The phrase 'late developer' could be applied to former Plymouth Argyle and Manchester City defender Tony Book, but towards the end of his career he truly blossomed.
After starting with Frome Town in Somerset, Book then moved onto Bath City and it was at Twerton Park that he first came into contact with Malcolm Allison and he would follow Allison to Home Park at the age of 30 when Allison was appointed as manager of the Pilgrims.
After making 81 appearances for Argyle, he once again followed Allison, this time to Maine Road, in the wake of his appointment as Manchester City assistant manager under Joe Mercer.
At Manchester City, he was a key figure in what was a golden era for the club where his teammates included Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee, who, like Book, became iconic figures at Maine Road.
During his time with City, they won the league title in 1968, the FA Cup in 1969 and the European Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup in 1970.
Individually, Book shared the Footballer of the Year award with Derby County's Dave Mackay in 1969.
After retiring from playing in 1973, Book joined the club's coaching staff, serving as assistant manager to Johnny Hart and Rob Saunders before becoming manager himself.
As manager, he won the League Cup with City in 1976 and was the runners-up in the League in the 1976-77 campaign.
Three years later, Book was appointed as general manager after Allison returned for his second spell as manager from Plymouth.
He later found success as youth team manager, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1986. Book also had two spells as caretaker manager in 1989 and 1993 and finally left Maine Road in 1997.
