Jack Charlton: The Autobiography

'I know who you are: you're the Boss.' The words of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, on meeting Jack Charlton and his Republic of Ireland team before the 1990 World Cup Finals.

Indeed Jack Charlton was the Boss - a man whose strength of character drove him to achievements beyond the scope of his own natural talents or those of the teams who played under him.

His book tells of his childhood in a Northumberland mining village and how he escaped a life down the mine by joining Leeds United, where he played for twenty years. As a footballer, he touched the pinnacle in England's legendary 1966 World Cup winning team. As a manager, he dragged the Republic of Ireland from the backwaters of international football to compete with the world's best. As a man, he was noted for his forthright personality - one whose views were as honest as they were respected.

This is his story, the life of a man who specialised in the improbable, told in his own words.

Jack Charlton, OBE, Freeman of the City of Dublin and Honorary Irish citizen, was an authentic footballing hero. Big Jack, The Boss, 'The Rainmaker' - Charlton was one of English football's most popular characters, enjoying success as a player and a manager, most notably as part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and later as manager of the Republic of Ireland national team from 1986 to 1996.