Away from the glamour and wall-to-wall coverage of the Premiership lies the reality, for the majority of fans and players, of British football. From his early days in and out of the Bournemouth reserves and on loan at non-league Weymouth, to scoring the last-minute winner in a First Division playoff final at Wembley, Steve Claridge has experienced life at every level of football.

Tales From The Boot Camps is the story of irregular payments and training sessions conducted on dog-fouled car parks at soon-to-be-defunct Aldershot; of repeated clashes with John Beck over his long-ball tactics and army-camp methods of preparation at Cambridge; of David Pleat's flimsy Luton who played too much passing football; of Barry Fry's unorthodox reign at Birmingham; and of the flight to the Premiership with Leicester.

Controversial, itinerant, but popular he plays, Claridge also talks frankly about his addiction to gambling, and of the consequences both material and psychological, of his 15-year affliction. Part biography, part autobiography, Ian Ridley's narrative is full of insight and the dry wit of Claridge, and skilfully intertwines the story of a Midlands cult hero with a portrait of life in the lower divisions of English football.