The Romford Pelé: It's Only Ray Parlour's AutobiographyAudiobook Review by Paul Fiander
|
Written by: Ray Parlour
Narrated by: Paul Thornley Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins Unabridged Audiobook Publisher: Random House Audiobooks |
|
Why Should I Listen to The Romford Pelé?
Every team needs a way to break tension and for most there is one player that seems able to interact with players and fans alike to bring everyone together. They may not be the most talented or most well known outside of the club but they are part of the glue that helps to make clubs stronger. For Arsenal in the 90’s and 00’s this player was Ray Parlour, he not only survived through a major transformation in the cub but improved to become an integral part of the Wenger revolution at the club. Within the pages of his autobiography Parlour does not hold back on his feelings for the clubs, managers and players he has interacted with throughout his career. In the long run though this is a story of a young lad who had to adapt to the changing circumstances of one of the most progressive managers ever to work in the English leagues, it’s a story well worth investing in especially as Parlour is open with his highs and lows. |
Review
The story opens with a description of a five day period in May 2002 in which Parlour along with Arsenal won the Double. Within the story Parlour shows that despite the work of Arsenal’s newish (at the time) management he still had one foot firmly caught in the past of English football. His anecdote tells of playing at the heart of a powerful team and instead of going along with the new health conscious outlook to professional football he still had the ability to knock back more than most people’s fair share of booze. It shows the man who was given the nickname the Romford Pele by one of the best players ever to grace these shores. The mix of a town in Essex not known for its glamour and perhaps the most skilful players in the world ever is a wonderful contradiction and show why Parlour really is a folk hero to the Arsenal fans.
Parlour’s main story begins a home with two brothers and his Mum and Dad, his life feels very reminiscent of a lot of footballers and “normal” kids in the 80’s. Times were tough but above all the family were major part in the child’s development, where players like Parlour seem to differ though is the obsession with their game. The all consuming draw of football is a prevalent part of most young player’s lives and in many ways it seems to be the difference between making it as a pro and failing to do so. Of course desire is not the only prerequisite for success but there are times where perspiration in the key and that is something Parlour had throughout his career. This section though is quite short as Ray’s move to Arsenal happened quite early and tales of his early career begin to take over.
The book follows a general chronological structure with a few asides like the introduction. This mostly follows Parlour’s life on and off the football pitch but there is a small focus on his infamous divorce that changed British law forever. This falls outside of the chronology but fits in well to the chapter it appears. For such a personal matter you would be forgiven to thinking there would be some squirming but to his credit Parlour puts his point of view across on why his marriage broke down. It’s not too deep but instead points a light at the difficulties of marriage and divorce. The main relationship in the book however is Parlour’s love affair with the Arsenal.
From his days as a 16 year old apprentice, cleaning the first teams boots and showers (something young professionals these days would probably see as beneath them) to being called up to the reserves and first time the story is filled with anecdotes. Like singing Little Donkey to Tony Adams, spraying passersby while cleaning out the changing rooms and most of all insulting George Graham’s tank top. Each story feels light and the narration by Paul Thornley perfectly reflects the words from Parlour. Thornley has a rather gruff delivery but his cockney accent feels reminiscent of Parlour’s without trying to mimic his delivery. It’s important to help draw you in especially to the earlier life of the young player. The nearly seven hour run time flies past a nice pace, the chapters are on the longer side averaging around half an hour. This can make finding breaks to pause the narration difficult but as chapters tend to span a chunk of time natural breaks do occur from time to time.
The real draw of this book though is the light it shines on the development of English football, Parlour grew up in the drinking culture that the Tuesday Night Club at Arsenal was famous for. Obviously this makes from some rather infamous anecdotes which Parlour talks about throughout the book. It is though the evolution of the player under the briefly appointed Bruce Rioch and the then revolutionary appointment of Arsene Wenger. The descriptions of the foreign stars and their integration into the Arsenal changing room are full of humour and shine a light on the way the culture of English football has grown over the past 30 or so years.
The Romford Pele name owes a lot to Marc Overmars but Ray Parlour the player feels like an honest kid who worked his way through the system at Arsenal and unfortunately never received the England recognition many thought he deserved. This book is a celebration of a wonderful career and character that Arsenal fans will love as well as others who want to get into the mind of a true cult football figure.
Parlour’s main story begins a home with two brothers and his Mum and Dad, his life feels very reminiscent of a lot of footballers and “normal” kids in the 80’s. Times were tough but above all the family were major part in the child’s development, where players like Parlour seem to differ though is the obsession with their game. The all consuming draw of football is a prevalent part of most young player’s lives and in many ways it seems to be the difference between making it as a pro and failing to do so. Of course desire is not the only prerequisite for success but there are times where perspiration in the key and that is something Parlour had throughout his career. This section though is quite short as Ray’s move to Arsenal happened quite early and tales of his early career begin to take over.
The book follows a general chronological structure with a few asides like the introduction. This mostly follows Parlour’s life on and off the football pitch but there is a small focus on his infamous divorce that changed British law forever. This falls outside of the chronology but fits in well to the chapter it appears. For such a personal matter you would be forgiven to thinking there would be some squirming but to his credit Parlour puts his point of view across on why his marriage broke down. It’s not too deep but instead points a light at the difficulties of marriage and divorce. The main relationship in the book however is Parlour’s love affair with the Arsenal.
From his days as a 16 year old apprentice, cleaning the first teams boots and showers (something young professionals these days would probably see as beneath them) to being called up to the reserves and first time the story is filled with anecdotes. Like singing Little Donkey to Tony Adams, spraying passersby while cleaning out the changing rooms and most of all insulting George Graham’s tank top. Each story feels light and the narration by Paul Thornley perfectly reflects the words from Parlour. Thornley has a rather gruff delivery but his cockney accent feels reminiscent of Parlour’s without trying to mimic his delivery. It’s important to help draw you in especially to the earlier life of the young player. The nearly seven hour run time flies past a nice pace, the chapters are on the longer side averaging around half an hour. This can make finding breaks to pause the narration difficult but as chapters tend to span a chunk of time natural breaks do occur from time to time.
The real draw of this book though is the light it shines on the development of English football, Parlour grew up in the drinking culture that the Tuesday Night Club at Arsenal was famous for. Obviously this makes from some rather infamous anecdotes which Parlour talks about throughout the book. It is though the evolution of the player under the briefly appointed Bruce Rioch and the then revolutionary appointment of Arsene Wenger. The descriptions of the foreign stars and their integration into the Arsenal changing room are full of humour and shine a light on the way the culture of English football has grown over the past 30 or so years.
The Romford Pele name owes a lot to Marc Overmars but Ray Parlour the player feels like an honest kid who worked his way through the system at Arsenal and unfortunately never received the England recognition many thought he deserved. This book is a celebration of a wonderful career and character that Arsenal fans will love as well as others who want to get into the mind of a true cult football figure.
Reviewers own copy, Cover Image courtesy of Publisher
