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Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late cover art

Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late

By: Oliver Holt, Kieron Dyer
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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Summary

Kieron Dyer's memoir, Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late, is the first intimate and unsparing portrait of the failures and excesses of the generation of English footballers made rich beyond their wildest dreams by the post-1990 World Cup boom in the game and the explosion of the Premier League. It shares the same brutal honesty and self-awareness of the best-selling No Nonsense by Joey Barton and GoodFella by Craig Bellamy.

In the public mind, Kieron Dyer came to symbolise so much of what was self-destructive about a group of football players known collectively as the 'Baby Bentley generation'. Nicknamed 'The King of Bling' by the tabloid press, Dyer was caught up in many of the scandals that characterised the history of a talented crop of players who promised so much and delivered so little, a generation whose wages and lavish lifestyles began to alienate them from the fans who once worshipped them.

The brash young man is gone now, and in his place is the quiet, caring, wise man who was such a favourite on I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here! in 2015. Dyer narrates, in uncompromising detail, how a generation of talented English footballers, taken out of working class childhoods and presented with a world of glitz, glamour, wealth and temptation, failed to cope with the riches that were presented to them and often fell apart.

Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late is about a moment in time, a social and historical record of English football at the start of its gold rush. For Dyer, the end of the book brings a measure of personal redemption and peace, but for the English game, there is only a lingering sense of waste and regret for an opportunity lost.

©2018 Kieron Dyer and Oliver Holt (P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

What listeners say about Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late

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Very insightful, was a good listen!

Great insight on Kieron & what he went through at home & on the field.
For every high, a low soon follows & you can't help but feel for the guy!
This particular Narrator though (as he's narrated a few books I've purchased)... it does peeve me when he mis-pronounces peoples names, well known people too & you're wondering who on earth is he talking about?! I would suggest he does a bit of research on the people in question & how their names are pronounced... cus that really throws me off the story!
Other than that... I would recommend this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book.. great man!

Fantastic book and turns out to be a fantastic man.. Who knew. Anyone doubting what Dyer is like as a human being, listen or read this book.. A man who is very open to his mistakes he made. 10 out of 10

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It all makes sense now!

Very good book and gives insight to a guy I used to always see with a dark cloud over his head and wonder why? This explains it 👊🏾

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A brilliant insight to football and Keirons past.

A brilliant book that is a must for any newcastle or general football fan.

A lot of questions are answered which explains Keirons actions.

A truly talented footballer who had bags of potential tells his side behind the injurys that blighted his career.

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  • Overall
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Amazinv

definitely a brilliant read and well worth getting. only negative was the voicing was kieran dyer himself which is of thought would havr been better. but none the less worth reading

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

great listen

I am a massive Newcastle fan and found this a very interesting listen. Five stars!

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insightful

This is a good book. It's lighthearted and insightful. as a football fan, It was really interesting to get an inside look into what it's like to be a footballer.

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Great listen

loved most of it. I think it's quite well presented, pretty honest with a few life lessons. overall I give it 8/10.

Another one in my brain in my collection of football autobiographies.

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Excellent insight

Great story, truly believe he could of been in Gerrard/Lampard/Ferdinand category if was more focused

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1 person found this helpful

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Great Listen

I loved this. Always came across as a bit of a rebel.

Sad about his abuse in his early childhood.

I’d recommend this book.

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