The Accidental Footballer

The Accidental Footballer PDF

Author: Pat Nevin

Publisher: Monoray

Published: 2021-05-20

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 1913183394

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*** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read.' - The Guardian 'A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League.' - The i 'Such a good storyteller...joyous.' - Financial Times 'Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...' - Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times 'Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is.' - John Murray, Chief Sports Correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live 'Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur.' - Omid Djalili 'The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch.' - Graeme Le Saux 'I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too.' - Sam Matterface 'I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining.' - Lord Sebastian Coe 'A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday.' - ToffeeWeb Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer. His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention. Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour! Placed firmly in the 80s and 90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton, and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda. The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises, when you least expect it.

The Accidental Footballer

The Accidental Footballer PDF

Author: Pat Nevin

Publisher: Monoray

Published: 2021-05-20

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 1913183394

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

*** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read.' - The Guardian 'A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League.' - The i 'Such a good storyteller...joyous.' - Financial Times 'Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...' - Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times 'Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is.' - John Murray, Chief Sports Correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live 'Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur.' - Omid Djalili 'The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch.' - Graeme Le Saux 'I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too.' - Sam Matterface 'I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining.' - Lord Sebastian Coe 'A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday.' - ToffeeWeb Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer. His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention. Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour! Placed firmly in the 80s and 90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton, and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda. The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises, when you least expect it.

Recovering

Recovering PDF

Author: Richie Sadlier

Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd

Published: 2019-10-04

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0717184528

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When a career-ending injury saw former Ireland and Millwall striker Richie Sadlier retire from football at age 24, his life spiralled out of control. Without structure or a sense of purpose, and fuelled by a dependency on alcohol, he spent years running from the dark memories and feelings that had haunted him since childhood. Until one day he hit rock bottom and decided to confront his demons. Recovering written with Dion Fanning is about a life shaped by efforts to escape, and how it is possible to rebuild that life, piece by piece, with the right help. Inspiring and ground-breaking, it is an important reflection on the need to move away from perceptions of shame in our discussions about mental health, sex, relationships and addiction.

Keeper

Keeper PDF

Author: Mal Peet

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Published: 2011-03-22

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0763654345

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An enthralling story of a poor and gawky kid who mysteriously becomes the world's greatest goalkeeper — a seamless blend of magic realism and exhilarating soccer action. "And you found it, this thing you were looking for?" It was darker now, and the city below Faustino's office was a jazzy dance of neon signs and traffic. The big man went to the window and looked down at it all, spreading his large hands on the glass. "No," he said. "It found me." When Paul Faustino of LA NACION flips on his tape recorder for an exclusive interview with El Gato — the phenomenal goalkeeper who single-handedly brought his team the World Cup — the seasoned reporter quickly learns that this will be no ordinary story. Instead, the legendary El Gato ("The Cat") quietly narrates a spellbinding tale that begins in a mythic corner of the South American rain forest, where a ghostly but very real mentor, the Keeper, emerges to teach the gangly boy the most thrilling secrets of the game. Combining vivid imagery and heart-stopping action, this evocative, strikingly ethereal novel about loyalty, passion, and magic will haunt readers, regardless of their love for soccer, long after the story is ended.

Line of Scrimmage

Line of Scrimmage PDF

Author: Marie Force

Publisher: HTJB, Inc.

Published: 2017-11-21

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13: 1946136360

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An NFL quarterback in the Hail Mary play of his life… Ryan Sanderson has ten days to convince his wife Susannah to give their marriage another chance—and there is nothing he won’t do to win her back, even if he has to play a little dirty... Read Marie Force’s first published novel now with an ALL NEW extended epilogue! “Marie’s debut novel is wonderful! I was captured on the first page, and her characters are bigger than life. The emotional tug-of-war between two people who loved deeply but lost, takes you to the core in matters of the heart. Marie does a marvelous job leading you to the edge, and back again. So buckle up for a fun ride!” —Magical Musings.

Pat Van Den Hauwe - My Autobiography

Pat Van Den Hauwe - My Autobiography PDF

Author: Pat Van Den Hauwe

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2015-03-05

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1784187089

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In today's game, there is no place on the pitch for player contact, let alone the sort of hard, robust tackling that could earn a player the nickname 'Psycho'. But twenty-five years ago, things were different. Only when players really overstepped the mark were their names added to the referee's little black book. And 'Psycho' Pat Van den Hauwe had a reputation as one of the hardest players in the game. In a career encompassing some 401 Football League appearances for Birmingham City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall, he notched up two league titles and a European Cup Winners' Cup medal - but he also made his mark as one of the toughest and most feared defenders in the game.But Pat wasn't just a tough player on the pitch. The way he lived his life meant that he needed to be tough off the pitch as well. A 'hard nut' reputation invites people into your life who want to see how far they can push you - and Pat attracted such people by the bus-load.This autobiography is not the usual collection of career memories from an ex-pro. It is probably the most explicit book ever written by a former footballer. Throughout his career, and long after he left the game, Pat Van den Hauwe courted danger. In fact, he nearly paid the ultimate price for living life to the extreme.

Trautmann's Journey

Trautmann's Journey PDF

Author: Catrine Clay

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-09-30

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 144646878X

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR How did one man go from Nazi Youth indoctrination to English footballing icon? Bert Trautmann is a football legend. He is famed as the Manchester City goalkeeper who broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup final and played on. But his early life was no less extraordinary. He grew up in Nazi Germany, where first he was indoctrinated by the Hitler Youth, before fighting in World War Two in France and on the Eastern Front. In 1945 he was captured and sent to a British POW camp where, for the first time, he understood that there could be a better way of life. He embraced England as his new home and before long became an English football hero. This is his story. 'A gripping story of an unlikely redemption through football' Sunday Times 'He was the best goalkeeper I ever played against. We always said, don't look into the goal when you're trying to score against Bert. Because if you do, he'll see your eyes and read your thoughts.' Bobby Charlton

The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw

The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw PDF

Author: Paolo Hewitt

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-05-06

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 178057021X

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Robin Friday was an exceptional footballer who should have played for England. He never did. Robin Friday was a brilliant player who could have played in the top flight. He never did. Why? Because Robin Friday was a man who would not bow down to anyone, who refused to take life seriously and who lived every moment as if it were his last. For anyone lucky enough to have seen him play, Robin Friday was up there with the greats. Take it from one who knows: 'There is no doubt in my mind that if someone had taken a chance on him he would have set the top division alight,' says the legendary Stan Bowles. 'He could have gone right to the top, but he just went off the rails a bit.' Loved and admired by everyone who saw him, Friday also had a dark side: troubled, strong-minded, reckless, he would end up destroying himself. Tragically, after years of alcohol and drug abuse, he died at the age of 38 without ever having fulfilled his potential. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw provides the first full appreciation of a man too long forgotten by the world of football, and, along with a forthcoming film based on Friday's life, with a screenplay by co-author Paolo Hewitt, this book will surely give him the cult status he deserves.

Forever Young

Forever Young PDF

Author: Oliver Kay

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2016-05-12

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1848669860

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WINNER OF THE FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 'This football book is about something even more important than the "beautiful game"; it is a story of the human spirit.' - Mick Hume, The Times Adrian Doherty was not a typical footballer. For one thing, he was blessed with extraordinary talent. Those who played alongside and watched him in the Manchester United youth team in the early 1990s insist he was as good as Ryan Giggs - possibly even better. Giggs, who played on the opposite wing, says he is inclined to agree. Doherty was also an eccentric - by football standards, at least. When his colleagues went to Old Trafford to watch the first team on Saturday afternoons, he preferred to take the bus into Manchester to go busking. He wore second-hand clothes, worshipped Bob Dylan, read about theology and French existentialism and wrote songs and poems. One team-mate says "it was like having Bob Dylan in a No 7 shirt". On his 17th birthday, Doherty was offered a five-year contract - unprecedented for a United youngster at that time - and told by Alex Ferguson that he was destined for stardom. But what followed over the next decade is a tale so mysterious, so shocking, so unusual, so amusing but ultimately so tragic, that you are left wondering how on earth it has been untold for so long. The stories of Doherty's contemporaries, that group of Manchester United youngsters who became known as the "Class of '92", are well known. Giggs ended up as the most decorated player in United's history; David Beckham became the most recognisable footballer on the planet; Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and others are household names. The story you don't know is about the player who, having had the world at his feet, died the day before his 27th birthday following an accident in a canal in Holland.

Unstoppable

Unstoppable PDF

Author: Tim Green

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2012-09-18

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0062089587

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New York Times bestselling author Tim Green has written an unforgettable story—inspired by interviews with real-life cancer survivors and insider sports experience—showing a brave boy who learns what it truly means to be unstoppable. "Absolutely heroic, and something every guy should read." — National Ambassador for Young People's Literature emeritus Jon Scieszka If anyone understands the phrase "tough luck," it's Harrison. As a foster kid in a cruel home, he knows his dream of one day playing in the NFL is a long shot. Then Harrison is brought into a new home with kind, loving parents—his new dad is even a football coach. Harrison's big build and his incredible determination quickly make him a star running back on the junior high school team. On the field, he's practically unstoppable. But Harrison's good luck can't last forever. When a routine sports injury leads to a devastating diagnosis, it will take every ounce of Harrison's determination not to give up for good. With hundreds of thousands of devoted readers, Tim Green’s books are the perfect mix of accessible and heartwarming. “I don’t know anyone–kid or adult—who won’t root heart and soul for Harrison. Unstoppable means you can’t put this book down!” —bestselling author Gordon Korman