0
Description
With honesty and an eye for the absurdities of football, Joe takes us inside the dressing room to reveal it all. From his days at the FA’s School of Excellence at Lilleshall and rising through the ranks as a teenage prodigy at West Ham, to signing for Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea and winning it all under José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, before being discarded by his boyhood club after a remarkable 7-year spell. He offers an insider account of a fascinating era in modern football, playing alongside the likes of Lampard and Drogba, Beckham and Rooney, Gerrard and Di Canio.
He talks about his experiences playing for England’s so-called Golden Generation, his extraordinary goal against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, and the reality of being managed by Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. It was a remarkable career. Then came the tumultuous end, as Joe battled severe injuries and his family suffered loss.
He takes us on the journey of a great player coming to terms with his waning powers as his body began to fail him and the sport moved on. Football had given him everything. But then, it was over.
