Odd Man Out

By Brian Mcclair and Joyce Woolridge

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0233993622
• ISBN13: 9780233993621
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Carlton Books Limited
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Brian McClair, Superstar !

Born in the small Scottish town of Airdre in late 1963, Brian McClair was a professional soccer player with Manchester United between 1987 and 1998. United are one of the biggest clubs in England - they have dominated the Premiership since its inception in 1993. McClair was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's first signings for the club and proved well worth the £850,000 paid to Celtic for his services. In his first full season at the club, he became the first United player since the legendary George Best to score 20 league goals in one season. McClair was, and remains, hugely popular with the United supporters - some of his popularity possibly stems from the monthly diary he wrote in the 'official' club magazine. His column would've been at least good practice for this book, and quite possibly formed the basis for it. Judging on how he writes, he certainly seems like someone whose company you could enjoy - very sharp and very witty. 'Odd Man Out' is largely a diary of the 1996/97, though it's far from a series of match reports just cobbled together. There's plenty of amusing stories centred on the training ground and away matches - stories about the away matches in the European Champions League were the most interesting for me. He isn't afraid to drift a little further off-topic either. There's a few stories about incidents in earlier seasons and his times with other clubs. While he'll occasionally be happy enough to have a laugh at his own expense (the pie jokes and so forth), it's a little more common for him to take the mickey out of his team-mates. 1996/97 was also McClair's testimonial year, so he takes us on a slight guided tour of the events surrounding that. Also a few family stories are included - his kids' reactions to the crowds at his testimonial match are pretty amusing for example. No doubt they'll thank him heartily during their teenage years when some of the stories are used to tease them in the schoolyard.This is one of my favourite sports-related books, and one I have no qualms about recommending - though, as a lifelong United fan, I may be a little biased. Then again, as the majority of people who'd be interested in this book would also presumably be United supporters, that mightn't matter too much. Unlike some of the books written more recently by ex-United players, there's no criticisms of the manager, nor any scandalous stories and no dressing room confidences betrayed. While fans of rival clubs looking for ammunition might be disappointed about that, people who are looking for an insight into life at a club like United will enjoy it immensely.If you're interested in reading more about the life of a professional soccer player in England, Garry Nelson wrote two books called Left Foot Forward and Left Foot in the Grave. While McClair played at the highest level possible, Nelson spent most of his career in the lower divisions - same profession, but a totally different life.