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Book Description
The biography of Steve Claridge – as much a story of a Midlands cult-hero as a vivid portrait of life in the lower divisions of English football

Synopsis
Away from the glamour and wall-to-wall coverage of the Premiership lies the reality, for the majority of fans and players, of British football. From Claridge's early days with non-league Weymouth, to the Premiership with Leicester, and back to First-Division Portsmouth, Tales from the Boot Camps spans the lows of irregular salary payments and training sessions on dog-fouled carparks at Aldershot, and the highs of the last-minute win in a First Division play-off at Wembley, and on to the Premiership. Controversial, itinerant, but popular wherever he has played, Claridge also talks frankly about his addiction to gambling. Part biography, part autobiography, it is full of insight and dry wit, a unique portrait of British football.

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First Sentence
We didn't know who this young lad playing up front was but we liked what we saw. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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7 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (7 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   16 of 16 people found the following review helpful: Thrilling book by this popular and talented striker, 27 April 2002 By  Jay M "jay_mc" (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews    It's such a nice and refreshing change to read a book on the subject of football that's not all to do with high-flying clubs, rich players and tycoons. This is about a 'real' footballer. Whereas most people are happy to read about the great lifestyle players like Beckham have, I'm much more interested in the nitty-gritty life of the footballer, the one that maybe reaches the Premiership one day, but on the whole he starts at the bottom, works hard and toils in the lower divisions. These are the real heroes, the players that fans adore, no matter if they are supremely talented or not, these are the players who try and give everything for their club, and one of these such men is Steve Claridge. Written in conjunction with Observer writer, Ian Ridley, this book is a fascinating account of the unfashionable side of football life, the life that most viewers never get to hear about on TV or radio. Tales of long treks up the motorways to near deserted stadiums and of ungrateful managers, this maybe the unnoticed side of football, but it's the one that I prefer to notice! There are many funny accounts in this book, many containing the larger than life Barry Fry, it's well written and very honest. You have to buy this book, forget the biographies of Beckham, Owen, they are nothing compared to this incredibly funny, clever, eye-opening and downright brilliant book.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: This must rate as one of the best biographies by a footaller, 4 Dec 2000 By A Customer I read the book 'Tales from the Boot Camps' when it was first released but I am pleased that it has now been revised to include further developments in Claridge's career. This book provides a real isight into being a professional in the lower leagues and what it was like for Claridge on his way to makeing it to the big time.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: An honest and interesting account, 28 Nov 2003 By  Strath_Bookworm (Scotland) - See all my reviews This review is from: Tales From the Boot Camps (Paperback) I enjoyed reading this account of Claridge's 'rags to riches' (if you can call Leicester riches) career. He could usefully extend it even more now to include being top scorer at Millwall, I'm sure there are some interesting tales there. He has also made a good attempt at radio punditry, lacking the ego of many of his peers, and generally calling it as it is on commentaries. Not the best football book ever, as has sometimes been claimed, but it beats any of the large-print padded-out crayon sketches of the Beckhams and Rooneys of this world.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?