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Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer
 
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Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer [Paperback]

Garry Nelson
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Headline; New Ed edition (23 May 1996)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747251827
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747251828
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.4 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 77,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

'If your interest in professional athletes lies this side of idolatory, read it. Fear is Nelson's companion; fear lit with occasional shafts of relief. And that is what sport is about' (Simon Barnes, The Times )

'A very good read indeed' (Brian Moore )

'For all the glamour of your Giggsys, Nelson's season portrays a more accurate picture of what life is like for 99 per cent of pros' (Amy Lawrence, FourFourTwo )

'It should be compulsory reading for any ambitious parent intent upon their son playing professional football' (Michael Parkinson, Daily Telegraph )

'The most candid and compelling behind the scenes football book you'll come across' (90 Minutes )

'He has produced a rarity: a book by a practising sportsman that seems to tell it like it really is, intelligently and engagingly' (Independent on Sunday )

Product Description

Garry Nelson is not one of football's household names yet he made almost 650 League appearances in a career stretching back to 1979. This book describes the 1994-5 season at Charlton Athletic but it could be any in which he reveals the ups and downs of what it is like to be an ordinary professional player.

There are the injuries, the battles for selection, and the worries that age is catching up on him, which would mean the end of his career. But there are also the occasional triumphs, such as when he was appointed captain and scored the winning goal in a televised match.

Written with wit, intelligence and insight, LEFT FOOT FORWARD reveals far more about what it is really like to be a footballer than any number of ghosted autobiographies by the big stars. It is destined to become a classic of football writing.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The question might easily be asked: who is Garry Nelson?

To call him a nobody is unfair, but he has never reached the heights of the Premiership as a footballer, nor was he ever going to in all reality.

As one of the 'cloggers', a journeyman as the title of the book would say, he has all the same worries about the rest of us - bringing up a family, making a living etc; but also has all the additional problems of being a professional sportsman.

As one of those not in the top bracket of wage earning and coming to the end of his playing days, every little knock has the possibility that it could end his playing career, and he is working on what he can do to get by after he has finished.

Of course this is a few years old now, and an addendum is that he is now working for the Professional Footballer's Association; but what comes from Left Foot Forward is the confirmation that he is as honest as the day is long -- and this will undoubtedly hold him in good stead in this role.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A great book that really does deliver everything said on the back. There's not too much to say that hasn't been said already, but it's a great diary of a season that really does have everything. A crippling injury, and goalscoring streak, contract worries, times when nothing goes right. And his everyday life of his normal family, as well as his wider, Everton supporting family. Reading this feels as if you know Garry, and as soon as I finished reading it, I was desperately trying to find out if he had a follow-up, to know what happened to him next. He describes other footballing matters as well as clips from his past, and it's interesting to note that the highlight of his career, the best moment of his football was the exact day I was born....
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I generally try to steer clear of the usual drippy "look at my perm" footballer books but this was recommended to me & didn't fail to deliver it's promise. A well written, honest and humorous portrayal of everyday professional sport. I liked the diary format and was left wanting to know more when it was finished, I felt like I had got to know Garry a bit and liked his down to earth modest attitude (rest assured he was a class act). As a follower of the Mighty Greens I particularly enjoyed his graphic description of that key goal for Argyle! All together now "One Garry Nelson" "Theres only one........
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