Paul Nixon

Jon Colman

From Gower to Flintoff, Waugh to Vaughan, Cronje to Pietersen, Paul Nixon has shared a dressing room with some of the most evocative names in international and domestic cricket – and often enraged them on the field of play. The wicketkeeper, known as his sport’s most prolific ‘sledger’, has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style. From ‘Fredalo’ to match-fixing, Nixon has experienced some of the most notorious episodes in cricket history, possesses strident opinions on the game and has a track record of success in the English first-class game and the Twenty20 revolution. With an accent on off-the-field anecdotes, Nixon also lays bare the personality that led the Australian legend Steve Waugh to compare him to: ‘a mosquito buzzing around in the night, that needs to be swatted but always escapes.’

The Autobiography

Keeping Quiet: Paul Nixon

Matt Jansen

What do you do when the world is at your feet . . . and then suddenly it isnt? Matt Jansen had it all. He was young, quick, audaciously skilful and, at the turn of the millennium, regarded as one of the most intelligent attacking talents in English football. His potential seemed boundless. After bursting onto the scene with Carlisle United in 1997 Sir Alex Ferguson tried to lure him to Manchester United  but foreseeing only a bench spot at Old Trafford, Jansen instead opted for Steve Coppells Crystal Palace. In 1999, he moved to Blackburn Rovers, and after blasting them back to the Premier League in 2001 and scoring in the 2002 League Cup final victory over Spurs, he was widely tipped to be part of Englands 2002 World Cup squad  but coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had a last-minute change of heart and instead selected Martin Keown. While England battled it out in the Far East, Jansen took a holiday to Rome. He and his girlfriend were on a moped when they were hit by a taxi. Matt suffered a brain haemorrhage and slipped into a coma for six days. Jansen survived and, astonishingly, he was back playing for Blackburn just four months later. But while his body may have recovered, his mind had not. In the shadow of the accident, he was unable to recapture the instinctive genius or the bullet-proof self-confidence that had previously defined him. This was a hidden breakdown  nothing that could be picked up by a fitness test or fixed on an operating table. As Jansens career as an elite footballer slipped away from him, he started to discover more about what had happened to him and how he could recover not only as an athlete, but as a person. With insights from a range of contributors, including Graeme Souness, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sam Allardyce, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Lucy Jansen and Professor Steve Peters, this is the astonishing story of a career destined for the stratosphere, cruelly snatched away by the vagaries of fate. Brilliant, bold, and at times brutal in its honesty, this powerful tale of shattered dreams and a life rebuilt is a testament to an inspiring, unconquered soul.

The Autobiography: What Was, What Is and What Might Have Been

From Gower to Flintoff, Waugh to Vaughan, Cronje to Pietersen, Paul Nixon has shared a dressing room with some of the most evocative names in international and domestic cricket - and often enraged them on the field of play. The wicketkeeper, known as his sport's most prolific 'sledger', has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style. From 'Fredalo' to match-fixing, Nixon has experienced some of the most notorious episodes in cricket history, possesses strident opinions on the game and has a track record of success in the English first-class game and the Twenty20 revolution. With an accent on off-the-field anecdotes, Nixon also lays bare the personality that led the Australian legend Steve Waugh to compare him to: "a mosquito buzzing around in the night, that needs to be swatted but always escapes."

Jon Colman

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