Stuart Roach's investigation to find the real Steve Coppell in his book ‘On a wing and a prayer', proved entertaining and interesting. Having read the book very quickly, I was intrigued to see behind the headlines of a career that was successful both on and off the pitch. Roach's style jumps between Coppell's playing and management careers, but in a fashion that does not make the reader's head spin.

Steve Coppell the player is covered methodically with interesting insights into how Coppell juggled life as a student and a part time professional footballer in his early playing days. Watch out for the anecdote about the FA Cup being dented, but pay close attention to the details of Coppell's England career, which included the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The sadness of Coppell's forced retirement is covered in a poignant diary that Coppell wrote in his final year as a professional, but the circumstances of Coppell's career ending perhaps go furthest to understanding why he became such a good manager.

As a player with exceptional talent, Coppell's playing days were cruelly ended after a recurring knee injury proved impossible to overcome. At the age of 28 Coppell was forced to channel his energies into becoming a brilliant manager, through a mixture of hurt and determination following retirement at such a young age. The same scenario occurred with Brian Clough, who proved so successful as a manager after his playing career was also cruelly cut down by a knee injury.

The desire to succeed in management was clear for Coppell and Roach's book details all the perspectives of Coppell's management career. Plenty of famous football names lend their appreciation to Coppell's management skills as well. Tommy Docherty; Alan Pardew; Brian Barwick; Martin Buchan and Graeme Murty all have input into the Steve Coppell story.

As the author of a book on the career of a Reading legend, Roach's style is different from other football writers. Roach cleverly blends a playing career that saw action for Manchester United and England with a management career that scaled the heights of the top flight with so called less fashionable football clubs. The end product is a good read that will interest all football fans, but also further reinforces Coppell's reputation not just as a football success, but as an admired and thoroughly respected football man.

By Stuart Croucher.

* Our special thanks to Stuart Roach and Know the Score books.

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