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Sliding Doors: Chance and Opportunity

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Beveridge Report
British History
Category=DNBA
Category=JNK
Category=SFBC
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
eq_sports-fitness
Evolution of the British Welfare State
Football Ombudsman
Fraser of the Welfare State
IFO
Political History
Social History
Teesside University
Twentieth-Century History

Product details

  • ISBN 9781836154952
  • Weight: 479g
  • Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
  • Publication Date: 12 Jan 2026
  • Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Hardback
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Description

DEREK FRASER is Emeritus Professor at Teesside University, where he served as Vice-Chancellor for 11 years. He was also a Professor at Bradford University and at UCLA in California.

But Derek's life, and career, has been anything but that of a simple academic. Do not expect a stuffy tome that you'd see gathering dust in a silent long-forgotten corner of a university library. With chapters featuring topics as varied as climbing the academic greasy pole, the American dream turning sour, the journey from football fan on the terraces to the lofty heights of the game's top administration, as well as a stint in the corridors of power in Whitehall, this is a unique tale.

Known worldwide as 'Fraser of the Welfare State' for his seven-edition seminal book on the evolution of the British Welfare State, his career spanned that of a Teacher and Lecturer; a Government Inspector; a Senior Civil Servant; a Polytechnic Deputy Director; a University Vice-Chancellor; the Football Ombudsman; a Cruise Ship Lecturer; and as a distinguished Historian.

Derek has been struck by how often in his life unplanned opportunities have arisen by sheer chance, often the result of some SLIDING DOORS moment - hence the title of these memoirs.

Derek writes about his life with verve, humour and enthusiasm. He shares with us the boisterous ups and downs of his life and is wholly transparent about some of the painfully difficult choices the family faced, such as the decision to move to Los Angeles and soon after to return to the UK.

When was the last time you read an autobiography, or indeed any book, that featured all of Birmingham City Football Club, a love story based in Buckinghamshire, UCLA in Los Angeles and working for the UK government?

SLIDING DOORS is a fascinating and compelling life history, beautifully written, deserving of a wide readership and audience. 
About
Derek Fraser is Emeritus Professor at Teesside University, where he served as Vice-Chancellor for 11 years. He is a distinguished historian, academic leader and football expert. He has written 16 books. He is the author of 'The Evolution of the British Welfare State', widely held as the essential starting point for anyone learning about how and why Britain created the first welfare state, and its development into the 21st century. He was formerly Professor of Modern History at the University of Bradford, UK and Professor of English History at the University of California at Los Angeles, USA, as well as leading the Independent Football Commission and serving as the Independent Football Ombudsman, for over 20 years. His contributions to academia and public service have left a lasting mark on both the educational and sporting worlds. Derek has been married to Ruth for 63 years. They live in Leeds, have three children and seven grandchildren.