When it was published this excellent autobiography was short-listed for the Irish Sports Book of the Year 2014, (an award won by Roy Keane’s “Second Half”). Alan McLouglin has plenty of stories to entertain any football fan regardless of whether they have an interest in Pompey or the Republic of Ireland, two teams I most closely associate with a player who many rate as one of the best attacking midfielder players seen in a Portsmouth shirt.

Co -written by Bryce Evans of Hope University, Liverpool the book spins along at a fair rate and gives an excellent insight to the work of being a professional footballer with the talent to perform at international level with the impact such a job has on family life.

The book starts dramatically, giving an insight into a typical male attitude to health and well-being, when our hero discovers he has testicular cancer in the most distressing of circumstances. If the NHS were to use the opening scenes in any health awareness campaign I suspect that many more men would get checked out a lot sooner for this killer condition sooner rather than later.

The quality of writing is high throughout and as the chapters unfold the voice of Alan tells his story using well chosen phrases of humour and sensitivity. The book has a gentle style that guides the reader through some wonderful footballing moments, not least the goal that took the Republic to the World Cup Tournament of 1994. This personal triumph that means that Alan McLouglin will never be able to sneak quietly into an Irish bar again in his life without shaking hands and politely declining offers of a free drink, is balanced by the account of Eire failing to qualify for the Euro nations tournament due to a last minute goal conceded in Macedonia.

My favourite moments from the Alan McLoughlin years in a Pompey shirt include his two goals at The Baseball Ground when Pompey thrashed Derby County 4-2 on Boxing Day 1992; equalising penalties in mid-week games at Millwall and then Sunderland at Roker Park, (making two late night journeys home more enjoyable); his goal at Wolves in the 3rd Round FA Cup game at Molineux when we beat Wolves 1-2 on a chilly 4th January in 1997 afternoon and the headed opening goal at Leeds United in the 2-3 FAC 5th round win the same year, (after which Gary Crooks called him “Andy” McLoughlin in the BBC Match of The Day highlights). Some of these moments, including the Blackburn FA Cup away hat-trick get a mention in ‘Another Kind of Green.’  He did very well in the FA Cup for Pompey looking back, adding plenty of cup magic for we fans.

Alan McLoughlin was a key player in Jim Smith’s free-scoring team of the early 1990s and then a stalwart of the latter years of the Gregory regime. It must have been a joy to turn up for work alongside the talents of  Chamberlain, Whittingham and Walsh in a sparkling attack, but more challenging in later years when seeming to carry a team single-handed. The book covers all with good grace and also reveals some very funny moments from Jack Charlton’s years in charge of the Ireland national team.

A good book for those otherwise dull days between matches – recommended.

CLP  30/07/2018