The penalties of being soccer's Mr Nice Guy

BOBBY MOORE A TRIBUTE: The Illustrated Biography of a Footballing Legend Edited by David Emery (Headline, $170) ON February 24, England's first and only World Cup-winning soccer captain, Bobby Moore, died of cancer at the age of 51. Less than 45 days later this 160-page paperback tribute had been produced and distributed.

The time-scale involved does little to suggest an in-depth look at the life and career of Moore, whose premature death triggered a profound sense of grief and nostalgia.

The text, by sports writers of the English tabloid newspaper the Daily Express, is sparse by design - widely-spaced lines and an emphasis on pictures and white space - and in information.

But the illustrations, from the young Robert Frederick Moore clutching the Barking Primary Schools championship shield to the famous shot of Moore carried shoulder high by his teammates holding the Jules Rimet trophy contribute significantly to the book's appeal.

The narrative is set out in three parts: ''The Early Years'', ''The Player'', and ''The Man''. And like Moore's football career (he was never considered good enough to progress beyond his district team while at school), it improves after an undistinguished start.

It is in the opening section that the lack of research is most evident. Doris Frome of Waverley Gardens, Barking - where the future England skipper was born - is produced to recount how her neighbours' son Bobby was ''always kicking a ball in the road asa child''. That he was a ''good boy'' and his parents, Robert Edward and Doris, were ''quiet''.

His early footballing progress is outlined through to the England Youth team and another well-known player of the 70s, Barry Bridges, reminisces briefly.