Dennis Wise Autobiography [Hardcover]

Footballers, particularly those like me who are lucky enough to play for one of the more glamorous clubs, have a great life. You feel that nothing can touch you. You feel somehow totally protected. Then something happens to let you know that you are just as vulnerable as everyone else."

The old cliché "a blow-by-blow account", really comes into its own here as football's smallest bad boy takes us from growing up poor on the mean streets of West London to earning a fortune in the Premiership.

A self-confessed--and largely unrepentant--scrapper both on and off the pitch from his days as an apprentice, Wise's talent has always gone hand in hand with his temper.

A key member with Vinnie Jones and Justin Fashanu of Wimbledon's infamous Crazy Gang, he made a virtue of towering self-belief and a healthy disregard for the game's sacred cows. Subsequent performances for his country and as captain of Chelsea have brought his blend of sublime skill and fierce competitiveness to the international stage.

It's a combination which has yielded enormous success and conflict with the authorities both within the game and beyond. In 1995 everything changed with a conviction and prison sentence for assaulting a taxi driver. Wise was released after a few hours on appeal and freely admits that the experience of helplessness was "the worst moment of my life".

While referees and opposition players may question whether a less combative Dennis Wise emerged, there's a maturity of insight into the much envied life of the professional footballer in these pages that suggests there's more to him than his public image allows.

Perhaps the frank tales of football's more brutal moments will steal the headlines, but his home-grown observations of the United Nations of Chelsea are from the heart of the current revolution in the game and make compulsive reading. --Alex Hankin

A member of Wimbledon's infamous "Crazy Gang" whose wild pranks hit the headlines, battles with managers and falsely accused of attacking a taxi driver, Dennis Wise has had an eventful career and personal life. In his autobiography he documents his "Crazy Gang" days and his ten years at Chelsea. Included are inside stories and Wise's own frank views on key football figures such as Vinnie Jones, Glenn Hoddle, Terry Venables and Paul Gascoigne. He intends a no holds barred approach as he talks about his professional and private life.

Dennis Wise is one of the best loved British footballers in the Premiership. This cheeky London lad was one of the infamous Wimbledon crazy gang, whose wild pranks hit the headlines but who defied the odds by beating giants Liverpool to take the FA Cup Final in 1988.Since then he has moved to Chelsea where as skipper he has led the team up the Premiership ladder and this year won two cups. But things haven't always gone smoothly, Dennis nearly went to prison after being falsely accused of attacking a taxi driver and he has had his fair share of battles with managers, including Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle.In this autobiography Dennis will tell all about the Crazy Gang days and his time at Chelsea. The book will include inside stories and Wise's own frank views on key football figures such as Vinnie Jones, Glenn Hoddle, Terry Venables and Paul Gascoigne. This paperback edition has an extra chapter covering Chelsea's 2000 cup campaigns and Dennis' revived international career. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.