Hard Man

Let's admit it: when I was a kid; I hated Steve McMahon. And that was the ultimate compliment; as that meant he was a damn good player. And so it was with relish that I tore into his autobiography: 'Macca Can: The Steve McMahon Story'.

The book is just like the person himself: hard-hitting; competitive and frank. He pulls no punches in his assessment of players; matches and situations. While he gave a nice insight view into his Liverpool team-mates such as John Barnes and Barry Venison; the main eye-opener of the piece is actually his detailed account of England's World Cup journey in Italia '90.

It is clear that McMahon was proud to be called up to the England team; and maybe he was disappointed not to feature more; such was his lofty standing in the game. But it also must be remembered that this was an era of high-quality midfielders in the England ranks; such as Paul Gascoigne; David Platt; Bryan Robson and Neil Webb.

His insights are brilliant; whether on manager Bobby Robson; his tactics; or the matches they played; including his never-to-be-forgotten mistake against the Republic of Ireland that led to Kevin Sheedy scoring that fateful goal. He is also honest about Bobby Robson's failings; such as not being sure whether to play the sweeper system and using a tactic that no-one had even practised about.