earlier in sequence, the report on Fixture 36 totally fails because it, absurdly claims to be objective about allegations of match-fixing against Wolves in 1972. Bremner won substantial damages and you are not being objective by once more airing the allegations, even if Mike O’Grady did later admit to having been a go-between. Perhaps ‘objective’ need defining?

As we draw to the eventual conclusion, we are surprised to find so much of the wonderful victory in the European Cup semi-final against Cruyff’s Barcelona is diverted to the conflict between Bremner and Giles over who should manage Leeds, presumably because the author felt it should be squeezed in somewhere.

The photographs are a little puzzling. Why does the cover (at least in one edition) have Bremner in Scotland kit when the vast bulk of the ‘Fixtures’ are Leeds matches? Who is the target audience? And it is amusing to see a caption alongside the photograph of Mike England, clearly trying to restrain an angry Billy, which describes them as ‘fighting’. Those who wish to know more about Billy actually fighting on a football field might be advised to check with Kevin Keegan about that.

For all his greatness as a player, he was certainly not the best manager in the history of Leeds United. Yet he was the one who cared most passionately about the club. His famous quote amply illustrates this, “Every time Leeds concede a goal, I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the heart.” If Dave Tomlinson decides to write another book on Bremner, I hope this is the ‘King Billy’ he writes about, the player the fans loved.

(Amberley Publishing 2017 160pp)

 

Review by Graeme Garvey

 

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Book Review: I, Robot – How to Be a Footballer 2 by Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch’s How to Be A Footballer was one of the publishing hits of last 2018, notching shortlist nominations for both the National Book Awards and Telegraph Sports Book Awards. Unsurprisingly, therefore, Crouch’s publishers have been quick to make hay on the former England striker’s seamless transition into the literary world by bringing out a second book – I, Robot – How to Be A Footballer 2 – a little over twelve months later. It’s a rather unprecedented move in the world of sports autobiographies, which tend to be separated by years, or even decades (if at all), rather than months (Crouch’s strike partner Michael Owen waited fifteen years for the privilege), but such was the runaway success of Crouch’s first offering, in large part thanks to his dry wit and entertaining take on life as a footballer, in contrast to the often predictable, and dare I say it bland, rags to riches tales of old.

Book two is very much more of the same with regards to the format and tone. The chapters take a theme – Strikers, Nerves, Tackling, etc – and Crouch offers musings and anecdotes from his own experiences. I did feel a bit of déjà vu in the initial chapters and worried maybe this would be a case of the dreaded second-book syndrome, especially coming so soon after the first book, whose novelty and freshness had set it apart. The wit and playfulness are still there from the offset, but I felt the book grew into its own after a few chapters and once again gave that same sense of fun and humour as its predecessor. The chapter on referees particularly showcases everything that Crouch, and this book excels at, with the sort of relatable comic observations associated with the best stand-ups. Similarly, the chapter on the subs bench captures, with perfect wit, the footballer’s relationship to being a substitute. And what Crouch does so brilliantly is take apart the standard football clichés and discloses what really goes on in the minds and dressing rooms of modern footballers – sometimes, there is an I in team, especially, according to Crouch, if you’re a striker. In truth, a lot of what Crouch says isn’t shocking or revealing – nobody wants to be a sub, strikers can sabotage goals for other strikers, some players feign injuries, there’s nothing wrong with 4-4-2 – but footballers have become so accustomed to being part of the diplomatic PR machine that oftentimes the reality is masked behind commercial savoir-faire. Crouch’s honesty, therefore, is a breath of fresh air. And yet, even as he throws playful jibes at his team-mates, it all feels exactly that – playful and harmless. He’s not a footballer with a grudge and this is not a book with an agenda – it’s purely an open, light-hearted, savvy take on football from the inside and it is great fun to read.

Although the book touches on all the main aspects of the game, there’s one glaring omission in the current climate – VAR. I suspect, given that the book published in October, when it went to print, there was little chance to observe the new technology in all its ‘glory’, but it would be interesting to have Crouch’s thoughts on this. Perhaps, that’s lined up for Book 3? To my mind, despite the success of this second book, I think a third in the same vein may be pushing it, but personally I’d love to see a book in the mould of the recent Ask a Footballer (James Milner) with Crouch fielding questions from fans on all manner of football-related queries. But, for now, Crouch has certainly struck gold for a second time with I, Robot. His publishers may have to change the subtitle of the book for the paperback release to How to Be a Footballer and Also A Best-Selling Publishing Sensation.

 

Jade Craddock

 

 

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Book Review: The Got, Not Got Football Gift Book – Every Fan’s Catalogue of Desires (No: 1) by Derek Hammond & Gary Silke

As I write, we are still six weeks away from Christmas Day, however, after reading The Got, Not Got Football Gift Book – Every Fan’s Catalogue of Desires, I feel like Christmas has indeed come early.

Following the excellent Glove Story: The Number 1 book for every goalkeeper, past and present, Derek Hammond and Gary Silke have come up with another winner. This look at football memorabilia from the 1960s to the 1990s is split over thirteen colour-coded chapters which cover everything from programmes and comics to stickers and trading cards.  

I will freely admit I am a man of a certain age, so in turning over each gloriously colourful A4 page, memories of items I used to have and many that I had simply forgotten about, have been reignited. Of course, this book is very much a visual feast, but the tongue-in-cheek observational notes that accompany the items add to the experience as each page is scanned.

The research that has gone into the book is wonderful and proves to be useful when looking at the history and changes in areas such as football comics and magazines, where new titles appeared, merged and in some cases disappeared altogether. Useful too are the links in the book and in the Acknowledgments, which gives readers the chance to go on-line discover even more treasures from some extensive football collections.

This is by no means an exhaustive gathering of goodies of a golden age, as the authors acknowledge and given the fact that No:1 is included in the book title, one hopes that a second volume is indeed in the planning.

It is a book that will have appeal to football fans old and new, so whether you are a reader reminiscing about badges, scarves and programmes that have long since been confined to the loft or a fresh faced supporter stunned by what passed for club merchandise down the years, there is something for you.

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Book Review: More Than a Game – A Story About Football and other stuff by Ralph Robb

Wednesday, 29th November 1978. A date that won’t mean a great deal to many people, but in football terms in England, it was hugely significant. It saw Viv Anderson, then at Nottingham Forest, become the first black player to represent England in a full International.

Nowadays stars such as Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Trent Alexander-Arnold pulling on the white shirt for the Three Lions just isn’t a story here. However, in their last outing in Bulgaria, all the talk was not of the professional job the English team did in demolishing their hosts 6-0, but the disgraceful and unacceptable abuse that the black players had to ensure from the Bulgarian crowd.

Unquestionably, things have improved significantly in England in the forty years since Viv Anderson made his debut, but as the recent incident in the FA Cup showed, when the Haringey Borough v Yeovil Town tie was abandoned due to racist comments from the crowd, the issue has not gone away. Therefore,  Ralph Robb’s novel, More Than a Game: A Story About Football and other stuff, is a timely reminder of what life was like during the turbulent early part of the 1980s in England and the racism that was prevalent both in society and in football.

Set in the early ‘80s in Wolverhampton after Aston Villa had won the English First Division title, the story centres on Sabina Park Rangers an amateur team of black players who are the first to reach the final of the Watney’s Challenge Cup. Their coach Horace McIntosh has more selection problems than most, with Villa, the First Division champions wanting to sign one of his best players, and right up until the day of the match, uncertainty about whether he will have a team for the biggest game in the club’s history, set against a background of arrests, a scam and an atmosphere of impending violence on the streets.

Whilst football is at the centre of the story, the build up to the final provides various plotlines that give a vivid and portrayal of life in Britain under Margaret Thatcher and the Tories. Therefore, the tension between the police and black youths feature in the book, reflecting the actual riots that took place in the early ‘80s in places such as Birmingham (Handsworth), Bristol (St Pauls), Leeds (Chapeltown), Liverpool (Toxteth) and London (Brixton) is featured.

In doing so, Robb captures the frustration of the black community who had to deal with a police force not wholly upholding the law in the way it was intended. Interestingly though, the reader is able to see that the older generation of the black community (those arriving into Britain in the 1950s), struggling to maintain a position where they are trusted by the younger age-group, who want action, rather than the placatory words and deeds of characters such as the Sabina Park Rangers coach, Horace McIntosh.

Whilst racism is often simplistically seen as a ‘whites against blacks’, the author illustrates through the novel, that it goes beyond these boundaries, with some characters distrustful of those of Asian descent and furthermore touches on the whole issue of sexuality as Robb through his characters, explores views of the time about homosexuality and the roles of women. Indeed, the characters are drawn to reflect communities as a whole and show everything from the devoted church-goer to the dodgy mechanic.

However, for all the serious nature of the book, there is also some wonderful humour, with the barber’s room of Horace McIntosh providing scenes reminiscent of the classic Channel 4 comedy Desmond’s. Linguistically, there is an air of authenticity as the Jamaican dialogue rockets back and forwards between characters, and again provides some memorable exchanges.

The result of the Final? Well, I’ll let you find out for yourselves.

 

 

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Book Review: Far from the massive crowds by Mark Cowan

The ‘diary of a season’ has become a popular genre within the football writing fraternity and therefore new additions have to offer something different for any potential reader to take a chance with it.

In the case of Far from the massive crowds by Mark Cowan, the title offers some clue to the unashamed tongue-in-cheek puns that follow in this Kindle book and provided this reader with some eye-rolling and laugh old loud moments.

However, this isn’t to take away from Cowan’s well observed look at his local team Guisborough Town and their 2010/11 campaign in Division Two of the Northern League, a league which was founded in 1889, and can lay claim to being the second-oldest football league in the world still in existence after the English Football League.

The world of non-league is a very different one from the professional game and the author provides a well-drawn picture of the realities of the game at this level and the ‘characters’ that inhabit this world.

This was, despite it being a common theme and standard diary format, an ideal Kindle read whilst on holiday. Since returning home though, the desire has been to find out more on what has happened to the club, some of the central figures and other teams in the Northern League.

SPOILER ALERT – the book follows the 2010/11 season, which ultimately saw Guisborough Town, nicknamed The Priorymen, get promoted after finishing second to claim their place in Division One.

In the seasons since, the club has maintained its status in the top division of the Northern League with the following finishes, 2011/12 (16th), 2012/13 (11th), 2013/14 (4th), 2014/15 (3rd), 2015/16 (3rd), 2016/17 (20th), 2017/18 (15th) and 2018/19 (15th). The club did finish in the relegation places in 2016/17, when a 3 point deduction for an ineligible player looked to have condemned The Priorymen to life back in Division Two. They were saved however after a protracted appeal with The FA, who had initially ruled that the Northern League should proceed in 2017/18  with 21 clubs rather than 22, after the resignation mid-season of Norton & Stockton Ancients and the promotion of South Shields to the Northern Premier League (NPL).

Whilst on the subject of the NPL, one of their club sides, Whitby Town were also to feature in the careers of two of Guisborough’s influential figures in the 2010/11 season. Club captain and leading goal-scorer that campaign, David Onions (nicknamed DO by the Guisborough faithful), left for The Seasiders in March 2012. Interestingly though, DO has come full circle, with him currently back with The Priorymen as Assistant Manager.

Guisborough’s manager in that 2010/11 promotion winning season was Chris Hardy who left the King George V Ground and was appointed manager of Whitby Town in December 2015, where he remains to this day.

Finally, a story which shows how perilous life can be lower down the football pyramid. In the book during the 2010/11 season, Cowan details how Gillford Park had struggled to get games played at home in the first half of the season, due to being locked out following a dispute with the landlord of the ground. The following season the club though was promoted to Division One after finishing runners-up. In 2012 there was a name change to Celtic Nation after major sponsorship by a Scottish millionaire. However, there was to be no fairytale ending as in 2014/15 after the club finished 21st in Division One they were disbanded.

Far from the massive crowds is a very readable introduction for those familiar and unfamiliar with football below the pro-game and indeed the lower reaches of the national league system. It’s worth a go, as is any visit to your local non-league club. Go on, you might just like it.


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Book Review: Jarrod Black – Hospital Pass: An Unashamed Football Novel by Texi Smith

Hospital Pass is the second novel featuring Jarrod Black, an Australian footballer plying his trade in the English professional game. At the end of the first book, Introducing Jarrod Black, the central character was about to begin pre-season training ahead of a new campaign. This second novel picks up the story as that season comes to its climax.

Indeed, the twists and turns of the league finale provide one of the two major plotlines of the book. The other is a family related narrative which is a significant part of the book and provides an interesting play on the oft-quoted phrase from the legendary ex-Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.

As a reader this family related plotline conveys the feeling that the author Texi Smith is talking with an authenticity, gained through personal experience and therefore is an influence on the title of this second book, both in its double meaning and indeed is a challenge to the subtitle, An Unashamed Football Novel.

In looking to make comparisons with the first novel, Hospital Pass has a number of subtle differences. For instance, with the reader getting to know more about the Black family, including Jarrod’s wife, children, parents and in-laws, the story is set more in the present than the past. Also, interesting to note is the change in composition of the second book. Both novels to date are of a similar length (250-260 pages), with Introducing Jarrod Black, split over thirty-three, often very short chapters, with Hospital Pass delivered over eleven parts.

However, readers can be assured that this does not detract from this second novel providing a similarly captivating follow up from Smith’s debut novel. Both books have an easy style in terms of story and character development, one that could easily translate into a television mini-series.

Despite the more serious nature of parts of Hospital Pass, the feel good factor still remains and at the end of the book the audience is left with some unanswered questions that hopefully herald a third instalment of the Jarrod Black series.

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Book Review: Ask A Footballer – My Guide to Kicking a Ball About by James Milner

First things first, as James Milner is keen to point out in the book’s introduction, this is NOT an autobiography, rather, as the title suggests, Milner opens the floor to questions from the Twittersphere, a somewhat brave (or perhaps foolhardy) move, and this book comprises a selection of those questions with Milner’s answers.

Unsurprisingly, the questions included in the book revolve around football, covering everything from breaking through as a youngster to life after the game. There are sections on team-mates, what happens on a matchday and the experience of playing home and away, amongst other topics, but essentially all of the main components of life as a footballer are examined.

Anyone hoping to find Milner’s thoughts on matters outside of the game will be sadly disappointed, but as the full title, Ask a Footballer: My Guide to Kicking a Ball About, makes clear, this isn’t an open-all-areas Q&A. It does seem a shame that a brief chapter wasn’t included at the end for some more miscellaneous questions just for fun, but, on the whole, it’s a welcome premise that the publishers have pursued in this book by granting fans the opportunity to be involved.

Naturally, the questions that are included are generally somewhat predictable and fan questions are accompanied by questions from those involved in the book which clearly ensure that no football-related stone goes unturned, but generally they are the sort of questions that football fans would want to ask given the chance, and what is great about the book is the sense of interaction and access for supporters. There is a lot of criticism nowadays about this side of the game and the divide between fans and players, so this book is a pleasing antidote and there’s definitely much more of a sense of engagement and interaction than your typical sporting autobiography.

As for Milner himself, he is unquestionably a good sport for agreeing to the project, although in many ways he’s a rather safe choice – I’m not sure such a book would be possible with a number of Milner’s former team-mates, for example, Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy or Mario Balotelli! And Milner’s clearly well placed to be a spokesman on all things football, having played in the Premier League for almost two decades now and in that time witnessing the revolution that has virtually changed the face of football into the professional machine that it is now.

In his time, Milner has played for Leeds United, Swindon Town, Aston Villa, Manchester City and his current team Liverpool and has experienced the lows of relegation as well as the highs of FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League glory. In many ways an underrated and oftentimes overlooked player in teams which have boasted the likes of world-beaters such as Aguero and Salah, Milner has been a model of consistency and reliability. Off the pitch, Milner, too, seems to be as far removed as it’s possible to be from the pretensions of fame, which has inspired the emergence of the infamous ‘Boring James Milner’ caricature.

Indeed, there is nothing explosive or controversial about Milner (although fans of former clubs may say otherwise, he’s hardly a disruptive or unruly influence in the way that other footballers have made a name for themselves), so, unsurprisingly, there is nothing explosive or controversial in this book. As Milner himself explains, he was often the go-to player in the England camp, put out in front of the media to straight-bat away any difficulties.

As such, his answers in the book are all very straightforward and safe. Even when the questions enter slightly more precarious territory, Milner’s answers are always restrained, somewhat frustratingly often not naming names or giving more detail than is necessary. But, on the other hand, his answers are also considered and honest.

Milner’s professionalism and reliability shine through in this book. It’s clear that he’s the ultimate professional, as his eighteen seasons in the top flight prove, and certainly anyone wanting to know what it takes to achieve success at the top of the game need look no further than Milner and his answers in this book. However, anyone wanting the dirt on the beautiful game, or the alternative side to being a professional footballer, may just have to wait to see if the publisher chooses to roll out the project again. Are you free Mr Balotelli?

Jade Craddock

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