TITLE: |
John Giles - A Football Man The Autobiography |
AUTHOR: |
John Giles with Declan Lynch |
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YEAR PUBLISHED: |
2010 |
PUBLISHER: |
Hachette Books Ireland |
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ISBN: |
978 1 44472 094 5 |
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PRICE: |
£19.99, Hardcover |
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PAGES & ILLUSTRATIONS: |
308 pages containing illustrations |
SIZE: |
240 x 155 x 28 mm |
INTRODUCTION
'The dream was football . .
.
John Giles had a gift. At the age of three,
he could kick a ball the way it was supposed to be kicked. And he knew that
every hour that passed without kicking a ball was an hour wasted.
'It was the same dream that
most of the kids had at that time . . .
In A Football Man, Giles tells the
story of a dream pursued and realised beyond his wildest imaginings, from his
humble beginnings in Ormond Square in 1940s' Dublin, counting down the minutes
to his next game of football, to that unforgettable moment when the original
football man - his dad, 'Dickie' - announced that his young son, at just
fourteen, was on his way to Manchester United.
'What I didn't realise was
that my dream would come true.'
Full of anecdote, insight and wry humour,
Giles recounts his rise through the ranks at Manchester United, before and after
the Munich Air Disaster; the great players he knew; the good and the bad times
under Matt Busby; his sensational debut for Ireland which he served as player
and manager; his starring role in the brilliant, controversial Leeds United of
the '60s and '70s; and his challenge to the portrayal of himself and Brian
Clough in The Damned United. He also describes his enduring friendship
with the 'kid from beside Tolka Park', Eamon Dunphy, and his career on RTE TV's
football panel, where Giles' intelligent and insightful analysis have made him
an even more well-loved and respected national figure.
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