Mud and thunder

Ed Roberts is a young, talented and ambitious midfielder playing for Northtown United, a club buried in the depths of the Football League.

A new owner and manager transform its fortunes and steers it into the First Division.

Roberts plays a pivotal role in that progress and goes on to represent England before becoming one of the first English footballers to play abroad.

This is his warts-and-all story of what it was like to play at all levels - before the advent of the Premier League, the influx of foreign stars, the appearance of the super agent and vastly inflated salaries.

He writes, candidly, about some of the men he played with and for, how he didn't always toe the club line, his failed international career and his off-field relationships.

He broaches subjects such as racism, alcoholism, homosexuality and early player power.

It all amounts to one of the most honest and compelling accounts yet written by a former footballer.