I'm Not Really Here

Paul Lake was on course for an incredibly successful career, with club and international honours looking guaranteed. He was the player all the top English clubs wanted to buy and was touted as a future England captain. Then in late 1990 disaster struck in the form of a serious cruciate ligament injury while playing for Manchester City. Paul came back but was never able to reach the same heights. It is at the point of the injury that this book reaches another level from most other football memoirs. It is hard to imagine a top player being treated in the way City treated Paul Lake back in 1990. The story of his flights to and from the US for treatment is astounding to a contemporary ear. The despair, loneliness and frustration are tangible in the writing and provide the real depth to one of the finest football autobiographies of recent years