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The Accidental Footballer
- Narrated by: Pat Nevin
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
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The Accidental Footballer
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Publisher's Summary
The Sunday Times best seller
Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer.
His future was clear, he'd become a teacher like his brothers. There was only one problem with this - Pat was far too good to avoid attention.
Raised in Glasgow's East End, Pat loved the game, playing for hours and obsessively following Celtic. But as he grew up, he also loved Joy Division, wearing his Indie 'gloom boom' coat and going on marches - hardly typical footballer behaviour!
Placed firmly in the '80s and '90s, before the advent of the Premier League, and often with racism and violence present, Pat Nevin writes with honesty, insight and wry humour. We are transported vividly to Chelsea and Everton and colourfully diverted by John Peel, Morrissey and nights out at the Hacienda.
The Accidental Footballer is a different kind of football memoir. Capturing all the joys of professional football as well as its contradictions and conflicts, it's about being defined by your actions, not your job, and it is the perfect reminder of how life can throw you the most extraordinary surprises when you least expect it.
Critic Reviews
"Unusually vibrant and elegant with heroic doses of humour, insight and self-effacement, this is an absolute must-read for the football connoisseur." (Omid Djalili)
"I grew up captivated by Pat Nevin the player. As a man he taught me even more about the beauty of the game. One of football's great mavericks, and Chelsea's greatest players. And he can spin a mean tune too." (Sam Matterface)
"I used to walk miles to see Pat Nevin play football and I'd do the same now to read his thoughts. Always challenging, always entertaining." (Lord Sebastian Coe)
"A heroic outsider - a pleasure to read." (The Guardian)
"A fulsome evocation of football before the Premier League." (The i)
"Honest, raw, revealing and very funny. How to live a life and career to the full. Insightful book about the most successful outsider inside football ever...." (Henry Winter, chief football writer, The Times)
"Pat is a wonderful one-off...and this is the story of why that is." (John Murray, chief sports correspondent, BBC Radio 5 Live)
"The biggest influence of my professional career both on and off the pitch." (Graeme Le Saux)
"A refreshingly honest and thought-provoking autobiography. As deftly delivered as some of Pat's ball skills in his 1980's heyday." (ToffeeWeb)
What listeners say about The Accidental Footballer
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-08-2021
Great start, tails off a bit
Pat is clearly a fascinating bloke with quite a unique perspective for a footballer. He's got a great.way of looking at things and it's good to be influenced by his perspective. He's so positive.
The early parts of the book were great, and the experiences and story were really enjoyable.
The second half dragged on a bit and could have done with tighter editing. It just seemed a bit more formulaic and repetitive. The story of meeting Morrissey in particular seemed redundant and out of place.
A bit harsh with the rating, it is well worth listening to.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-10-2021
Social Justice Warrior much?
Used to listen to this guy talk crap on TV, was curious to hear about his career in football, since his reputation was a glowing one, but he spends more time trying to sound like a social justice super hero than anything else and can't tell the story without sounding like he's laughing at his own jokes. Lost all respect for the guy if I'm honest.
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