I AM not a particular fan of sporting autobiographies as, more often than not, they are merely a vehicle for personalities to air their grievances in public.

We have seen it again this week with tomes from Roy Keane and Kevin Pietersen making headline news for their controversial content.

But, even though they may not be my preferred choice of reading, it is at least refreshing for high-profile figures to tell it how it is in the unforgiving world of professional sport.

Too often, players trot out bland cliches in post-match interviews for fear of either rocking the boat or because they just don’t have anything interesting to say.

While this can be viewed almost on a weekly basis on Match of the Day, it is not the sole domain of football.

It happens in a lot of sports and appears to be born from PR departments and agents petrified of damaging their own image or that of a sponsor.

But that is not the case with Keane and Pietersen.

They have never been too far from controversy during their careers and these latest books have dropped a grenade into already volatile relationships with their colleagues and employers.

Now, the gloves are off and they are packing the punches, something Keane was no stranger to, almost literally, during his playing days.

Yes, they will make a lot of money from it, but who can blame them if there is an audience for it.

That Pietersen in particular makes a host of potentially damaging allegations just makes it all the more intriguing.

People like a bit of controversy and both these books look set to provide it in spades.