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Be Careful What You Wish For: The ultimate book for every football fan
Ever dreamed of owning your boyhood football club? Be careful what you wish for...Simon Jordan grew up a stone's throw from Crystal Palace Football Club. As a boy he used to break into the Palace ground for a kick-about on the hallowed turf. On leaving school he entered the mobile phone business. By the age of thirty-two, he'd built a company from nothing, sold it for £75 million and bought his childhood club. By the age of forty-two Palace was in administration and Jordan had lost nigh on everything.Be Careful What You Wish For lifts the lid on the owner's story and reveals for the first time how the national game really works. Jordan spares no one, least of all himself, as he takes us inside a world where hopes and aspirations sit alongside greed, self-interest, overpriced players, dodgy transfers and top-level incompetence. He doesn't hold back.Breathtakingly honest, highly controversial, humorous and full of jaw-dropping anecdotes, Be Careful What You Wish For is far more than a football book. It is a social commentary on the culture of great wealth and ambition; a Shakespearean tragedy that exposes the dark side of chasing a dream. 'One of the best football books you will ever read' Birmingham Post
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 2, 2022
In tribute to our Monarch I award this ego fuelled and entertaining book three 👑👑👑 !!! Happy Platinum Jubilee to you all !!🇬🇧🇬🇧
October 10, 2019
Very enjoyable read. I wouldn’t have expected a football owner’s story to be so readable but then Simon Jordan was never your typical owner. So even though I don’t support Crystal Palace, the stories, the insights and way that deals, loans and finances are structured makes for captivating reading. And Simon employed and met some real characters over the years. Well worth a read if you like your football autobiographies.
June 13, 2013
If you have gone and watched your football team play against Crystal Palace in the last decade, chances are you would have chanted “Simon Jordan is a w*nker” alongside 10,000 or so of your fellow fans at the top of your lungs.
Perhaps this is not the best endorsement for Simon Jordan and his book, but how many other football chairman can you think of that was more controversial, more outspoken, and more blonde than the former Eagles owner?
Palace fans loved him, opposition fans loved to taunt him. The perma-tanned self-made millionaire made his fortune in the mobile phone business and by the age of 32 he was the youngest owner of a football club. Ten years and £35m later he had lost it all, but what a decade he had left in his wake...
Click here to read the rest of this review...
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
Perhaps this is not the best endorsement for Simon Jordan and his book, but how many other football chairman can you think of that was more controversial, more outspoken, and more blonde than the former Eagles owner?
Palace fans loved him, opposition fans loved to taunt him. The perma-tanned self-made millionaire made his fortune in the mobile phone business and by the age of 32 he was the youngest owner of a football club. Ten years and £35m later he had lost it all, but what a decade he had left in his wake...
Click here to read the rest of this review...
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
June 23, 2020
The ego has landed
Mixed feelings about this book.Some interesting I insights into football club ownership and the whole culture of football especially the current unhealthy grip of agents..I did not however warm to the author,something almost Trumpian in his appointment and then dismissal of managers and others that he really knew were not suitable from the outset
Perhaps it is inevitable that someone in his line of business Will not exactly be Mother Teresa and the last few paragraphs demonstrate a more humble conclusion .Also anyone who backs The Specials cannot be all bad
It would be fascinating to hear perspectives of others involved to provide balance to a story of martyrdom.
Worth a read though and I suspect it will not be the last we hear of Mr Jordan
Mixed feelings about this book.Some interesting I insights into football club ownership and the whole culture of football especially the current unhealthy grip of agents..I did not however warm to the author,something almost Trumpian in his appointment and then dismissal of managers and others that he really knew were not suitable from the outset
Perhaps it is inevitable that someone in his line of business Will not exactly be Mother Teresa and the last few paragraphs demonstrate a more humble conclusion .Also anyone who backs The Specials cannot be all bad
It would be fascinating to hear perspectives of others involved to provide balance to a story of martyrdom.
Worth a read though and I suspect it will not be the last we hear of Mr Jordan
June 22, 2023
You don’t have to be Crystal Palace fan to enjoy this book. I should think any football fan would find it interesting. A lot is covered from his early days and how he made his wealth through his mobile phone empire to the purchase of his boyhood club he supports, Crystal Palace.
What follows is a rollercoaster story of the inner workings of owning a football a football club, highs and lows, a refreshingly honest and throughly entertaining and informative account.
I enjoy listening to Simon’s forthright and no nonsense approach on the radio and this book is an extension of that . Once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down. Easily up there with the best autobiographies I have read.
What follows is a rollercoaster story of the inner workings of owning a football a football club, highs and lows, a refreshingly honest and throughly entertaining and informative account.
I enjoy listening to Simon’s forthright and no nonsense approach on the radio and this book is an extension of that . Once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down. Easily up there with the best autobiographies I have read.
May 26, 2024
Interesting book about the difficulties of owning a football club. I enjoy listening to Simon Jordan on talk sport so naturally found this quite enjoyable. He can come off as quite boastful in the book which you tend to roll your eyes at at times but overall I would recommend.
August 29, 2017
This best-selling autobiography will stagger you at the greed, dishonesty, pettiness, and stupidity of a large percentage of the footballing fraternity. A well-written and best-selling page-turning read.
The GR blurb:
"Ever dreamed of owning your boyhood football club?
Simon Jordan grew up a stone’s throw from Crystal Palace Football Club. As a boy he used to break into the Palace ground for a kick-about on the hallowed turf. On leaving school he entered the mobile phone business. By the age of thirty-two, he’d built a company from nothing, sold it for £75 million and bought his childhood club. By the age of forty-two Palace was in administration and Jordan had lost nigh on everything.
Be Careful What You Wish For lifts the lid on the owner’s story and reveals for the first time how the national game really works. Jordan spares no one, least of all himself, as he takes us inside a world where hopes and aspirations sit alongside greed, self-interest, overpriced players, dodgy transfers and top-level incompetence. He doesn’t hold back.
Breathtakingly honest, highly controversial, humorous and full of jaw-dropping anecdotes, Be Careful What You Wish For is far more than a football book. It is a social commentary on the culture of great wealth and ambition; a Shakespearean tragedy that exposes the dark side of chasing a dream."
The GR blurb:
"Ever dreamed of owning your boyhood football club?
Simon Jordan grew up a stone’s throw from Crystal Palace Football Club. As a boy he used to break into the Palace ground for a kick-about on the hallowed turf. On leaving school he entered the mobile phone business. By the age of thirty-two, he’d built a company from nothing, sold it for £75 million and bought his childhood club. By the age of forty-two Palace was in administration and Jordan had lost nigh on everything.
Be Careful What You Wish For lifts the lid on the owner’s story and reveals for the first time how the national game really works. Jordan spares no one, least of all himself, as he takes us inside a world where hopes and aspirations sit alongside greed, self-interest, overpriced players, dodgy transfers and top-level incompetence. He doesn’t hold back.
Breathtakingly honest, highly controversial, humorous and full of jaw-dropping anecdotes, Be Careful What You Wish For is far more than a football book. It is a social commentary on the culture of great wealth and ambition; a Shakespearean tragedy that exposes the dark side of chasing a dream."
January 2, 2026
I am very surprised with this read a brutal insight to the reality of being a football club owner. Mr Jordan didn't hold back when he brought Palace and despite his mistakes his passion for his club meant everything to him and he put that first. it was enjoyable to read a brutal honest overview on how football behind the scenes work and the dodgy stuff that surrounds the richest league in the world.
June 15, 2020
As a Crystal Palace supporter for nearly 60 years, Simon Jordan's topsy-turvy ownership of South London's most despised club...- why do so many other club's 'supporters' hate us so viciously?-...this was both a revelation & a confirmation: the revelations about individual players & managers were often shocking...their greediness, their dishonesty, their shamelessness...; the confirmation that football agents, the egregious F.A. hierarchy, the business & financial mincing machine & the part played by sheer luck are a cruel punishment...all these factors combine to make this 2012 expose by a young & thrusting interloper from Croydon, worth the effort to wade through...up to the waist in the slime & ordure of late 20th/early 21st century commercial ethics & business practice. From rags to riches...mobile phones to feature films...from lower league to Premier...it's a bumpy ride!...& told with colour & insight...
Crystal Palace now, 10 years on, sit 11th in the Premier League table...& are owned, managed & supported by locals....and you can't say that about any other club in the world, can you? Simon Jordan set the benchmark for aspiring football clubs to take on the giants in their flashy theatres of dreams...& ultimately failed.But he went down with a bang!!
The best bits are about the footballers & their personalities...their characters being mostly unreliable. I sympathise with Simon Jordan...having to deal with such 'paragons'; but he is honest enough to admit that he played them at their own game...with his own ill-gotten gains...& almost lost his soul.
Crystal Palace now, 10 years on, sit 11th in the Premier League table...& are owned, managed & supported by locals....and you can't say that about any other club in the world, can you? Simon Jordan set the benchmark for aspiring football clubs to take on the giants in their flashy theatres of dreams...& ultimately failed.But he went down with a bang!!
The best bits are about the footballers & their personalities...their characters being mostly unreliable. I sympathise with Simon Jordan...having to deal with such 'paragons'; but he is honest enough to admit that he played them at their own game...with his own ill-gotten gains...& almost lost his soul.
January 3, 2018
Jordan serves as a refreshing antidote to the hypocrisy, greed, and self-serving agendas that pervade the modern game.
He can be blunt, forthright, and uncompromising. While these are not qualities I normally find particularly endearing in a person, I really admire Jordan for his tenacity and bravery in lifting the lid on some of the ills of modern-day football. Agents are painted in a particularly treacherous light, but then again their reptilian practices are by now well known to the majority of us who follow the game.
Jordan has mastered the withering, comical put-down, and there are some hilarious passages and lines in here. The books flows at a nice pace, and the writing style reflects Jordan's brash, engaging style.
His passion for Crystal Palace shines through, yet he certainly seemed to be saddled with a thankless task, fraught with obstacles, arguments, and disputes at every turn.
This is an excellent lid-lifting book, and provides a fascinating insight into the life of one of Britain's most successful and talented young entrepreneurs and football chairmen.
He can be blunt, forthright, and uncompromising. While these are not qualities I normally find particularly endearing in a person, I really admire Jordan for his tenacity and bravery in lifting the lid on some of the ills of modern-day football. Agents are painted in a particularly treacherous light, but then again their reptilian practices are by now well known to the majority of us who follow the game.
Jordan has mastered the withering, comical put-down, and there are some hilarious passages and lines in here. The books flows at a nice pace, and the writing style reflects Jordan's brash, engaging style.
His passion for Crystal Palace shines through, yet he certainly seemed to be saddled with a thankless task, fraught with obstacles, arguments, and disputes at every turn.
This is an excellent lid-lifting book, and provides a fascinating insight into the life of one of Britain's most successful and talented young entrepreneurs and football chairmen.
January 6, 2014
With Crystal Palace being promoted to the Premier League this season this was a well timed read and I have a certain amount of sympathy for Simon Jordan who only three seasons ago saw his ownership of the club end in administration. It must hurt a little to see those who followed him take them to the top flight.
The book is interesting because it opens up some of the behind the scenes machinations of the game, which it has to be said are far from appealing. Just like Ian Ridley's Floodlit Dreams, about that author's time as owner of Weymouth FC, Jordan's offering does not make you want to own a club yourself with all the politics, pettiness and egos that go with it.
Of course the man himself is not short of ego and no doubt his words put him in a better light than others' would, but once that has been accepted he does provide insight into football finances and the game's corridors of power.
The book is interesting because it opens up some of the behind the scenes machinations of the game, which it has to be said are far from appealing. Just like Ian Ridley's Floodlit Dreams, about that author's time as owner of Weymouth FC, Jordan's offering does not make you want to own a club yourself with all the politics, pettiness and egos that go with it.
Of course the man himself is not short of ego and no doubt his words put him in a better light than others' would, but once that has been accepted he does provide insight into football finances and the game's corridors of power.
June 1, 2013
Well this is interesting.
It is the story of Simon Jordan and Crystal Palace football club, its a tale of hubris and football, so why interesting well Jordan is interesting company BUT everything is essentially everyone elses fault, and even when he does something that might cause upset (sacking a manager) we are told that in time everything is forgiven.
Jordan has a high value on himself but get past that he is very interesting he makes good points re the flaws in football characters. I dont like him sorry but his tale is very worth reading just maybe told by someone else.
It is the story of Simon Jordan and Crystal Palace football club, its a tale of hubris and football, so why interesting well Jordan is interesting company BUT everything is essentially everyone elses fault, and even when he does something that might cause upset (sacking a manager) we are told that in time everything is forgiven.
Jordan has a high value on himself but get past that he is very interesting he makes good points re the flaws in football characters. I dont like him sorry but his tale is very worth reading just maybe told by someone else.
May 5, 2020
Outspoken former chairman and entrepreneur sounds off on why owning a football club is harder than running a phone business.
January 31, 2026
Being written from Simon Jordan's perspective rather than a 3rd party brings this down from a 4* to a 3* as his extremely high opinion of himself pervades throughout the book. I will give Simon credit, having listened to him on Talksport it is written in the exact tone you'd expect from him but there is a disconnect between the narrative he is telling you and the factual happenings of the book.
In Simon Jordan's head he is a maverick, a gamechanger and the only one doing things as they should be done. In reality he had 1 major success in his business career and quickly blew through the money by throwing it around with reckless abandon into a myriad of failed endeavours.
It is quite funny how much time he devotes to trying to make himself look good whether it's bragging about charity, his football skills, his 'take no-nonsense' style and then has to admit a couple of pages later to his latest round of incredible mistakes. But no worries, the mistakes weren't his fault (according to Simon)
He spends large portions of the book lambasting the football establishment and other club owners for being incompetent and then moves on to tell us how his latest managerial appointment was a disaster, all the players he bought were awful and the entire club was in disarray under Jordan's leadership.
I did laugh at one point when he said Palace were remarkably well run commercially under his leadership while at the same time they were on the verge of bankruptcy and had years of declining attendances. Doesn't sound that well run to me if you were needing to take debt from anyone who might provide it.
But for all the faults with Simon Jordan's ego the story is very interesting and would be for any football fan.
Worth reading.
In Simon Jordan's head he is a maverick, a gamechanger and the only one doing things as they should be done. In reality he had 1 major success in his business career and quickly blew through the money by throwing it around with reckless abandon into a myriad of failed endeavours.
It is quite funny how much time he devotes to trying to make himself look good whether it's bragging about charity, his football skills, his 'take no-nonsense' style and then has to admit a couple of pages later to his latest round of incredible mistakes. But no worries, the mistakes weren't his fault (according to Simon)
He spends large portions of the book lambasting the football establishment and other club owners for being incompetent and then moves on to tell us how his latest managerial appointment was a disaster, all the players he bought were awful and the entire club was in disarray under Jordan's leadership.
I did laugh at one point when he said Palace were remarkably well run commercially under his leadership while at the same time they were on the verge of bankruptcy and had years of declining attendances. Doesn't sound that well run to me if you were needing to take debt from anyone who might provide it.
But for all the faults with Simon Jordan's ego the story is very interesting and would be for any football fan.
Worth reading.
July 4, 2023
If I suddenly had a £75m fortune at the age of 32 would I have the temerity to buy a football club? I probably wouldn't have the fortitude to go that far but that is what Simon Jordan did and within 10 very eventful years where he bucked heads with the establishment and refused to tow the line of faceless owners operating in the shadows and eventually lost the lot. Be Careful What You Wish For (2012) is his account of how he made his fortune and chased a dream and it is an interesting tale regardless of how you feel about the man himself (nowadays still ruffling feathers as the voice of TalkSPORT). This tome seemingly exists as a way to vent his spleen, this being written and released so soon after he lost his beloved Crystal Palace to administration (or a coup, as he believes) and many a score is settled as he rips into various personalities within and outside of the game. This can be looked as petty and there is a fair amount of bragging (nearly all of his ex-partners seem to have come out of relationships with more famous men and the story of the avarice that was his 40th birthday party makes for gross reading) but this is an engaging book, particularly the final chapters where the reality of his dying dream becomes a reality that reads like a fast paced thriller. By the end, Jordan makes a declaration that he aims to get his club back. Thus far that hasn't happened but he's doing alright.
February 28, 2018
Very enjoyable and interesting read for anyone who loves the game. You don't have to be a Palace fan to enjoy it, nor do you have to be particularly fond of Simon Jordan. While we do get to learn about how he built his multi-million pound fortune, the majority of the book is based on his work in football, and only briefly touches on more personal issues - which is good.
Of course it's only one man's story, and of course he will most likely have been kinder to himself than to his enemies, but regardless it still provides a great insight into the bizarre and illogical world in which football operates, and the many shady characters within it.
I was one of the many football fans who disliked Simon Jordan for no reason than his unusual appearance and smarmy personality on TV, but over the course of the book I grew to like him to a certain extent, and really feel sorry for him towards the end. I shared his frustration at agents, and at the football establishment in general, which is severely in need of modernisation.
Of course it's only one man's story, and of course he will most likely have been kinder to himself than to his enemies, but regardless it still provides a great insight into the bizarre and illogical world in which football operates, and the many shady characters within it.
I was one of the many football fans who disliked Simon Jordan for no reason than his unusual appearance and smarmy personality on TV, but over the course of the book I grew to like him to a certain extent, and really feel sorry for him towards the end. I shared his frustration at agents, and at the football establishment in general, which is severely in need of modernisation.
October 22, 2022
There's a famous saying that the best way to make a small fortune from owning a football club is to start with a large one. This book tells the story of Simon Jordan'w tumultuous time as Crystal Palace owner. He's not a particularly nice man but he is outspoken and this makes for an entertaining read as he uses his book to settle scores and gice his side on the many disputes he got into during his years of football club ownership. The first few chapter cover how he made his fortune as a mobile phone mogul in the nineties, which was a bit dull but I suppose part of his rags to riches story. Modesty is definitely not a problem Jordan suffers from, and I can imagine many people would find his self assured manner spills too far into arrogance to enjoy this book but I found his open and blunt way of lifting the lid on things interesting enough to overlook the cringeworthy and self agrandising elements.
June 4, 2023
DNF
After spending the first 60-odd pages explaining how he had lied and double-dealt his way to building and selling off a cash-crippled company called PocketPhone Shops for nearly £80 million, Simon Jordan wrote this about his early financial negotiations with Crystal Palace Football Club: As far as I was concerned Goldberg had lied to me. I had a general rule that I always believed everything anyone told until they lied and then I never believed another word they said again.
The hypocrisy of this stopped me in my tracks and I decided that I didn’t like this guy and didn’t want to spend any more time in his company. I am a football fan and I did want to know more about the machinations of football club management especially in the Premier League but I didn’t trust the self-righteous Simon Jordan to be the man to enlighten me.
After spending the first 60-odd pages explaining how he had lied and double-dealt his way to building and selling off a cash-crippled company called PocketPhone Shops for nearly £80 million, Simon Jordan wrote this about his early financial negotiations with Crystal Palace Football Club: As far as I was concerned Goldberg had lied to me. I had a general rule that I always believed everything anyone told until they lied and then I never believed another word they said again.
The hypocrisy of this stopped me in my tracks and I decided that I didn’t like this guy and didn’t want to spend any more time in his company. I am a football fan and I did want to know more about the machinations of football club management especially in the Premier League but I didn’t trust the self-righteous Simon Jordan to be the man to enlighten me.
November 14, 2024
Really enjoyable account of how Simon Jordan made his millions (though you can skip this section if you want) and then lost most of it running a football club.
Melancholy at the end - the age where a local businessman can buy his childhood club and take them to the very top is over.
Jordan did the best he could but at the end of the day he didn't have enough money (though he did also spend a lot of it on crap players and crap managers).
Daniel Levy at Spurs is probably the last instance of this happening, and he's partially bankrolled by billionaires. And Tottenham fans will tell you he hasn't taken them 'to the top'
Ratcliffe at United is another example - if Britain's richest man can't do it then really no-one can.
Want to read an alternative account of the end of Jordan's tenure at Palace as his account seems to be truncated and of course very one-sided.
Melancholy at the end - the age where a local businessman can buy his childhood club and take them to the very top is over.
Jordan did the best he could but at the end of the day he didn't have enough money (though he did also spend a lot of it on crap players and crap managers).
Daniel Levy at Spurs is probably the last instance of this happening, and he's partially bankrolled by billionaires. And Tottenham fans will tell you he hasn't taken them 'to the top'
Ratcliffe at United is another example - if Britain's richest man can't do it then really no-one can.
Want to read an alternative account of the end of Jordan's tenure at Palace as his account seems to be truncated and of course very one-sided.
February 6, 2026
I love to listen to Simon Jordan on TalkSport. A great speaker, he really knows his stuff and his ownership experience with Palace makes him an expert from top to bottom in the world of modern football. I picked up his book as soon as I found out there was one!
His book cuts to the chase and keeps things moving fast. Detailed, direct and aggressive. I think I counted about two and half compliments in the book but I think this is what we want from Jordan isn’t it?! Although often scathing, a lot of those on the receiving end appear deserve some harsh words.
I somewhat begrudgingly dropped a star as the final few chapters really get complicated when discussing the administration/sale of Crystal Palace. It seems the situation was indeed extremely complex but it totally lost me and I was crawling towards the end.
Really good read. Recommended to footy friends!
His book cuts to the chase and keeps things moving fast. Detailed, direct and aggressive. I think I counted about two and half compliments in the book but I think this is what we want from Jordan isn’t it?! Although often scathing, a lot of those on the receiving end appear deserve some harsh words.
I somewhat begrudgingly dropped a star as the final few chapters really get complicated when discussing the administration/sale of Crystal Palace. It seems the situation was indeed extremely complex but it totally lost me and I was crawling towards the end.
Really good read. Recommended to footy friends!
November 1, 2018
This is an enthralling read and one that football fans of any club should enjoy. This is an autobiography of Simon Jordan. It recounts his early business life and certainly brings across his personality and passion. The character and passion of the author, as well as his humour, made this a real page turner. The book focusses on his spell as Chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club and how that unravelled due to financial issues brought on my the credit crunch. The book provides plenty of insight to the runnings of football clubs and the author's intelligence and wit shines through. This was a fascinating read.
October 21, 2021
Absolutely brilliant. A great read and informative inside view of owning a football club. The situation with managers spending the owners money is not surprising as instead of coaching the players they bought, they just wanted to buy their way out of problems instead of improving what they had already bought. As far as the old farts at the F A it was refreshing to hear from someone who ruffled a lot of feathers.
As a Liverpool fan I am not giving a biased view just an honest one. I hope one day Simon Jordan can look back on his experience and have some memories that are worth keeping because he deserves them.
Jim Murdoch
As a Liverpool fan I am not giving a biased view just an honest one. I hope one day Simon Jordan can look back on his experience and have some memories that are worth keeping because he deserves them.
Jim Murdoch
February 20, 2022
It appears that the beautiful game is anything but behind the scenes.. who would want to own a football club! Simon Jordan is a bit difficult to listen to for too long on talksport but really enjoyed his story and the way it as told.
I think it deserves 4* as it was honest and named individuals whether good or bad, pulled no punches, and gives a behind the scenes look that maybe football supporters wouldn't regularly see.
Some reccuring themes: Footballers sometimes get paid a nice sum for doing little, for being unsuccessful or not playing at all. Managers deserve little sympathy as they also get paid well to fail. Football agents are absolute weasels and loyalty is rare in football.
I think it deserves 4* as it was honest and named individuals whether good or bad, pulled no punches, and gives a behind the scenes look that maybe football supporters wouldn't regularly see.
Some reccuring themes: Footballers sometimes get paid a nice sum for doing little, for being unsuccessful or not playing at all. Managers deserve little sympathy as they also get paid well to fail. Football agents are absolute weasels and loyalty is rare in football.
September 17, 2021
fascinating insight.
I really enjoyed reading this book and with Simon honest open account of his early success and sad encounters of the selfishness of the majority of people connected within football.
Sadly Simon needed to be billionaire not a millionaire which again is very sad when you consider football needs to be run as a business and not a play thing.
Money coming in and money going out does not make football a great business if your not one of the big clubs in the top tiers.
I really enjoyed reading this book and with Simon honest open account of his early success and sad encounters of the selfishness of the majority of people connected within football.
Sadly Simon needed to be billionaire not a millionaire which again is very sad when you consider football needs to be run as a business and not a play thing.
Money coming in and money going out does not make football a great business if your not one of the big clubs in the top tiers.
October 10, 2021
As mentioned by another reviewer, there is something Trumpian about Simon Jordan. He's not prone to a great deal of self doubt has many great friends, boasts of his great wealth and spending, and, you know, nothing is ever his fault. I genuinely can't remember him saying he got anything wrong in this book, other than going against his gut instinct. Eight managers in ten years and lost a fortune but I wonder if he's learnt anything from it. A study in hubris.I
I have read some great books that made the William Hill sports book of the year shortlist. 2012 must have been a poor year.
I have read some great books that made the William Hill sports book of the year shortlist. 2012 must have been a poor year.
August 1, 2022
I have zero interest in Football biographies as I find the vast majority of people involved in Football are absolute bores but after listening to Simon on TalkSport I've found him to be a forthright and interesting bloke. Add to that his perspective as a chairman and I found myself intrigued by this. It didn't disappoint. It held my interest from the very start as he gives the scoop on the people he's worked with and reveals alot about the inner workings of Football as a business. Well recommended.
April 1, 2025
A very interesting insight into the world of football; quite a sad one at that given how it all ended for Simon Jordan. Appropriate I guess that the book ends abruptly after this - so it fully sinks in how quickly it all went wrong!
Highlights straight away the extent of funds you need these days to run a club, and the huge price of not having success.
Not a chore to read, easy to pick up; not quite going to 5-stars as despite the aforementioned praise, it wasn't a book I was constantly glued to.
Highlights straight away the extent of funds you need these days to run a club, and the huge price of not having success.
Not a chore to read, easy to pick up; not quite going to 5-stars as despite the aforementioned praise, it wasn't a book I was constantly glued to.
Read
August 2, 2025Via Spotify.
Sobering. Easy listening, Simon reading his own words. He is direct and speaks in plain language. The natural conclusion is one of deep conspiracy and almost unprovable suspicions you know to be true, yet just out of reach. One hopes for justice, but perhaps the greater lesson is that it may never be served, and it may not matter anyway. One has the present moment. Simon has his principles, which may at times be hard to find the nourishment and warmth of. Let us hope they are as essential as we would like.
Sobering. Easy listening, Simon reading his own words. He is direct and speaks in plain language. The natural conclusion is one of deep conspiracy and almost unprovable suspicions you know to be true, yet just out of reach. One hopes for justice, but perhaps the greater lesson is that it may never be served, and it may not matter anyway. One has the present moment. Simon has his principles, which may at times be hard to find the nourishment and warmth of. Let us hope they are as essential as we would like.
April 21, 2020
Best football related book I’ve read. Very interesting to learn about what really happens in relation to transfers/players/chairmen/agents. Also the way he made his money, bought Palace and lost Palace.
The book reflects his manner when being interviewed - forthright, honest and bold. Always interesting to listen to. Just as enjoyable to read about, especially as he’s the author. Can’t recommend this enough
The book reflects his manner when being interviewed - forthright, honest and bold. Always interesting to listen to. Just as enjoyable to read about, especially as he’s the author. Can’t recommend this enough
January 16, 2021
I enjoy listening to Simon Jordan on TalkSport and this book met my expectations of seeing a unique perspective of the world of football through a former club owner which is very rare.
It's both an entertaining and astounding read about all the experiences he has had facing incompetent football associations, bland managers, heartless players and of course greedy agents.
I strongly recommend for some football fans, but it will hit home hard for championship club supporters!
It's both an entertaining and astounding read about all the experiences he has had facing incompetent football associations, bland managers, heartless players and of course greedy agents.
I strongly recommend for some football fans, but it will hit home hard for championship club supporters!
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