Determined: The Autobiography

by Norman Whiteside

Norman Whiteside is more than a cult hero to Manchester United fans. In his eight years with the club he came to embody their aspirations to such an extent that he was embraced as their on-field representative, the supporter on the pitch. In this fascinating autobiography, Whiteside reveals the workings of Old Trafford during the 1980s - the good, the bad, the booze and the arrival of Fergie. His stories of growing up in the sectarian violence of Belfast will shock many, whereas the determination he showed when rebuilding his life when his footballing career was destroyed by injury will act as an inspiration. His career is littered with unforgetable moments, among them the astonishing performance of the seventeen-year-old usurper of Pele's 'youngest ever' World Cup record as Northern Ireland beat Spain in Valencia in 1982.

Genres: Football, Biography

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 9, 2007

About the author

Norman Whiteside (born 7 May 1965 in Rathcoole, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Irish football player who represented his country in two World Cups. He played for Manchester United (273 appearances, 66 goals) and Everton, before his career was ended by injury at the age of 26. He won the FA Cup twice during his time playing for Manchester United, in 1983 and 1985.

Raised in North Belfast, he attended Cairnmartin Secondary School on the Ballygomartin Road. He was discovered by famous Ulster Man Utd scout Bob Bishop, who previously hired Belfast-born George Best and Sammy McIlroy to the club. Whiteside became United's youngest player since Duncan Edwards when he made his debut as a forward in the 1981-82 season. The following year, he appeared in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals and became the youngest player to score in both, winning the FA Cup in the process by beating Brighton & Hove Albion.

Whiteside broke Pelé's record as the youngest player to appear in a World Cup, when he debuted for Northern Ireland aged 17 years and 41 days at España 82. He started all five of his country's matches, including the historic 1-0 win over Spain. The opening game against Yugoslavia in Zaragoza was his international debut; he received a yellow card in the second half.

At the finals he scored in his country's only result in the tournament, a 1-1 draw against Algeria. Whiteside won a total of 38 caps and scored 9 times in eight years playing for Northern Ireland.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norman Whiteside's autobiography was a good book that discusses his footballing story as well as his drinking habits. I found this book a little slow and hard to get into at the beginning but as time went on, I began to enjoy this book. This books focus is mainly on his time at Manchester United but it does contain information about his time growing up, at Everton and going back to school. This book goes into detail about what really happened on those infamous night outs with Paul McGraph and Bryan Robson. If you want to know more about United in the 80s or about the famous drinking culture in football during this period, this book will be good for you.