Deano by Bryan Robson (Great Northern Books, £16.99) (From The Northern Echo)

Deano by Bryan Robson (Great Northern Books, £16.99)

6:13pm Wednesday 27th February 2008

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TO coin a well-worn phrase, most football autobiographies aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Like the majority of the players who pen them, the books promise plenty but deliver little, and judging by the poor sales figures recorded by the likes of Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard recently, the market appears to have tired of Premier League millionaires chronicling every goal and nightclub conquest of their pampered existence. In the words of controversial Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton, "We got beat in the World Cup quarter-finals. I played like s***. Here's my book."

Every so often, though, an autobiography appears to buck the trend. Deano, the life story of much-travelled former Middlesbrough striker Dean Windass, contains no references to World Cups, WAGs or Hello magazine. It does, however, tell the topsy-turvy tale of an old-school footballer who rose from Humberside non-league outfit North Ferriby to play in the rarefied environment of the Premier League.

Windass lives in a world far removed from the celebrity enclave inhabited by most modern-day footballers and, at the age of 38, it does not take long to realise he has a story to tell rather than a book to peddle.

Rejected for being too small as a teenager, Windass originally turned his back on football to gain employment in a number of factories and building sites close to his native Hull.

His big break came when he was taken on by his hometown team at the age of 21 and, on the pitch, he went on to play for seven more sides before his 34th birthday.

Some, like Middlesbrough and Bradford City, enabled him to play at the highest level. Others, like Oxford United and Aberdeen, saw his career veer off at something of a tangent.

Dedicated football fans will enjoy Windass's colourful descriptions of his playing days, descriptions that draw in a supporting cast that includes Paul Gascoigne, Bryan Robson, Stan Collymore and Neil Warnock.

But there is enough to keep non-footballing aficionados interested as well.

Windass has lived most of his life as a heavy drinker, prone to the occasional violent outburst, and no holds are barred are he describes the bedwetting and temper tantrums that have peppered his existence.

Alcohol is Windass's escape from the pressures of being a goalscorer charged with the task of bringing his side success, and the book is at its best when it is describing the fine line that divides the great and stupid deeds that pressure brings on.

Occasionally, you are left with the impression that there are even more juicy tales to tell, but wanting more from a football book is surely preferable to the more usual position of being offered precious little.

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