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Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
 Sir Football September 2, 2010
N. Brett (Wiltshire, England)
Bobby Charlton epitomises the best of English football. He was given a much deserved knighthood for his considerable services to both club and country and one of only two Englishmen to lift both the World and European cups. His autobiography has been split into his Manchester United years and his England years, neither book strays much into the territory of the other and here we share his United years.
I attended a sports dinner a few years ago where he spoke, the audience being mainly businessmen all suited up and serious. I have to say that Sir Bobby is not a great orator, but the audience sat drinking in every word from a real life football legend. The second he finished and the considerable applause had stopped, there was a flood of people desperate for his autograph, I'm not ashamed to say I was one of them.
So obviously I was going to enjoy this half of his autobiography. Sir Bobby gives us a strong sense of his football roots in the mining community and clearly understands that in those days football was the only sense of relief and entertainment for working class people. He was one of those people and appreciates how lucky he was that his talent with a ball give him a life in football. He is a quiet man who would obviously rather be out of the limelight and his modesty and dedication seep through every page of this book. He does tackle a number of difficult issues, his relationship with his mother and brother Jack, the Munich disaster and the politics and changes at Manchester United. He shares views and stories about a number of players and Managers and of course we see the history of Manchester United through his eyes over a period of about 50 years.
Few have deserved to be described as a football legend as much as Sir Bobby Charlton.
 Great player - not so great writer August 29, 2010
tallpete33 (London, UK)
Bobby Charlton was a true footballing legend during his United and England years. This book covers the former only and as his world cup triumph gains only the briefest of mentions in this you'll have to buy the other book for more on `66.
Starting with the Munch air disaster, the tragedy that was to affect him and the team so much, we are then told of his early years in a close knit North-East family with his mother and Uncle Jackie (Milburn) being the main influences. We then soon get into the nitty gritty of his United career.
To be honest as with most sporting autobiographies, I didn't find this a very involving or provocative read. Apart from certain games and goals, Charlton speaks in generalisations rather than specifics. The playing chapters flit back and forth so you're often confused as to which period/season he is referring too and big gaps are often left. A stronger timeline may have made it a more solid book. He does not go into any great depth about family or professional relationships (he takes a whole chapter to basically say Jack and his mother did not get on with his wife) and we are left none the wiser as to the chemistry between him, Best and Law although the clumsy Nobby Stiles' antics provide rare moments of humour. He only hints at a none too warm relationship with both but again we don't know for certain and too many pages say too little.
There's some good Bobby stats at the end and excellent photos (in the hardback edition at least), if you're a Reds fan you'll enjoy this but he comes across as a man who you wouldn't want to be stuck in a lift with so it was not great for me.
(Millwall, in case you were wondering, though I have a lot of time for Man U on the quiet).
 Sir Bobby's Incredible Memoirs March 23, 2010
Mr. D. J. Bennett (Reading, UK)
Sir Bobby must have kept a diary to reveal his autobiography in such great detail. His account of the Munich air disaster was so moving it brought a tear to my eye. He managed to give the reader an out of body experience, I actually felt like I was there for a moment. His deep recollection, of each and every player who was on that plane and suffered such terrible loss, was truly remarkable. The love he had for Manchester United & his fellow professionals, including Duncan Edwards especially, is fascinating. Duncan Edwards, just sounds, so much like Rooney.
Sir Bobby's use of the English Language is as thorough as that of an esteemed author. He could have formed another career as a writer or journalist, basically this man could have done what he wanted. Anything he turned his hand to, he would have succeeded.
I plan to read his England memories,My England Years: The Autobiography during the World Cup, this man is the sort of example players of today should aspire to. I wonder how many of the current crop have actually read his book. For me Sir Bobby is the greatest English Footballer in the history of our game. To score 49 goals from midfield is concrete evidence of this. This may be a a patronising remark, but I think he would be held in even higher esteem, if that's possible, if he'd shaved all his hair off. Not at the time but for younger folk, image concious kids, might just look at the video film and have an ageist view. Not me. He wasn't worried about this, he was so driven, so determined. Yes, he had natural talent in abundance, but genuine hard work, was what he prided himself on.
How he got time to record his memories, makes his story all the more inspirational. I would recommend any book by this man to anyone, I look forward to reading his England book & dread the day I hear of his passing..
Sir Bobby Charlton - Man Utd years January 4, 2010
Happy Edith (England)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Judging by the reaction of my brother in law when he received this as a gift, I'd say its excellent.
Great story - and very well told August 21, 2009
S. M. Saunders (Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland)
There are plenty of other reviews, so I won't go on too much. But I will say that this is THE finest sports biogaphy, or autobiography, I've ever read.
It's not just that it's a wonderful, moving, and as we all know, tragic story - it's the way it is written. Quite clearly the collaboration between Bobby Charlton and James Lawton has worked superbly.
I do have just one complaint, though - why does Charlton insist, throughout the book, on referring to the late, great Sir Matt Busby as "the Old Man"? To me it smacked of a little disrespect - which I would think highly unlike the real Bobby Charlton.
Despite this, I have no hesitation in giving this book five stars - and now I'm eagerly off to start the second part, Charlton's account of his years playing for England.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
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