Win A Copy of 'Playing to Win'

Vital Latics have teamed up with publishers Aurum Press to offer one lucky Vital member the chance to win a free copy of Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan`s autobiography, Playing To Win

A fascinating read that follows the life of Whelan and his drive to succeed which begins in wartime Wigan with his family`s desperate struggle to survive. He describes the terrifying wasp-like hum of the Luftwaffe and the devastation wrought by their bombs; he remembers the deathly winter of 1942, peeing on his own hands to stop his fingers from freezing; admits how hunger drove ordinary families to lie, cheat and steal; and relives a remarkable reunion with the father he`d never known, a returning soldier.

In peacetime a boyhood love affair with football eventually leads him to sign with Blackburn Rovers. On the pitch he encounters the legendary Stanley Matthews, and when national service calls he joins the Army football team becoming close friends with 'Busby Babes` Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards.

Then, a vicious tackle in the 1960 FA Cup final spells the twilight of his playing career - but a new dawn in business.

Starting as a market trader, he breaks the mould from day one: taking on Boots single-handedly in the Appeal Court; negotiating the sale of his supermarket chain to Ken Morrison - whilst stood at a urinal; and transforming a single tackle shop in Wigan into JJB Sports, the UK`s biggest sports retailer and a £1 billion PLC.

A self-made millionaire, in 1995 he used his personal fortune to buy struggling, hometown Wigan Athletic - vowing to take the Latics all the way to the Premier League. At the time he was ridiculed, but ten years later, on the final day of the Championship, Dave watched, ecstatic, as his club beat Reading 3-1 to finally secure their place in the topflight.

Sometimes tragic, frequently controversial and always heartfelt Playing to Win lifts the lid on a life lived both on the pitch and in the boardroom and tells how a hungry kid from Wigan`s backstreets became a national success and a local hero.

To win a copy simply be the first out of the hat to answer correctly the question below

Book competition

Vital Latics have teamed up with the publishers Aurum Press to offer one lucky Vital member the chance to win a copy of Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelans Autobiography `Playing to Win`

To enter the competition simply answer the following question:

Which team did Dave play an FA cup final with?

A - West Bromwich Albion
B - Blackburn Rovers
C - Preston North End

To enter click here don`t forget your name and address in case you are the lucky winner and also include your Vital username, good luck

Closing date 3/10/09












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