Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11163 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 230 pages

Synopsis
Dean Windass is one of the real characters of British football. His exploits, on and off the field, are legendary. In this book, he lifts the lid on what it is really like to be a professional footballer in the modern age: the training, the big games and life away from the pitch. Deano charts his journey from a pea-packer at Birds Eye to a Valley Parade idol. The highs and lows of a career that has taken him from nonleague North Ferriby United to Hull City, Aberdeen, Oxford United, Bradford City, Middlesbrough, Sheffield's Wednesday and United, and back to Bradford again. His story has been nothing short of dramatic. Though never far from controversy, Deano's reputation as an old fashioned centre-forward, hitting the target over 200 times in his career, has made him popular with fans and players alike. He recalls the incidents that earned him a 'bad-boy' reputation and the moments of glory that made him a sporting hero. Ultimately, this is the story of a hardworking pro who stands out as a real man in the modern game. Deano blows the lid on what it is really like day in day out to stay at the top.

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected
I bought the book as a bit of a laugh and to be honest I think Deano is the one laughing now. I hadn't expected to like the book for a likely delving into football trivia and detail( and it does have some), but as others have highlighted this is the tale of a man in torment and whose torment balm comes from scoring goals ( and of course his family now).
It is a great story of how adversity creates pressure,pressure creates energy and energy creates both sublime and desperate actions.I commend the book for it's candidness, directness and ease of reading. And, if your aren't a Hull City fan tough.

The confessions of a frozen pea packer
Deano is a very hard character to warm to. On the pitch his style of play is a little too agressive, seemingly geared towards winding up both the opposing players and their supporters as much as possible. Off the field he is the same; newspaper reporters know that they can usually rely on him for an outrageous quote that they can splash across the back page. Even at my team, Bradford City, he his not universally liked by the supporters despite him regularly heading the leading scorers lists and almost single handedly keeping our on the field heads above water for a number of seasons. No one can dispute his enthusiasm for the game but sometimes he just seems to be a little too enthusiastic...

On reading this book you can understand what makes him the player he is though. In his teens he was rejected by both his mother and father, an act that left deep scars that obviously still have not fully heeled. Then as a junior he was rejected by the football team that he loved, Hull City, for being too small (haven't those fools heard of Alan Ball?). Following this rejection he worked packing vegetables in a frozen food factory for a while and it is the unhappy memory of this that surely drove him on to become a professional footballer.

On the field Deano never holds back and he hasn't held back in this book neither, as he occasionally bears his soul in what is a very readable book.

Good, Honest Story
Windass has never been a popular player amongst opposing fans, however, after reading this book my opinion has changed about him. He shows that he isn't afraid to tell the truth about how it is. A good read for all footie fans!!!!