Neil Back - The Death of Rugby

[BlueTiger1]

First time poster on here, but regular poster on the Tigers forums. Just wondering if anyone has purchased Neil Back's autobiography, The Death of Rugby yet? I got it from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Rugby...1438703185&sr=1-1&keywords=the+death+of+rugby

Photos look great, and there's a whole chapter (same ***le as the book), dedicated to his time at Rugby Lions and all the financial issues. Looks like a good read with some frank opinions. Begins with the World Cup final, so straight in to the good stuff.

 

[HowieLO6]

Might pick it up, but certainly not from Amazon.

A shame that there's nothing that touches on his earlier years, toiling away before making that 7 jersey his own and effectively spoiling England fans with our high expectations of openside play.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Not the biggest fan of back off field comes across quite bitter at times.

 

[BlueTiger1]

Fair enough. I think you can get it from Waterstones too, probably WHSmiths as well.

I managed to catch him on BBC Radio Leicester's Tigers show - there's a link to listen here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02yx5v3

Plenty of chat about his book, his time with England, Tigers, coaching career and the current Tigers side. Some really interesting stuff about his year at Rugby Lions too.

 

[McTallshort]

Yeah I listened to that yesterday too. I enjoy the show but do find cockers a little annoying. I think if the bailiffs were at the gate, we had just been relegated having lost to wasps and the crowd had dropped to a few hundred he would still be saying how brilliant tigers are and that the club's going forward blah blah blah

 

[goodNumber10]

Poor man's Peter Winterbottom.

 

[BlueTiger1]

Haha! I'm sure that was said with tongue firmly in cheek!

Neil's book is now available on Kindle as well here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Rugby.../ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Have finished reading it and it's definitely worth buying. Easy to read, plenty of stuff from his playing days, and he is quite frank about people he played and worked with - plus some good stuff on his time as a coach, especially his year with Rugby Lions, which showed the RFU in a really poor light.

 

[munstermuffin]

Not the biggest fan of back off field comes across quite bitter at times.

I thought that was a key attribute to being a top Tigers player

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I thought that was a key attribute to being a top Tigers player

I HANDed that right to you then.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Haha! I'm sure that was said with tongue firmly in cheek!

Neil's book is now available on Kindle as well here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Rugby.../ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Have finished reading it and it's definitely worth buying. Easy to read, plenty of stuff from his playing days, and he is quite frank about people he played and worked with - plus some good stuff on his time as a coach, especially his year with Rugby Lions, which showed the RFU in a really poor light.

What did the RFU do wrong? My impression was that Rugby's members (at some point) sold the family silverware which led to Michael Aland's (poisonous) involvement and that the rest is history.

Edit: I'm another person who never had much time for Back (off the field), but all reports of the way he handled himself at Rugby paint him as a gentleman.

 

[goodNumber10]

What did the RFU do wrong? My impression was that Rugby's members (at some point) sold the family silverware which led to Michael Aland's (poisonous) involvement and that the rest is history.

Edit: I'm another person who never had much time for Back (off the field), but all reports of the way he handled himself at Rugby paint him as a gentleman.

I think Back comes across as a bitter git, I also hate the way he is lauded for laying out a fan in Paris as though that was some great act of righteous justice when it was just thuggery.

I'm also finding it funny that the OP posted purely to promotr this book and has only come back to promote it further.

 

[HowieLO6]

I think Back comes across as a bitter git, I also hate the way he is lauded for laying out a fan in Paris as though that was some great act of righteous justice when it was just thuggery.

I'm also finding it funny that the OP posted purely to promotr this book and has only come back to promote it further.

Well spotted! Do you think we have THE Dean Eldredge on the forum?

As with a lot of sports books, its largely uninteresting. Characters need to be interesting on and off the field to make for a decent read.

 

[RedruthRFC]

I think Back comes across as a bitter git, I also hate the way he is lauded for laying out a fan in Paris as though that was some great act of righteous justice when it was just thuggery.

Either I'm losing my mind, or that incident passed me by. The Pilkington Cup incident comes top of my "hate list". I was just making the point that the loyalty and generosity he showed to his players at Rugby does show he has some redeeming features.

I'm also finding it funny that the OP posted purely to promotr this book and has only come back to promote it further.

That was my impression too, which is part of the reason I asked a question (although I am genuinely interested in the answer). What really amused me is the three reviews of the book on Amazon - they look like they could have been lifted from the sleeve of the book.....all 5 star funnily enough!

 

[munstermuffin]

I HANDed that right to you then.

As I've always said. The Hand will never be issue here. He did what anyone would've and got away with it. Had it been other way round someone would've had freedom of city here

 

[Tony Manx]

As I've always said. The Hand will never be issue here. He did what anyone would've and got away with it. Had it been other way round someone would've had freedom of city here

Very day cent of ye MM! Shame peoe are less forgiving about Broad's failure to walk after knocking a catch to slip and, outrageously, being given not out!!!

 

[munstermuffin]

Very day cent of ye MM! Shame peoe are less forgiving about Broad's failure to walk after knocking a catch to slip and, outrageously, being given not out!!!

I presuming that's cricket. It looks fun but don't get that game at all

 

[BlueTiger1]

I've come back to discuss it as I'm a Tigers fan, but I went to watch a few Rugby Lions games during Backy's season there. I didn't quite realise how bad things were at RL that season until I'd read this book, and it really is unbelievable that people are able to own sports clubs and get away with that level of fraud.

 

[RedruthRFC]

I've come back to discuss it as I'm a Tigers fan, but I went to watch a few Rugby Lions games during Backy's season there. I didn't quite realise how bad things were at RL that season until I'd read this book, and it really is unbelievable that people are able to own sports clubs and get away with that level of fraud.

These things are only made possible by the greed / vanity of club members who are prepared to give away a club with a proud history built on the efforts of many generations of committed people.

Your post doesn't answer my question above - why were the RFU in the wrong over the unfortunate events at Rugby?

 

[BlueTiger1]

From what I've read, the RFU were in the wrong as they allowed Michael Aland to continue as club owner, despite not paying wages to staff and players. The chapter in the book covers this, although I got the feeling that Backy was a little reserved on how critical he was.

He did, however, quote that the RFU visited the club on two separate occasions over their concerns, and yet were sent away by Aland with no sanctions against the club.

Just look at what happened with London Welsh to see what should have happened to Aland. Instead the club were demoted after the season finished, and Aland was allowed to walk away with no sanctions.

Hope that helps to answer your question.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Just look at what happened with London Welsh to see what should have happened to Aland. Instead the club were demoted after the season finished, and Aland was allowed to walk away with no sanctions.

Hope that helps to answer your question.

Yes and no! My recollection of what happened at London Welsh is hazy, other than sanctioning the deal for the fraudster to take over the club, what was the RFU's involvement in how things played out? There is a case to say that the RFU's due diligence before accepting the deal (and presumably the Rugby deal) was decidedly lacking, but surely the bulk of this responsibility lies with the club in question.

Once the club is owned by a fraudster, what power do the RFU have to step in and sort things out?

The frightening thing is that Aland seems to have walked away from the mess he left at Rugby scot-free, while the London Welsh guy got a significant prison sentence IIRC.