Niall Quinn: The Autobiography

Revue de presse [Quinn's] frankness makes his book so endearing. He is just as open about his own failings as a profesional. (Sunday Telegraph) A book that sets a new template for what football autobiographies should be ... Every sentence in this book is beautfully crafted. (Paul Howard, Sunday Tribune) A magnificent autobiography, candid, funny and occasionally lyrical... Quinn...is a big man in every sense (Jonathan Wilson, FourFourTwo) The most fair-minded account of ... the verbal "surgical slaughtering" of Mick McCarthy by Roy Keane (Andy Pollak, The Irish Times) It is possibly the best [of the William Hill shortlisted books] (Will Buckley, Observer) Thoughtful, funny, nostalgic, occasionally poignant (Tommy Conlon, Sunday Independent) A lively and thought-provoking autobiography (Sarah Edworthy, Daily Telegraph) My vote [for the William Hill prize] might have gone to the only ghosted autobiography on the list... Brilliantly constructed. (Simon Barnes, The Times) [A] marvellous autobiography (Ronan McGreevy, Irish Post) Full of ironies, self-awareness and even jokes (Simon Barnes, The Times) Skilfully interweaves Quinn's career with an ongoing essay describing how it effectively ended ... If a league of drinkers were ever compiled, his name would be up there, ahead of such notorious boozers as Tony Adams and Paul Merson (Alan Patullo, Scotsman) Splendidly informative ... Reading like a bar-room anecdote, the veteran footballer's book is near-poetic at times but also insanely funny (Kate Battersby, Evening Standard) Présentation de l'éditeur When Niall Quinn donated the £1 million proceeds from his testimonial to charity in May 2002, he was portrayed as a hero for this gesture. Yet on the night itself, the biggest story was Roy Keane's failure to appear. It was the beginning of a saga that was to run right through the World Cup, so that what should have been a fitting climax to Quinn's international career became the most difficult time of his life. For when Roy Keane walked out of Ireland's World Cup, Quinn was forced to choose between manager and team-mate: there could be only one decision. Suddenly he was at the centre of a storm, and as each day passed he looked back on his life and career - how he could have been signed up to Aussie Rules, drinking binges with Tony Adams and Paul Merson, an injury that nearly cost him his life, and much more. Brilliantly told, this is the autobiography of a remarkable man. Biographie de l'auteur Niall Quinn joined Arsenal in 1983 and then moved to Manchester City in March 1990, making more than 200 league appearances before signing for Sunderland in August 1996 for a then record fee. He has won 91 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring 21 goals.