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Johnny Phillips blog: Soccer Saturday reporter meets man behind Alan McLoughlin's book

'A Different Shade of Green is a tale of morality and identity'

Image: Alan McLoughlin's book might rival Roy Keane's, says Johnny

Johnny Phillips urges you to read a gripping book by an ex-Ireland star but it's not Roy Keane's...

If you think there has been too much coverage given to a former Irish midfielder’s autobiography lately, then you might be right.

Roy Keane didn’t want for press attention and backpage coverage when publicising his second tome – but in the week that Ireland prepare for another World Cup qualifier, can I point you in the direction of one of Keane’s former World Cup team-mates whose story may not be as high profile but is arguably more compelling – a tale of identity and mortality?

There are plenty of books about what it’s like to be Anglo-Irish. There are much fewer books which talk about what it is like to grow up Irish in England.
Dr Bryce Evans

Alan McLoughlin scored the goal that took Ireland to the 1994 World Cup and joined Keane in Jack Charlton’s squad for the tournament in the USA.

He won 42 caps for his country, as well as becoming a favourite on the south coast during his seven years with Portsmouth.

More recently he overcame cancer of the kidney and agreed to become a research experiment in the fight against the disease. His autobiography, A Different Shade of Green, has been nominated alongside Keane’s in this year’s Irish Book Awards.

It was ghosted by Portsmouth and Ireland fan Dr Bryce Evans, a history lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, who got in touch with McLoughlin out of the blue.

Obsession

“I am an academic, not a sports journalist, so I did not know Alan before we began the process,” explained Evans. “I simply explained that my mother is from County Kerry and my father from Portsmouth so, growing up as a fan of both the Republic and Pompey during his playing days, Alan was inevitably a hero of my youth.

“They say you should never meet your heroes because they will always disappoint you. Well, in this case the opposite was true. I had barely heard Alan talk before I began speaking with him so I was discovering all sorts of new depths to my boyhood hero.”

The first topic of the book centres on the Anglo-Irish identity of McLoughlin. “There are plenty of books about what it’s like to be Anglo-Irish. There are much fewer books which talk about what it is like to grow up Irish in England,” Evans continued.

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“This book addresses that head-on, taking issue with the English press and their obsession with ‘Plastic Paddies’ during Irish football’s glory years under Jack Charlton.

“This slur was at its height when England were doing badly, which is no coincidence. But this issue isn’t confined to the English press pack.

"The book also criticises the likes of Roy Keane and Eamon Dunphy, who see themselves as some sort of self-appointed arbiters of national identity, questioning whether players like Alan understood what it meant to play for Ireland.

"Since both Alan’s parents are Irish, he knew what it was all about.”

Honest

McLoughlin retired from football 11 years ago, seeing out his career in non-league with Forest Green. It was whilst working as a youth coach back at Portsmouth that he was diagnosed with kidney cancer two years ago and underwent surgery to have one kidney removed.

“After receiving the all-clear on kidney cancer, Alan voluntarily became a guinea pig for medical science,” Evans added. “He is 21 months into a three-year voluntary trial of an experimental drug which has been seen to significantly shrink malignant kidney tumours.

"The side-effects are forbidding. He has lost weight and had his hair fall out in clumps. His body is pockmarked by skin rashes. He has chapped hands and a constant ache in his neck. He will be on blood-pressure tablets for the rest of his life. The book pulls no punches in discussing the effect on the body of a career in professional football and subsequent illness.”

Ireland's Ray Houghton watches his shot go in the  goal - 18 June, 1994 during the first half of the game against Italy
Image: McLoughlin was part of Ireland's team that upset Italy at the 1994 World Cup

Despite the depth of subjects there are plenty of lighter moments to warm the heart in the book and it will appeal to anyone who witnessed Irish football’s greatest moments on the world stage during the 1990s.

Bryce witnessed them all and, as a Pompey fan, McLoughlin was clearly his favourite player of the day. To be able to collaborate with the player and get to know him well is something Evans is immensely proud of.

“The book now finds itself up against Roy Keane et al, nominated for Irish Sports Book of the Year, thus defying the ghost-writing curse: would you believe it? Something actually went right. The nomination means a lot because it acknowledges the quality of my writing.

“Alan McLoughlin talks about the big life issues: mortality, identity, and – most importantly – Jack Charlton’s love of Trivial Pursuit!

"If you want dozens of honest and hilarious recollections on Irish soccer’s glory years, buy this book.”

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