HOW TERRACE TALES WORKS!
The wonder goal.
The well timed tackle.
The perfect pass.
The beautiful save.
All moments in football that are forever etched in the memory from the footballer to the fan.
Every footballer has a story.
Some stories are about trophies and international honours.
Others are about overcoming setbacks, fighting for a first-team place, moving clubs, dealing with injury, falling out with a manager, making an unexpected comeback, or discovering what life is really like behind the scenes.
But a career is rarely captured by statistics alone.
Terrace Tales exists to capture the person behind the footballer.
We work with former professional footballers to create professionally produced autobiographies and associated media content.
Our approach is different from a traditional publishing arrangement.
Rather than simply commissioning your story and paying players a conventional royalty, Terrace Tales proposes a joint venture in which both parties share in the commercial success of the project.
We invest our expertise, resources and infrastructure.
You bring the story, experience and personality.
We also recognise the importance of featuring the strong bonds that exist between the players and the fans.
Together, we create something with lasting value.
Our clients include EPL & EFL managers
International players
Non-league, EFL and EPL players
Meet the team ...
Our specialised teams have many years experience in the finest sports writing, editing, publishing and promoting that will prove invaluable along the journey!
Every single footballer has a story to tell!
Rob Carless
Chief Writer
Rob Carless has written extensively about football and collaborated with former players on their autobiographies that includes Shaun Teale and now Martin Grainger, Chris Kirkland and John Gregory. Rob's books include the acclaimed Three Games in May: And a twenty-year odyssey that defined Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, and Under The Floodlights which tells the story of the Football League Cup from 1960 to 2024.
Simon Goodyear
Chief Editor
Not only is Simon one of the best Editors in the business, but he also a veteran of many football books that he has written with such notable ex-footballers such as Peter Withe, Brian Little and Tony Daley alongside many other great titles.
Simon will also carry out writing duties for the team so we will be keeping him busy!
Curtis Sport
The Publisher
Curtis Sport was formed in 2009 by Stuart Curtis. The company quickly became of the biggest publishing companies for match day programmes in Scotland and England for some of the biggest football clubs. More recently, Curtis Sport have produced autobiographies for the likes of Gerry Armstrong and Brendon Batson
RPG
The Promoters
The company was set up by Paul Ryder at the start of the 2020's and RPG have since become one of the finest and biggest sports event management companies in the country that include events with Paul Gascoigne, Dean Saunders and Paul Merson amongst many others
Pre-Order
There are not many footballers that can tell their story like John Gregory can.
The dynamic midfielder went on to manage three of the clubs that he played for and won six full England caps under Sir Bobby Robson.
And now for the very first time, John Gregory will tell his tale that took him as player from Northampton Town, Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion, Queens Park Rangers and Derby County playing in every single outside position on the field.
Never afraid to tackle a player or a question from the press, the autobiography covers his extensive career in football management from Wycombe Wanderers, Aston Villa, Derby County, Queens Park Rangers, Crawley Town and abroad.
From playing under some of the most influential managers of all time from Ron Saunders, Terry Venables to locking horns with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger. Written with acclaimed writer, Rob Carless, The Ties That Bind is a must-read for fans of the beautiful game and how to get to the top of it.
A Terrace Tales Publication
Out Now
Chris Kirkland admirably represented several clubs in a glittering career that lasted for almost twenty years in the game. The popular shot-stopper also represented England at senior international level and became the most expensive goalkeeper at the time in 2001 when he signed for the mighty Liverpool for a British transfer fee of £6m.
He started his career at Coventry City and played for West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday amongst others.
His rise to the top of the game came at a cost as he developed a serious dependency on pain killers that almost forced him to take his own life and experience severe mental health issues.
And now for the very first time, Chris will be releasing his autobiography with Rob Carless from Terrace Tales. The book will document the journey that Chris Kirkland took and will give a candid insight into his world of football and the mental health issues that he faced and overcame.
Featuring contributions from high profile sports and music personalities.
A Terrace Tales Publication
Out Now
Grainger cut his teeth in the brutal world of non-League football and the lower professional ones in the late 1980s and early part of the 21st century, at a time before English football went through its transformation in 1992.
He was a tough-tackling left-back who liked to get forward and was in some ways very much ahead of his time, scoring important goals for all the clubs that he played for including Colchester United, Brentford, Birmingham City and on loan to Coventry City, before returning back to St. Andrews where he finished his career. Grainger soon became known for his set-piece specialities, scoring many times from all sorts of angles.
He was instrumental in helping Birmingham City get to the Premier League in 2002, but by then his injuries had taken its toll on him and he found first-team appearances hard to come by, but not before scoring his final goal against the mighty Manchester United with a trademark free-kick.
Martin Grainger always gave his all and was well liked by the fans wherever he played.
This book tells the story of how it all happened, as he played for some of football’s finest characters like Jock Wallace and Barry Fry, as well as Steve Bruce and Trevor Francis.
From non-League to the Premier League, CUT SHORT tells the story of how Martin Grainger made it to the top against all the odds and is a MUST-READ for football fans of all ages.
A Terrace Tales Publication
Out Now
Shaun Teale’s football story is one of rejection, perseverance, belief and, ultimately, success, as he reached the very top of the game. He was 24 when he finally became a professional footballer. He never took it for granted and made the most of every second of it.
Here, There & Everywhere tells the story of Shaun’s journey from the brutal world of non-league football in the eighties through to cup final glory in the nineties and beyond.
During his spells with Southport, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Tranmere, Preston, Carlisle, Motherwell, Burscough and Northwich Victoria, Shaun played with and against some of the world’s greatest players and was managed by some of the biggest names in football.
Shaun tells his story the same way he played – honest, tough and wearing his heart on his sleeve.
“He’s here. He’s there. He’s every f**king where.”
He’s Shaun Teale!
Out Now
Foreword by Ron Atkinson and Steve Bull
During a 25-year playing career, Tony Daley made over 400 appearances for Aston Villa, Wolves, Watford, Walsall and Forest Green Rovers. Daley also played seven times for England.
This book tells the story of how it all happened for the talented winger, who went on to play for the team that he supported as a boy proving that dreams do come true.
Written in collaboration with Simon Goodyear
Out Now
Three Games in May takes us all the way back to Manchester United’s final three matches of the 1998/99 season.
Prior to these games, United had won nothing that year.
However, what unfolded over those 11 days at the end of May would see them complete THE most unique of trebles, and it all came down to the final few seconds of the Champions League Final at the Camp Nou.
Drama at its finest!
By chronicling the twenty-year period of 1989 to 2009, including anecdotes from the players, fans, and journalists who witnessed the historic events first-hand, Three Games in May provides a unique perspective on the events leading up to those fateful three games, as well as the three great dynasties that Sir Alex Ferguson built at Old Trafford; a period that began with United’s greatest-ever manager facing the sack!
A must-read for all Manchester United supporters, Three Games in May demonstrates that there is more to the story than those three trophies and takes the reader on a nostalgic journey through all the trials, tribulations, and, ultimately, the glory.
