Imperfect 10: The Man Behind the Magic, by Tony Currie (Hardback)

Imperfect 10 is a searingly honest account of the life of a footballing genius, whose character and personality are worlds apart from the on-field extrovert who thrilled the crowds. Tony Currie, the former Watford, Sheffield United, Leeds United and QPR player with outrageous skills and the confidence to sit on the ball during a game or blow kisses to his adoring fans, was so shy that the avoidance of any kind of conflict or facing up to challenging decisions became his natural modus operandi. Sometimes it is almost impossible to believe that the two sides of the man lovingly known as TC belong to the same person. His private life fell apart, there was a damning relationship at international level and the team trophies he craved eluded him. But he had the crowd on his side throughout. In his autobiography, Currie remembers the magic moments but also the crippling self-doubt and dwindling self-esteem that brought him to his knees as he drifted towards an inevitable retirement and life after football. If there is a happy ending, it is in the acclaim he still commands from fans at Sheffield United, the club he spent most time with. They initially rescued him, and attracted him back up north for an eventual re-connection with the Blades. Tony Currie is a living legend who almost didn't have the will to hang around to see it.