Leroy

LEROY LAUNCHES IN SCOTLAND

LEROY LAUNCHES IN SCOTLAND

Last week saw a hugely successful Scottish launch for Leroy Rosenior’s It’s Only Banter at a Glasgow event organised by GMB Glasgow General APEX Branch.

Leroy gave a typically passionate, thought-provoking talk on the spectre of racism in football, and was then interviewed by Gary Smith (Scottish Secretary, GMB), taking questions from the floor. Gary has previously worked with and knows Leroy via Show Racism the Red Card.

There was a full house, with all feedback received being consistently positive, and a number of attendees are now looking to further engage with Show Racism the Red Card both in Scotland and in England.

Leroy finished up chatting with the audience and signing books – a very large pile becoming a very small pile over the course of the enjoyable evening.

Special thanks to Tommy Breslin, Development Officer at Scottish Union Learning, and Gary Smith for their help and enthusiasm in staging the event – also to United Glasgow FC and to Kevin Buchanan for a whole set of excellent photos.

‘It’s Only Banter’ cuts across three generations of the Rosenior family. It's the story of an extrovert father who dealt with the racism – both everyday and life-threatening – with wit and charm; of a son who learned that keeping your head down was the best option for a black player in English professional football in the early 80s; and his son Liam, who has followed his father into football and carved out a successful Premier League career. 

  • A brutally honest and funny autobiography, Leroy Rosenior’s story covers over 30 years in the game as a player, coach, manager and pundit
  • Racially abused by an opponent on the biggest night of his young career, faced with 15,000 Nazi salutes from hostile fans and, as a manager, turned away from an opponent’s boardroom. With startling honesty, Leroy explains what it is really like to be a black footballer
  • Leroy looks back on a fascinating career that saw him score goals wherever he went and play alongside some of the games’ biggest names and under some of its most charismatic managers
  • Including interviews with many of the key people in his career, Leroy’s story draws on those experiences to offer solutions to problems that, despite slow progress, refuse to go away

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from It's Only Banter.