James Milner's first appearance in the Premier League was as a substitute for Manchester United's new technical director, Jason Wilcox. He is that bloody old. 634 Premier League appearances later, he may soon takeover Gareth Barry as the player with the most appearances of all.

In 2019, he wrote Ask a Footballer, which is not so much an autobiography as it is a collection of thoughts - musings even - on the life of a Premier League footballer.

Ultimately, the thing that most people interested in this book want to know is, is James Milner as boring as they say. Tune in for Episode 14 to find out.

In Episode 13 we read about the life and times of the chicken licking, Marseilles fan kicking, Patrice Evra.

Born in Senegal, one of 24 children (not a typo), and raised in the meanest streets of Paris, Evra won five Premier Leagues with Manchester United and two Scudettos with Juventus. He also has the less enviable accolade of being the player who has lost the most ever Champions League finals taking (but not taking home) four losers medals to go with the one winners medal he got for beating Chelsea on that famous night in Moscow in 2008.

Published in 2008, ghost written by Andy Mitten (from Britain), the book is called I Love This Game. Is it an edge of the box belter against Bayern of a book or more like the botched circumcision that the young Patrice once endured. Listen to find out.

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Arsene Who?

In Episode 12, we review our first book by a manager. He may have been a stranger when he arrived in England in 1996 but he is no stranger now. In his 22 years with Arsenal, Wenger went from nobody to managerial royalty, with a turn towards the end as the most hated man in North London, or at least so it seemed at the time.

Is this the sex-filled page turner that Al has been calling for since we launched the good ship Bookmen? Tune in to find out.

Thanks to my friend Samyak for the recommendation.

Who better to follow Diego Maradona than the Aldershot Hotshot Steve Claridge?

Probably most famous for scoring the goal that got Leicester up to the Premier League in 1996, football's fruit and veg man played for 24 (by our count) clubs in a career that spanned four decades. Throughout that period, he traveled around in battered cars as he commuted from his parents house in Portsmouth to clubs all over the south and southeast, earning himself a reputation for tardiness and for having the filthiest boots in football.

Written in 1997, Tales from the Boot Camps is the first of Claridge's books and covers the years right up to that promotion winning belter at Wembley in 1996.

Episode 10, the magic and mayhem of Diego Maradona.

In this episode, Al and Johnny slalom their way around flailing defenders and through the life of arguably the best and certainly the greatest player of them all.

Written in 2004, El Diego examines the life of a boy from Villa Fiorito in Buenos Aires who conquered Italy with lowly Napoli and the world in the blue and white of Argentina.

Includes tips on how to beat a goalkeeper in the air...

In Episode 9, we take a tour on an open top bin lorry with Neville Southall's The Binman Chronicles back to a time when Everton FC were riding high at the top of the English football pyramid.

In a career that brought him such highs as two league wins, Southall also experienced the lows (or at least, the lowers) of playing in the basement of English football with teams like Bury, Torquay, Southend and Rhyl in a career that began in the 70s and ended in the 2000s.

A Wales and Everton legend and an all round great guy, putting out positive vibes on his twitter and using coaching to help under privileged kids. Have a listen. We'd love to hear any feedback.

In Episode 8, Al and Johnny visit the first literary work by Peter Crouch, the all volleying, sometime header-ing, everyman of English football.

At 6ft 7 inches, Crouch is the 3rd tallest player ever to play in the Premier League and while he ended his career as a universally liked person, his road to stardom started with regular abuse from fans, including his own. So bad was the guff that he received for his unusual body shape, his father ended up in physical fights with fellow matching going supporters.

From roboting for the future King of England to being described by a government minister in Trinidad and Tobago as the country's most hated ever Englishman, Crouch has certainly left his mark. Published in 2018, How to be a Footballer was written just as Crouchie was finishing up his playing career with Stoke City. Tune in to find out to hear Al and Johnny's take on this, the first in the Peter Crouch canon of three books.

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Music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA

In the introduction to his Back from the Brink, his 2006 autobiography, Paul McGrath is described by his ghostwriter, Vincent Hogan, as "undeniably Ireland's best loved sportsman". In Episode 7 of the Ademola Bookmen Podcast, Al and Johnny wrestle with what must surely be one of the heaviest books in the football canon. The book, which won both the William Hill and Boylesports sports books of the year in Ireland in 2006, covers McGrath's heartbreaking childhood as an orphan in a series of Dublin orphanages, his illustrious club career with Manchester United and Aston Villa, his legendary displays in an iconic Ireland team, and his decades' long battle with alcoholism. Treat your ears, have a listen...

https://twitter.com/bookmenpod

https://www.instagram.com/the_ademola_bookmen_podcast/

https://www.tiktok.com/@ademolabookmenpodcast

Music by Darragh Fenlon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4vf6hiFpsMvTd3oTHv1o5H?si=Wa4sj22eTvG5xuIMKjIqrA