There's been some unexpected news from the world of Irish sports books this morning: Joe Schmidt's autobiography 'Ordinary Joe' will be released on November 21 by Penguin Ireland.
It's been a quiet year on the Irish sports book landscape and this book arrives with very little fanfare or build-up. Schmidt had obviously been hoping for a glorious last chapter to the book but instead Ireland were dumped out of the World Cup in the quarterfinal stage to the All Blacks.
It remains to be seen if Schmidt will provide a primer on his coaching brilliance or merely reel in the years. In the press release, Michael McLoughlin of Penguin says Schmidt has been writing the book over the past few years, apparently without a ghostwriter. The covers eschews the anguished portraiture of most contemporary sports literature.
Schmidt will be doing a number of public events in the coming weeks to promote the book:
Joe Schmidt will be in conversation about his new book ‘Ordinary Joe’ in Dublin, Limerick and Belfast.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, 8th November at 10am. Get yours here: https://t.co/TT0KQ6cwgW#OrdinaryJoe #JoeSchmidt pic.twitter.com/qSRAetPEqc— Penguin Live (@penguinlive) November 6, 2019
Schmidt said to the Penguin Ireland website:
I was hesitant about putting my memories and thoughts into words but was encouraged to do so by a number of people close to me. I’m an accidental coach and feel incredibly lucky to have worked alongside great people and to have had the opportunities that I’ve had. Coaching in New Zealand, France and Ireland has been both challenging and rewarding, but the support from everyone and particularly the fans has been phenomenal. It is something I really appreciate.'
There's an amazing book in Joe Schmidt and we hope this is the one.
