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Alan Mullery: The Autobiography
Fearless. Competitive. Controversial. Three words that sum up the football career of Alan Mullery. His passion for football is matched by a stream of anecdotes about the players that have filled his professional life, including Bobby Moore, Pele, Johnny Haynes, Jimmy Greaves and George Best. Here, for the first time, Mullery lets the reader into the secrets he has previously kept the shame of being sent off for England; the true story behind England's 1970 World Cup quarter-final defeat; how he sold one thousand Cup final tickets on the black market; the bitterness behind the cheers of Spurs' 1972 UEFA Cup victory and the naked blonde in the hotel.
In addition, he relates from the heart his darkest moments, brought on by stiffling financial pressure, and how he had to look deep within himself to come through the other end.
In addition, he relates from the heart his darkest moments, brought on by stiffling financial pressure, and how he had to look deep within himself to come through the other end.
- GenresFootball
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 5, 2025
An interesting, entertaining and brutally honest account of his career from a significant figure in English footballing history.
Mullery was a natural leader both on and off the field playing with and against some of the greatest players ever to grace a football pitch including Pele ("a brilliant player"), Johhny Haynes ("the reason I joined Fulham"), Dave Mackay ("the best all round footballer I have ever seen") and Bobby Moore ("the best I ever worked with"). He also played under two of the most significant managers of the post-war era in Sir Alf Ramsey and Bill Nicholson.
An industrious and tenacious character on and off the pitch, he faced joyous highs and bitter lows in his playing and managerial career. Lifting the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup with Spurs as a player, winning the Football Writers Association Player of the Year and "Goal of the Season" with Fulham, but also being the first man sent off playing for England, and agonisingly falling just short in a fairytale Cup run for Fulham. As a manager he guided unfancied Brighton from the third tier to the top-flight but was deceived out of the Fulham manager's role and later cheated out of his money for an overseas coaching role leaving him broke.
At one time the financial pressures led to Mullery flirting with suicide, but with the help of his wife, family and God he pulled himself back from the brink and can now be found giving his football insights for television and talking about his life at events, "I don't do jokes and gags, I'm a storyteller".
This autobiography is worth reading for any student of football history and for those who want to get a peek into the football world from the 1950s to the 1980s, and how it was a different world from today. As an example, how many of today's stars have followed the path of Alan Mullery by starting out as a rat catcher at their club before going on to captain club and country?
Mullery was a natural leader both on and off the field playing with and against some of the greatest players ever to grace a football pitch including Pele ("a brilliant player"), Johhny Haynes ("the reason I joined Fulham"), Dave Mackay ("the best all round footballer I have ever seen") and Bobby Moore ("the best I ever worked with"). He also played under two of the most significant managers of the post-war era in Sir Alf Ramsey and Bill Nicholson.
An industrious and tenacious character on and off the pitch, he faced joyous highs and bitter lows in his playing and managerial career. Lifting the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup with Spurs as a player, winning the Football Writers Association Player of the Year and "Goal of the Season" with Fulham, but also being the first man sent off playing for England, and agonisingly falling just short in a fairytale Cup run for Fulham. As a manager he guided unfancied Brighton from the third tier to the top-flight but was deceived out of the Fulham manager's role and later cheated out of his money for an overseas coaching role leaving him broke.
At one time the financial pressures led to Mullery flirting with suicide, but with the help of his wife, family and God he pulled himself back from the brink and can now be found giving his football insights for television and talking about his life at events, "I don't do jokes and gags, I'm a storyteller".
This autobiography is worth reading for any student of football history and for those who want to get a peek into the football world from the 1950s to the 1980s, and how it was a different world from today. As an example, how many of today's stars have followed the path of Alan Mullery by starting out as a rat catcher at their club before going on to captain club and country?
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review