Join us for our latest episode as Max Portman interviews Alan Hester, lifelong Reading fan and founder and namesake of Alan Hester Associates about his book 'Tiny Keeper: Steve Death, Record Breaker, Shy Genius and Maverick', published by Pitch Publishing in March 2025.
Tiny Keeper, a labour of love about a boyhood idol based on interviews with other heroes, is his first sports book and tracks the life of Steve Death, who played 471 games for Reading over 13 years and is still regularly voted as the best goalkeeper in Reading's long history.
In just shy of an hour, Alan & Max discuss how Steve's diminutive stature of only 5 foot Seven (and a half) prevented him from playing at the top level of English football despite his exceptional ability, his displeasure at conformity and with authority and how a man with no ego endeared him to a town in Berkshire who still fondly remembers him almost 45 years after last played for the Royals.
A must-listen for any football and sports fans who grew up in the 1970s, loves classic football and who love maverick players who make us fall in love with the \"beautiful game\".
Alan Hester is an internationally published author of books on leadership, success and confidence, including Management Starts With You (2017) and Get Out Of Your Own Way (2018). His books have been translated into Chinese, Arabic and Greek and sold by Hachette in the USA.
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