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Benali Autobiography


Paulwantsapint81
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27 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

I'll wait for the film.

With Tom Cruise playing a tough little soccer ball player from the Bronx who wins the World Soccer Cup for the USA and then goes on to win Olympic Gold in the marathon beating a Russian and a Chinese athlete

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8 hours ago, Paulwantsapint81 said:

Needs to be read by everyone 
 

MLT was a early teens hero but Franny is a legendary hero of late teens & adulthood 

Franny is one of my heroes. But I'm stuck abroad under Covid lockdown. An ideal time to read his autobiography. Is his book available online at all?

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Should be an interesting read as was at Saints for almost 20 years under twelve managers - remarkably, McMenemy to Sturrock.  My memory is of a limited player probably lucky to get 300 games in the top flight (which I think he'd admit, and certainly not alone in terms of SFC teams of that era), but bringing loads of positive energy, 100% committed and Saints through and through.  Had some ups and downs since playing days but comes over as a stoic, straight up and thoroughly decent human being.  My favourite Benali moment was the kung fu kick on the precocious Nicky Barmby at White Hart Lane - had a good view that day and Chuck Norris would have been proud.  There was an audible gasp from the Spurs crowd... :) 

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Broke off from all my usual reading material to give Frannie’s book a look in.   Just finished it.   Very good read.   He is rather different to what we understand many professional footballers are like.   Strictly tee-total, non smoking and very much a family man, who idolises his wife and kids.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Just finished the audiobook and absolutely loved it. Should be a must read/listen for any Saints fan in late 30s or older. 
 

So often I had goosebumps listening to how much he loved the club and never wanted to play anywhere else. 
 

Loved that he wore his saints vest under the Forrest kit v Pompey. 
 

Sounded like he managed the megalomaniac NC situation as well as he could and I’m glad the club invited him back into the fray. I’m sure every club has their Franny’s and they should not be forgotten. 
 

I still can’t believe what he achieved for charity and the length he pushed himself too. That section was moving and I don’t think he could’ve come across better. At no point did it come across as self publication, just an unbelievably decent man. 
 

It sounded like a significant proportion of his career was spent trying win around new managers which can’t be easy. 
 

Proper family man and proper Saints fan!

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I thought it was pretty poor to be honest. I read a lot of biographies/auto biographies and this one wasn’t great, just a list of “this happened”, then “that happened”, without any opinions or context. Too nice to everyone, bar Cortese, and even then it wasn’t particularly hard hitting.  Maybe the audio one would have been better but I didn’t think it was particularly well written. Just an opinion, doesn’t deflect from my opinion of his career in anyway shape or form, just a shame as I thought it would be better. 

Edited by Lord Duckhunter
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