Autobiography

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the horse his head and by the time he had reached the 200-metres marker, he was in the lead. He had passed Linngari, Seihali and Tin Man. I was out of my seat. ‘Come on my son’, I shouted. The excitement was unbelievable; the adrenalin rush was like nothing I had ever experienced before. God, how I’d wished I was there. David Junior crossed the line a clear winner by three and a half lengths. Two weeks later David Junior was sold to stud for 8 Million US dollars. My life is a roller coaster ride. The highs are incredible and the thrill of winning and success is what drives me on. But you must have the strength and fortitude to cope with the downs, as they are inevitable. The following day, Lesley and I flew to Manchester in our private jet to watch Birmingham City lose 3-0 at old Trafford to the mighty Manchester United. 288
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN C18. CLARET AND BLUES In view of my close affinity with West Ham, it is no slight on Birmingham City to say that the club I played for as a young man and grew up next door to is the club I have always wanted to own. In fact, it was only my failure to buy the Hammers the first time around that led me down a convoluted road to St Andrews, the home of Birmingham City FC. It was 1991 and Ralph, David Sullivan and I showed just how determined we were in taking control at Upton Park when we purchased 29.9 per cent shares in the club. At the time of the investment I was a season ticket holder in the Premium Lounge where I paid a large amount of money and was given a season ticket and a cup of coffee at half-time. I went every other Saturday, had lunch with my mother, and then went to the game. It was a ritual. When we purchased our shares we paid the going price, and were willing buyers from a willing seller. But far from opening the boardroom door and having the welcome carpet rolled out, there was nothing. We had no contact with the board and it was hugely frustrating and disappointing because we had so much to offer. They quite simply did not want David Sullivan and the Golds at their football club. Most clubs would welcome a significant shareholder on the board, especially if they were fans of the club, 289
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PURE GOLD MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY Rags, Ri
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CONTENTS THE STENCH OF POVERTY ....
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PROLOGUE THE STENCH OF POVERTY Ever
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mistaken for the unclean smell of f
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CHAPTER ONE C1. ABJECT POVERTY One
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And all this would never have happe
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went through it all again and had t
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It was a miracle none of us expecte
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I used to have ultra violet light t
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It would have been easier for my Mu
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The noise on the wooden floor told
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Grandma Miriam Occasionally we were
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Ralph, Mum and Me, 1951 I was remin
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would be in, stripping the wood and
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would move from market to market. H
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scream and shout at him when he ret
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Christmas was always exciting for t
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wheeler bicycle hidden for two days
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The anti-aircraft guns were also be
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It was draughty, cold and damp, and
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The conditions on board were almost
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CHAPTER THREE C3. ABUSED Cenci, mum
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poke fun at him after he had passed
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It certainly was in the cinema on a
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CHAPTER FOUR C4. JEWS, JEWS AND MOR
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allotted time and spent the rest of
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everyone living in London was going
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a young man going to my first black
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and I wanted to know why. Maybe, I
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That jerky black and white newsreel
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newspapers like Redwatch and Storme
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I had only looked on them with disg
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will all end up coffee-coloured, an
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looked up the VC awards in The Time
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Thomas was in charge of the stowage
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news that Roberts and Gould had eac
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For several years Thomas was presid
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incredible courage that it took to
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etween the two playgrounds. Everyon
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olled up, flexing his muscles, when
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together, and from that moment on w
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however, it had still not sold due
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Ralph and I were also pursued relen
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accomplish without dramatically inc
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1958 Vauxhall Victor It was a telli
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Cessna aircraft and five-seater EC1
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(Bizarrely, many years later my fri
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Godfrey was permitted a monthly vis
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make up stories of where he was. I
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station to buy drinks and fruit fro
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CHAPTER EIGHT C8. RUN RABBIT RUN Fo
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noted by the coach and instead of s
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I remember it well as I watched on
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feet tall when he recognised me. Fo
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To this day I remember him calling
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I was naturally devastated, but I w
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To my surprise and delight, Johnny
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CHAPTER NINE C9. SLAVE LABOUR When
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of fruit in the market (ironically,
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speak on the telephone, he stays ov
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journey on our bikes as I set off w
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But they were great memories; ridin
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provide some additional stock, so t
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The same surge in customers happene
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had no qualms about ‘taking a cha
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still couldn’t believe two men ha
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against authority had begun and con
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The problem with fighting against t
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improved dramatically, so what are
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involvement in anything else. Needl
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the premises were worth more. So I
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there’s a surprise) with him and
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Luck has always played such a big p
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Elsewhere, Henry Cooper challenged
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George Cornell, 1965 It was early M
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was run jointly but separately by t
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It was only much later that the ful
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and his wife Joan in their new prop
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2005 general election when, speakin
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I married my first girlfriend, Bery
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discover on a day of betrayal I wil
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transfer, so for the second time yo
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‘They are not worth the paper the
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The door had closed, and I was lock
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Harder still was sitting with Beryl
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I now hate him with a vengeance. He
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the call - the orders had already b
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the two knights of the road and not
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‘I’m finished in the bathroom,
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sitting in the public area of the l
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up in her eyes as she recounted thi
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eplied that this time it would be f
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shattered when they said that Ann-M
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ight to publish erotica and defende
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former secretary Sue Caron. It was
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It is a triumph to have emerged wit
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ecause he had a young son and these
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Just a few months before my court c
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scenes would have to be removed for
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The Pathetic Lord Longford On top o
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The passing of time has clearly vin
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Judge King-Hamilton threw down his
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The jury found the book Lady Chatte
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There was no possibility of receivi
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Judge Bernard Gilis. He was no bett
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Perhaps I should sign this long cha
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uphill section untouched. I wanted
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The postcards so saucy they were se
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From the early 1950s, tens of thous
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He added: ‘They are a vivid illus
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN C15. OVER MY DEAD B
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purchased another freehold in the Q
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it. It was always important that th
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Not only that, female agents were s
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an extraordinary rate and we had to
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In those early days it was difficul
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companies on the net, but none of t
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council could take this action desp
Page 238 and 239: I am extremely proud of my daughter
Page 240 and 241: have been horrified, as she was ter
Page 242 and 243: eating lunch with Mark’s wife Sue
Page 244 and 245: and our friendship was flourishing,
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Page 248 and 249: Malta Air Rally Winner 1980 On arri
Page 250 and 251: experienced. I heard nothing from h
Page 252 and 253: for him to tell her to put on her l
Page 254 and 255: had been held back as the drama unf
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Page 258 and 259: Many years later after retiring fro
Page 260 and 261: It was hugely rewarding flying smal
Page 262 and 263: of, ‘in pursuance of excellence
Page 264 and 265: I will be driven in the Phantom to
Page 266 and 267: The only flying incident I have bee
Page 268 and 269: wrong tape, she’d been in the coc
Page 270 and 271: ‘Hello Dad, just got your message
Page 272 and 273: Newspapers and next came our first
Page 274 and 275: as saying, ‘I feel like General C
Page 276 and 277: as their business acumen, determina
Page 278 and 279: Apart from the Racing Post, it is t
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Page 282 and 283: A lot of people have their doubts a
Page 284 and 285: It is all part and parcel of the bu
Page 286 and 287: never fought I’d be ’ere in the
Page 290 and 291: local people, with more money to in
Page 292 and 293: the couple of occasions that my mot
Page 294 and 295: Birmingham City’s St Andrews stad
Page 296 and 297: have worked tirelessly to achieve i
Page 298 and 299: It made us realise that when people
Page 300 and 301: in the 1992/93 season and the game
Page 302 and 303: confidence in Barry Fry. There was
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Page 306 and 307: us but also for our mum and all our
Page 308 and 309: manager, the players, the fans and
Page 310 and 311: Barry made a quick decision and we
Page 312 and 313: most wanted to see him in was the p
Page 314 and 315: His rows with Karren Brady and Davi
Page 316 and 317: It had been arranged for Jack Wisem
Page 318 and 319: ouncing like a rubber ball. ‘You
Page 320 and 321: financial ruin. As Barry confided i
Page 322 and 323: necessary to move the club forward.
Page 324 and 325: still adored. He is, to use an old
Page 326 and 327: the end to stave off the threat of
Page 328 and 329: It doesn’t come much crueller tha
Page 330 and 331: ground. In his anger, he twice took
Page 332 and 333: Trevor had now lost three semi fina
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more like I was welcoming a new man
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CHAPTER TWENTY ONE C21. WELCOME HOM
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Premier League, but it was clear fr
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He won us promotion after just six
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Johnson and Paul Devlin (the Scotti
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Arsenal away (although no one expec
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again to sticking by measured judge
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He made himself intolerable to work
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us, with no one talking to him. I w
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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO C22. THE FA CUP,
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myself becoming embroiled, and in a
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Henry realised that he hadn’t eve
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When the cup is not being displayed
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CHAPTER TWENTY THREE C23. LOSER TAK
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financial blow that is only partial
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Chopard diamond watch which I had b
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We met them a number of times durin
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cannot play for Birmingham City aga
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from bottom. It was in the light of
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When Carson Yeung launched his succ
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sale of the 29.9% David Sullivan, R
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£1. Everything has its price and a
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there is no money there, they deman
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facilities at their stadiums and th
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using the cash to compete with each
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and did more harm than good. Clearl
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egain their lost and valuable statu
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I can remember Douglas Craig, the c
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there are kids playing football, wh
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turnover of a £60-70 million for 1
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house for dinner or we would meet u
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the radio that the actor and singer
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while; a thrill I could only have h
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difference. Ken Bates had a fierce
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thank you for coming and hopes, des
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Spurs have a remarkable hospitality
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chairmen in action, how they operat
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then taken to the press room, and o
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stories, especially when it is a cl
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There are many successful managers
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impatience. However the Prince took
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At that time, relegated clubs recei
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we needed fourteen votes to carry t
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vastly experienced in the machinati
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On the Thursday before our match at
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CHAPTER TWENTY SIX C26. THE IMPORTA
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are, and fatal, brain condition kno
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sometimes at a restaurant, sometime
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game - it was something I had not d
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I replied, ‘Lesley, you look beau
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young girl was bold enough to ask w
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we finished our drinks and left. We
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of dust. I saw beads of sweat appea
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I decided to open the cover so that
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experienced, right from the days of
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For her 88 th birthday she went to
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CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN C27. DO YOU HA
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While I was lucky enough to have be
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hugely rewarding. I would say to so
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a while it was obvious that it was
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to America in 1966. Because of my t
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confidence, just waltzing around an
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the little terraced properties whic
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from my vantage point I saw him ope
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I am often asked if the figures are
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more sophisticated wines such as Pr
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It is a ritual that reminds me of m
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West Ham United 2 Blackpool 1 With
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Autobiography

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