By
now I suspect that most Oxford fans are familiar with the tale
of Dave Langan and
his tragic fall from the very top of the game to the very bottom of
society. His testimonial
match at
the
Kassam last year certainly raised awareness of his plight locally and
those who want to hear Dave's story straight from the horse's mouth
can now do so following the publication of his autobiography, Running
Through Walls.
The
book paints an image of Langan as a man who truly played for the love
of the game, not for money or fame, and that he was used up and then
discarded by the game he had given his life to. His account of his
treatment whilst out injured (“The club don't want you around. They
don't even pay you, it is actually the PFA that pays you”) reveals
a footballing system that treated its employees not as people but as
disposable and temporary assets.
Langan
clearly hadn't been prepared for life after his sudden retirement and
it is impossible not to be moved by his account of the loneliness and
humiliation he felt at that time (“you imagine you bow out with
your head held high fresh from scoring the winning goal in a Final,
not as the sub that was subbed”). I was shocked to hear that almost
as soon as he had finished his playing career Langan was forced to
sign on and claim disability benefits and that he has had little to
no contact with anyone in football throughout the years following his
retirement.
Most
fascinating for me, and I'm sure for most Oxford fans who read this
book, is its first-hand account of Oxford's greatest ever team. There
are lots of interesting stories about his time at the club, including
his introducing Ray Houghton and John Aldridge to the Irish national
team, taking his team-mates out to see an Irish folk band in Oxford,
tales of drinking with Billy Whitehurst and Langan forgetting to
invite his son to the Milk Cup final.
However,
I couldn't help but feel that more could have been included. Langan's
first season at the Manor, in which the club won promotion to the top
flight for the first time in its history, barely merited a mention
and while most of the major events of his time at the club are
detailed and commented on, the book lacks some of those lesser-known
anecdotes that could have really embellished his story.
Further
credit should go to Langan's honesty; he pulls no punches when giving
his opinion on former managers Ron Saunders and Jack Charlton, nor
when describing his experiences with the FAI. Langan has an eye for
character, from 'Mr Angry' Jim Smith to the inspirational Brian
Clough (who always referred to Langan as 'the Irishman').
I
would highly recommend this book, not just to Oxford fans but to
anyone with an interest in football. Dave's evident humility shines
through on every page, which serves as a refreshing
antidote to the frequent tales of egos and greed in modern football,
but this is perhaps most importantly a story of human interest, about a
man who lost everything and is only now learning to make peace with
the demons that have haunted him for more than 20 years.
1 comments:
Davy's era of football was when the players were closer to the fans, living amongst and socialising with them, Heros's but not the idols and celebrities we have in the premiership today. To put his ability into perspective, the period he played also saw the complete dominance of English teams in europe from the mid 70's to the mid 80's. He was playing at the highest level against the best players in the most competitive league.
I too felt the book was written as the story was spoken and appreciate this must have been a very therapeutic exerience for Davy to undertake this book. His humility and sense of values comes through very strongly. He has a similar background to my own father and he too was driven by a sense of duty, family and 'always doing the right thing'! That was demonstrated clearly by Davy in his style of football and passion for his team and country. Again I can relate to his humility and shyness, and his 'coming alive' with his pals once he'd had a drink, enjoying a wee bet and a laugh with those he was close, traits my ole dad had too.
I found Davy's love for the game and the fans shone out, and his words indeed conveyed the sense of frustration, desperation and sadness he must have felt when his career, and indeed personal life collapsed around him. I am heartened to read and see he is now content and happy within himself A big man has opened his heart with an honest account of the ups and so many downs in his life.
How many of us were shocked and a litle choked to see our famous right back struggle to get on and off the pitch during his benefits match? I thank Davy for sharing these moments with us, my respect for him is immense. His story would indeed make a fine screenplay, he's dealt with so many highs and lows and a happy begining to his latter years.
Davy regually engages supporters on 'twitter' and enjoys a bit of fun with us. I was so glad to actually meet him and he was every bit the man I expected, humble, generous and warm. He asked for feedback on his book and the review above could do no better.
He was my footballing hero, now he's a hero full stop!
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