Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138278 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 375 pages

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 )

About the Author
Garry Nelson made his league debut for Southend in 1979-80 and went on to make around 650 league appearances for various football clubs before retiring from the game in 1997. He never played in the top division.

Customer Reviews

Top class tale of football's wilderness
The question might easily be asked: who is Garry Nelson?

To call him a nobody is unfair, but he has never reached the heights of the Premiership as a footballer, nor was he ever going to in all reality.

As one of the 'cloggers', a journeyman as the title of the book would say, he has all the same worries about the rest of us - bringing up a family, making a living etc; but also has all the additional problems of being a professional sportsman.

As one of those not in the top bracket of wage earning and coming to the end of his playing days, every little knock has the possibility that it could end his playing career, and he is working on what he can do to get by after he has finished.

Of course this is a few years old now, and an addendum is that he is now working for the Professional Footballer's Association; but what comes from Left Foot Forward is the confirmation that he is as honest as the day is long -- and this will undoubtedly hold him in good stead in this role.

An interesting insight into professional football
A great book that really does deliver everything said on the back. There's not too much to say that hasn't been said already, but it's a great diary of a season that really does have everything. A crippling injury, and goalscoring streak, contract worries, times when nothing goes right. And his everyday life of his normal family, as well as his wider, Everton supporting family. Reading this feels as if you know Garry, and as soon as I finished reading it, I was desperately trying to find out if he had a follow-up, to know what happened to him next. He describes other footballing matters as well as clips from his past, and it's interesting to note that the highlight of his career, the best moment of his football was the exact day I was born....

One of those books in the "hard to put down" section!
I generally try to steer clear of the usual drippy "look at my perm" footballer books but this was recommended to me & didn't fail to deliver it's promise. A well written, honest and humorous portrayal of everyday professional sport. I liked the diary format and was left wanting to know more when it was finished, I felt like I had got to know Garry a bit and liked his down to earth modest attitude (rest assured he was a class act). As a follower of the Mighty Greens I particularly enjoyed his graphic description of that key goal for Argyle! All together now "One Garry Nelson" "Theres only one........