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“There are two occasions in my career that made everything I have gone through worth it”. As I stood there, my mind started to turn. Was he talking about Kirsty Gallagher, I would. Or maybe it was one of the other beauties he had bedded. “The other game I cherish having being part of was Southend v Luton Town on the final day of the 1992-3 season”. I beg your pardon Stan. Hold on what’s this, “I wouldn’t swap that day at Southend for winning the FA Cup or Championship. Really”. Really? Now I think I am going to like this book.
As a collector of football autobiographies there was always one I was looking forward to more than others. And today I found it, sitting proudly amongst the other sports shops in a bookshop in Christchurch. So like the others, I finished it five hours after giving away near to twenty pounds that I don’t really have.
Like most football books that are related to your club, it is difficult not to go straight to the part concerns you the most. Who cares about where he were born or what he ate for breakfast when he was twelve? What was it really like at Southend? But like most good autobiographies, understanding where a person has come from, puts you in a better position to understand the bits you really want to know about.
So what’s it like then? And more importantly how much does he talk about his Southend days? Well, if you expecting a lot on Southend then prepare to be disappointed. However, that should not be surprising considering the amount of clubs that Stan actually played for, and most importantly, what he says about the club is quality, not quantity.
As predicted, Stan carries himself extremely well. He is passionate about the subjects he cares for and these come across well in the book. He tackles topics such as racism and domestic violence head on. Of course, depression, in which effectively ended his football career is also examined. His main frustration throughout the book is how he, and others, were mismanaged and misunderstood, saving most of his ill feeling for John Gregory.
As for the Southend exposure. Well he shares the club in a chapter with Forest. But gives nothing but praise as the following quotes wil show:-
“Who gives a f**k about Southend in the bigger scheme of things. But I understand”.
“I know even now that I could go down there any time and get a great reception. Which means a lot to me. They have got a Stan Collymore suite down at Roots Hall. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get the new stand named after me, seeing as my transfer to Forest funded it. But the suite will do for now”.
“That goal set me up for everything that was to come in my career. It seems ridiculous to invest so much importance in one strike at Roots Hall against Notts County, but it put me on a roll that didn’t end until after that”.
"They still sing my name now apparently, and I still look back on my days there and think in many ways they were the happiest of my career".
Interestingly he said when he was going for the Managers job at Southend, who did he want as his assistant? Dave Martin.
Overall the book offers an interesting insight into the life a professional and talented footballer who is dogged (sorry) by off field problems and the way in which these problems are wrongly reported and understood by the media and club management. Thankfully not a book that reads “And then we played Liverpool and lost 2-1, I played really well and ate an apple after the game” like certain other footballers. You buy books like these to understand what goes on behind the scenes. You can read match reports for yourself. A book that certainly does not shy away from naming names, highlighting those that have been a subject of his wrath in the past.
Get it and enjoy!
Stanley Stanley, what a legend.
Rich
As a collector of football autobiographies there was always one I was looking forward to more than others. And today I found it, sitting proudly amongst the other sports shops in a bookshop in Christchurch. So like the others, I finished it five hours after giving away near to twenty pounds that I don’t really have.
Like most football books that are related to your club, it is difficult not to go straight to the part concerns you the most. Who cares about where he were born or what he ate for breakfast when he was twelve? What was it really like at Southend? But like most good autobiographies, understanding where a person has come from, puts you in a better position to understand the bits you really want to know about.
So what’s it like then? And more importantly how much does he talk about his Southend days? Well, if you expecting a lot on Southend then prepare to be disappointed. However, that should not be surprising considering the amount of clubs that Stan actually played for, and most importantly, what he says about the club is quality, not quantity.
As predicted, Stan carries himself extremely well. He is passionate about the subjects he cares for and these come across well in the book. He tackles topics such as racism and domestic violence head on. Of course, depression, in which effectively ended his football career is also examined. His main frustration throughout the book is how he, and others, were mismanaged and misunderstood, saving most of his ill feeling for John Gregory.
As for the Southend exposure. Well he shares the club in a chapter with Forest. But gives nothing but praise as the following quotes wil show:-
“Who gives a f**k about Southend in the bigger scheme of things. But I understand”.
“I know even now that I could go down there any time and get a great reception. Which means a lot to me. They have got a Stan Collymore suite down at Roots Hall. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get the new stand named after me, seeing as my transfer to Forest funded it. But the suite will do for now”.
“That goal set me up for everything that was to come in my career. It seems ridiculous to invest so much importance in one strike at Roots Hall against Notts County, but it put me on a roll that didn’t end until after that”.
"They still sing my name now apparently, and I still look back on my days there and think in many ways they were the happiest of my career".
Interestingly he said when he was going for the Managers job at Southend, who did he want as his assistant? Dave Martin.
Overall the book offers an interesting insight into the life a professional and talented footballer who is dogged (sorry) by off field problems and the way in which these problems are wrongly reported and understood by the media and club management. Thankfully not a book that reads “And then we played Liverpool and lost 2-1, I played really well and ate an apple after the game” like certain other footballers. You buy books like these to understand what goes on behind the scenes. You can read match reports for yourself. A book that certainly does not shy away from naming names, highlighting those that have been a subject of his wrath in the past.
Get it and enjoy!
Stanley Stanley, what a legend.
Rich