In today's game, there is no place on the pitch for player contact, let alone the sort of hard, robust tackling that could earn a player the nickname 'Psycho'. But twenty-five years ago, things were different. Only when players really overstepped the mark were their names added to the referee's little black book. And 'Psycho' Pat Van den Hauwe had a reputation as one of the hardest players in the game. In a career encompassing some 401 Football League appearances for Birmingham City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall, he notched up two league titles and a European Cup Winners' Cup medal – but he also made his mark as one of the toughest and most feared defenders in the game.

But Pat wasn't just a tough player on the pitch. The way he lived his life meant that he needed to be tough off the pitch as well. A 'hard nut' reputation invites people into your life who want to see how far they can push you – and Pat attracted such people by the bus-load.

This autobiography is not the usual collection of career memories from an ex-pro. It is probably the most explicit book ever written by a former footballer. Throughout his career, and long after he left the game, Pat Van den Hauwe courted danger. In fact, he nearly paid the ultimate price for living life to the extreme.