Both of the Nelson volumes and curbs's book are gathering dust on my shelf. Not read the Nelson books for what must be getting on for a decade. Seem to remember enjoying them at the time. Might brush the dust off as I have a couple of flights and a trip abroad with no wifi in the bedroom coming. Not sure how well they will have aged though. Could be an interesting reminder of a long gone age!
The only purpose served by the curbs book is to alert visitors to the fact that I am a Charlton supporter!
The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story
Not Charlton but great read. Met his ex in a boozer in Reading recently and had a chat about him. Lovely lady. Sad story.
Fantastic call. Excellent book and like you said, also quite a melancholy read. That said, it has some memorably funny moments, like when he and his team-mates were having to do cross-country running in training; his team-mates suddenly realise they haven't seen Robin for a while, just as he goes past on the back of a truck, laughing and chucking bits of scaffolding at them. Another great story: can't remember the game, but he scored a goal so good that even the referee started to applaud. I also seem to remember he broke Keith Peacock's cheekbone (was it his cheekbone?) during a game against us.
EDIT: having read the Amazon reviews on Harvey's link, the goal the referee applauded could've been (ahem) 'THAT' goal against Tranmere.
Cory Gibbs book is worth buying for the chapter “2006-2008 The Wilderness Years” alone…..
One of series with Len Shackleton's chapter on what Football Club directors know about football.
Agree with the consensus about Garry Nelsons and Curbs book - perhaps Curbs could do a rewrite now he is no longer in the thrall of football club directors.
Away from football biographies I do remember Smiley visiting the Antigallican in one of LeCarre's novels - didn't say who he was supporting.
Cory Gibbs book is worth buying for the chapter “2006-2008 The Wilderness Years” alone…..
One of series with Len Shackleton's chapter on what Football Club directors know about football.
Agree with the consensus about Garry Nelsons and Curbs book - perhaps Curbs could do a rewrite now he is no longer in the thrall of football club directors.
Away from football biographies I do remember Smiley visiting the Antigallican in one of LeCarre's novels - didn't say who he was supporting.
I think it was Smiley's People. The great man was retracing the movements of a truck driver whose yard was located in Battle of The Nile Street, Charlton ....
I heartily recommend the two Garry Nelson books. In terms of non-Charlton related football books (I know this is outside the brief of the thread), I thought Tony Cascarino's, Full Time, was very good and The Miracle of Castel di Sangro was ace, too.
Definitely this. Nelson's books are a great read, a proper insight into the less than glamorous life of the average pro footballer. I must dig them out and give them another read. Tony Adam's bio, Addicted, is also well worth a read.
The trouble with most footballers' autobiographies - ghost-written or not - is that they are irredeemably bland, as though piped from a PR machine. Of the Charlton men, I have read Nelson's and Curbishley's. As inquisitive fans, we want the authors to dish the dirt, to name the guilty men - but they don't. Curbishley's is mealy-mouthed to such an extent that he pussy-foots around telling us the reasons for his own decision to call it a day, while Nelson's - despite the awards and plaudits from fellow Lifers above - I found to be nothing more than a litany of clichés.
By far the best I have read is Eamonn Dunphy's 'Only a Game?'. Don't be put off by his Millwall connections - he played for us too, from 1973-75. It is a diary of a season at The Den in the late 1960s: a brutally honest account of his hopes and frustrations, and about how experienced players were casually patronised by puffed-up chairmen and treated like children by ignorant coaches.
Dunphy went on to make a successful career in quality journalism and write biographies of rock musicians. 'Only a Game?' is still in print and widely available.
In some ways 'Only a Game' counts as Charlton related.
It opens with his hopes that in his late 20's that he might still play in the old First Division (now Premiership) by the end of the book he joins us mid season when we were in the Third Division (now League 1) and a division below the Spanners,so on a personal level it describes a time in his career when his hopes and dreams get smashed.
I warn you he is not complementary about us and describes our beloved Valley as 'soulless'.It is interesting that his description of our early 70's team as a bunch of 'Nancy boys' and that they loved playing against us because it was 'easy' could have equally been written 30 years later and possibly goes some way to explain our record against them.
Let's hope the modern Addicks prove Eamon wrong on Saturday !
If you can get past his obvious ambivalence to Charlton , Viewfinder is right it is a very good book.
Eamonn Dunphy's book has got nothing whatsoever to do with Charlton. Try to get over that. It is about being a Second Division footballer with Millwall in the 1960s. Read it, learn from it, then get back to your flag-waving and curtain-twitching.
I'm probably the only person in the entire world, from reading this thread, that quite liked Curbs' autobiography.
If you expect an autobiography to capture the essence of the person this one does and to give one example his description of the tragedy of Pierre Bolangi is particularly moving.
The book is written in his bland, understated style and you almost expect to see "p'raps" written somewhere in every paragraph but for those used to interpreting "Curbs speak" the book reveals rather more than appears at first sight,
That last comment is perhaps my one criticism. You have to be something of an "insider" to fully appreciate it and a non- Charlton fan probably would find it bland and boring because of the way it is written.
That said are many non- Charlton fans going to read Charlton autobiographies? Our chaps don't have the profile of Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea etc,etc.
As for the other suggestions I'd agree that they are all worth a read and what you get out of them probably depends on how long you have supported the Club and how interested you are in its history.
I particularly enjoyed 'No Substitute' largely because Keith Peacock's span with the Club almost exactly mirrors my own time. It is inevitably a personal thing of course.
Astute comments as ever, Len. I agree that Curbs' book was somewhat maligned but in some ways that was understandable - it was as cautious as the man himself, partly because, theoretically at least, he remains an active practitioner in the football trade and also because in the philosophy of Canning Town, omerta and loyalty play as big a part as in more celebrated districts.
LL's book was harder to swallow. Despite the football world baptising him with the lad's name Lennie in place of his staid given names of Robin and Michael, and despite some fascinating times certainly from '84 to '90, the book remains anodyne and unworthy of its subject. I cannot separate Seed and Curbishley as the boss of bosses, and Lennie comes quite a close third - a shame that the written record doesn't do justice to all those special memories. Perhaps that's what you get when you're brought up in the Croydon area ....
I'm probably the only person in the entire world, from reading this thread, that quite liked Curbs' autobiography.
If you expect an autobiography to capture the essence of the person this one does and to give one example his description of the tragedy of Pierre Bolangi is particularly moving.
The book is written in his bland, understated style and you almost expect to see "p'raps" written somewhere in every paragraph but for those used to interpreting "Curbs speak" the book reveals rather more than appears at first sight,
That last comment is perhaps my one criticism. You have to be something of an "insider" to fully appreciate it and a non- Charlton fan probably would find it bland and boring because of the way it is written.
That said are many non- Charlton fans going to read Charlton autobiographies? Our chaps don't have the profile of Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea etc,etc.
As for the other suggestions I'd agree that they are all worth a read and what you get out of them probably depends on how long you have supported the Club and how interested you are in its history.
I particularly enjoyed 'No Substitute' largely because Keith Peacock's span with the Club almost exactly mirrors my own time. It is inevitably a personal thing of course.
There is one - and one only - piquant story in Curbishley's book, and that is when he and Steve Gritt went to David Whyte's house to wake him up in time for training. The blandness you apologise for is inexcusable to me, a supporter of fifty years. The fact that we had one single accurate attempt at goal in 70 minutes on Tuesday might not worry you - but I tell you this: Derek Hales, Paul Walsh, Mike Flanagan, Martin Robinson and Colin Powell are shaking their heads at your satisfaction with blandness.
VF, you're wrong. Firstly the book covers the 73/74 season. Secondly Dunphy signs for Charlton during that season and that is where the book ends.
Other more obscure biogs are those of Alan Mullerry (hardly mentions us), Paul Hince (very good), Matt Tees (a good read but not much CA. Madibas Boys (Mark Fish) is worth a read too.
VF, you're wrong. Firstly the book covers the 73/74 season. Secondly Dunphy signs for Charlton during that season and that is where the book ends.
Other more obscure biogs are those of Alan Mullerry (hardly mentions us), Paul Hince (very good), Matt Tees (a good read but not much CA. Madibas Boys (Mark Fish) is worth a read too.
I'm bad at dates, Henry, and knew I could rely on you. D'you remember that old photo of a game at The Valley someone posted recently and we did some research to find the opponents and date? Rotherham, 1968. Paul Hince is in that, lurking behind Harry Gregory. Didn't Hince write for the Manchester Evening News? I posted it on the Rotherham fans' forum for confirmation, and one of them said he had recently met Dennis Booth at a function, effing and blinding and still a lad - I remember him vaguely, right-winger?
Have a look at page 56 of Ramzan's new book - there's a pic of Brian Tiler, then at Villa, and Ray Treacy, 1970. Both of them are in this Valley picture, two years earlier.
VF, Dennis Booth was a water carrying midfielder with not enough pace to be a wide man. He played over 500 league games in his career but only 70 odd for us having come through our colts (academy for the benefit of the younger fans) :-)
VF, Dennis Booth was a water carrying midfielder with not enough pace to be a wide man. He played over 500 league games in his career but only 70 odd for us having come through our colts (academy for the benefit of the younger fans) :-)
Thanks, RedChaser: I recognise Dennis Booth in the pics and must have seem him play in the late 60s. I get him confused with Dennis Bond, who played for us a bit later.
The trouble with most footballers' autobiographies - ghost-written or not - is that they are irredeemably bland, as though piped from a PR machine. Of the Charlton men, I have read Nelson's and Curbishley's. As inquisitive fans, we want the authors to dish the dirt, to name the guilty men - but they don't. Curbishley's is mealy-mouthed to such an extent that he pussy-foots around telling us the reasons for his own decision to call it a day, while Nelson's - despite the awards and plaudits from fellow Lifers above - I found to be nothing more than a litany of clichés.
By far the best I have read is Eamonn Dunphy's 'Only a Game?'. Don't be put off by his Millwall connections - he played for us too, from 1973-75. It is a diary of a season at The Den in the late 1960s: a brutally honest account of his hopes and frustrations, and about how experienced players were casually patronised by puffed-up chairmen and treated like children by ignorant coaches.
Dunphy went on to make a successful career in quality journalism and write biographies of rock musicians. 'Only a Game?' is still in print and widely available.
In some ways 'Only a Game' counts as Charlton related.
It opens with his hopes that in his late 20's that he might still play in the old First Division (now Premiership) by the end of the book he joins us mid season when we were in the Third Division (now League 1) and a division below the Spanners,so on a personal level it describes a time in his career when his hopes and dreams get smashed.
I warn you he is not complementary about us and describes our beloved Valley as 'soulless'.It is interesting that his description of our early 70's team as a bunch of 'Nancy boys' and that they loved playing against us because it was 'easy' could have equally been written 30 years later and possibly goes some way to explain our record against them.
Let's hope the modern Addicks prove Eamon wrong on Saturday !
If you can get past his obvious ambivalence to Charlton , Viewfinder is right it is a very good book.
Eamonn Dunphy's book has got nothing whatsoever to do with Charlton. Try to get over that. It is about being a Second Division footballer with Millwall in the 1960s. Read it, learn from it, then get back to your flag-waving and curtain-twitching.
The book definitely ends with him signing for us and you can tell he is not enthusiastic about it.
What makes the book good is its rawness and immediacy. Eamon admits that when he was guesting on LBC when not playing for Millwall he hoped that they would lose but had to pretend he is happy when he heard they were a goal up.
Even Dunphy admits in the post script that he comes across as bitter,I will definitely find a Waterstones to read what he says about us in his autobiography,don't think I'll buy it though.
Thanks for digging that out Stig - good to know my memory wasn't deceiving me. The interesting question is how did LeCarre know about the Antigallican?
Thanks for digging that out Stig - good to know my memory wasn't deceiving me. The interesting question is how did LeCarre know about the Antigallican?
I might be able to assist with this one...
John Le Carre (real name David Cornwell) has a younger half-brother, Independent journalist Rupert Cornwell, who is a Charlton fan. I remember interviewing him for the Valley Review when he was the paper's Washington bureau editor.
I am at work currently, but off the top of my head there are references about Charlton in the following Autobiographies / biographies
Gary Bushell - Bushell on the rampage Linvoy Primus - Transformed Jermain Defoe - The Biography Ralphe Milne - What's It All About Ralphie? John Barnes - The Autobiography Rob Lee - Come in Number 37 Lennie Lawrence - Lennie Alan Curbishley - Valley Of Dreams Matt Tees - Matt Tees on Football Jimmy Seed - The Jimmy Seed Story Jimmy Seed - Soccer From The Inside Eddie Firmani - Football with the Millionaires Eamon Dunphy - Only a Game Garry Nelson - Left Foot Forward Garry Nelson - Left Foot In The Grave Neil Redfearn - Theres only One Neil Redfearn Mark Fish - Madiba's Boys (includes Lucas Radebe) Sam Bartram - The Story of a Goalkeeping Legend Sam Bartram - The Sam Bartram Book of Memories Sam Bartram - By Himself
A Couple I am not 100% sure about are
Then Charlton Chaplin - ?Football Lives? Tony Parsons (Charlton Reserve team player and count cricketer) - Title is something like Runs, catches and games
I am sure I have missed some, but hopefully it is a good start.
I cannot comment on the contents of the books, I do have a copy of them all, but have not read them all.
Comments
The only purpose served by the curbs book is to alert visitors to the fact that I am a Charlton supporter!
Fantastic call. Excellent book and like you said, also quite a melancholy read. That said, it has some memorably funny moments, like when he and his team-mates were having to do cross-country running in training; his team-mates suddenly realise they haven't seen Robin for a while, just as he goes past on the back of a truck, laughing and chucking bits of scaffolding at them. Another great story: can't remember the game, but he scored a goal so good that even the referee started to applaud. I also seem to remember he broke Keith Peacock's cheekbone (was it his cheekbone?) during a game against us.
EDIT: having read the Amazon reviews on Harvey's link, the goal the referee applauded could've been (ahem) 'THAT' goal against Tranmere.
Now do I buy those dusty Nelson books from Shag or Amazon...
Agree with the consensus about Garry Nelsons and Curbs book - perhaps Curbs could do a rewrite now he is no longer in the thrall of football club directors.
Away from football biographies I do remember Smiley visiting the Antigallican in one of LeCarre's novels - didn't say who he was supporting.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Rocky-Road-Eamon-Dunphy/dp/1844883329/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379617624&sr=8-2&keywords=eamon+dunphy
Tony Adam's bio, Addicted, is also well worth a read.
LL's book was harder to swallow. Despite the football world baptising him with the lad's name Lennie in place of his staid given names of Robin and Michael, and despite some fascinating times certainly from '84 to '90, the book remains anodyne and unworthy of its subject. I cannot separate Seed and Curbishley as the boss of bosses, and Lennie comes quite a close third - a shame that the written record doesn't do justice to all those special memories. Perhaps that's what you get when you're brought up in the Croydon area ....
Other more obscure biogs are those of Alan Mullerry (hardly mentions us), Paul Hince (very good), Matt Tees (a good read but not much CA. Madibas Boys (Mark Fish) is worth a read too.
Have a look at page 56 of Ramzan's new book - there's a pic of Brian Tiler, then at Villa, and Ray Treacy, 1970. Both of them are in this Valley picture, two years earlier.
What makes the book good is its rawness and immediacy. Eamon admits that when he was guesting on LBC when not playing for Millwall he hoped that they would lose but had to pretend he is happy when he heard they were a goal up.
Even Dunphy admits in the post script that he comes across as bitter,I will definitely find a Waterstones to read what he says about us in his autobiography,don't think I'll buy it though.
John Le Carre (real name David Cornwell) has a younger half-brother, Independent journalist Rupert Cornwell, who is a Charlton fan. I remember interviewing him for the Valley Review when he was the paper's Washington bureau editor.
Gary Bushell - Bushell on the rampage
Linvoy Primus - Transformed
Jermain Defoe - The Biography
Ralphe Milne - What's It All About Ralphie?
John Barnes - The Autobiography
Rob Lee - Come in Number 37
Lennie Lawrence - Lennie
Alan Curbishley - Valley Of Dreams
Matt Tees - Matt Tees on Football
Jimmy Seed - The Jimmy Seed Story
Jimmy Seed - Soccer From The Inside
Eddie Firmani - Football with the Millionaires
Eamon Dunphy - Only a Game
Garry Nelson - Left Foot Forward
Garry Nelson - Left Foot In The Grave
Neil Redfearn - Theres only One Neil Redfearn
Mark Fish - Madiba's Boys (includes Lucas Radebe)
Sam Bartram - The Story of a Goalkeeping Legend
Sam Bartram - The Sam Bartram Book of Memories
Sam Bartram - By Himself
A Couple I am not 100% sure about are
Then Charlton Chaplin - ?Football Lives?
Tony Parsons (Charlton Reserve team player and count cricketer) - Title is something like Runs, catches and games
I am sure I have missed some, but hopefully it is a good start.
I cannot comment on the contents of the books, I do have a copy of them all, but have not read them all.
Leon Mackenzie - My Fight With Life