RICHARD Slater has been a Simon Garner fan for as long as he can remember - just like the vast majority of Blackburn Rovers supporters from that generation.

One of his earliest memories as a Rovers follower consists of a game against Derby in 1983 in which the legendary striker scored all five goals.

But, as he stood and celebrated every one of those efforts from his usual place on the old Riverside, little did he know that almost two decades later he would be collaborating with his hero in the penning of his long-awaited autobiography.

After almost three years in the making, 'There's only one Simon Garner' will finally hit book shops next week, just in time for the Christmas rush.

And Slater admits he has been totally bowled over by the response the much-anticipated release has received, not just from Rovers fans, but footy fanatics across the country.

"The media response to the book has astounded me to be quite honest," said the Blackburn-based journalist, who owns his own company, Richard Slater Public Relations.

"Simon has been out of football for seven years and it's 10 years since he last played for Rovers.

"But it's obvious just how well regarded he still is from the number of interview requests we've had in the build-up to the launch.

"He's already been asked to do countless radio interviews and he spent an hour on Radio Five last week, which all serves to prove he's still as popular as ever."

Amazingly, Garner had never previously considered putting his life story down on paper until a chance meeting set him thinking about the incredible tale he had to tell.

"A Rovers fan bumped into him one night in a pub, they ended up getting drunk together, and the lad said 'wouldn't it be a good idea to do a book?'" explained Slater.

"Simon instantly said 'yes' but the lad then decided he couldn't do it so it eventually got passed to my doorstep and I suppose I'd have to say it was a bit of a dream come true."

Initially, Slater was a touch overawed at the prospect of working alongside his hero but his mind was soon put at ease after the pair met up for the first time in a Berkshire village near Garner's current home discuss the project.

"I've met a million and one famous people as a journalist but meeting Simon was fantastic and we just had a brilliant night," said the former Lancashire Evening Telegraph journalist.

"We went on a bit of pub crawl near his house in Berkshire, I had a tape recorder rolling, but it was totally unusable because we were both quite drunk by the end of the night.

"It was good, though, because we got to know each other pretty well and I have to say it's been enormously good fun doing the book with Simon because he's such a top chap.

"If nothing else, that's been the good thing to come out of this and we are planning to do other things as well."

It's not been all plain sailing, however. Far from it, in fact.

As the completion date approached, Slater's house was broken into and one of the items taken by the thieves was a lap-top which contained most of the work he had done on the book.

Then, on another occasion, a computer crash meant several more chapters were lost, which put the whole project back again.

Undeterred, however, the pair stuck at it and the final version is a triumphant account of a working class hero, from the dizzy heights of becoming Rovers' all-time record scorer to the low of being flung into prison for contempt of court.

It's a 'must' for all Rovers fans everywhere and, judging by the interest its pending release has already created, it should sell like hot cakes.

So just what is it that makes Garner such a popular figure amongst Rovers fans young and old?

"If you were to ask Blackburn Rovers fan to name their three favourite players of the modern era, there's no question Simon Garner will appear," said Slater, who has also had work published by a number of national broadsheets.

"It's usually a mix of Shearer, Hendry and Garner but Simon's always in there and that's a sign of his immense popularity.

"I think the fans relate to him because he was a bit like one of them.

"He was well known for liking a pint and a cigarette after a game.

"That made him very attractive to the terraces - that, and the fact he never stopped trying, no matter how bad a game he was having."

Dunn racing

DAVID Dunn's race horse featured among the places this week on its latest run out at Musselburgh.

'Dunn Deal' finished second in the 1.10 on Wednesday at the Edinburgh track.

However, according to my sources at the stables, the Rovers star is still considering selling his stake because he has his eye on another.

Brad is tops

BRAD Friedel's recent man-of-the-match heroics in Rovers' 2-1 win at Arsenal have been reflected in the latest Opta stats.

Friedel made 11 saves on the day which is two more than any other goalkeeper has had to make in a Premiership game this season.

Peter Schmeichel is currently second behind Friedel in the most saves list after he blocked nine efforts in Manchester City's game at Southampton -- of all places.

Garner signings

SIMON Garner will be signing copies of his brand new autobiography 'There's only one Simon Garner' at a number of venues in the next couple of weeks.

The dates are as follows: WH Smiths, Blackburn (Wed November 27) 8.30 onwards; Rover the Moon (Sat Nov 30) 10.30-12.30pm; Kay Dee, Clitheroe (Sat Dec 7) 10-11am; WH Smiths, Accrington (Sat Dec 7) 11.30am-12.30pm; Bookland, Blackburn (Sat Dec 7) 1-2pm.

Reserves off

ROVERS' reserve game against Liverpool at Chester City's Deva Stadium on Monday night has been postponed. It will now go ahead at the same venue on Thursday December 5.

Youth Cup

ROVERS' young guns will kick off their FA Youth Cup campaign with a home tie against Lancashire rivals Blackpool.

As yet, no date has been set for the game but we will keep you posted in Ewoodbeat once the details are finalised.