Paul McGrath is most famed for his time at Aston Villa, or was it Manchester United? No one can decide, but what is undebatable is the excellence of the defensive cornerstone whom Aston Villa fans, at a time, called ‘god’. Another indecisive spot on Paul would be which club he enjoyed more success, with the man marshaling United’s defense for 7 good years but in return, winning the FA Cup in the 1984/85 season; at Aston Villa meanwhile, he played for 7 more years and lifted the League Cup twice with the first of these triumphs coming over former club, Manchester United. These debates can keep running as long as you want, but that would best be overlooked.
Paul played for United before Sir. Alex Ferguson’s era and it may be unsurprising that the man’s period at the club might have been forgotten, particularly if the terms of his departure are considered. During his career with the Reds, he was incredible, maintaining a seemingly impossible level of perfection, and it was a shame that he won just the FA Cup then. Before Paul, there had been no footballer that left Manchester United and still performed well at his next club. His time at Aston Villa is highly impressive, underlining his enormous talent and technicality. For Ireland, he was even more revered, playing in the landmark Irish team of the late 1980s and early 1990s. With all evidence, Paul was a fantastic, excellent, and talented player on the pitch.
At his peak, however, Paul was anything but excellent off the pitch. Whereas Paul assumed full responsibility and absolute confidence on the pitch, he was anything but off it. He had quite a reputation for alcohol and, what’s more, maintained an awful history with the liquid. He was also a shy player, and all he could do was keep playing until he retired. Upon his retirement, however, Paul teamed with Vincent Hogan to share his story and in a show of remarkable bravery, told his complete story in all honesty without withholding any part. Back From The Brink has been applauded by many as the best biography they have ever read.
Paul was born in Greenford, Middlesex, to an Irish mom and Nigerian father. Vincent tells this part of Paul’s story mainly from an interview with his mom. Betty, his mom, reveals that his father had slammed the door shut in her face when she told him of her pregnancy, and from that moment onwards, things had taken a free fall. Ireland in that era was not particularly kind to women and combined that to the fact that she had fallen pregnant from a Black man, and you had a difficult situation. But Betty’s fears were not just based on society. Her father is impressed as a staunch Irish who would want nothing extra to do with Blacks, much more having his daughter pregnant for one. Afraid and unwilling to face her father’s wrath should he find out, she moved to London, which, considerably, provided more safety than Ireland. The duration of pregnancy was especially severe and understandably so. What else would anyone have expected? After the birth of Paul, however, Betty refused to hand over her son to nuns for reasons best known to her (now we know such kids were sold those days). The only option left then was fostering because it was conspicuous that she lacked the requirements and perhaps the ability to train and support the child. She wasn’t even willing to either.
Paul was fostered when he was just four weeks old. He would go on to stay with this family for five more years when the biological daughter of the couple reported that Paul was impossible to control. With this, his mom had to take him back, but living conditions were not in any way better than they were before, and she had had another child with a Black man, a daughter this time. Consequently, Paul could not stay for long with his family and was soon put in an orphanage for better welfare. As he grew, Paul was in and out of orphanage homes, getting into trouble more often than not. He was also a mocha-brown, and that ensured that his African root was always there to see. In an environment that had minimum regard for other races and was racist to some extent, Paul passed through a lot of mistreatment and injustice. These accounts are jarring and even debilitating, but perhaps the most harrowing of his childhood was having his mother and sister over on weekends, although he was officially an orphan. That could have been a privilege or maybe a sharp and constant reminder of his unique circumstances.
The combination of oppression, suffering, and intimidation blended to forge a very mellowed and extremely distant persona. Paul was shy to a fault, mostly due to the injustice and dark childhood he had. These shortcomings were eventually the bane of his life, going a very long way in the destructive path the man later found himself on.
However, as the shy lad himself would suddenly discover, the pitch was one place in which he truly stood out and felt no fear or shame whatsoever. It was like the green patch was his element, and soon, he would start playing around Dublin. The lad was brilliant and always put in a culminating display on the field of play, and soon, heads began to turn. As a result of his exceptional talent, Paul got the opportunity to play as a schoolboy for Pearse Rovers. Later on, he would go on to play at the junior level for Dalkey United. Vincent tells that this was the first place Paul and Manchester United would have contact, although it was mere scouting on the part of the club. At Dalkey United, Paul had his first taste of alcohol on a trip to Germany, and this was the starting berth of his long and miserable association with the substance.
Paul tells us of his time as an apprentice metal worker and a security guard. These jobs were, of course, undertaken for the most essential purposes. He was 22, and the year happened to be his first as a full-time footballer. He was signed by St. Patrick’s Athletic, a club in the Irish league. He spent just one season at the club, although it was a memorable one. In his brief stint, he scored four goals in 31 appearances and was awarded the PFAI Player of the Year Award. Here, he earned the nickname “The Black Pearl of Inchicore.” Prior to Paul’s move to St. Patrick’s, he suffered a mental breakdown that rendered him unconscious of his environment, and he would only recover several months later.
Paul moved to Manchester United in 1982, putting dividends to the longtime flirting that had been between the player and club since his discovery by Billy Behan. Upon his move to Manchester United, the book begins to emphasize Paul’s drinking addiction; after all, Old Trafford was where it all became worse. It so happened that Paul’s older teammates at the club, Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside, were interested in alcohol, and the duo had the liberty to drink from the ending of training on Tuesday into the early hours of Wednesday. This was possible because England football was yet to realize the importance of a strict diet and had not realized any wrong in drinking for 12 straight hours. At Manchester United, in particular, there was perhaps a favorable consideration towards drinking, given that George Best had set the precedence. Soon, Paul began to drink with the duo, and within his first few times, he came to the frightening realization that he could escape reality in his alcoholic-induced state. To a man who had been severely affected by his rough childhood and was constantly haunted by the feelings of fear and betrayal, this was a staggering discovery. It was disturbing that in his drunken state, Paul could get relief from all conflicting and polluted emotions within him. This was massive for the man, and, like a dog on the trail, his legs were firmly set on the path of alcoholism.
Paul, having had this expendable weapon in his arsenal, became unstoppable in his drinking. Of course, he did not become a complete addict to reckless drinking within his first few weeks, but there was a very tempting bait in his little trials. At the start, he became a regular at the Tuesday drinking, never missing a round or day. Slowly, his thirst deepened, and he could no longer wait for a full week before drinking. He started to drink alone, and the club soon realized he was out of getting out of hand. Paul soon became a total addict at the mercy of alcohol and, to a lesser extent, drugs. He became nearly deranged started to believe he could not function without drinking.
For all of Paul’s issues, however, he continued to excel on the pitch. He became a regular starter in the first team in the 1983 season, displacing Gordon McQueen to become Kevin Moran’s partner in the heart of the team’s defense. His form was outstanding in the following season, although the club did not lift any silverware that year. In 1985, the team won the FA Cup in a 1 – 0 victory against Everton. Paul won the Man of the Match Award for that match as his contributions were fantastic and helped to paper the cracks that would have been exploited after his mate, Kevin Moran, was sent off. In these early seasons, he used to play as a midfielder in certain matches, a role he played effortlessly because he was quite pacy.
Paul mentions the 1985/86 seasons that would have ended the club’s wait for a league title. That season, the team was in pole position after ten league matches, winning each to be at the table summit. The fairytale was cut short soon enough; however, with injuries to relevant team players dismantling the team’s fluidity and leaving the club scrambling for survival. Eventually, the team finished 4th, with 12 points behind champions, Liverpool. In the following season, 1986/87, Roy Atkinson was sacked due to a run of abysmal results and Sir. Alex Ferguson was hired. This change in management didn’t affect Paul anyway, and he kept his place at defence. The team was in transition, and no one expected trophies. In the following season, the club managed to finish second behind Liverpool once more.
Paul’s struggle with injuries is told too. This battle began in the 1989/90 season, and it would persist until his starting spot was threatened. Furthermore, the new manager had signed two replacements, Steve Bruce and Mal Donaghy, who was raring to go. He soon fell out with the manager, with the primary causative factor his alcoholism and refusal to stop drinking. Paul reveals that the manager had proposed a retirement package of £100, 000, with a testimonial but he had refused. Eventually, things could no longer work anymore.
Paul goes to tell of his time at Aston Villa, with his seven years at the club retaining a very precious part of his life. He joined Villa in August 1989 and went on to play perhaps the best football of his career at the club. In between matches and seasons, his knee injuries persisted, and he had to spend many days on the sidelines. In his first season with the club, Aston Villa finished second in the league behind Liverpool. In the next season, the coach, Graham Taylor, left to become manager of the England national team, and this left the club wallowing in a battle against relegation. Josef Venglos soon took charge, but for one season only before Roy Atkinson, Paul’s former manager, was signed. The following team saw one of the most exceptional teams in Premier League history as Villa played exciting football and challenged commendably for significant trophies, finishing second behind Manchester United that season. He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year Award that season. This was massive, considering the circumstances surrounding his transfer from Old Trafford. In the 1993/94 season, he won his first trophy with the club in the League Cup against Manchester United. This was a match he felt was the best way to define poetic justice. He won another League Cup for the club in 1996.
After his departure from Aston Villa, Paul is not exhaustive in his narration of time with Derby County, and lastly, Sheffield United. However, throughout the pages, there is a constant reminder of his alcoholism. In each chapter, readers are aware of the ever-lurking shadow of alcohol around Paul. The highlight of this was the man recounting that just after his last professional game for Sheffield United, he was at home drinking bottle of Domestos despite that he had just retired.
Paul’s time with the Ireland national time is covered too. Anyone who watched Ireland play in the late 80s and early 90s would hold fond memories, and Paul feels the same way about it. He played in 2 FIFA World Cup tournaments – 1990 and 1994. He played in Euro too and was regarded as one of the outstanding Irish players. He scored eight goals in 83 appearances for the team.
Paul does not hold back at all in his story. There are honest and disturbing accounts of the man in his drunken state. The urge to drink was intense, and readers get to know the astonishingly dumb things Paul did to get there. He took tranquilizers as a ‘safe’ alternative to booze and whatever he could find at all. The actions that followed his drinking were disheartening, such as when he had woken up in a caravan on a beach in Wales, or face down in the gutter surrounded by down and outs. What was worse was that he never knew how he got to these places.
Paul tells his story in the most understandable form. Readers understand that the man was a helpless drunkard at his peak. He tells the story of how managers and players had to force him literally to his hotel room so that he could stop drinking. But that was often not enough and, sometimes, he used to shin down drainpipes to escape. A sickening fact that has struck many readers is the apparent lack of help Paul received at the early stages. None of his teammates or managers, even Roy Atkinson, who helped his career a lot, attempted to help him confront his issues. He was merely patched up from time to time so he could keep playing. No one talked sense into him. The goal at all stages was to keep him fit and playing, and away from the press. Paul’s addiction was so terrible that he admits to having played some matches in a drunken state. A particularly memorable occasion is him missing the ball in his attempt to play a free-kick in a match.
Paul tells of his struggles with love too, although not as punctilious as other aspects. His drinking problem cost him two marriages. He also broke the trust of friends and family several times. He tells of how often he disappointed those who trusted him, costing him a lot of friendships and relationships along the way. Paul ensures readers understand that his addiction didn’t stop after retirement and continued to cost him several opportunities. He lost endorsement deals on several occasions, with the BBC deal the most notable of them all.
Back From The Brink paints the image of a deeply flawed, yet charming football genius who everyone liked during the periods he could be sober. The book ticks all boxes because, in addition to Paul’s perspective, there are quotes and views expressed by coaches, players, and physicians he worked with during his career. Throughout the book, readers are helped to understand that Paul was an excessively shy and vulnerable individual who, in his helplessness, was trapped in a vicious cycle of self-inflicted hurt and abuse under the motive of healing.
Paul and Kevin ensure that readers realize that the man was not a saint and that he had his shortcomings. But for all the abuse and betrayal he suffered, Paul never attempted to seek empathy. The book does not at any point request or solicits pity for the man; neither does it aim to absolve him of all wrongs. Paul is brutal and acute in showing that he has suffered the consequences of his actions. At the end of it all, readers are introduced to the long road to redemption.
The book does not follow a chronological order that would have made it very easy to follow his life from the origin. That is, perhaps, a downside, but it could also be a positive given that it could have contributed to its honesty. The book throws the reader right into the mix of the battle from the early pages, and that can be a bit sudden, but Paul was only telling his story. The book starts with Paul’s repeated battles with knee injuries and what he had taken to get past the rough edges of life. In Paul’s case, it was apparent his problems were injuries, extreme shyness, and a rough childhood.
You do not have to be a football fan to read and enjoy this book. Just have an interest in the problems of other people and how they solve them, and you’re good to go. For football fans, this is not a book that talks much football or statistics, but you are most likely to appreciate it if you read.
Similar Books To Read
- Sir Matt Busby: The Father of Manchester United.
- Roy Keane: The Autobiography
- Growing Up With the Trinity: An Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman Walked Onto a Football Pitch…by Brendon Mcguire (Out Sept 2019).
- My Manchester United Years by Bobby Charlton.
- Gentleman John: The biography of Johnny Carey. Manchester United and Ireland Legend by Cavanagh MBE, Mr Roy and Mr Carl Abbott.
- Denis Law: My Life in Football (MUFC) by Denis Law and Ivan Ponting.
- From the Goal line to Touchline Kindle Edition by Jack Crompton.
- Harry Stafford: Manchester United’s First Captain Marvel by Ean Gardiner and Mark Wylie
- The Man Who Kept The Red Flag Flying: Jimmy Murphy – The Family Authorised Life Story by Wayne Barton.
- Class of 92 (MUFC) by Ian Marshall.
- Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King Philippe Auclair.
- Giggs: The Autobiography Joe Lovejoy.
- Duncan Edwards: The Greatest (MUFC) by James Leighton.
- Robbo – My Autobiography: An extraordinary career by Bryan Robson.
- Red, White & Blackmore by Clayton Blackmore, Wayne Barton, et al.
