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Full Time: the Secret Life of Tony Cascarino
Full the Secret Life of Tony Cascarino is the most praised football autobiography in a very long time. Reviewers' jaws dropped at "the searing honesty ... and the breathless style" (The Saturday Times); The Observer Sport Monthly gasped "It's Angela's Ashes with half-time oranges ... a footballer's autobiography like no other. The most astonishing sports book of the year." "Autobiography" of course means though told in the first person it was put together by award-winning Irish journalist Paul Kimmage, whose Rough Ride won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 1990. Making the book compulsively readable Kimmage structured it brilliantly, guarding the series of secrets that Cascarino reveals so that the reader is tantalised by cryptic glimpses then made to wait until each revelation in turn is suddenly unveiled. What are these secrets? Suffice to say that some are personal, some professional, some minor and quirky, one major enough to generate heated debate in the press. At times the book reads like the confession of a man who's lived with too much guilt for too long.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2000
16 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Paul Kimmage
13 books26 followersPaul Kimmage is an Irish sports journalist who, until his departure in early 2012, wrote for the Sunday Times newspaper in the United Kingdom. He is a former professional road bicycle racer. Kimmage was born into a cycling family. [Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 19, 2015
That this book is so often held up as one of the best football (assisted) autobiographies is perhaps more of a damning indictment of the feeble genre than significant praise for this book itself. It starts promisingly; the ageing, depressed, anonymous footballer in a quiet part of France has a novelistic feel to it, but things soon fall in line with sport biography derivatives. Some of the more interesting revelations don't get explored – for example, Cascarino hints he was an unwitting (yet strangely compliant) participant in doping, but the matter gets no more than half a page – and the hard-luck plaintive whine soon starts to grate. Cascarino also occasionally darkly hints at being tempted at times to physically assault his first wife; a telling revelation he perhaps came to regret committing to paper on being arrested a few years after this was published for assaulting his second.
January 24, 2022
Can't say that I knew a lot about Tony Cascarino prior to reading this book other than that he had been a footballer.
So the book gives a good insight to the struggles and achievements of a professional footballer.
How he happened to play in France for Marseille due to their transfer embargo was one insight I didn't know as well as the fact he never qualified as Irish and still has over 80 caps was again a gem out of the book.
Not sure how much I would recommend this book to others but if you like an autobiography and would like to understand some of the trials and tribulations of professional sportsmen then give it a go.
So the book gives a good insight to the struggles and achievements of a professional footballer.
How he happened to play in France for Marseille due to their transfer embargo was one insight I didn't know as well as the fact he never qualified as Irish and still has over 80 caps was again a gem out of the book.
Not sure how much I would recommend this book to others but if you like an autobiography and would like to understand some of the trials and tribulations of professional sportsmen then give it a go.
March 20, 2018
I’ve always loved Tony Cascarino. From the joy of an Italian named striker playing for Ireland, his 7 goals in our ill fated qualification group for 98 World Cup and the sheer strangeness of an Irish player playing his club football in France. While I remember bits of Italia 90, my real (as in total recall of where I was and how it all felt) football memory begins with the final qualifier in Windsor Park for the 94 World Cup. By that time Cascarino was half way through his Ireland career, and his best days were presumed to be behind him – but his resurgence at club level in France and his goals in World Cup qualifying (albeit against pretty crap teams), meant he was one of my favourite Irish players.
I bought Full Time as soon as it came out in 2001 – at a time I was finally old enough to travel to Ireland games in Dublin with my mates. The Irish team became my sporting passion as we cruised to Japan / Korea. I read Full Time over one night, staying up all night and suffering like hell in school the next day. I couldn’t believe how good the book was. 17 year old me was definitely very shocked by the candid admissions of his demons, his affairs and his inner self doubt. I read Rough Ride immediately after it and became a huge fan of Kimmage (to my mind the best sports interviewer I’ve read with the possible exception of the great Donald Mcrae).
Rereading it this week, it struck me that the book is even better than I remember. Its short, its personal, and its very very honest – Cascarino does not present himself as a nice guy but rather as who he is – a complicated, compelling figure who has made a lot of mistakes. It is easy to judge him but the fact that Cascarino wanted his true self to be displayed is what makes the book so fascinating. None of us are all good or all bad – but we don’t usually publish books about arguably the worst things we have done.
The book jumps through different periods in Cascarino’s life with the first quarter painting a picture of his recent life (as of 1999/2000) – his new life in France at Nancy, his new family life with his French partner and their child and his later days in the Ireland squad. Already we are introduced to his inner critic – the little voice in his head that tells him he is crap at very unfortunate moments. Its Chapter 5 before we hit the backstory of his childhood – which is told very quickly and focuses on his relationship (or lack there of) with his Dad, Dominic.
The story of his early career is told in a brilliant engaging manner – as much about his self doubt, his growing ego and the his relationship with others – like Teddy Sheringham at Gillingham, Niall Quinn and Jack Charlton at Ireland, Glenn Hoddle at Chelsea and Liam Brady at Celtic. The stories with the Ireland team paint a great picture of the team that Jack built – but Cascarino remains the focus of the narrative throughout. Most strikingly, once Cascarino pulled a muscle in the build up to USA 94, he doesn’t even mention the game he played in (2nd round exit v Holland) but is straight into the unlikely tale of how he signed for the defending European Champions.
The days of “Tony Goal” in France are the most interesting football wise for me – as he bangs in goals while being unforgivably bad as a husband and father.
Ultimately, its a difficult read with a happy ending (for Tony) tinged with sadness (for others mostly) – on the pitch in France he ended with a great performance but with Nancy still being relegated. Off the pitch he committed to a new family but the impact of his behaviour on his ex and first two kids still a long long way from healing. Ultimately, it feels like the writing of the book and the searingly honest admissions it contains is Tony’s attempt and understanding himself.
Kimmage’s quality as a writer really shines through in the books narrative structure – the use of two separate series of diary entries captures the Tony of 1999/2000, and the telling of his life through the rest of the book helps explain how he became the man he is (or was at that time at least).
As Eamonn Dunphy said of this book, if it was fiction it would win the Booker Prize. It is as much about life as it is about football. It is a book I will reread every few years and enjoy every single time.
The closest we have ever come to a sequel to Full Time is a 2014 interview between Kimmage and Cascarino that updates a bit on Tony’s life since 2001. A book is also coloured by what happens next so don’t read it until after you finish Full Time.
See all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews/
I bought Full Time as soon as it came out in 2001 – at a time I was finally old enough to travel to Ireland games in Dublin with my mates. The Irish team became my sporting passion as we cruised to Japan / Korea. I read Full Time over one night, staying up all night and suffering like hell in school the next day. I couldn’t believe how good the book was. 17 year old me was definitely very shocked by the candid admissions of his demons, his affairs and his inner self doubt. I read Rough Ride immediately after it and became a huge fan of Kimmage (to my mind the best sports interviewer I’ve read with the possible exception of the great Donald Mcrae).
Rereading it this week, it struck me that the book is even better than I remember. Its short, its personal, and its very very honest – Cascarino does not present himself as a nice guy but rather as who he is – a complicated, compelling figure who has made a lot of mistakes. It is easy to judge him but the fact that Cascarino wanted his true self to be displayed is what makes the book so fascinating. None of us are all good or all bad – but we don’t usually publish books about arguably the worst things we have done.
The book jumps through different periods in Cascarino’s life with the first quarter painting a picture of his recent life (as of 1999/2000) – his new life in France at Nancy, his new family life with his French partner and their child and his later days in the Ireland squad. Already we are introduced to his inner critic – the little voice in his head that tells him he is crap at very unfortunate moments. Its Chapter 5 before we hit the backstory of his childhood – which is told very quickly and focuses on his relationship (or lack there of) with his Dad, Dominic.
The story of his early career is told in a brilliant engaging manner – as much about his self doubt, his growing ego and the his relationship with others – like Teddy Sheringham at Gillingham, Niall Quinn and Jack Charlton at Ireland, Glenn Hoddle at Chelsea and Liam Brady at Celtic. The stories with the Ireland team paint a great picture of the team that Jack built – but Cascarino remains the focus of the narrative throughout. Most strikingly, once Cascarino pulled a muscle in the build up to USA 94, he doesn’t even mention the game he played in (2nd round exit v Holland) but is straight into the unlikely tale of how he signed for the defending European Champions.
The days of “Tony Goal” in France are the most interesting football wise for me – as he bangs in goals while being unforgivably bad as a husband and father.
Ultimately, its a difficult read with a happy ending (for Tony) tinged with sadness (for others mostly) – on the pitch in France he ended with a great performance but with Nancy still being relegated. Off the pitch he committed to a new family but the impact of his behaviour on his ex and first two kids still a long long way from healing. Ultimately, it feels like the writing of the book and the searingly honest admissions it contains is Tony’s attempt and understanding himself.
Kimmage’s quality as a writer really shines through in the books narrative structure – the use of two separate series of diary entries captures the Tony of 1999/2000, and the telling of his life through the rest of the book helps explain how he became the man he is (or was at that time at least).
As Eamonn Dunphy said of this book, if it was fiction it would win the Booker Prize. It is as much about life as it is about football. It is a book I will reread every few years and enjoy every single time.
The closest we have ever come to a sequel to Full Time is a 2014 interview between Kimmage and Cascarino that updates a bit on Tony’s life since 2001. A book is also coloured by what happens next so don’t read it until after you finish Full Time.
See all of my sports book reviews at https://allsportsbooks.reviews/
October 14, 2022
It was an awesome Read in many ways.
Only critique i have is that the ghost writer used too much french. For a non french bastard like me it makes it almost impossible to follow the story.
Also, Cas comes across as extremely self centered, i dont know if its the truth or if it just turned out that way.
I felt sorry for his ex gf n wife.
I am amazed how much money footballers made even in those days.
Only critique i have is that the ghost writer used too much french. For a non french bastard like me it makes it almost impossible to follow the story.
Also, Cas comes across as extremely self centered, i dont know if its the truth or if it just turned out that way.
I felt sorry for his ex gf n wife.
I am amazed how much money footballers made even in those days.
September 22, 2018
I can understand why this has often been quoted as a good footballer autobiography. Frank, honest in the sense Cascarino admitted his faults, and not dwelling too long on career statistics, it was revealing and interesting.
I was unaware how big Cascarino was in Ireland, as I only knew him as an average pundit in The Times who had been better at lower league teams before moving to France. Whether it's his voice or Kimmage's, he somehow manages to come across as a normal lad-turned-man who played professional football, rather than a Footballer, with a matter-of-fact delivery rather than a boastful one.
He is honest that he wasn't always at peak fitness, which contributed to his inconsistency when playing at his better clubs, and that taking care of himself he was able to play well into his mid-thirties as a forward. The stories he selected were good too, and he was refreshingly critical of some names such as Frank Stapleton and Glenn Hoddle.
The section that was most frank was regarding his relationship. It wouldn't surprise me if he was praised for his honesty, but the way he acted seems so poor that any positive comment seems ludicrous. Although he doesn't count them, it sounds as though he cheated on his first wife many times, before secretly having an affair and from the way it's told, taking advantage of his wife's affection for him and not leaving when she found out he had got another woman pregnant, even denying it at first. This was not a moment of weakness, but a prolonged period of selfish behaviour.
But my opinion of Cascarino doesn't mean it wasn't interesting, even if I can't get my head around how he managed to have a wife and girlfriend at the same time, each of whom eventually knew about the other. This was a story about how a man who thinks of himself of a good guy, and sees the damage bad guys can cause, is still led astray by the adulation of fans and women, and he's not the only person who would act that way. But he's one of the few to have a book, and one of fewer who admits to being in the wrong. A concise book, but far from lacking in content.
I was unaware how big Cascarino was in Ireland, as I only knew him as an average pundit in The Times who had been better at lower league teams before moving to France. Whether it's his voice or Kimmage's, he somehow manages to come across as a normal lad-turned-man who played professional football, rather than a Footballer, with a matter-of-fact delivery rather than a boastful one.
He is honest that he wasn't always at peak fitness, which contributed to his inconsistency when playing at his better clubs, and that taking care of himself he was able to play well into his mid-thirties as a forward. The stories he selected were good too, and he was refreshingly critical of some names such as Frank Stapleton and Glenn Hoddle.
The section that was most frank was regarding his relationship. It wouldn't surprise me if he was praised for his honesty, but the way he acted seems so poor that any positive comment seems ludicrous. Although he doesn't count them, it sounds as though he cheated on his first wife many times, before secretly having an affair and from the way it's told, taking advantage of his wife's affection for him and not leaving when she found out he had got another woman pregnant, even denying it at first. This was not a moment of weakness, but a prolonged period of selfish behaviour.
But my opinion of Cascarino doesn't mean it wasn't interesting, even if I can't get my head around how he managed to have a wife and girlfriend at the same time, each of whom eventually knew about the other. This was a story about how a man who thinks of himself of a good guy, and sees the damage bad guys can cause, is still led astray by the adulation of fans and women, and he's not the only person who would act that way. But he's one of the few to have a book, and one of fewer who admits to being in the wrong. A concise book, but far from lacking in content.
June 22, 2025
“Full Time – tajni život Tonija Kaskarina”, koju sam čitao na engleskom, nije klasična sportska autobiografija. Nema tu hvalisanja, ni montiranih sjećanja. Umjesto toga, dobijamo priču jednog čovjeka koji se, tek kad su reflektori počeli da se gase, usudio pogledati samog sebe u ogledalo. On, odnosno njegov ghost writer, novinar Pol Kimedž, piše bez ukrasa, bez pravdanja, ponekad i bez stila — ali upravo ta nesavršenost daje knjizi ono što se rijetko sreće: neočekivanu, gotovo zapanjujuću i pomalo zastrašujuću iskrenost.
U tom priznanju da je živio kao neko drugi — u karijeri, u braku, u sopstvenom tijelu — Kaskarino priziva duhove Bucatijevih junaka. Ne one velike, već one tihe, umorne od sopstvenih laži. Svaka stranica ima težinu dana kada znaš da nešto treba da se promijeni, a ne znaš kako. Ovo nije knjiga o pobjedama, već o poroznim ivicama identiteta koje ne drže više vodu.
Iako literarno gruba, ova ispovijest nosi težinu koju ne možeš izmjeriti stilom ili ocjenom. Ne postoji poza, ni narativna dramaturgija — samo čovjek koji sjedi sam sa sobom i konačno prestaje da laže. Nema katarze, ali ima olakšanja. Kao kad se znoj osuši, a ti shvatiš da publika više ne gleda — i da to, možda, nije poraz nego šansa.
Jer ponekad najvažnije utakmice igramo tek kad sve prestane.
U tom priznanju da je živio kao neko drugi — u karijeri, u braku, u sopstvenom tijelu — Kaskarino priziva duhove Bucatijevih junaka. Ne one velike, već one tihe, umorne od sopstvenih laži. Svaka stranica ima težinu dana kada znaš da nešto treba da se promijeni, a ne znaš kako. Ovo nije knjiga o pobjedama, već o poroznim ivicama identiteta koje ne drže više vodu.
Iako literarno gruba, ova ispovijest nosi težinu koju ne možeš izmjeriti stilom ili ocjenom. Ne postoji poza, ni narativna dramaturgija — samo čovjek koji sjedi sam sa sobom i konačno prestaje da laže. Nema katarze, ali ima olakšanja. Kao kad se znoj osuši, a ti shvatiš da publika više ne gleda — i da to, možda, nije poraz nego šansa.
Jer ponekad najvažnije utakmice igramo tek kad sve prestane.
August 25, 2025
Tony Cascarino's book has been great. It's a book that seems relatively relatable for a football autobiography as he seems like a normal bloke who was good at football. In this book, it discusses a lot about the mental challenges that he faced and how his mentality could get the better of him at any time. I also found it really interesting reading about his rise from hairdressing and labouring, to non league and then up to the top divisions. This book does discuss his opinions of quite a few people in the game and he doesn't hold back with some of what he says. For example, he talks a lot about Jack Charlton in a very positive manner whereas Glenn Hoddle is discussed on the other side of the coin like when Cascarino states, "when you stepped offside with Glenn, there was nothing to do but accept your fate and hope that you returned in the next life as talented and perfect as him." Overall, this book has been an interesting and truly honest book that really sheds light onto what's its like being a professional footballer in the 80s and 90s.
November 1, 2018
This is certainly an honest portrayal of the subject of this autobiography. This covers all of Cascarino's career, including his time in Marseilles and his Republic of Ireland career. The honesty really helps make the book engaging and you have some empathy for him, even if you don't always agree with his life choices. Although he is at pains to explain how his behaviour has not always been exemplary. But then that makes him seem more human and relatable, rather than a perfect, never wrong superstar.
June 13, 2018
Fantastic Read
I feel s?rightly guilty now for a childhood spent mocking Cascarino and how bad i thought he was, this is by far the best football autobiography i have ever read, head and shoulders above everything else. Every chapter is fascinating and gives a massive insight into Tony's mind and what he was thinking at the time. So glad his career went well for him in France, seems a really good guy....what a book.
I feel s?rightly guilty now for a childhood spent mocking Cascarino and how bad i thought he was, this is by far the best football autobiography i have ever read, head and shoulders above everything else. Every chapter is fascinating and gives a massive insight into Tony's mind and what he was thinking at the time. So glad his career went well for him in France, seems a really good guy....what a book.
June 15, 2020
If I could have given this book more than 5 stars I would have done. This is a brutally honest, no subject off-limits, warts-and-all journey through the footballing life of a cult hero footballer. It resonated with me for a number of reasons - a bit of the story in France, World Cup memories of yesteryear and some turmoil to go with the triumph. Absolutely superb book. I'm trying not to harp on about it, but I just loved it.
November 11, 2017
Toeknee
Warts and all book with Cas baring his soul in a manner that we don't normally get with sportstars auto`'s. An enjoyable read and the use if the voices in the head throughout give a look into the mind of the everyday footballer. Kimmage's influence very evident and has some very similar features to "Rough Ride"
Warts and all book with Cas baring his soul in a manner that we don't normally get with sportstars auto`'s. An enjoyable read and the use if the voices in the head throughout give a look into the mind of the everyday footballer. Kimmage's influence very evident and has some very similar features to "Rough Ride"
April 11, 2020
Honest biography from a footballer. Misses out all the crap about being taken to the local youth centre and playing football on the estate until mum called him in for dinner. Nice to see a player not massively up himself
April 17, 2021
Brilliant!
An eye opener of a book that was very hard to put down. Cas sees his own faults as a human being and lays it bare in the book. Hopefully now it’s 2021, Cas will update it, as even though he retired, I bet he got an interesting story to tell.
An eye opener of a book that was very hard to put down. Cas sees his own faults as a human being and lays it bare in the book. Hopefully now it’s 2021, Cas will update it, as even though he retired, I bet he got an interesting story to tell.
July 23, 2023
wow
A real insight into being a professional footballer. He doesn’t talk about this thirty yard pass or that great headed goal. It’s a true story about a man who happens to play football.
A real insight into being a professional footballer. He doesn’t talk about this thirty yard pass or that great headed goal. It’s a true story about a man who happens to play football.
February 8, 2020
I'd never heard of the bloke when I read this. Can't remember why I even read it. Enjoyed it though.
July 3, 2020
Really enjoyed this book _ self-effacing and honest view of his life as a professional footballer.
December 25, 2020
Honest book with good reflections
Worth a read of you are a football fan and remember the heady days of Jack Charlton and all that hype
Worth a read of you are a football fan and remember the heady days of Jack Charlton and all that hype
June 13, 2021
Interesting and alternative insight into life as a soccer player.
January 11, 2023
Brutally honest. Superbly told story. Couldn't put it down.
May 5, 2020
Honest memoir by 'plastic Paddy' who played in top divisions as a pugnacious number nine. 90s football comes out very well.
February 15, 2022
By all accounts, this biog is held up as the quintessential in footy memoirs.
Meh.
Not necessarily revelationary the shenanigans that players got up to, before the money went mad.
Meh.
Not necessarily revelationary the shenanigans that players got up to, before the money went mad.
June 20, 2017
Thoroughly deserves its reputation as the best of football biographies. Not the inside story on a worldwide superstar, but the candid confessions of a man who's not sure he should have done as well as he did, and knows all too well the mistakes he made along the way.
Importantly, this book is ahead of its times in the way it presents mental health for footballers. Somehow, it's still something footballers feel the need to hide. Cascarino's honesty about "the little voice" is a much needed example.
Importantly, this book is ahead of its times in the way it presents mental health for footballers. Somehow, it's still something footballers feel the need to hide. Cascarino's honesty about "the little voice" is a much needed example.
September 7, 2014
I'm not a big fan of sports autobiographies, but bought this one after it was recommended to me. I knew of some of the Cascarino stories, principally his actual ineligibility to play for ROI despite his many caps, but this very readable book gives us the warts and all story of his life, often focusing on his self doubt and his guilt laden private life, as well of course as his football career.
I flew through the book in a day and can understand the plaudits it received on its release in 2000. I doubt it'll make me read any more books in the genre, but I'm glad that I picked this one up!
I flew through the book in a day and can understand the plaudits it received on its release in 2000. I doubt it'll make me read any more books in the genre, but I'm glad that I picked this one up!
January 28, 2016
I'm a bit late getting to this (the book is 15 years old) but what a read. Take a bow Tony Cascarino. He calls it as it is. No syrup here. A warts and all look at professional soccer and must echo for the myriad of lads who are good players but not exceptional. Very honest with hilarious moments sprinkled throughout. My favourite being Chippy Brady, hopping mad, arriving late back to the hotel after a humiliating UEFA loss with Celtic only to find the lads all getting well oiled and ready for a sing song as though they had just won the thing outright - class.
March 1, 2012
An excellent book. I'm a football fan, but gave it to a mate who hates football when we ran out of our own books on holiday and she loved it too. Cascarino has a great tale to tell, but a lot is down to the way the story is told. Kimmage's storytelling makes this feel more like a novel than a biography.
October 26, 2012
A cut above the average sport biography. Reads on occasion like fiction, but there were times that I felt the authors could have cut loose, but were restrained by the limitations of the sport biography medium. That reduced the books impact. Saying that, it was an easy read and quite eye opening in parts, without descending into gossip.
April 1, 2015
Brilliant. An in-depth look into the life of an 'average' striker. With average players writing autobiographies, the anecdotes had better be better than usual, and Cascarino delivers!
"Are you a man or a mouse?", queried Andy Townsend before Cas nervously volunteered to be one of the penalty takers in the shootout against Romania.
"Are you a man or a mouse?", queried Andy Townsend before Cas nervously volunteered to be one of the penalty takers in the shootout against Romania.
July 5, 2014
A rare intersection between sporting glory and brutal inner turmoil, a cut above your average sporting autobiography. Written/co-written with candour, levity and grim honesty. Well worth a read even if you've never made it through a full 90 minutes!
April 3, 2015
Very good for anyone who wants to hear of the heady days of Euro 88 and Italia 90. Big Cas gives an honest take on what it was like before the Premiership and his own troubles
Definitely worth a read!
Definitely worth a read!
April 16, 2008
One of the most and frank personal sports books out there. An entertaining read & a must for all soccer fans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews