Feed The Beast: Jon Parkin

by Jon Parkin, David Clayton

Spoilt. Overpaid. Ungrateful. Removed from reality. These words are often used to describe modern day footballers. None of them apply to Jon Parkin. The South Yorkshire boy has seen and done it all in a footballing life that peaked with promotion to the Premier League and plummeted to the National League North, taking in spells with no fewer than 14 different clubs. His story is one of a natural goalscorer whose talent is always in demand. His unconventional frame and liking for a lager or ten meant pre-season was always a struggle. His straight-talking style and knack of finding himself in trouble resulted in countless bust-ups with managers. But when patience, cash or contracts ran out, there was always another club ready to take a chance on him. Along the way there have been battles with booze, betting and depression. Marital breakdown and brushes with the law didn’t help, while thousands of motorway miles were covered in a bid to stay in touch with his Barnsley roots and his beloved son. There’s also been plenty of mischief. One holidaymaker in Magaluf won’t easily forget what she found in Parkin’s bath while there’s a golf towel in a hospital car park that nobody would want to find. FEED THE BEAST will feed your curiosity about the real life of a footballer.

Genres: Football

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2018

Reviews

[Mahlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered Jon Parkin while managing York City on football manager. I quickly discovered he is a bit of a lower league superstar. A true journeyman, he played for 14 clubs in 19 years, and he has Hilarious stories for each. Once the novelty wears off however one begins to see a sad pattern. Mainly that The events that led to the end of his time at a club were usually of his own making. The reader is left to wonder,as Parky does at the end of the book, what might’ve been if he had just been able to stay out of his own way. A great book for any football fan especially one that loves the lower leagues. My only regret is that Parky did not read it himself although narrator David Keeble does a fantastic job of giving us a glimpse of what Parky’s personality must be like.

[Getcarlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can always remember Jon Parkin from his first time at York City, sitting behind me when he was not playing in the main stand i would overhear him and other players discuss antics and shenanigans of a lower league footballer.

The book pretty much puts this into writing, its a fun read but also demonstrates the sacrifices players make to keep on playing and the lonelier side of the game for players.

[Ian Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a big fan of Jon Parkin from his Fgr days and although I guessed he wasn't a model pro, this book reveals a lot more than a poor diet and few pints.
Enjoyed it but keep away from young fans, the language is horrific.

[Sie Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big fan of Jon Parkin and his outspoken, often funny and opinionated tales of players and managers, and so this book did not disappoint. Having heard some of the tales of his past via his excellent podcast, I had high hopes for this book, and it proved to be more of the same. Jon has an ability to not hold back, something that I wish more people would do, especially in footballing circles where you know it goes on.

The book charts Jon's career, from a raw teenager, who developed a "non-athletic" professional footballer lifestyle, to his latter years when he was probably more controlled as his body struggled to keep up. People often look at footballers like Parkin and get angry, wondering what they would do if they gave it 100%, but this book shows that he had a fantastic life and career, better than any of us could dream of, and that should be applauded, not questioned. Too many people are criticised for their mercenary ways, so we should embrace and enjoy people like Jon, who just love playing football, but it isn't life and death.

With more clubs than Tiger Woods included, and plenty of managers, team-mates and a few rival players, there really should be something for everybody in this book if you like a footballing biography. An excellent read from cover to cover.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many footballer's biographers are tame, sanitised affairs where they trot out mild anecdotes because they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or embarrass themselves by revealing their best stories and true feelings about the people they've worked with. So Jon Parkin's books is a great example of the right way to do a football memoir, he puts the boot in to the people he doesn't like, gives the gory details of his most embarrassing moments and gives you a proper feel for what his career was like. While he didn't quite reach the very top level of professional football, he did remarkably well, particularly when you read in this book about his love of drinking and eating to excess. This book is far from a literary classic but it was a lot of fun to read and I really enjoyed it.

[Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a big fan of the "undr the cosh" podcast Parkin presents with the two Chris Brown's I felt the book was essential reading so I could regale in Parkins career in more depth.

Unfortunately the book seems rushed and the stories told better and in more depth and colour from his own mouth on the podcast. If you're entering the world of big Jon Parkin blind the book would probably be a more enjoyable read but I can't help but feel I was expecting a little more.

[Chris Davern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star of the undr the cosh podcast Parkin is a legend of the mainly lower leagues .
A real warts and all journey of a footballer who loves life in all its forms.
Great stories of drunken nights out…run ins with managers in a career of multiple clubs.
Loved it
Great read

[Robert Hinder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't Bother

Got this book for 99p and what a waste of money the book is one long story of the same recurring theme how Mr Parkin drank himself stupid over a twenty year career .

[Bob Forrest · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written by a 5 year old

I thought I might have enjoyed this book, being from Barnsley and a reds fan. It's just drivel and excuses for not turning up to training throughout

[Daniel Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely not one for the kids! I enjoyed this far more then I thought I would.
A very different perspective and story in the world of football.

[Tony Broadwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to hear the ups and downs and antics

[Tom Pountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a lot of fun but I expect that others without my passion for York City and interest in lower league football wouldn't share that enjoyment. However, I'd still be tempted to recommend just as a historical piece of interest representing a dying breed of British 'characters' in the game.

[Matt Blum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly decent. Didn't know much about John Parkin before this.