I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for insightful memoir Redemption by professional football star Troy Deeney. Thank you to Anne Cater and Octopus Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this remarkable book.
About the book:
Troy Deeney is best known for being Watford’s talismanic captain, but behind the successful, outspoken and forthright football persona is a remarkable story of resilience, hardship and ambition.
In his brutally honest and inspirational memoir, Troy shares what it was like to grow up on Europe’s largest council estate, where his mum worked three jobs and his father, a notorious drug dealer, was frequently in and out of prison. He shares countless amazing stories from his time growing up in the midlands, when life was hard, yet instrumental in shaping the man Troy would become. He describes his moments of self sabotage and a complex and devoted relationship with his father.
Despite all the setbacks, bad luck and errors of judgement, Troy went on to score more than 20 goals in three successive seasons and become Club Captain, an FA Cup finalist, a promotion winner (twice) and a Watford legend.
Engaging, endearing and insightful, this book is where Troy – one of the most entertaining, controversial footballers of the modern age – comes to terms with his turbulent past.
About the author:
Troy is a Watford legend who has made over 380 League appearances and scored more than 130 competitive goals in 11 years at the Club.
He played for Chelmsley Town in non-League, before being signed by Walsall in 2006. In 2012 he was imprisoned for affray. Vowing to turn his life around he went on to score 20+ goals in three successive seasons. In August 2021 he will captain Watford in their return to the Premier League.
In late 2020, Troy joined talkSPORT as a new presenter and started fortnightly column with The Sun, offering a fresh perspective on the game.
Troy has more than 160k followers on Twitter (@T_Deeney) and has already featured on Louis Theroux’s Grounded podcast.
He was a key organiser of the Premier League’s support of Black Lives Matter.
My Review:
Redemption by former Watford player Troy Deeney is an eye opening and insightful read that I’ve been looking forward to reading for some time. I don’t think you need to be a football fan to enjoy this memoir as it tells the very human story of a young lad from Birmingham who started life with very little and, against all the odds, turned his life around to become the successful, outspoken and forthright football persona he is today.
But the Troy Deeney I remember isn’t the man I see on my TV screen today. He’s the polite, fun loving and, yes, talented boy who played for the 3C’s football team alongside my son. I doubt he would still remember me after all these years, but I have many fond memories of him back then, of the football tournaments and the holidays in Southport. Happy, carefree memories that I look back on fondly. So to read of what his early life was like has been an eye opening experience for me, but one that makes me even more proud of the man he has become.
Redemption is a fascinating and engaging read that had me riveted from beginning to end. Troy’s voice comes through loud and clear as he tells the story of his childhood, followed by his rise to football stardom, his spectacular fall from grace and then his rise back to the top again like a phoenix rising from the ashes. He makes no excuses for his past mistakes and talks with brutal honesty about the demons he has faced in his life and how he is finally beginning to make peace with them.
A key organiser of the Premier League’s support of Black Lives Matter, Troy Deeney has come full circle and is now back playing football in the city of his birth. Redemption gives a personal insight into the full and interesting life of this successful young man and is a memoir I would highly recommend.
Redemption by Troy Deeney is available to purchase now:
Check out what these other bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 