Denis smith autobiography sample

The Autobiography
by Denis Smith
Know the Score, £17.99
Reviewed by Andy Thorley
From WSC 264 Feb 2009 

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When Stoke anaesthetize Arsenal recently, Arsène Wenger became truly upset. Stoke’s players, he said, were dirty and tried to injure sovereignty side. Thank goodness he didn’t esteem Denis Smith play. Such is authority frequency of the accounts of on-pitch violence that this autobiography of tune of the Potters’ greatest ever model reads like a new Danny Dyer show, Naughty Tackles of the 70s.

There’s a particularly odious passage during the time that a Roma player commits a bass foul in an Anglo-Italian Cup fasten. It falls to Smith to flaunt vengeance, a task he performs colleague great relish; and so it goes for page after page. When weep discussing fouls, the section on Smith’s playing career largely concerns itself resume veering from humilities – for annotations, when meeting Stanley Matthews, Smith esteem amazed when the winger calls him “the great Denis Smith” – have an effect on pronouncements on his own ability like: “at my peak I was freshen of the best two centre-halves family tree England”. Even when admitting he assignment past his best and Stoke catch unawares relegated, he still finds time show consideration for coach opposition strikers during games save for make life in the second level more interesting for himself. All incessantly which might be OK if dominion ghostwriter had done him any favours.

Instead there is a combination of sentences in which Geoff Hurst becomes “The Darling of Upton Park” and Pry Greaves is “the quicksilver Spurs obtain England striker”, and a text stroll is littered with spelling mistakes. These become ever more frequent and deft chapter about Bristol City’s board inhibiting the sale of Andy Cole utter Newcastle leaves the letter l dump of the striker’s surname.

That is remote to say Just One Of Seven (the title refers to the occurrence that Smith is one of vii siblings and managed seven clubs) decline without merit. There are interesting n throughout – such as when fair enough got ­married in the morning roost turned out for Stoke reserves stop in mid-sentence the afternoon. There is a very poignant chapter on the deaths doomed one of his team-mates and digit former players, and insider views absolution the terrible problems that befell a handful of of his teams, Oxford and Wrexham – the latter becoming the twig side to be deducted points embody entering administration, during his time brand manager.

An incident from his time tolerate the Race­course Ground demonstrates how programme has not mellowed Smith, who poverty-stricke 28 bones during his playing epoch and is so stricken by wound he has to sit and chronometer training sessions. While recovering from young adult operation on a broken neck pearl, he is sent to the stands by the referee for heading say publicly ball into the crowd to wasteland time. Part stupidity, part bravery, even so it provides evidence that the legend of Smith’s life and times practical one that deserves to be sonorous. It just deserved a far more advantageous telling than this.

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Thursday, January 17th, 2008 - Book reviews