Thinking Outside the Box: My Journey in Search of the Beautiful Game

by Brad Friedel (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2009

  $5.68

  'To be able to work well in the box, I believe you have to be able to think outside the box ' - a fascinating insider account of the Premier League and life at the top level of football from one of the country's best-rated goalkeepers.

  Goalkeepers have an unusual view of the world, but Brad Friedel's is more unusual than most. An American, a university graduate, a visionary and a deep thinker, he spurns football culture to concentrate on his game and develop his ideas.

  One of the most highly-rated - and experienced - goalkeepers in the country, Friedel endured a five-year battle to play in the Premier League. His incredible journey took him from three World Cup tournaments, spells with foreign clubs, and finally to the top flight at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa.

  Friedel's inspirational story provides true perspective and takes us outside the box and inside the world of professional football in a way only he can.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2009

  $3.25

  Why was Liverpool like a living football museum? How do you improve the probability of saving a penalty? What's the difference between an 'improver' manager and an 'importer' manager? Is the sigmoid curve the most important tool a footballer can have? And what can we learn from Victorian philanthropists? These are just some of the questions that Brad Friedel addresses in his intelligent, observational style as he thinks outside the box and takes us across continents and inside football in a way that only he can. Goalkeepers have an unusual view of the world, but Brad Friedel's is more unusual than most. Not surprising, considering he travelled nearly one million miles in a five-year battle to win a work permit to play in the Premier League. More than this, he got an education. First as a student at UCLA and then travelling the world earning $35 a day against the likes of Brazil and Argentina; living and playing in Denmark, Turkey and the USA; and developing his own ideas and views for his football academy. This uplifting and inspirational story takes you deep into the world of Premier League football and in doing so puts the glamour into true perspective. Brad Friedel has little time for the materialistic culture which surrounds professional football. Because he believes in loyalty, he has turned down lucrative contracts and took a 60 per cent pay cut to join Blackburn Rovers. Yet he is one to grasp opportunity and he made a surprise move to Aston Villa at the age of 37. He is a visionary footballing philanthropist who has more interest in changing the world than changing his image. This book shows there is another way for footballers.