CARLISLE'S BRUSH WITH LORRY

I read Clarke Carlisle's autobiography recently, a piece of work created by an intelligent man, with much to say about the challenging life of English professional football. He has done his time in a range of clubs, revealing in his book the trials of keeping his enthusiasm going on cold wet nights in the lower leagues. Last night he was hit by a lorry, at breakfast time, on the A64 and he is in Leeds General hospital, apparently with serious but non-life threatening injuries. We don't know the circumstances but having been airlifted from the scene, he will not be just "grazed". Carlisle was a bright schoolboy, got good GCSEs, appeared on Question Time, was crowned Britain's brainiest footballer and also won on Countdown. Having been through depression in his playing days, a suicide attempt and alcoholism, he has come out the other side and become an ambassador for the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out and chairs the PFA management committee. He also worked with ITV in the World Cup, commented on the Europa League and he sees pundrity as a job he would like to do more of. Married with three children, we hope he gets home for Christmas.