As Collins notes in his introduction, the stories were gathered from more than ‘50 hours of one-on-one interviews’ and ‘presented as personal accounts’, which method posits the interviewee as educator, allowing them to share their wisdom, and also confirming their authority. These men have been the best, and are well worth listening to. There are clichés, of course (what footballer does not reach into that phrase-bag from time to time?), as well as a certain amount of repetition. Worse than these minor drawbacks though, is the plethora of bracketed information and trivia, as obtrusive and jarring as the heavily tailored reports of post-match press conferences in the newspapers. Despite this, the stories are compelling and the message is clear – be your best. It’s a lesson that any aspirant can heed.