David Speedie escaped life in a Yorkshire pit to achieve four promotions during an 11-club football career which he describes in a frank autobiography, reviewed by Eric Brown…
BY ERIC BROWN
David Speedie will be mainly remembered for his prolific strike partnership with Kerry Dixon, which fired Chelsea into the top flight in 1984.
But there was much more from the Scottish-born former Doncaster miner. Promotions with West Ham, Blackburn and Leicester made the little striker or midfielder a target.
He joined Liverpool in 1991, only to be prematurely dumped when manager Kenny Dalglish left. Speedie then found himself paid off by Blackburn, who wanted to sign Alan Shearer.
Never prepared to back down on the pitch, his stubborn streak sometimes also attracted trouble off it.
In his autobiography ‘The David Speedie Story’, written with Paul Hodgson, he is not slow to name players he could not get on with.
He describes Graeme Souness as a bit of a big head and a strange cookie. He cannot forgive Souness for throwing him out of Anfield when he took over as manager from Dalglish.
He doesn’t have much good to say about Terry Hurlock either. He says hard man Hurlock smashed a pint glass in his face after a minor disagreement when both were at Southampton.
Bystander Micky Adams and Speedie got arrested. With the aid of CCTV, the Jersey police absolved the detained pair.
Speedie’s football tale is an interesting read and a cautionary tale, as it moves into a dark period when he suffers depression.
‘The David Speedie Story’ by Paul Hodgson is published by Pitch, price £25.
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