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Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late

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Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late

By: Oliver Holt, Kieron Dyer
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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About this listen

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 bestselling 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.

(P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2018 Kieron Dyer
Football (American) Football (Soccer) Sports Emotionally Gripping Funny Inspiring Thought-Provoking Game

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All stars
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Absolutely loved it. Great read but very emotional at times... didn't really want it to end

Gripping

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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

Great book.. great man!

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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.

A brilliant insight to football and Keirons past.

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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.

Great Listen

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massive respect to Kieran Dyer. Great insight into his life. I'm a life long Newcastle fan and wish him all the best in his futre

fantastic

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