Robbie's Autobiography

[XabisBadFoot]

I'm sure this has been posted before, but I'm relatively new to this board - so sorry in advance.

 

Anyway, I've just read Robbie's autobiography..! Bloody great read...!

 

A real insight into the times under Houllier (not in a gay way...!).

 

Some revealing stuff, and a must for any LFC fan..!

 

Anyone else got any comments on it..?

[Sion]

I thought it was quite bitter.

[Guest redmilky]

I thought it was quite bitter.

Like the Murphy's?

[Sion]

or the Cahill, Arteta, Beattie's

[Fagan]

i though it was ok, i found it interesting cause im a big fan of his but as autobiographies go it was quite poor.

 

i also didnt like the stuff about houllier, thought it came across as v bitter

 

houlliers best bit of business was getting 11M for fowler at the time IMHO

[Red_Rob]

I don't think it did him justice really. He spent the first half saying how he came from nothing and was just a poor boy from Liverpool, but didn't want to go on about it. The second half was just a tirade against Houllier and Thommo and how nothing was his fault.

 

He's still one of my favourite Reds, but the book didn't reflect well on him.

[XabisBadFoot]

i though it was ok, i found it interesting cause im a big fan of his but as autobiographies go it was quite poor.

 

i also didnt like the stuff about houllier, thought it came across as v bitter

 

houlliers best bit of business was getting 11M for fowler at the time IMHO

 

Fair comment, but the way he dealt with Robbie was pretty damned poor though eh..? This was a lad who had become LFC through and through, and they didn't even have the audacity to treat him like a human when they were trying to get rid.

 

Why not just tell him that he didn't fit into their plans, and that he'd be off. The whole toing and froing was ridiculous and downright childish.

 

When you look at God's record, it was phenomenal. And he didn't deserve all that sh*te..

 

I don't think it did him justice really. He spent the first half saying how he came from nothing and was just a poor boy from Liverpool, but didn't want to go on about it. The second half was just a tirade against Houllier and Thommo and how nothing was his fault.

 

He's still one of my favourite Reds, but the book didn't reflect well on him.

 

Couldn't put the book down though could ye..?

[Leroy]

Just got back last week from Cyprus, took Robbies Auto & Ricky Tomlinsons, no contest Rickys was brilliant, & did`nt realise he (Ricky) funded

the HJC office Did`nt find much in it I already knew, + a bit that was`nt

Edited July 31, 2006 by Redden

[Guest Scot]

It was good in that it was an insight into the man, but he did himself no favours. He takes no responsibility for anything.

[Swipe]

It was good in that it was an insight into the man, but he did himself no favours. He takes no responsibility for anything.

 

True. And his constant spiels about "just cos i'm from a humble background doesn't mean I'm a scally" got pretty tiresome.

 

A lot of it depends who's side you take - Fowler or Houllier.

[Guest Scot]

Agreed Slapnuts. Gazzas bio was amazing. You manage to feel sorry for him even when he is headbutting his wife. Truly a man that will eventually be found dead face down in his in his own vomit and crap living in squaler, An excellant read mixed with some great highs and astonishing lows.

 

Robbies was terrible. A total refusal to accept his part in his own downfall. Spent the rest of the time rabbiting on about how poor he was when he was a kid. Still my favourite current player by a country mile though.

 

Tony Adams' was pretty good. John Barnes' might be the worst I've ever read.

[Leroy]

Tony Adams' was pretty good. John Barnes' might be the worst I've ever read.

 

Agree there Tony Adams was good, I read that years ago, the way he used to pay the chambermaids to change the bedding as he`d pi**ed himself

[nd]

Robbie's bio is a waste of trees. I'd give it away if I could be arsed, it's taking up valuable bookshelf space.

[Red_Rob]

Tony Adams' was pretty good. John Barnes' might be the worst I've ever read.

 

Sami's is pretty dreadful too. He might be a great defender, but he's a boring sod.

[Knox_Harrington]

Tony Cascarino's and McManaman's memoir of his time in Spain are the only ones I've ever read that I'd recommend to anyone else.

[Guest FrankH]

Tony Cascarino's was excellent.

[_00_deathscar]

Exactly.

Unless it's somebody like Shankly or Brian Clough then I'm generally uninterested.Cricket autobiographies are much better,by and large.

 

Ever read Sachin's biography (written by his bro)?

[The Hitman]

Ever read Sachin's biography (written by his bro)?

Not yet.I've almost finished Nasser's and then have Steve Waugh's to get through,which is quite a read.I'll have a look for Tendulkar's.Cricketers tend to have more amusing stories and are generally more intelligent,in my opinion.There's just something about the sport which means that there's never a shortage of anecdotes.

[psl]

What's Thommo's like?

[Guest Phil C]

He's from Toxteth you know

 

 

Local point of interest - it's actually known locally as the Dingle...Toxteth is what the press, OOT's (and famous ex Reds from there trying to sell a book) call the place....

 

 

My take on it is that Robbie knows that he was a gobby arrogant scally who was a nightmare to manage. Now's he's older, he's lost some of that arrogance and is slightly embarrassed.

 

However, I suspect the book was written mainly to wipe the slate clean with the LFC board to make it easier for them to agree to his return. Mea culpa and all that...and it worked as well!

[meredithmathieson]

My Mrs. knows Phil Thompson through work, and he completely,flatly denies the 'photo set-up' incident at Melwood as described in Robbie's book. Not only that but he says that Jamie Redknapp also denied to him (Thompson) that he had ever said to Robbie that he (Robbie) had been done up like a kipper by the incident.

 

Suffice to say that Phil Thompson postponed the print run for his autobiography whilst he re-wrote the bits to do with Robbie having read Robbie's book.

 

Can't help feeling that my opinion of 'young Robert' has actually lessened having read his book, but the mere fact that Maddock was involved probably meant that it was tainted beyong repair anyway.

[gkmacca]

The genre is all about confounding the lowest of expectations. Ghost write it with a modicum of care and it wins a prize. Look at Hunter Davies - not the most thoughtful of prose poets, but he's hit the jackpot with Gazza. I can't remember the last one that looked to me like it had been re-read, let alone re-written. Imagine asking Maddock to ghost your memoirs! Terrifying. I'm sure there are loads of footie fans out there in the literary world who could shape some really rich and vivid books, but I guess the agents or whoever it is that decides on such things keep it in the 'loop'.

[The walters step over]

Tony Cascarino's and McManaman's memoir of his time in Spain are the only ones I've ever read that I'd recommend to anyone else.

 

Bruce Grobbelaars book is pretty good, there's some good stories about football - like the time Rushie nicked someones bike in Rome after the '84 final and the time Souness broke a Bucharest player's jaw at Anfield because he was going round the pitch fouling our players. The best bits though are about his time in the jungle fighting the rebels in Rhodesia and the contrast between that and the pressures of playing for the best team in Europe.

 

It was printed a while ago though so it didn't have anything about the alleged bung taking, but I'd recommend it to anyone.

[JohnnyH]

However, I suspect the book was written mainly to wipe the slate clean with the LFC board to make it easier for them to agree to his return. Mea culpa and all that...and it worked as well!

 

How do you figure that. He blames everyone but himself in the book?

[Will]

Yeah, I think it was his and a mate - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1840186...ce&n=266239 but it's dreadful.

 

That's actually the book I've read...!

 

I enjoyed it as it had lots of facts you can't get anywhere else about his career