Tanner Returns

ROVERS RETURN FOR TANNER

ROVERS RETURN FOR TANNER

It's a big day for Nick Tanner tomorrow, returning to Bristol Rovers for a book-signing session as a guest of the club where his rise to fame really started, en route from non-League Mangotsfield United to mighty Liverpool.

The pre-match event starts at 12.30 on Saturday 9 December, with fellow former Gas stars Gary Penrice, Phil Purnell and Steve White all joining Nick, chatting with fans and signing copies of From A Field to Anfield.

As a taste of things to come for Rovers fans, here's Nick (far right) captured along with (left to right) ex Rovers team-mates Phil Purnell, Gary Penrice and Ian Weston, plus Graeme Souness and Nick's lad William Tanner - who all feature in the book!

* * *

From A Field To Anfield is the inspirational story of Nick Tanner’s against-the-odds rise from the uncompromising grassroots football scene in Bristol to the glamour of then-champions Liverpool.

Nick’s story is not one of spending years mollycoddled in an academy system and having success handed to him, but of graft, days spent working in a factory before making it to the top, and being sold to Bristol Rovers by non-league Mangotsfield United for a couple of floodlight bulbs.

Nick was a member of the last Liverpool squad to win the title, was in the stands at Hillsborough in 1989, and scored a Merseyside derby goal at Goodison Park, so his tales naturally include Anfield legends and A-list events with Kenny Dalglish and the rest. Equally, though, his is an inspirational story for any budding footballer about just how far hard work and relentless dedication can take you if you are willing to put in the yards. Nick also opens up on the personal impact of his career-ending injury, along with his various ongoing struggles.

A warts-and-all story detailing both the glamour and struggle of football, from the bottom of the pyramid to the top. Read From A Field To Anfield and discover:

  • How a telephone call from Kenny Dalglish changed Nick’s life forever. At 23, he had been on the verge of joining fourth division Torquay United
  • Nick’s delight at proving the doubters wrong time and time again
  • What life was really like under both Dalglish and Graeme Souness, as Liverpool went through difficult times on and off the field
  • How Nick scored on his Bristol Rovers debut - against arch rivals City - and then started work at 7.30am for a full factory shift at British Aerospace
  • The story of Nick’s ‘fortunate escape’ after being coached by a man later convicted of sex offences against children
  • Colourful tales from Nick’s decade in non-league management, including the time he let his players have a morale-boosting pint on the way to a match
  • The thoughts and recollections of Nick’s former managers Dalglish, Souness, Phil Thompson and Bobby Gould

Cllick here for more information, or to read a sample from Nick Tanner's From a Field to Anfield.