on days like these: the lost memoir of a goalkeeper

’Emotional, insightful, beautifully written. A story of making saves and being saved. The best football book I have read this year.’ Henry Winter

Sir Alex Ferguson looked at Joe Sealey: ’You know your dad saved my career?’ Joe replied: ’And you saved his.’

More than three decades before, in 1990, Ferguson’s managerial career stood at its lowest ebb. After three barren years at Old Trafford, he was facing dismissal. There was just the FA Cup final left. Manchester United were lucky to escape with a 3-3 draw at Wembley. For the replay, Ferguson took the gamble of his life, replacing his long-standing keeper, Jim Leighton, with Les Sealey, on loan from Luton. United won. Ferguson remained, winning another 24 major trophies.

Les Sealey would play in another three finals for United. When he died suddenly, aged 43, Les left behind a warm, witty, and detailed autobiography in the form of a Tupperware box full of cassette tapes. His death, however, threw his son, Joe, into a tormented spiral of alcoholism and drug abuse before he was dragged from the brink.

On Days Like These, longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, is the story of a remarkable double rescue. Of a football club and of a man.

’Brings alive early 90s #MUFC & the mad genius of Ferguson’ Sam Wallace

Although he began his career in sports journalism as a cricket writer for the Sunderland Echo, Tim Rich has been captivated by football for half a lifetime. Working for The Independent, The Daily Telegraph and The ’i’ Paper, he has covered Newcastle United under Bobby Robson, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson and, latterly, Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. On Days Like These is his third book and follows his acclaimed biography of Marcelo Bielsa, The Quality of Madness, which was shortlisted for The Daily Telegraph Football Book of the Year. He lives in Cheshire with his stepdaughter, Rose and their three cats.