Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer - Softcover

Nelson, Garry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747251827 ISBN 13: 9780747251828

Publisher: Headline, 1996

Synopsis

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.

About this title

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)

Book Description:

What it is really like to be a footballer, written with wit, intelligence and insight

About this edition

• Publisher: Headline
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0747251827
• ISBN 13: 9780747251828
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384