RED OR DEAD is the second novel I have written about a football manager ; the first was THE DAMNED UTD. That book was inspired by the novel THIS SPORTING LIFE by David Storey, published in 1960. Storey was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, very near to where I was born and raised. THIS SPORTING LIFE was his first novel, and the story of a Rugby League player. Along with the book, the brilliant film directed by Lindsay Anderson was also a huge influence and inspiration to me when writing THE DAMNED UTD, and with RED OR DEAD, too.