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Ghost on the Wall
Ghost on the Wall
Oct 5, 2024 8:22 PM

Author:Derek Dohren

Ghost on the Wall

Ghost on the Wall is the official biography of one of Liverpool Football Club's greatest ever servants: Roy Evans. Born in Bootle in 1948, Evans attracted the attention of many First Division club managers while playing for England's schoolboys team in the early 1960s. In 1964, legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly stepped in to sign him. But while the '60s were an exciting time to play for Liverpool, they were also very challenging, and Evans found it hard to break into the first team on a regular basis.

Following Shankly's shock resignation in 1974, Evans was given the opportunity to become a member of the backroom staff. It was here that he really made his mark, taking the reserve team to seven Central League titles in nine years and coming of age as a coach and trainer, emerging as an invaluable member of the legendary 'Boot Room'.

The decline in the club's fortunes during the 1980s meant that the resignation of manager Graeme Souness in 1994 left the incoming manager facing an exciting challenge - to return the club to its glory days. Roy Evans, 'the last of the Shankly lads', was handed his date with destiny.

While the Reds did not win another League Championship under Evans' charge, neither did they finish any lower than fourth, and Evans' commitment to developing future Liverpool stars such as Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Michael Owen ensured that he would not become another 'ghost on the wall' at Anfield.

In this engrossing account, Evans reveals the inside story of life as a member of Liverpool's famous Boot Room. He recollects his close working relationships with Reds legends from Shankly to Houllier and provides a vivid portrait of operations at the celebrated club over four action-packed decades.

Finally, he discusses the challenges he faces in his new role as assistant manager of the Welsh national side and considers the way forward for Liverpool after their Champions League victory under Rafael Benítez in 2005.

Reviews

The best books about sport are, of course, about more than just sport and Out of the Ashes fits perfectly into this genre.

—— Mike Atherton

A terrific and heart-warming story, a sort of Kiterunner in batting gloves. This story of Taj Malik and his intrepid Afghan team-mates makes you feel that with luck, everything might turn out all right after all...

—— Michael Simkin

You don't need to be a cricketer to find this story inspirational.

—— Ed Smith, writer and former international cricketer

A true story that reads like a fairy tale, this is one of the most intelligent and compelling cricket books I have read in a long time.

—— Andy Bull, Guardian cricket writer

Taj Malik and his team prove that the passion for cricket can survive anything. Tim Albone's labour of love is the tribute they deserve.

—— Gideon Haigh

An astounding story

—— The Independent

A remarkable story

—— Sport

A grimly compelling account

—— The Observer

Jones has unearthed and told quite brilliantly the tragic story of a man condemned not only be authority but also by his own stubbornness

—— Sunday Times

Moving

—— Sunday Express

Made me chuckle

—— Mark Cavendish

Hilarious behind-the-scenes anecdotes

—— Glasgow Herald

An irreverent and funny take on cycling’s biggest race from a man who has seen it up close every year since 2003

—— Lesley McDowell , Glasgow Herald

I found his behind-the-scenes look at the famous race both highly amusing and telling in equal measure

—— Johann Lamont , Scotland on Sunday

Cycling at its best is fiercely cosmopolitan and internationalist, Boulting provides the kind of commentary the sport deserves, and will need if it is to fulfil its undoubted potential to reach out and grow

—— Mark Perryman , The Huffington Post
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