The Unseen Sir Alf

"A brilliant new biography — and a revelation. The Unseen Sir Alf is our TalkSPORT Book of the Week and one of the best sports books I’ve read this year. A must-read."

-- Paul Ross * TalkSPORT *

"The Unseen Sir Alf is one of the best books I've ever read. It shows England's best ever manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, in a completely different light. The painstaking research Grant Bage has put into this book is incredible. It really is a masterpiece in explaining the complex nature of a complex - yet very simple - man. History will treat Ramsey differently now. England fans, the Football Association, Ramsey's own family and all football supporters owe Bage a huge debt of gratitude."

-- Andy Lines * Daily Mirror *

"[Bage] has achieved something remarkable: a biography that honours its subject while simultaneously challenging readers to reconsider their understanding of leadership, difference, and national achievement. This is more than a sports book—it's a profound meditation on human potential, resilience, and the often-overlooked stories behind our national heroes."

-- Bob Stack * Soccer Books *

"Well dressed, well-spoken, a traditionalist. A tactical genius, but someone who could come across as cold, detached, aloof. That’s the image I’ve always had in mind. Then I read Grant Bage’s fascinating new book The Unseen Sir Alf: A Different Kind of Hero and developed a whole new appreciation of the man."

-- Stuart Watson * East Anglian Daily Times *
"Bage's research is comprehensive and his method quietly effective, as he carefully builds up evidence through continual cross-referencing and contextualisation. Much of the book is focused on challenging established assumptions and unsettling what we think we know about Ramsey. His claim that Ramsey was a patriot but not a nationalist or a xenophobe is intriguing and speaks to the nuance and critical complexity that pervades the whole book... [includes] original material alongside new interpretations... [creating] a worthwhile book with plenty of new insights that deserves to be read." -- Matthew Taylor * When Saturday Comes *

"The Unseen Alf is a welcome and genuinely original addition to the Ramsey canon. With scrupulous archival research and a quick social imagination, Bage explores and explains corners of Ramsey’s life where others have accepted accumulated myth and misinterpretation. His account of Ramsey’s accent, social origins, demeanour and costive emotional life is without parallel."

-- David Goldblatt * writer and broadcast