John Giles: A Football Man - My Autobiography

John Giles had a gift. At the age of three, he could kick a ball the way it was supposed to be kicked. And he knew that every hour that passed without kicking a ball was an hour wasted. Here, Giles tells the story of a dream pursued and realized beyond his wildest imaginings, from his humble beginnings in Ormond Square in 1940s' Dublin, counting down the minutes to his next game of football, to that unforgettable moment when the original football manhis dad, "Dickie"announced that his young son, at just fourteen, was on his way to Manchester United. Full of anecdote, insight, and wry humor, Giles recounts his rise through the ranks at Manchester United, before and after the Munich Disaster; the great players he knew, the good and the bad times under Matt Busby; his sensational debut for Ireland which he served as player and manager; his starring role in the brilliant, controversial Leeds United of the '60s and '70s; and his challenge to the portrayal of himself and Brian Clough in The Damned United. He also describes his enduring friendship with the "kid from across Dublin's Tolka Park," Eamon Dunphy, and his career on RTE2's football panel, where Giles' intelligent and insightful analysis have made him an even more well-loved and respected national figure.

John Giles signed with Manchester United at 15 years of age, moved to Leeds United in 1963 where he became the linchpin of one of the great sides of the 1960s and 1970s, and played for the Republic of Ireland for almost two decades. He is now a well-known and greatly respected football analyst.