Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:27 am  

tugglesf78 wrote:

A whole 160 pages eh?

Heavy stuff

If you get an idiot who can't write anything worthwhile for toffee, writing about another idiot, I'm surprised it amounted to 160 pages. Although, knowing Barker, he'll probably have bullet-pointed most of it to make it look more than it is.

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:25 pm  

TheButcher wrote: If you get an idiot who can't write anything worthwhile for toffee, writing about another idiot, I'm surprised it amounted to 160 pages. Although, knowing Barker, he'll probably have bullet-pointed most of it to make it look more than it is. His journalism style is suited to tabloid reporting. If he wrote for the Telegraph or Guardian he would write in a different style to suit the readers. Apart from the law regarding libel, postgraduate journalism courses cover little else. An interesting piece on Micky Mac from before the Grand Final http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... c-10211904 Don't 'bullet points' use up fewer words? People use them rather than a long winded paragraph after all.

TheButcher wrote: If you get an idiot who can't write anything worthwhile for toffee, writing about another idiot, I'm surprised it amounted to 160 pages. Although, knowing Barker, he'll probably have bullet-pointed most of it to make it look more than it is. His journalism style is suited to tabloid reporting. If he wrote for the Telegraph or Guardian he would write in a different style to suit the readers. Apart from the law regarding libel, postgraduate journalism courses cover little else. An interesting piece on Micky Mac from before the Grand Final http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... c-10211904 Don't 'bullet points' use up fewer words? People use them rather than a long winded paragraph after all.

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Nov 26, 2015 6:16 am  

Having met a few journos in London I was really surprised that the best could literally swap writing for The Sun one day to The Times the next without missing a beat. I knew a woman who became a lead writer for the Evening Standard business section. She was writing informative articles within a week of having moved there from being stuck writing about women's issues.

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 6:06 pm  

Amazon wrote:

.... it's rare to come across a book so disjointed and poorly edited .... this is a dismal effort at presenting a very complex character of the game who, at his peak, was world class

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 7:21 pm  

It is the worst sporting biography I have ever read and I've read some awful tripe over the years.
No depth to Hock's character at all. I already knew that he is from Norley and he's a hard lad but still know nothing else about him other than he can't stand Keith Mason. Zero anecdotes about either Hock or the game in general that could have at least broken the tedious list of one line comments.
Quite how this got past any sort of review at the publishers is beyond me unless they thought the intended audience has never got past the Janet & John stage at primary school.

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 7:43 pm  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

It is the worst sporting biography I have ever read and I've read some awful tripe over the years.
No depth to Hock's character at all. I already knew that he is from Norley and he's a hard lad but still know nothing else about him other than he can't stand Keith Mason. Zero anecdotes about either Hock or the game in general that could have at least broken the tedious list of one line comments.
Quite how this got past any sort of review at the publishers is beyond me unless they thought the intended audience has never got past the Janet & John stage at primary
school.

I sincerely hope that no one has bought me it as a Xmas stocking filler
Hock is the biggest waste of talent that i have seen at Wigan in the last 30 years,He had the world at his feet and should have gone on to be one of our all time great players
Sadly we all know where is at present and why

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 7:59 pm  

trent wrote:

I sincerely hope that no one has bought me it as a Xmas stocking filler
Hock is the biggest waste of talent that i have seen at Wigan in the last 30 years,He had the world at his feet and should have gone on to be one of our all time great players
Sadly we all know where is at present and why

I got it for a birthday present and was genuinely looking forward to reading it in the foolish hope that I might get an insight into his character and what actually makes him tick.
I put the blame for the shambles fairly and squarely on the author who can't take any pride in his final output which must have his English teacher from school squirming with embarrassment or spinning in his grave.

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:29 pm  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

It is the worst sporting biography I have ever read and I've read some awful tripe over the years.
No depth to Hock's character at all. I already knew that he is from Norley and he's a hard lad but still know nothing else about him other than he can't stand Keith Mason. Zero anecdotes about either Hock or the game in general that could have at least broken the tedious list of one line comments.
Quite how this got past any sort of review at the publishers is beyond me unless they thought the intended audience has never got past the Janet & John stage at primary school.

Mason eh ? That's interesting.


I heard that the Parramatta move fell through for him, because his current partner, has a young child with mason, who put the blocks on them taking his kid down under.

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:34 pm  

Fantastic Mr Catpiss wrote:

Mason eh ? That's interesting.


I heard that the Parramatta move fell through for him, because his current partner, has a young child with mason, who put the blocks on them taking his kid down under.

Now that would have been interesting if he had expanded on that!
I thought it was because Mason is a soft shoite who tried to start trouble but hadn't got the balls to see it through. A poor man's Ryan Bailey if you like. Not having a pop at your recent signing by the way!

Re: Gaz Hock's biography : Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:35 pm  

Well, if this book doesn't tickle your pickle, there is always Wiganosophy.

""it's either a work of deep and philosophical insight peppered with (albeit accidental) moments of pure hilarity, or a work of pure hilarity peppered with (albeit accidental) moments of deep and philosophical insight. I'm not sure which."