Pally

When Gary Pallister was in his 1990s pomp, there was no finer central defender in the British game. Certainly that's the collective view of his manager and comrades at Manchester United, that worldwide sporting institution with whom he played a mammoth part in lifting four Premiership titles in the space of five years, the FA Cup on three occasions and the League Cup once, as well as tasting European glory. They loved him at Middlesbrough, too, where he started and finished a professional career in which he made more than 700 senior appearances and collected 22 England caps, a total which would have been far more extensive but for the back injuries which plagued him along the way. But the plaudits for Pally did not emanate only from Old Trafford, Ayresome Park and the Riverside.In 1992, he was voted Player of the Year by his fellow footballers the length and breadth of the country, and there could be no personal honour more meaningful than the one dispensed by his professional peers. As a performer, Pally was practically flawless. He was beautifully balanced, a natural ballplayer, aerially dominant, unfailingly courageous and exceptionally quick. No wonder Alex Ferguson was ready to part with a British record transfer fee when he signed him from 'Boro in 1989. As a character, too, Pally is a delight, although one or two managers, perhaps gulled at first by his famously easy-going nature, might have been a tad startled to discover the iron purpose and keen intelligence behind that infectious grin.He now works as an authority on Manchester United, Boro and England as a pundit on BBC television and radio, and also Sky Sports.Between these covers he tells his story, honestly, fearlessly and with a dash of gentle north-eastern humour, detailing the many triumphs, a few trials and tribulations and one or two hair-raising clashes, including one with a future knight of the realm.