Les Padfield

Being a jumble of anecdotes from the pen of a veteran scout who covers English football. The book alternates between a chronological diary of his scouting during a season which he doesn't name but which the publisher informs us is 2009-10 and flashbacks to older occurrences which he does date. The book's curiosity value extends to its mystifying title; why name your book after somebody you "scouted for" for two weeks? Surely not to sell books; if I were going to namedrop someone for that, it probably wouldn't be David Moyes. Many of his yarns are interesting and rather funny, but the only ones which truly set this apart from any supporter in the stands are those which detail his relations with his club; how he gets his assignments, deals with ownership and management changes, and generates his reports. There is all too little of those matters (and virtually nothing about what he looks for in a player), so the book's virtues are largely limited to its amusement value.… (más)