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The Rodfather

Inside the Beautiful (Ugly, Ridiculous, Hilarious) Game

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Roddy Collins is a football man - now in the sixth decade of a career as a player (at sixteen clubs), manager (twelve clubs) and commentator. And he is a funny man: an unequalled raconteur with a sharp eye for the absurdities of the professional game and spectacular recall. He has made friends wherever he has gone, along with some high-quality enemies. When John Delaney said he could get Roddy a job if he'd just stop criticising him, Roddy replied that he'd 'rather dig holes in the road'.

Now, with the brilliant Paul Howard, Roddy puts it all down on paper for the first time - the adventures, the rows and the craic - in what will be not only one of the funniest but one of the most eye-opening books ever written about professional football.

© Roddy Collins & Paul Howard 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Football (American) Football (Soccer) Sports Funny Witty Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

There isn't a funnier sports book this year - there might not be one for the next decade
Terrific. You will love it. Raw and tender and wild and honest, it will captivate you . . . great stories pack the pages
A rollercoaster ride and a great read. It's hard not to love Roddy Collins after reading The Rodfather (Tadhg Coakley)
Excellent and hilarious
Hard to imagine there'll be a more entertaining sports book for quite a while
A riot! (Brendan O'Connor)
Fascinating and hilarious. Starts with a bang and never falters. Anarchic and wonderful (Joe Brolly)
Fantastic. Can't remember a sports book with so many stories to propel it along. There's at least three different movies in it (Malachy Clerkin)
Candid tales of football, family and everything in between - it's no surprise The Rodfather's memoir is just brilliant
A big man, with big emotions, and a big life . . . a fascinating read
All stars
Most relevant
loved listening to this book so much that I listened to it twice. brilliant

jim Mitchell

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Most football autobiographies are about people who have spent time at the top of the game.

This one is different. A much more common story, but one rarely told; the life struggles of a man at clubs who the average armchair football fan has barely even heard of.

He was right all along about John Delaney, and those of us who go to League of Ireland grounds week in week out always knew he was, but Roddy was one of the very few people with a platform who dared to speak against him.

I'd love to see him get one more shot at management. Irish football needs a strong Roddy Collins

A proper football story

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I know Roddy from the telly and that’s it.
But what a magnificent life he’s led, crying laughing listening to his tales of lower leagues, Irish league league of Ireland, building sites,the Celtic tiger and the crash.

This book has it all. If your not a football fan but like Roddy Doyle then you’d love it too.

The bits about his Da were especially moving.

He comes across as man who’d die for his family and would die twice chasing his passion in life.
Please god let him do another book ..about anything!

It was like hearing a fellas story over a few pints and it was so much better hearing it told by him.
Terrific book.

One of the greatest football biographies ever. Instant Classic.

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Rod is a character & his character shines through in this great story. Hopes, dreams, disappointment, uphill battles, but through it all a family man, who believes in himself.

Great Listen

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I haven’t laughed that much in a long long time. Brilliant stories. Fair play Roddy.

Absolutely Hilarious

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