Psycho: The Autobiography - Softcover

Pearce, Stuart

3.47

186 ratings by Goodreads

9780755315154: Psycho: The Autobiography

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0755315154 ISBN 13: 9780755315154

Publisher: Headline Review, 2006

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20/20 edition - Headline 20th Anniversary Edition

In an era of superstar prima donnas, Stuart Pearce's total commitment on the pitch earned him the affection of football fans everywhere, who nicknamed him Psycho. He will forever be remembered for two penalties - one missed and scored - for England, but there is so much more to him than that. This book reveals the fascinating story of one of football's greatest personalities. PSYCHO is as honest and straightforward as the man himself.

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Review:

The BBC's Barry Davies said on the commentary, "What a penalty! What a great penalty!" It was not a great penalty; it was a shite penalty but the goalkeeper had gone the wrong way.

The penalty in question was against Germany in the 1996 European Championship, and the blunt assessor of its merit was the penalty-taker--international stalwart and sometime England captain Stuart Pearce. Since 1990, when he missed a penalty that ushered in England's exit from the World Cup, Pearce and spot-kick calamity had been inextricably linked in the public's mind. England's battling left-back had buried that hoodoo in spectacularly emotional fashion against Spain in the previous round, and it's typical of this diffident, self-possessed player that one match later he was dismissing the plaudits.

Backbone of the defence and a regular in the line for the treatment table--from his days as a part-time electrician playing for non-league Wealdstone to his Indian summer in the Premiership with current club West Ham--Pearce's career has been a sustained battle to overcome the limitations of his body and blunt the more extravagant abilities of the flair players who lay siege to his goal week in, week out.

In a story of extraordinary achievement--and equally conspicuous misfortune and failure--as both player and manager, Pearce recalls the legends and also-rans he has met along the way, offering no-nonsense portraits of the likes of Brian Clough, Glenn Hoddle and Rudd Gullit, and an insider's take on the realities of the professional game. The fans who have cherished his do-or-die on pitch heroics may find Pearce's real-world motivations surprising.

Psycho is an entertaining, revealing portrait of an English sporting icon--with Pearce on his love of punk music, his short-lived career as a juvenile delinquent and tales of a hen called Chicken Kiev, as an added bonus.--Alex Hankin

Review:

Rightly a big seller because the former England captain has had a long and varied career and has always displayed a nice line in dry humour ( David Lacey, Guardian)

Unputdownable ... Pearce's honesty shines through ( Sarah Edworthy, Daily Telegraph)

Typically honest ( Stephen Moss, Guardian)

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