Description
Book SynopsisOne of the finest players football has ever seen, Alan Hudson is still revered at Chelsea, Stoke City, Arsenal and Seattle Sounders, and yet his professional success was dogged by injuries and enormous personal challenges. His love of the glitzy 'footballer lifestyle', dominated by hard-drinking and glamorous women, saw Alan descend into rampant alcoholism, depression, and frequent brushes with authority. Huddy - his official biography - reveals for the first time, the full story of the real Alan Hudson, the man behind the lurid newspaper headlines and booze-fuelled anecdotes. A straight-speaker who doesn't suffer fools gladly, he has as many enemies as close friends. Speak to either and you'll get a vastly differing perspective on just who the man is. Even his team-mates were evenly split; they either loved or loathed him. The one thing that couldn't be taken away from him, however, was his talent for the beautiful game. Some years after retiring from the sport he loved, Alan embarked on a new career in the media but, on December 15, 1997, he was the victim of a 'hit-and-run' car accident near his East London home and his 'life well-lived' changed forever. He sustained injuries that the medical profession thought would kill him. Huddy, lovingly written by his friend Jason Pettigrove, describes Alan's determined fight for life and how his single-mindedness enabled him, along with the brilliance of the NHS and the support of his closest family and friends, to recover from his horrendous injuries and rebuild his life. Alan Hudson's fascinating story is one that has never been fully told ...until now.
Trade Review'A total one-off footballer. There's never been anyone quite like him, in his ability and what he was able to do with a football.' Malcolm McDonald; 'I was fortunate enough to play with a few great players and Alan was up there with the very best.' Denis Smith; 'Alan was a top quality, gifted player.' Gordon Taylor; 'Gazza's sitting there, with Gary Lineker and Gary Mabbutt, and the first thing he shouted out was, "Where did you get that shirt from?" so I told him that Al was my uncle. With that, Gazza's literally jumped off the treatment table, dived at my feet and started bowing. "His uncle's the Guv'nor" he kept saying over and over!' Billy Hudson, nephew.
Table of ContentsForeword by Jeff Powell 1. Childhood 2. Chelsea 3. Marriage and the 'Good Life' Don't Mix 4. Mr. Waddington 5. Stoke 6. England 7. Arsenal 8. Seattle Sounders 9. Chelsea and Stoke ... Again 10. The Accident 11. Recovery 12. Keep Moving Forward
