sun newspaper, SEX, BOOZE AND THE BIGGEST SCANDEL IN HISTORY OF RUGBY LEAGUE. is this the type of publicity our family game needs just because some washed out player wants to make a few extra quid for his retirement fund, thoughts anyone. apologies if already posted

I bet a few of the players won't thank him for that. Particularly naming a certain ex wire player as wanting to put £500 on saints to lose that bradford game!

Doesn't seem like he gives a toss who he names in it.

Indeed, he'll be sleeping with one eye open from now on.

Isn't that what "Autobiographies" are about? Telling your side of the story and not being bothered who gets named.

This is going to be different though. Eammon McManus was interviewed last week, and he said he had a look through the book and there were some errors, but there was nothing that mentions any stuff at St Helens.

So it looks like the so called "Autobiography" has been checked over by his current employers before being allowed to go on sale. Ergo, it's probably not going to have a lot of "scandal" in it, well, apart from when he was thrown off the GB flight, and of course the betting thing. And it probably won't have much regarding St Helens, despite him playing most of his career there.

I'll still give it a read though.

I'd much rather read an autobiography that tells the truth about what has happened in the writers life warts and all rather than the I remember playing such a team, and we won and I was happy then I won the cup blah blah blah boring.

I see the family game myth still persists

why is it a myth, take my grandkids every week and yet to personally see any trouble, and no I don't wear blinkers or head in sand, I might be one of the lucky one's

Ajaytastic!

Sounds like Longy's trying to convince us all he's bad ass bragging about all the beer he can drink and all the women he's had.



The difference was George Best was bedding actresses and supermodels, I bet Long was picking up drunk chavs from St Helens.

In regards to the betting scandal, I didn't realise it was for the amount it was. I always imagined they'd have had thousands on it, not a £1000 to win £909.

Rugby League is mainly played by young working class lads who like to drink, do drugs, fight and chase women, much like the fans who watch it. Granted there are are a lot more women and kids who go to games now compared with twenty years ago but I would still say it was a game for working class males rather than the family game that is always banded about.

=whitePuts on tin hat and hides in the bunker

He knew they were going to get thrashed so why not go for something bigger than 10/11 odds? He could have made for of a killing. Tripled or quadrupled his money.

Because 10/11 is the general odds for a handicapped rl game.ims the game was bradford -6.

cant really see the problem with players hving a bet.Basicaly it was the bookies who were caught off guard by people in the know, who caused all the commotion. There are plenty of players and staff in all 3 rl divisions who like to have a bet.

Just what is 'working class' anyway? I bet the people you are talking about still own a car, possibly there own home, go on holiday every year and buy the biggest flat screen TV they can find. Not 'working class' in my book; indeed are there any left?

I don't own a car, not got a flat screen TV and have been on one holiday since 2002. I play and watch Rugby League with the other plebs.

would be a good read to take on my jollys to egypt....the lad is a character for sure....good luck to him...hope it sells well

Working class doesn't mean what it used to in the Marxist proletarian terms.

Socially van drivers, kitchen fitters, construction workers etc fit the same kind of identity that traditional working class men had. Then you also have blokes who do manual trade jobs who are self employed, eg plumbers, carpenters, some boiler repair men etc, they probably see themselves as working class but they aren't in economic class terms.

The economic working class today are often in office based or customer service jobs, call centres or retail etc, or low level admin workers. Even lots of graduates are in these types of jobs. They are not on subsistence wages like the workers of the industrial revolution and they are protected by employment rights but they are in a position where they are being forced to sell their labour usually doing jobs they hate, to pay the bills.

When latchfordbob says its a game for working class males what he probably means is down to earth northern blokes of low to medium incomes who have a shared identity and are not pretentious, they generally like going out for beers with their mates, watching sport etc. For them watching RL is an affordable form of entertainment and a way of socialising with others, in the way that going for golf weekends and drinking champagne would be a form of entertainment for bank managers annd lawyers.

I think Longy deserves the nickname 'Isaiah.'

no think you mean Judas

Certainly an interesting read if The Sun is anything to go by. I might consider it.

I'll give this thread two more pages if that.

Well, I can only go on available evidence of course. Not a Sun reader by nature.

Pity it had to be The Sun actually.

It was never going to be the Daily Mail.

I always enjoy reading sport auto biogs, but they have to be honest. I've read Beckhams, and he's scared of saying anything bad about anyone, whereas Robbie Fowlers is like a breath of fresh air, he tells exactly what he thinks. Hope longs is like that.

He exposes a few home truths, like the Brian Noble International coach fiasco. Some good funny articles and you don,t have to be a saints fan.

Ah, but the difference there is that Beckham's could be a book about his trips to the hairdressers and it'd still sell by the million, whereas Fowler as to fill his with scandal because otherwise nobody would be interested in the life of an average Scouse footy player.

Ulitimately, the rule is, when it comes to autobiographies, the less well known you are the more juicy you make your book, so as to try and sell more.