Ask A Footballer
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
'Ask a Footballer is a fine read, showcasing how an unassuming man has forged success, winning the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and the Champions League' Matthew Syed, The Times Ever wondered what it's REALLY like to be a Premier League footballer? My name is James Milner and I'm not a Ribena-holic. Let me share insights into what it's like being a professional footballer, across my different experiences with Leeds United, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and now Liverpool (not forgetting a six-match loan spell at Swindon). Plus my highs - and a few too many lows - playing for England. There isn't a current player who's been playing Premier League football as long as I have, and that gives me a pretty rare perspective into how the top-flight game has changed over the past seventeen years. In this book, I explain how a footballer's working week unfolds - what we eat and how we prepare for matches technically, tactically, mentally and physically - and talk you through the ups and downs of a matchday. I reveal my penalty-taking techniques, half-time team talks and the differences between playing against Lionel Messi, Wilfried Zaha and Jimmy Bullard. I've played for managers ranging from Terry Venables, Peter Reid and Sir Bobby Robson to Martin O'Neill, Fabio Capello and Jurgen Klopp. I tell you what it's like sharing a training ground and a dressing-room with team-mates such as Lee Bowyer, Mario Balotelli and Mo Salah. I also reveal the behind-the-scenes work that went into Liverpool's Champions League success - and the celebrations that followed. So this isn't an autobiography. The whole point of Ask A Footballer is that you, the fans, asked me questions and I have used my own experiences to answer them. I hope you like it, and don't find it too boring.
Reviews with the most likes.
As many have mentioned before, this book feels a lot like something we could have predicted knowing it would be written by James.
The book is definitely not bad. It has some good insight and some funny anecdotes. Some questions are very good and chances you know everything addressed in the book is small.
But it is way too safe to be entertaining. The quotes and anecdotes are that old or known and the topics the book touches are too safe. And even when the book picks a daring topic it gets answered the most Milner way possible. With utmost respect for everybody and in the most professional way possible. There is not a glimpse of controversially in this book.
James is a great footballer and an example professional, and this book reflects the latter perfectly. It's a good mirror for James' professional career, which has always been trademarked by his love for the game, his professionalism and his lack of temptation for the pitfalls that some other footballers fall for.
James Boring Milner he is often called. I don't want to give him that name. He is not 100% boring, which he tries to prove real hard in the book. And I can't argue, I don't see him as all boring person. You get what you expect with James. Professionalism, a safe bet and somebody to give with a great work and off pitch ethic. Some may find that boring, but I think those qualities are admirable and often lost on footballers. Yet it doesn't make for the most intriguing reads.
