Anthony Quinn – Liverpool fan and one of the UK’s most acclaimed novelists – has scored with an entertaining biography of one of England’s most famous footballers, Kevin Keegan. It’s fairly concise (I read it in two sittings) but the author still finds room to muse on the central dichotomy at the heart of Keegan’s persona. As a player, and later as a coach, tactics barely came into Keegan’s thinking: spontaneity was key. But when it came to business, Keegan was across all the detail. As Quinn comments: “[He was] a shrewd deal-maker who knew his own worth and paid attention to the small print.” Many of the stories recounted here are familiar, but Quinn manages to polish them up by dint of his storytelling prowess. He does get a point docked however for continually referring to Manchester United as “United” – not a good look when much of the book concerns Keegan’s dalliances with Newcastle United. RM

Published by Faber