Many apologies to the number of you who attempted to order your copy of ‘Merlin’ and were unable to today.

Due to high demand, the number of copies we had reserved for pre-orders from the website sold out far quicker than we anticipated. That is of course very flattering and I thank everyone for their interest.

I’m pleased to inform that we are now able to take orders again at http://www.gordonhill11.com/merlin. And this time hopefully we won’t run out!

Bye for now, and thanks again. Gordon

I’m delighted to finally share with you all that the official launch for my autobiography “Merlin” will take place at Waterstones at the Trafford Centre, in Manchester on Tuesday, 29th July at 6pm.

I am truly very thankful for all of the great support and what seems like wonderful excitement and anticipation for the book – it took a long time to get everything down and I hope you enjoy the book.

Sadly, the signing will be my only one on this trip to the UK although I will attempt to have more in the future. At present, the trip over in July is the last one I have scheduled to the UK in 2014 so if you would like a signed copy of the book, you will either have to attend the signing on July 29th or order from my website before that date.

I’ll always admit that I’ve been very lucky in my life, to have done what I’ve done, and when you get to a certain point in your life you begin to look back and wonder if it’s the right time to begin to put pen to paper.

As a former footballer, and remaining in and around the game, you see people releasing their autobiographies… it was in fact a conversation with Brian Greenhoff just after he had released his, back in late 2012, which convinced me to do it. He put me in touch with his ghostwriter and that was that!

I’m glad I decided to do it. Writing the book was a journey that mirrored my career in a way, being written at some parts in Manchester and North America. As someone who always looks forward for the next challenge, looking back and remembering things that I thought I’d forgotten was a wonderful journey. I couldn’t put everything in – which is a great problem, I suppose, as I had so many stories.

When I announced I was doing it, I was overwhelmed by the kind words of well wishers who were keen to tell me that they’d either pretended to be me in the park or that I was their favourite player. You don’t know how much that means to me – Tommy Docherty, Sammy McIlroy and Lou Macari all said words about me that will be at the front of my book. To me, those words are worth the same as anything I ever won, because they were the honest words spoken by people I regard as high as anybody to have been in the game. They know football, and for them to have spoken so honestly and well of me means so much. I was only at Manchester United for 2 and a half years of my life but for me to be remembered for what I did there is a real honour.

There is one line from Lou Macari where he says I wouldn’t harm anyone – that much is true, but for Lou have noticed that about me from my personality means that I carried something of my mum in me and nothing makes me prouder than that. It is the best kind of praise I could ever receive as a person.

I always get asked two questions – why did I leave United, and why did I disappear from the top flight so quickly? This book will give the answers to both of those questions – I just hope that my feeling of being a completely normal person, but someone being thrust onto a very special platform, is felt by anyone who reads it. I must say that two people whose words I respect very much, Henry Winter and Ian Herbert, have read the book and have said wonderfully flattering things about it.

The book is available worldwide but I will have just one opportunity this year to sign copies and personalise them – that option will last until the end of July, so there are just over six weeks to make sure that you get a personalised copy of ‘Merlin’, and afterwards, signed copies will be only while stocks last.

If you want to make sure you get a copy of it signed, then please click here to go to the page.

Thanks everyone – Gordon

‘Merlin’ is published with Vertical Editions with a publication date of July 19th. Copies ordered through this website will be shipping in early August 2014 (date tbc).

I just wanted to let my readers know that I am running a training camp & clinic for youngsters at the Eastlake Complex in Palm Harbor, Florida – at 3555 Old Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, 34688.

The camps run from Thursday 5th June through to Sunday 8th June at 9am to 12pm and cost at either $125 for the full course or $30 per day.

Further information and how to book can be found by getting in touch through my United Sports contact page here.