The Book of Best by Owen O'Reilly

1 of 1

A highly commendable collection

Dublin-based college lecturer Owen O'Reilly has collected famous sayings, by and about, football legend George Best in this compact, pocket-sized book.

Quotes and reflections are conveniently separated into different sections, each with self-explanatory titles for Best fans - Belfast Boy, El Beatle, Girls Talk, At Her Majesty's Pleasure, for example.
While the majority of quotes are well known, some come as a surprise, but all have plenty of humour attached while several are quite sentimental.

Some of the sayings from the great man himself include old reliables like: "I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World..."; and "In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol and it was the worst twenty minutes of my life."

There's plenty of comment, too, on Best's life and career from stars such as Pat Jennings, Bobby Charlton and Pat Crerand. Former Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty once said: "The thing about George Best is that he could pass a ball beautifully but he couldn't pass a pub."

Many quotes have appeared in previous publications which are listed in the book along with a useful chronology of best Best moments. Additionally, the author also goes right back to schoolboy football and lists every team Best played for (including the three games Best played for the now defunct Cork Celtic in the League of Ireland) along with every goal.

'The Book of Best' is not just for football fans - it is for George Best fans. You can chart his downfall through the years and get a sense that he finally realised what was wrong, but this realisation came too late. Owen O'Reilly has put together a highly commendable title, but it could have done with more photos and illustrations.

Mark O'Neill-Cummins