BROWN PAPER BAGS

Last updated : 15 December 2002 By Editor

From The Times

Tom Bower has already produced in-depth works on Richard Branson, Mohamed AlFayed and Geoffrey Robinson and their business practices. Now he is putting the final touches to Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football, which is due out in March.

According to a synopsis of the book, key figures in the game who come under
the Bower microscope include Venables, Ken Bates, David Dein and Harry
Redknapp. The synopsis adds: "Bower exposes the money, the politics, and the
vicious battles behind the beautiful game. For the first time, a non-sports writer reveals the vanity and greed which endanger the national sport." No shortage of hype there. And no real clues as to which of them Bower categorises as vain, or greedy, or possibly both.

There is also a suggestion spooking the football world that Bower has obtained the offshore bank account details of a leading manager that lists payments received from an agent. This is hard to believe. But Broken Dreams will be preferred bedtime reading for the boys in the bung brigade.


Paul Ridley is a former sports editor of The Sun