Graeme Le Saux: Left Field
4/5
()
Unavailable in your country
Unavailable in your country
About this ebook
A former Southampton, Blackburn, Chelsea and England full-back, the erudite and engaging Graeme Le Saux is far removed from the archetypal British footballer. His distinctive commentary on all the major issues in football, on the pitch and beyond, promises to challenge everyone's perception of the game in this country.
Graeme Le Saux made an outstanding international debut for Terry Venables' new-look England side in a 1-0 win over Denmark at Wembley in March 1994, becoming the first Channel Islander ever to be capped for England.
After joining Chelsea direct from Jersey, where he used to spend his Saturdays on his father’s fruit and vegetable stall, his career flourished under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish at Blackburn Rovers where they won the Premiership title in 1994-95. Graeme transferred back to Chelsea in 1997 for a record fee of £5.5 million before joining Southampton in 2003. He retired as a player in 2005.
In his book, Le Saux addresses the gay slurs that dogged his career – including the infamous Robbie Fowler exposure – how he was vilified by a minority that labelled him a Guardian reader and too smart for football, and life at Stamford Bridge before Roman Abramovich millions changed the club and the game. His thoughtful manner and views on the modern game (he is now consulted for comment regularly by BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel Five) are expanded upon here, with particular focus on the huge amounts of money in top-flight football, players’ agents and the spiralling debts of countless football clubs.
As a player, Le Saux was always seen as different – someone who broke the mold, an individual with his own agenda who sought more to life than playing 90 minutes of football. His insight into the game is informed by those experiences.
Graeme Le Saux
Graeme Le Saux was born in Jersey in 1968. He started his career at St Paul's before moving to Chelsea in 1987. In 1993 he switched to Blackburn Rovers where two years later he won the Premier League title. Le Saux was capped 36 times for England; his last appearance came in 1999. He played for his country in the 1998 World Cup. On retiring as a player in 2005 he worked briefly as a pundit for the BBC.
Related to Graeme Le Saux
Related ebooks
Wingin' It: The Mark Walters Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gallant Pioneers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBorn to Manage: The Autobiography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHatters, Railwaymen and Knitters: Travels through England’s Football Provinces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There To Be Shot At: An Autobiography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Babes: Manchester United and the Forgotten Victims of Munich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaking le Tiss Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Insiders Guide to Manchester Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1986: The Rangers Revolution: The Year Which Changed the Club Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBecause it's Saturday: A Journey into Football’s Heartland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSixty Years of the World Cup: Reflections on Football’s Greatest Show on Earth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Not to Be a Professional Footballer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Acid Test: The Autobiography of Clyde Best Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Playmaker: My Life and the Love of Football Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWho Are Ya?: 92 Football Clubs – and Why You Shouldn’t Support Them Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSteaming In: The Classic Account of Life on the Football Terraces Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNeville Southall: The Binman Chronicles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGazza in Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love Affairs and Marriage: My Life in Football Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSir Alf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walk On: My Life in Red Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dennis Wise: The Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Valley of Dreams (Text Only) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeoff Hurst, the Hand of God and the Biggest Rows in World Football Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rovers Revolution: Blackburn's Rise from Nowhere to Premier League Champions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNeil Lennon: Man and Bhoy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Celebrities' Favourite Football Teams Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Premier League: A History in Ten Matches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Life in Football: The Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Sports Biographies For You
MOX Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Under the Black Hat: My Life in the WWE and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organizaion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Slash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the SEAL Teams to the Bin Laden Raid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saban: The Making of a Coach Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Baseball 100 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard—Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiger Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5LeBron Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ball Four Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Graeme Le Saux
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A decent enough read - I thought it would be worth getting despite me not being a fan of any of his teams, as he had a reputation as a bit left field and not your average footballer. And he's not. A good reveal on the neanderthals that used to populate football clubs in the 80s/early 90s. But he does like a moan! The overall impression was that yes he had a hard time in his younger days with team mates, and also attracted stupid speculation about his sexuality just because he didn't read tabloids or turn up for training still drunk (like some ex Chelsea team mates in his early days apparently did) BUT...he does also come across as someone who likes to have an opinion on things and more often than not, it seems to involve him grumbling. But its honest, or appears to be, and is a welcome antidote to the usual "what a good time we all had, everyone was mates with everyone" style of footy autobiog.I enjoyed it on the whole, but with the grumbling its not a book I'd go back to.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a quality read.I found the book in a $5 bookshop and almost didn't buy it. I'm not a Chelsea, Blackburn or England fan and didnt have a particularly high regard for Le Saux as a player but bought the book because it was cheap and I recalled the Fowler controversy and thought it might be interesting.This is not your average football or sport autobiography. Its not a chronolgical "we played Spurs then we played Villa then we lost to Bolton" type of autobiography. Le Saux is extremely open in his perceptions his thoughts & his feelings. He discusses at length how he felt at the homosexual allegations he had to deal with. He presents an open & honest account of how hard life can be for the budding footballer...the dressing room cliques, the need for acceptance by the other players and how hard it is to be a little bit different - his "difference" being that he was not one to join the "lager lout" culture of young professional footballers.I'm sure there will be a lot of players and managers who are offended by this book....Beckham Ince Batty Eriksson Hoddle & Porterfield are absolutely roasted. And especially Fowler!!!! Le Saux gives his side of the story and he tells it well.I have a couple of hundred football books many of them autobiographys or biographys. This is amongst the best.