The Legend They Called 'Mad Dog'
A collector's note: Quality hardback edition with excellent binding. I've carefully preserved the dust jacket, knowing that damaged covers significantly reduce a book's value for serious collectors.
In "Mad Dog: The Mickey Lewis Story", Leo Ackerman and Alex Urwin paint a vivid portrait of a footballer whose reputation preceded him like a thunderclap across English pitches. Mickey Lewis wasn't just a player; he was a force of nature who earned his nickname through bone-crunching tackles and an uncompromising style that made technical players wake up with cold sweats before matchday.
The biography masterfully balances Lewis's on-field persona with his lesser-known role as a nurturing mentor. The authors draw from an impressive well of over 100 hours of interviews, including conversations with football luminaries like Ron Atkinson and Martin Jol, to reveal the man behind the moniker. What emerges is not just the story of a hard-tackling midfielder who terrorised West Ham's Trevor Brooking and Liverpool's John Barnes, but a deeper narrative about football's evolution through the eyes of someone who has lived it on both sides of the touchline.
Perhaps the book's most compelling aspect is its exploration of Lewis's transformation from feared opponent to beloved coach. His journey from the rough-and-tumble English leagues to shaping young talents in Iowa's emerging soccer scene and later influencing Oxford University's Blues reveals an unexpected tenderness in the man who was once accused by Sir Bobby Robson of "ruining the beautiful game". The authors skilfully weave these contradictions into a narrative that challenges our assumptions about what makes a great football man, suggesting that sometimes the fiercest warriors make the wisest teachers.
In "Mad Dog: The Mickey Lewis Story", Leo Ackerman and Alex Urwin paint a vivid portrait of a footballer whose reputation preceded him like a thunderclap across English pitches. Mickey Lewis wasn't just a player; he was a force of nature who earned his nickname through bone-crunching tackles and an uncompromising style that made technical players wake up with cold sweats before matchday.
The biography masterfully balances Lewis's on-field persona with his lesser-known role as a nurturing mentor. The authors draw from an impressive well of over 100 hours of interviews, including conversations with football luminaries like Ron Atkinson and Martin Jol, to reveal the man behind the moniker. What emerges is not just the story of a hard-tackling midfielder who terrorised West Ham's Trevor Brooking and Liverpool's John Barnes, but a deeper narrative about football's evolution through the eyes of someone who has lived it on both sides of the touchline.
Perhaps the book's most compelling aspect is its exploration of Lewis's transformation from feared opponent to beloved coach. His journey from the rough-and-tumble English leagues to shaping young talents in Iowa's emerging soccer scene and later influencing Oxford University's Blues reveals an unexpected tenderness in the man who was once accused by Sir Bobby Robson of "ruining the beautiful game". The authors skilfully weave these contradictions into a narrative that challenges our assumptions about what makes a great football man, suggesting that sometimes the fiercest warriors make the wisest teachers.