Slightly nauseating hero

NATIONAL hero he may be, but for those of us not of a certain age, the appearance of Sir Geoff Hurst has always been slightly nauseating.

Obvious reasons decree that at vital moments in the football calendar, Hurst is dragged out in front of the cameras to deliver his expert opinions.

Unfortunately his take on the entire history of football usually seems to begin when he enters the field at Wembley Stadium one hot summer's day in 1966 and pretty much ends later that same afternoon when some people run on the pitch.

Of course Hurst's autobiography begins at Wembley Stadium 36 years ago, but he gives enough background and personal insight in to England's only World Cup win to make it more than just another stale re-hashing of the big day.

Not least when he admits his fears that, due to the coverage that football gets these days, his own achievements would be diminished if his country were to repeat that victory.

It's a fair comment, and honesty like that always makes for a good read.

So too does a good anecdote and Hurst has plenty of those too, particularly about characters such as Bobby Moore, Ron Greenwood and Jack Charlton - who apparently slept on a stranger's settee on the night he became a World Cup winner - although precious little is revealed about his relationship with Jimmy Greaves, after the latter was replaced by the author for the game with West Germany.

Although the book's obvious selling point is 1966 and all that, it is refreshing that the ex-West Ham star could talk for England on the state of the modern game - for example he is a big fan of Michael Owen and feels that his power would have been the perfect compliment to Owen's pace.

Hurst is revealed as a modest man with a genuine love and knowledge of football, and despite his tendency to hark back to the good old days, the autobiography of the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final is not only an important and relevant book, but also an enjoyable one.