Dennis Tueart: My Football Journey – REVIEW

All Dennis’s royalties from the sale of this book will go to the teenage and young adult cancer unit at The Christie cancer centre in Manchester.

Offering an intelligent insight into the world of football from the perspective of both a player and a club director, Dennis Tueart: My Football Journey is a powerful and entertaining story of the Sunderland cup final hero, Manchester City legend and one of the game’s most opinionated and enduring personalities.

Refreshingly honest in his views on his career, Tueart also pulls no punches in recalling his nine years as a director of Manchester City when he helped oversee the club’s resurrection following the potentially catastrophic relegation to the third tier of English football in 1998. He reveals the inside track on the reigns of managers Joe Royle, Kevin Keegan and Stuart Pearce, as well as the power struggles in the boardroom in the years preceding the takeover by City’s current regime.

Talking about receiving the news of being sacked from the City board, he said, “I was disappointed and saddened, but most of all I was hurt. Hurt at being booted out and hurt by the undignified and unprofessional way in which it was done.” Having served with distinction for a lengthy period, Tueart seemed concerned about the direction in which the club was headed, stating, ” football clubs can be destabilised by those suits with axes to grind and egos which need massaging lurking in the background.” This was around the time when Thaksin Shinawatra, aided by a number of untrustworthy colleagues, was taking over the club and Tueart was extremely unimpressed.

More generally, Tueart talks with great passion about his time on the City board, helping the other directors on footballing matters and conversing with the plethora of managers we’ve had in recent times. He discusses Kevin Keegan’s unrelenting enthusiasm for the managerial role, but also mentions how David Bernstein, who had accomplished many great feats for the club, resigned in part due to Keegan’s determination to sign Robbie Fowler.

On Stuart Pearce, he is far more damning, heavily criticising Pearce’s transfer strategy: “I never felt Stuart had a full grasp of transfers and recruitment.” Tueart gives the example of how Bernardo Corradi, so powerful in the air, was signed yet Pearce failed to understand the need to add wingers to the squad who could provide for Corradi. He discusses how the board, during the 2006/7 season, wanted to replace Pearce with either Bryan Robson, Graeme Souness or Lawrie Sanchez on an 18 month contract, but then the squad finally found some form, acquired ten points from a possible twelve, and decided to keep faith with Pearce.

Dennis Tueart: My Football Journey is a forthright, honest and insightful view at a superb, worldwide career and I cannot recommend it enough for any City fan.

All Dennis’s royalties from the sale of this book will go to the teenage and young adult cancer unit at The Christie cancer centre in Manchester.

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