OT- Footballers autobiography

Good point, I'm still on the Kipper books at the moment. Will naturally move up a level once I'm done with these, I'm considering the Michael Owen autobiography

 

De dum tish...

 

Easily Robbie Fowler's. Read that 3 times. Carra's is also good. Lawrence dallaglio's is excellent, as is Chris eubanks.

 

I've looked at a few boxers biography's but not actually bought / read any. wouldn't mind Ricky Hatton's but I'd imagine him being a bit full of himself

 

Don't know he seems quick genuine, but a bit simple. Eubank is a clever guy, an enigma, quality and has an interesting story being homeless in London, street robbery, sent to new York and the rest!

 

A mate has told me to read Hatton's, he thinks its a very good read but I'm not the biggest boxing fan. Will probably read it eventually, same with Eubank

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...iverpool-Premier-League-title-contenders.html


Sir Alex Ferguson tears into bitter rivals Liverpool, claiming Brendan Rodgers is 'eight players short of becoming genuine title contenders, in his new autobiography.
Nobody is spared at Anfield, with Rafa Benitez described as a ‘silly man’ and a control freak who has no friends in management.
But there is wider criticism for Liverpool as a club over the Luis Suarez affair, and even the appointment of Rodgers as manager.


Ferguson also dares suggest that Michael Owen became a better player once he had joined Manchester United and dismisses the qualities of Kenny Dalglish signings’ Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll.

But his most scathing words are reserved for Benitez who he says would rather destroy a game than win it and claims his own players could not understand what he was saying from the touchline. He also says he consistently played Steven Gerrard in the wrong position.
While he says he could see a strategy in the signings Gerard Houllier made at Liverpool, he could see nothing of the kind during Benitez’s tenure.
He describes Benitez’s team as the ‘most unimaginative Liverpool side I ever went up against’. ‘The mistake he made was to turn our rivalry personal. Once you made it personal, you had no chance, because I could wait. I had success on my side.’

He also claims the famous ‘facts’ press conference was staged with a planted questions, adding that ‘the facts were all wrong’.

He says Benitez showed no interest in forming relationships with other managers, declaring it a ‘dangerous policy’. He also criticises Benitez’s transfer policy, questioning the quality of the players as ‘not of true Liverpool standard’.


One Benitez signing he does compliment is Fernando Torres, a player he tried to sign two years before his arrival at Liverpool. He describes him as a player of a ‘great cunning’, a ‘touch of evil’.
On Gerrard, Ferguson says he was ‘baffled’ that Benitez ‘did not trust’ his captain as a central midfield player. He says Liverpool have stopped producing home-grown talents, identifying Owen as probably the last but Ferguson is sure to incense Liverpool for claming that had Owen joined United at 12 years old he ‘would have been one of the great strikers’.
He does credit Benitez with getting his players to work for him, acknowledging that you never see a Benitez team ‘throw in the towel’.
But he adds ‘Benitez had more regard for defending and destroying a game than winning it’.



He says Jose Mourinho was more astute with dealing with players.
On Dalglish’s return to Liverpool, Ferguson says few of the Liverpool manager’s signings gave him nightmares. Ferguson believes that Jordon Henderson’s gait will cause him problems later in his career because he runs from his knees with a straight back.
He identifies Stewart Downing as a £20million player who was neither the bravest, nor the quickest. He is no fan of Carroll either, citing problems with his ‘mobility’ and ‘his speed across the ground’.
He also criticises Dalglish for his blind defence of Luis Suarez over the Patrice Evra race row. ‘If it had been a reserve player, would Kenny have gone to such lengths to defend him?’
On the Suarez T-shirt stunt, Ferguson adds: ‘I thought it was the most ridiculous thing for a club of Liverpool’s stature.’
He expresses surprise that Brendan Rodgers was appointed as Dalglish’s replacement, given that he was ‘only’ 39 years old. He also highlights the American fly-on-the-wall documentary that followed Rodgers at the start of his tenure as a ‘mistake’.


Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard is not a 'top, top player,' according to Ferguson.
The former Manchester United manager felt the England captain 'seldom had a kick' when coming up against a midfield of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.

But despite this, Ferguson admits he did try to sign the Liverpool player when word reached Old Trafford in 2005 that his days at Anfield were numbered.


Among considered musings about Gerrard, Ferguson questions why he was not played centrally more often under Rafael Benitez - who often positioned him out wide - and claims he was the only midfielder who could hurt United with bursts forward through the heart of his team's defence.
He concluded Gerrard had the ability to beat team's single-handedly.
But he suggests Gerrard only had more success at international level than Michael Carrick because of 'bravado', with the United man suffering because of a quiet personality


Likewise, Ferguson believes Frank Lampard deserves credit for his club performances, but doesn't not consider the Chelsea midfielder an 'elite international footballer'.
Gerrard has spoken of Ferguson's desire to sign him from Liverpool and the story is confirmed in the Scotsman's autobiography.
'We made a show of him in the transfer market, as did Chelsea, because the vibe was that he wanted to move from Anfield,' writes Ferguson. 'But there seemed to be some restraining influence from people outside the club and it reached a dead end.'

 

**** him he's in the past now

 

Why didn't he play Gerrard more centrally? Didn't Gerrard play his best football as AM or RW under Rafa?

And Rafa rather destroyed a game - I remember when we beat Utd 4-1 at OT.

 

He sounds bitter for a lot of that, especially the Rafa stuff where it is obvious they didn't get on. As for the "The former Manchester United manager felt the England captain 'seldom had a kick' when coming up against a midfield of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes." comment, there are a couple of goals and tackles that suggest otherwise. again, I think he sounds bitter because Gerrard turned him down

 

Sad rants from a has been. However, it merely confirms lack of class.

 

Gerrard had his best seasons for us at RM and AM, the former produced his best ever goal scoring season too

 

I agree but he's got to sell his book hasn't he. He was never going to target a Liverpool supporting audience

 

Its a last parting shot

Times running out Fergie.

 

Some good points, and some utter ****e.

I find it laughable though that he even attempts to attribute the chasm between carrick and Gerrard to the fact the latter has more "bravado". Gerrard will be remembered as one of Englands best midfielders, Carrick will be forgotton. Simple as.

 

So no surprises and nothing we didn't already know.

 

Desperate for some publicity. He'll be on celebrity big brother in a couple of years pissing himself and swearing at everyone.

 

from his point of view there's nothing really wrong in anything he said.

Others might not agree with his assessments of owen for instance as what ifs are what ifs. owen was done and crap for him and he didn't get him at 12 nor did he influence his ways in any way so he can't say much there.

as for carrick, he's never made any forward runs EVER so.....

overall i've no issues with it.

 

Bacon face is a vile, bitter old man. He made some disgusting comments in his last book about not having a "crumb of pity" for one of his old Rangers colleague's who was dying of cancer. Hopefully he does not stoop that low in his new book.

 

I bet he's the type of guy that would deliberately recommend a **** manager to replace him so the job he was doing will look even better in hindsight... oh wait.