Autobiography

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turnover of a £60-70 million for 16 years without being special and deserving of an adequate exit package. After so long in football, it was disappointing to suddenly find myself out in the cold; I missed not being involved with the game more than I had anticipated. But as one door closes another opens, and my boardroom switch from Birmingham City to West Ham is unquestionably among the most exciting new ventures I have ever embarked on. Apart from the challenge of wiping out West Ham’s debts and getting the Hammers back in the Premier League, I am glad to be in a position in which I have a chance to help influence changes for the better at West Ham and the game as a whole. I’ve returned home to where it all began in East London. Not to 442 Green Street, but to a slightly bigger property just across the road. I’m under no illusions of the task that lays ahead. 396
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE C25. THE BOARDROOM The boardroom is a wonderful gateway to meeting all manner of people, celebrities, chairmen, managers, pop stars, tycoons, showbiz personalities, and politicians. But one of the nicest, warmest people football introduced me to was the former singer, actor and businessman Adam Faith, who I met at Birmingham City when he came up for a game as someone’s guest. We chatted for a while, and realised that we had much in common. One of the first things we discovered was that we were neighbours in Surrey. He told me he often had lunch in the Rendezvous in Westerham, a restaurant I used myself, so Lesley and I arranged to have Sunday lunch there with Adam the next day. It was a lovely afternoon and we sat outside, enjoying the sunshine and finishing our meal some four hours later after a long and fascinating discussion. People came up to us as they passed by, asking for Adam’s autograph, or just having a chat, and he had time for everybody who stopped. I have been with some so-called rich and famous people who are affronted by such a show of friendship and admiration and openly show their distaste. Adam was quite the opposite. I quickly grew very fond of Adam; he was a charming person to be with. Gradually we became firm friends, and he would come to my 397
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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
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I am extremely proud of my daughter
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have been horrified, as she was ter
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eating lunch with Mark’s wife Sue
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and our friendship was flourishing,
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would succeed, we followed that thr
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Malta Air Rally Winner 1980 On arri
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experienced. I heard nothing from h
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for him to tell her to put on her l
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had been held back as the drama unf
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feeds, and an AD (airworthiness dir
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Many years later after retiring fro
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It was hugely rewarding flying smal
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of, ‘in pursuance of excellence
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I will be driven in the Phantom to
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The only flying incident I have bee
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wrong tape, she’d been in the coc
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‘Hello Dad, just got your message
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Newspapers and next came our first
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as saying, ‘I feel like General C
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as their business acumen, determina
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Apart from the Racing Post, it is t
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Wednesday and a Friday paper, so we
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A lot of people have their doubts a
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It is all part and parcel of the bu
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never fought I’d be ’ere in the
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the horse his head and by the time
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local people, with more money to in
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the couple of occasions that my mot
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Birmingham City’s St Andrews stad
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have worked tirelessly to achieve i
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It made us realise that when people
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in the 1992/93 season and the game
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confidence in Barry Fry. There was
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famous stadium, only to miss out to
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us but also for our mum and all our
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manager, the players, the fans and
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Barry made a quick decision and we
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most wanted to see him in was the p
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His rows with Karren Brady and Davi
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It had been arranged for Jack Wisem
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ouncing like a rubber ball. ‘You
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financial ruin. As Barry confided i
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necessary to move the club forward.
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still adored. He is, to use an old
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the end to stave off the threat of
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It doesn’t come much crueller tha
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ground. In his anger, he twice took
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Trevor had now lost three semi fina
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tried to contact him on the Saturda
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know whether he wanted to put this
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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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Page 350 and 351: again to sticking by measured judge
Page 352 and 353: He made himself intolerable to work
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Page 356 and 357: CHAPTER TWENTY TWO C22. THE FA CUP,
Page 358 and 359: myself becoming embroiled, and in a
Page 360 and 361: Henry realised that he hadn’t eve
Page 362 and 363: When the cup is not being displayed
Page 364 and 365: CHAPTER TWENTY THREE C23. LOSER TAK
Page 366 and 367: financial blow that is only partial
Page 368 and 369: Chopard diamond watch which I had b
Page 370 and 371: We met them a number of times durin
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Page 374 and 375: from bottom. It was in the light of
Page 376 and 377: When Carson Yeung launched his succ
Page 378 and 379: sale of the 29.9% David Sullivan, R
Page 380 and 381: £1. Everything has its price and a
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Page 384 and 385: facilities at their stadiums and th
Page 386 and 387: using the cash to compete with each
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Page 392 and 393: I can remember Douglas Craig, the c
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Page 406 and 407: thank you for coming and hopes, des
Page 408 and 409: Spurs have a remarkable hospitality
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Page 416 and 417: There are many successful managers
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Page 420 and 421: At that time, relegated clubs recei
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Page 426 and 427: On the Thursday before our match at
Page 428 and 429: CHAPTER TWENTY SIX C26. THE IMPORTA
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Page 436 and 437: I replied, ‘Lesley, you look beau
Page 438 and 439: young girl was bold enough to ask w
Page 440 and 441: we finished our drinks and left. We
Page 442 and 443: of dust. I saw beads of sweat appea
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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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