Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football
Out of the Darkness is the gritty and hard-hitting autobiography of former Leicester and Sunderland winger Matt Piper, the ex-England U21 hopeful whose dreams were shattered when an injury ended his football career at age 24. After making history as the last-ever goalscorer at Filbert Street in 2002, Matt was forced into a GBP3.5m move to Wearside amid the Foxes' financial misery. But that high was short-lived and soon his ambitions - and life - crumbled. After 16 operations, failed comebacks and anxiety attacks, he retired with money in his pocket but no clue where to turn next. Soon, Matt's daily existence became dependent on alcohol and Valium, waking up in hospital with no idea why, with doctors suggesting he be sectioned. Out of the Darkness reveals another side of football - what happens next when things don't go right and how to overcome life's worst demons. Matt's frank and often troubling revelations are complemented by hilarious tales of dysfunction amid life at two of English football's biggest clubs.
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Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football
Out of the Darkness is the gritty and hard-hitting autobiography of former Leicester and Sunderland winger Matt Piper, the ex-England U21 hopeful whose dreams were shattered when an injury ended his football career at age 24. After making history as the last-ever goalscorer at Filbert Street in 2002, Matt was forced into a GBP3.5m move to Wearside amid the Foxes' financial misery. But that high was short-lived and soon his ambitions - and life - crumbled. After 16 operations, failed comebacks and anxiety attacks, he retired with money in his pocket but no clue where to turn next. Soon, Matt's daily existence became dependent on alcohol and Valium, waking up in hospital with no idea why, with doctors suggesting he be sectioned. Out of the Darkness reveals another side of football - what happens next when things don't go right and how to overcome life's worst demons. Matt's frank and often troubling revelations are complemented by hilarious tales of dysfunction amid life at two of English football's biggest clubs.
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Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football

Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football

Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football

Out of the Darkness: From Top to Rock Bottom: My Story in Football

Hardcover

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Overview

Out of the Darkness is the gritty and hard-hitting autobiography of former Leicester and Sunderland winger Matt Piper, the ex-England U21 hopeful whose dreams were shattered when an injury ended his football career at age 24. After making history as the last-ever goalscorer at Filbert Street in 2002, Matt was forced into a GBP3.5m move to Wearside amid the Foxes' financial misery. But that high was short-lived and soon his ambitions - and life - crumbled. After 16 operations, failed comebacks and anxiety attacks, he retired with money in his pocket but no clue where to turn next. Soon, Matt's daily existence became dependent on alcohol and Valium, waking up in hospital with no idea why, with doctors suggesting he be sectioned. Out of the Darkness reveals another side of football - what happens next when things don't go right and how to overcome life's worst demons. Matt's frank and often troubling revelations are complemented by hilarious tales of dysfunction amid life at two of English football's biggest clubs.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781785316524
Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
Publication date: 11/01/2020
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 6.25(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Matthew James Piper is an English former professional footballer and current coach, who played as a winger.

Joe Brewin is the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo.

Table of Contents

Foreword 9

Prologue: The cat with no more lives 14

1 Rock bottom 19

2 Can I kick it? 23

3 My old man said 35

4 Ian Wright and umbrellas 49

5 Fix up, look sharp 61

6 Living for the City 74

7 The adventures of Pipinho 90

8 Stag, stag, stag, stag 108

9 Down with the Leicester 121

10 The last goal 135

11 Beckham's at the window 153

12 Howard's way 167

13 A hopeless cause 183

14 Over … and over 201

15 Lost in the world 215

16 Rolling in the gutter 230

17 Knockin' on heaven's door 247

18 A sporting chance 260

19 Away goes trouble down the drain 278

20 Into the light 289

Epilogue: The meaning of life 307

Acknowledgements 314

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