Dyed Petya
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 2 May 2007
- Messages
- 1,490
KentBlue said:
No, this is a different book. He brought out one in 1977 or so, which I didn't buy but I took out of my local library. It was called 'Manchester City - My Team', and it was part of a 'My Team' series. Lou Macari did one for United, which our local library also had but obviously I didn't read, and I think there were versions from someone at Liverpool, Spurs and so on. Basically, it involved a fairly long serving player telling the story of their career and talking a bit about their club and what made it special.
The second Doyle autobiography was produced about six years ago, at a guess, and was ghosted by David Clayton of City magazine and the MEN, who's ghost written a number of books for City figures. Clayton says he suggested the newer book to Doyle as an update, so you will get stuff about Mike's post-MCFC career at Stoke, Bolton and Rochdale, plus some stuff on his life after football, which hasn't been altogether plain sailing (he admits to having a drink problem at one stage).
It's obviously intended to be written in a forthright style which, though I've never met Mike Doyle, I can imagine reflects the way he is in person. However, the trademark 'United hater' stuff and the lambasting of 'fancy dan' Rodney Marsh (Doyle thinks Marsh was a show pony and you don't win trophies with players like that) cover ground already gone over in the first book. And the big revelation in the book was also first revealed in the 1970s effort. (I won't mention it in case anyone else hasn't read Blue Blood but wants to).
Moreover, it's slightly ironic that, after starting off vowing that he'll follow a no nonsense, 'tell it like it is' approach, a few pages in, there's a reference to a story involving a well loved City figure. In direct contravention of everything he's just promised in the book, he then refuses to say more because he doesn't want to shatter any illusions about the person involved!
Ultimately, though, the thing I found most disappointing about Blue Blood is that it actually created a negative impression in my mind of a City legend: it's entirely subjective, but to me Doyle came across as a very embittered, and not especially pleasant, man. Normally when I read an autobiography, I end up at least appreciating where the subject was coming from, even when it's someone I don't really like much. In Doyle's case, that didn't happen because of things like the rants about 'all the petty bastards' who want to see him fail and the detail given to the bizarre story about a family pet, an incident that has left him not on speaking terms with his daughter.
Finally, and I appreciate that no one save for tedious anoraks like me give a shit about this, there were a few too many mistakes. I don't just mean typos, though there were enough of them for me to find it jarring, but also several errors of fact. Rodney Marsh didn't join City from Fulham, for instance, and again I'm sad enough to be bothered by that.
Anyway, I seem to be on my own in this thread with my view of the book, so don't be put off by that. But if I were you and could dig out the seventies one, I don't think there's much you'd regret missing in the later one.
-- Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:19 pm --
BTH said:
I didn't see this much more succinct commentary before I bothered to post. :)
