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The Romford Pelé

It's Only Ray Parlour's Autobiography

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The Romford Pelé

By: Ray Parlour
Narrated by: Paul Thornley
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About this listen

Ooh, ah, Ray Parlour! Nicknamed the Romford Pele for his solid but unglamorous image, Ray Parlour is one of the most well-loved Arsenal players of the last few decades. A loyal club servant for over 14 years (1992-2007), he is revered among the Arsenal faithful for his down-to-earth Essex charm, his mischievous sense of humour and his hardworking performances on the pitch.

Often in the shadows of his flashier teammates, he didn't have the flair of a Pires or an Henry, but he worked tirelessly to become an integral part of many of George Graham's and Arsene Wenger's greatest sides, including the Invincibles of 2004.

In this wonderfully funny and candid autobiography, full of side-splitting stories, Parlour looks back fondly on his life and career. From the all-day drinking sessions and banter of the Tony Adams years to the antics he got up to with his more cultured continental teammates, teaching Thierry Henry cockney rhyming slang and Dennis Bergkamp how to play golf, this is a portrait of a man who was as loved as much for his personality as for his often underrated talent.

From his days as a schoolboy working on market stalls to playing alongside the world's finest players in the Champions League, it is also the rags-to-riches story of a career that spanned enormous change in British football, the likes of which may not be seen again.

©2016 Random House Audiobooks (P)2016 Random House Audiobooks
Football (Soccer) Sports Celebrity Funny Career Thought-Provoking Witty Inspiring Football
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What listeners say about The Romford Pelé

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    4 out of 5 stars

Any Gooners dream book!

What a read, great storys and insight on some of the best years at Arsenal Football club!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great stories, very funny

Made me laugh out loud a few times, I loved this book and wish there were more like it.

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What a Joker - Enjoyable Listen

Really enjoyed the story. Enjoyed the antics he got up to and the respect he had for many other people. My only disappointment was it isn't read by Ray himself. Having regularly listened to Ray's anecdotes on Talk Sport over the last few years, I think it'd have given it a that little bit more if he had.

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It's only Ray Parlour

excellent and I loved the humour and learning stuff I never knew about my Arsenal

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Excellent read

Absolutely loved this. Had me hooked hearing the brilliant stories from an underrated but key player in Arsenal’s history and some great perspective from the inside!

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brilliant book best book I have ever read 😀

brilliant 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 book loved listening to it looking forward to listening to it again loved the book george Graham was a great influence on the team so was wenger in a different way 😀 👍 😊 😄 👌 😉 😀 👍

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Excellent book. highly recommend!!!!!! buy buy

Ray Parlour was all ready a great legend as a player. he comes across as a great bloke..
no swearing in this book either which is always nice.

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Great story from a real character of the game

Really good book. Not only due to the time period it's written about means you can remember the incidents and games but also as Ray Parlour's character comes through. Top guy and well worth a read.

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A Solid Player, A Solid Book.

Ray Parlour was one of the last cheeky chaps of the modern game, but had the ability to back it up. He's certainly not short of a few anecdotes, especially given the variety of talent and personalities that he played with. The only this that would have made this book perfect, was if he narrated it himself. Paul Thornley is too dramatic for my liking and doesn't let it flow in the same way that it's written. Saying that, it's an enjoyable book and I definitely recommend it.

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Any football fan should give this a listen!

Great insight and stories especially from the early 90's! And how the team evolved when Wenger took over. True arsenal legend!

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