The no-holds-barred autobiography of former Scotland international and top-flight English Football League striker David Speedie.
Written with multi-award-winning writer Paul Hodgson.
Born in Scotland but raised in Yorkshire, David dreamed of swapping his job as a Doncaster coal-miner for a career in professional football. Not only did he achieve this, but he played at the highest level for clubs such as Chelsea, Coventry City, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool and Leicester City.
In this compelling book, David:
- Looks back on his battle to escape the coal-mining industry and a life spent down the pits in order to fulfil his dreams of becoming a professional footballer
- Gives you the inside track on achieving promotion to the top flight with Chelsea, Blackburn, West Ham (while on loan from Southampton) and Leicester City
- Recalls how he became the first player since Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick at Wembley, while playing for Chelsea
- Is brutally honest about the people he encountered in football across his long career
- Speaks of his sadness at the loss of former Scotland manager Jock Stein, and of being left out of the Scotland World Cup squad afterwards
- Talks candidly about his battle with depression and how he overcame it
This gripping autobiography is a must-read for anyone interested in the English game in the 1980s or the Scotland national team of that era.
David Speedie has teamed up with renowned football writer and Darlington FC devotee Paul Hodgson to tell his story. A writer since the 1990s, this is Paul’s seventh book and his fourth with Pitch, including his inspirational autobiography, For the Love of Darlo, which reveals how he overcame severe disability to achieve his ambitions. Paul is also an accomplished scriptwriter with multiple awards to his name.
