Book excerpt: Welcome to the new edition of the authorised biography on CHARLIE HURLEY; "The Greatest Centre Half the World has Ever Seen." On 19 November 2016 Sunderland fans paid an emotional tribute to a man who had last played for the club over 47 years earlier. That man was 80-year old Charlie Hurley - or King Charlie - whose appearance at the Stadium of Light prior to the match against Hull City was greeted by rapturous applause and cheers from fans, many of whom were far too young ever to have seen him play. Eight years earlier in October 2008 Hurley's appearances at the launch of this book in Sunderland were also greeted with widespread enthusiasm by fans, many of whom told the great man as he signed their book that it was the first they had bought since leaving school many years earlier. At times there was so many people waiting to collect signatures that it was not possible for Charlie Hurley to sign all of them at the time. But everyone who wanted a signature in their book did get one, Charlie made sure of that! Little surprise that the book has gone on to be the best selling Sunderland book this century and has now sold out. Charlie Hurley was voted 'best ever player" at Sunderland and Millwall, two of the three clubs for which he played, even though he did not occupy one of the glamour positions. The man who played forty times for the Republic of Ireland was a centre half but that did not stop the fans from idolising him. As he strode forward to corners in the late 50s and 60s at Roker Park the Sunderland fans used to chant 'Charlie, Charlie, Charlie' in hope and encouragement. This is his story: from his birth in Cork to growing up on the eastern fringes of London. From playing for Millwall, to stardom at Sunderland. He ended his career Bolton Wanderers before taking over as manager at Reading Football was different then, and Mark Metcalf's meticulously researched book shows how players and fans had a different relationship in the days before football clubs became brands and players became millionaires.