The Ademola Bookmen Podcast

James Milner's first appearance in the Premier League was as a substitute for Manchester United's new technical director, Jason Wilcox. He is that bloody old. 634 Premier League appearances later, he may soon takeover Gareth Barry as the player with the most appearances of all. In 2019, he wrote Ask a Footballer, which is not so much an autobiography as it is a collection of thoughts - musings even - on the life of a Premier League footballer. Ultimately, the thing that most people interested in this book want to know is, is James Milner as boring as they say. Tune in for Episode 14 to find out.

In Episode 13 we read about the life and times of the chicken licking, Marseilles fan kicking, Patrice Evra. Born in Senegal, one of 24 children (not a typo), and raised in the meanest streets of Paris, Evra won five Premier Leagues with Manchester United and two Scudettos with Juventus. He also has the less enviable accolade of being the player who has lost the most ever Champions League finals taking (but not taking home) four losers medals to go with the one winners medal he got for beating Chelsea on that famous night in Moscow in 2008. Published in 2008, ghost written by Andy Mitten (from Britain), the book is called I Love This Game. Is it an edge of the box belter against Bayern of a book or more like the botched circumcision that the young Patrice once endured. Listen to find out. Oh, and please like and subscribe.

Arsene Who? In Episode 12, we review our first book by a manager. He may have been a stranger when he arrived in England in 1996 but he is no stranger now. In his 22 years with Arsenal, Wenger went from nobody to managerial royalty, with a turn towards the end as the most hated man in North London, or at least so it seemed at the time. Is this the sex-filled page turner that Al has been calling for since we launched the good ship Bookmen? Tune in to find out. Thanks to my friend Samyak for the recommendation.

Who better to follow Diego Maradona than the Aldershot Hotshot Steve Claridge? Probably most famous for scoring the goal that got Leicester up to the Premier League in 1996, football's fruit and veg man played for 24 (by our count) clubs in a career that spanned four decades. Throughout that period, he traveled around in battered cars as he commuted from his parents house in Portsmouth to clubs all over the south and southeast, earning himself a reputation for tardiness and for having the filthiest boots in football. Written in 1997, Tales from the Boot Camps is the first of Claridge's books and covers the years right up to that promotion winning belter at Wembley in 1996.

Episode 10, the magic and mayhem of Diego Maradona. In this episode, Al and Johnny slalom their way around flailing defenders and through the life of arguably the best and certainly the greatest player of them all. Written in 2004, El Diego examines the life of a boy from Villa Fiorito in Buenos Aires who conquered Italy with lowly Napoli and the world in the blue and white of Argentina. Includes tips on how to beat a goalkeeper in the air...

In Episode 9, we take a tour on an open top bin lorry with Neville Southall's The Binman Chronicles back to a time when Everton FC were riding high at the top of the English football pyramid. In a career that brought him such highs as two league wins, Southall also experienced the lows (or at least, the lowers) of playing in the basement of English football with teams like Bury, Torquay, Southend and Rhyl in a career that began in the 70s and ended in the 2000s. A Wales and Everton legend and an all round great guy, putting out positive vibes on his twitter and using coaching to help under privileged kids. Have a listen. We'd love to hear any feedback.

In Episode 8, Al and Johnny visit the first literary work by Peter Crouch, the all volleying, sometime header-ing, everyman of English football. At 6ft 7 inches, Crouch is the 3rd tallest player ever to play in the Premier League and while he ended his career as a universally liked person, his road to stardom started with regular abuse from fans, including his own. So bad was the guff that he received for his unusual body shape, his father ended up in physical fights with fellow matching going supporters. From roboting for the future King of England to being described by a government minister in Trinidad and Tobago as the country's most hated ever Englishman, Crouch has certainly left his mark. Published in 2018, How to be a Footballer was written just as Crouchie was finishing up his playing career with Stoke City. Tune in to find out to hear Al and Johnny's take on this, the first in the Peter Crouch canon of three books. https://twitter.com/bookmenpod https://www.instagram.com/the_ademola_bookmen_podcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ademolabookmenpodcast Music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA

In the introduction to his Back from the Brink, his 2006 autobiography, Paul McGrath is described by his ghostwriter, Vincent Hogan, as "undeniably Ireland's best loved sportsman". In Episode 7 of the Ademola Bookmen Podcast, Al and Johnny wrestle with what must surely be one of the heaviest books in the football canon. The book, which won both the William Hill and Boylesports sports books of the year in Ireland in 2006, covers McGrath's heartbreaking childhood as an orphan in a series of Dublin orphanages, his illustrious club career with Manchester United and Aston Villa, his legendary displays in an iconic Ireland team, and his decades' long battle with alcoholism. Treat your ears, have a listen... https://twitter.com/bookmenpod https://www.instagram.com/the_ademola_bookmen_podcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ademolabookmenpodcast Music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA

With Ademola Lookman plotting a course to the final of the African Cup of Nations where he may (fingers crossed) find himself taking on Ivory Coast, the Ademola Bookmen Podcast bring you our AFCON special. Didier Drogba, the greatest Chelsea player of all time according to Chelsea fans. A scorer of great goals - that one against Liverpool in 2006 comes to mind. A scorer of big goals - the first player to score in four FA Cup finals and the man whose penalty won Chelsea their first ever Champions League. And, well, just a scorer of lots of goals - the first African to score 100 Premier League goals and Ivory Coast's all time highest scorer. If he's that good at scoring goals, his book must be brill. Published in 2015, Commitment, covers Didier's early childhood in Abidjan and France, his early years playing Ligue 2 in France, before making a name for himself in Marseilles and ultimately at Chelsea where he couldn't stop scoring goals and winning things - leagues, cups, Champions Leagues, all that good stuff. Sadly the book was finished before his stint with the Montreal Impact so we will have to wait for the next book to hear about the Canada years... In Episode 6, Al and Johnny tussle with the great goalador's book. Tune in to find out if you should be rushing down to the shops to buy your own copy right now. https://twitter.com/bookmenpod https://www.instagram.com/the_ademola_bookmen_podcast/ All music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA

In 2016, as his playing career was coming to an end, Joey Barton published his autobiography. Titled "No Nonsense", the book takes us through Joey's turbulent childhood in Liverpool; being spurned by Everton, the team he supported as a boy; and through his professional career with teams including Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Marseilles. Barton's years as a player were punctuated by regular controversies on and off the field, including a 74-day stretch in prison following a violent altercation with a man and a 15-year-old boy during a night out in Liverpool. The book predates Barton's stints as manager of Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers and his more recent controversies commenting on, among other things, women pundits in men's football. In Episode 5, hosts Al and Johnny take on the no nonsense midfielder's literary effort. Top bins or hatchet job from the tough tackling tweet-machine Joey Barton? Tune in and find out. Comments and book suggestions are very welcome here and on our social media channels: https://twitter.com/bookmenpod https://www.instagram.com/the_ademola_bookmen_podcast/ All music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA

South London icon and Arsenal/Palace legend Ian Wright's book has such heft that it took us two episodes to get through it. Join Al and Johnny as they wander with Ian through the streets of Brockley, the gates of Chelmsford prison, all the way up the steps of Wembley Stadium, and right into the hearts of (many although not all) football fans everywhere. This is Part II in which Ian tells us all about London in the 70s and 80s.

South London icon and Arsenal/Palace legend Ian Wright's book has such heft that it took us two episodes to get through it. Join Al and Johnny as they wander with Ian through the streets of Brockley, the gates of Chelmsford prison, all the way up the steps of Wembley Stadium, and right into the hearts of (many although not all) football fans everywhere. This is Part I, in which Ian scores goals and wins trophies.

"It was a fairytale and I was Zlatan". These are the final words of the Zlatan book, described by the Guardian as the greatest ever football biography. Is this just more Zlatan hubris or is I am Zlatan the literary equivalent of an overhead kick from 50 yards out? Listen to hosts Al and Johnny as they wrestle with this most pertinent of questions right at the juncture of football and literature.

In the first episode of the Ademola Bookmen Podcast, hosts Al Bond and Johnny Coughlan tackle the literary heft of the Jamie Vardy story. The skittle vodka swilling goal machine takes us from the lows of the English 8th tier to the highest of highs, the top of the Premier League. Is it worth a read? Listen & find out.