Deano

by Dean Windass, Simon Parker (Editor), Phil Brown (Foreword)

DEANOFrom Gipsyville to the PremiershipDean WindassWith Simon ParkerForewords by Phil Brown andBryan RobsonGREAT NORTHERN“A startlingly revealing account not just of his career in football, but of growing up in what Windass said was often an unhappy home.” The Sunday Times“It’s a good tale and it's worth reading . . . it's different and gives you a good insight into football in this country.” BBC Five Live Sport‘You fat b**t**d, you fat b**t**d’. Music to my ears. Bring it on!As he approaches 40 years of age, Dean Windass is still making some noise on and off the pitch. But who is the real Deano?Rejected for being too small as a teenager, he faced up to life working in factories and on the building sites before grasping his second chance when it came.His colourful journey takes in the tunnel bust-ups and training ground nonsense, the card schools and childish banter. From the highs of promotion, to the lows of relegation and the terror he felt after receiving death threats. Extensively updated to include the 2007/08 season, the drama of the play-off final and the goal that took Hull to the Premier League.“The long-awaited autobiography . . . reveals just how it felt to live the dream and become a Tigers folk hero.” Hull Daily Mail “The past, which used to come at Windass in remorseless waves . . . this cruel sea of remembrance and how he turned its tide . . . [it] is there in plain and simple language in this rather remarkable book.”Sunday Herald (Glasgow)“Just like his playing style, Windass is direct and forceful when it comes to his life story and it makes for a page turning read.” Bradford Telegraph & Argus“As you would expect from such a larger-than-life character, never far from controversy, his autobiography is a good read.” Oxford Mail

Genres: Football

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Georgina Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in the winter of 2020 while I had jury duty at Croydon county court. It was the only book on the shelf in the court waiting room that wasn’t wrinkled or heavily soiled. Although touched by some passages, I was underwhelmed. But this was during deepest darkest Covid, and I was a juror on a nasty sex crime case, and reading chapters of this provided some levity and respite during a quite grim episode of my life. I would not read this again.

[mrs lisa middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read from a down to earth guy who fulfilled his dream

[Ashley Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one is ever going to say that Dean Windass is the greatest player ever to grace a football pitch, but he sure as hell is one of the game's characters.

It's great to read a football book from someone who has gone up from the lower leagues to the dizzy heights of the premier league, you get more of an insight of the game from books like this than you do from the books of the 'bigger names'.

While there are fun anecdotes of Windass' time at a local factory and a good story about him being knackered out by marking Thierry Henry, only to see Overmars come on for Henry - one of the few Arsenal men faster than Henry!

There are also honest accounts of Windass' own struggles with alcohol and depression, something which seems to be a key theme among professional footballers.