Crossing The White Line

Crossing The White Line offers a range of bespoke public speaking services based on the unique football experiences of founder Mick 'Baz' Rathbone.

Over the past thirty five years Mick has worked at every level of the professional game as a player, manager, coach, physiotherapist and most recently as Head of the Medical Department at Premiership outfit Everton FC.

Crossing The White Line provides:

• Sports Injury Lecturing
• Motivational Speaking
• Sports Injury Consultancy
• After Dinner Speaking

For more information on any of the services provided by Crossing The White Line or to book Mick to speak at your football club, business, college or university then please call 01254 678 132 or email mick@crossingthewhiteline.co.uk

'Upon reading Mick ‘Baz’ Rathbone’s autobiography - ‘the Smell of Football’ - it is clear this is the tale of life at football’s sharp end.

The core theme throughout this book is Baz’s harrowing experience at Birmingham, his home town club, where his chronic lack of confidence and self-belief led to him wish for injury in order to avoid playing, despite possessing enormous talent as a youngster coming through the ranks.

It is a refreshingly honest admission of weakness, insecurity and vulnerability, but it is what makes Baz's progress though his career and subsequent rise with Everton all the more rewarding. He was haunted by his experience at St Andrews and never truly shook off the burden it placed on him. But he turned that into a positive and his unique 'enjoyment-first' approach to man-management and later rehabilitating injured players is what made him such an excellent physiotherapist.

Unlike the aforementioned spoilt millionaire footballers you feel a genuine connection with Rathbone as you work your way through his book. Who hasn’t felt nervous on their first day at work? Doubted their ability? Felt inferior to those more established around you?

Rathbone lets us in and takes us along for the ride, and what a ride it was. Following his failure at Birmingham came is re-birth at Blackburn, his brief flirtation with booze (he wasn't alone in 1980s!); plastic pitches and injuries at Preston, the battle at the very bottom with Halifax, his chance meeting with an up and coming manager back at Preston and his arrival, eventually, at Everton.'

 To buy a copy of 'The Smell of Football' By Mick Rathbone

Click Here