Tangled up in Dessie

Only the most hard-core Dublin fan or Dessie Farrell fan will enjoy the former football star's autobiography. So says Patrick Kennelly

Former Dublin football star Dessie Farrell begins his book by dropping the reader straight into the action – the GAA political action, that is. Fast-forwarding his career to the present day, we find Farrell vulnerable and seemingly alone. This is the first of many battles against authority that are presented to the reader as "Farrell vs the world".

First, there's the Dublin GAA board (who want to sack Tommy Carr); then there is the reign of Tommy Lyons (a manager Dessie never saw eye-to-eye with); then there are the injuries, marital breakdown, depression and suicidal tendencies. Were it written with a little panache, subtlety and style, one might feel sympathy for Farrell. However, the style adopted (that of sheer bluntness) makes his tale seem less Angela's Ashes and more Roy Keane.

Farrell's "battles" highlighted his incredible determination and the reader can't help but be intrigued as to how this football star dealt with these problems. His encounters on the pitch, however, are described in monotone and repetitive fashion and bring no such sense of excitement. Only the most hard-core Dublin or Farrell fans will relish the blow-by-blow details of each game, the reader having to persist with moments of mundane triviality explored in chapter-long passages.

His All-Ireland victory, the pinnacle of Farrell's career, is described at the end of these chapters but by then the reader has become tired and weary of Farrell's/Potts' journalistic accounts of the matches. Even the post-match session in the Burlington Hotel and the mention of a 2am argument between Páidi Ó Sé and Pat O'Neill (that had to be separated by Bertie Ahern) will draw little exclamation from the reader.

Unfortunately, the matters discussed that excite and interest are only mentioned fleetingly or as small paragraphs within long pages of match reports. Farrell had a conflicted relationship with the GAA. He murmurs his discontent with the Association, at one stage wondering whether "the GAA has been as much a hindrance as a help to sport in general". Farrell's discontent remains simply a grudge and he never explores how the GAA might be improved and not simply ignored or opposed.

Further glimpses of interest are seen when Farrell delves into his personal psyche. A rare insight into his mind and to just how determined a man and a footballer he was, is never better portrayed when he discusses sacrificing his personal life for football: "I will never try to justify selfishness, but am at a loss to understand how any young, talented sportsman who aspires to achieve success can do so without some sacrifice". This statement is crucial, having come after Farrell had told us of his problems with balancing football and marriage. A battle in which he would eventually fail.

The most fascinating part of the book is Farrell's final stab at the GAA through the Gaelic Player's Association (GPA). Farrell's belief in the importance of the player is one of his most endearing characteristics.

Farrell's propagandistic use of his autobiography is commendable in its selflessness regarding other GAA players. Upon finishing the book, the reader will realise how much sacrifice Farrell had to make for the GAA and how little it gave him back.

Farrell addresses image rights, the contentious issue of professionalism or semi-professionalism in GAA, tax breaks, insurance and injury schemes with the knowledge, passion and determination that he showed on the pitch. His strong voice is used admirably and successfully in highlighting his case: "I believe that the change towards a tiered structure of semi-professionalism will come about regardless of all the emotive arguments. It is inevitable."

This is, however, a sports autobiography. It remains based and developed on the career of one man on the pitch. Unfortunately, it is the exploits on the pitch that are least relevant and least interesting of a man whose courage, determination and experience outside the game are truly commendable.