Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53072 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-06
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
Barry Fry is one of the most colourful characters in English football. Currently at Peterborough, his journeyman career has taken him to Old Trafford, where as a player he was one of the original Busby Babes, through to football management at Barnet, Southend and Birmingham, among other clubs. Wherever he goes, "Bazza" has a knack of making the headlines. His days as a youth apprentice for Manchester United saw plenty of action on the pitch as he came under the tutelage of Matt Busby - but even more off it as the temptations of the dog tracks, the racecourses and the local nightclubs proved too great to resist. Unloaded to Bolton, he quickly gained the reputation of "the has-been that never was". Playing stints at Luton, Bedford and Stevenage failed to inspire a reckless Fry, and it wasn't long before injury forced him to hang up his boots. His first managerial role was at Dunstable, where Fry recalls with sharp humour how the chairman, once jailed for embezzlement, had suitcases full of currency in his office with hitmen protecting his prized possessions.

He followed this with spells at Maidstone and Barnet - where he joined forces with the notorious Stan Flashman and proved his pedigree by gaining the club promotion into the League - and Southend, where he was responsible for bringing on a young Stan Collymore. It wasn't long before he was poached by Birmingham under owner and ex-pornographer David Sullevan and his glamorous sidekick, Karren Brady - about whom stories in the book will "blow people's minds". Among others who feature in Barry Fry's all-encompassing career in the game are George Graham, Bobby Charlton, Tommy Docherty, Ron Atkinson and Alex Ferguson. Whether it's tax evasion, fraud, transfer bribes or chicanery in the dressing room, Barry Fry has experienced it all as a player, manager and now club owner. He is ready to tell everything in his autobiography.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!
Barry Fry is a great character in British football and this book is everything you'd expect from him. It's packed with funny anecdotes, significant insights into the running of various football clubs and fascinating details about Fry's dealings with players, officials, chairmen and the league. Some of the stories seem incredulous to those of us who have never been on the inside of a football club and it's revealing to know a little bit more of the kind of things that can go on. Fry clearly knows the football world and understands it intimately; he expresses clear views that are often well thought out and stand as testimony to an amazing career. Well worth reading.

A GREAT READ FROM A GREAT GUY
I ONLY READ FOOTBALL RELATED BOOKS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST. THE BARRY FRY YOU'VE SEEN ON TV COMES OVER THE SAME WAY IN THIS BOOK. HE IS HONEST ABOUT HIMSELF AND MADE ME LAUGH. THIS MAN LIVES AND BREATHES FOOTBALL. BUY IT!

Lighthearted truth
This many not be the most in depth book about a footballer/manager, however it is possible the most honest. Some of the people Fry has meet couldn't be made up if you tried. It just like listen to an after dinner speaker.