Association football (Soccer) Books
DB Publishing Birmingham City 50 Greatest Matches
Book Synopsis
£13.49
DB Publishing Peter Broadbent: A Biography
Book Synopsis
£13.49
DB Publishing Magic Carpet Ride - the Story of Niall Quinn's
Book Synopsis
£11.69
DB Publishing Days of Iron: The Story of West Ham United in the
Book Synopsis
£13.49
DB Publishing Sixty Great Leyton Orient Games from the Tijuana
Book Synopsis
£11.69
DB Publishing Ipswich Town Football Club: The 1960s, from
Book Synopsis
£13.49
DB Publishing Ayresome Park Memories
Book Synopsis
£13.49
DB Publishing The Aston Villa Collection
Book SynopsisThis is a collection of photos celebrating all things Villa. From the formation to the European Cup win, many of these never-seen before photos show the highs and lows of the club. Relive the great nights of European football, the League Championship win and the great days of yesteryear. From the authors own collection, these photos will bring back memories long-cherished.
£999.99
JMD Media Derby County in Focus: 1950–1970
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Profile Books Ltd Red Card: FIFA and the Fall of the Most Powerful
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS AWARD FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE 'Best Sports Book of the 21st Century' SPORTS BOOK AWARD 'Gripping ... Bensinger's impeccably sourced account serves as a sharp reminder of the gargantuan levels of largesse and excess during Fifa's bad, bad days - as well as a warning that not enough has been done to prevent them returning.' Sean Ingle, Guardian 'Bensinger deftly deploys novelistic devices to turn it into a real-life detective thriller ... [it] resembles John Grisham' Private Eye The story of FIFA's fall from grace has it all: power, betrayal, revenge, sports stars, hustlers, corruption, sex and phenomenal quantities of money, all set against exotic locales stretching from Caribbean beaches to the formal staterooms of the Kremlin and the sun-blasted streets of Doha, Qatar. In Red Card, investigative journalist Ken Bensinger takes a journey to FIFA's dark heart. He introduces the flamboyant villains of the piece - the FIFA kingpins who flaunted their wealth in private jets and New York's grandest skyscrapers - and the dogged team of American FBI and IRS agents, headed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who finally brought them to book. Providing fresh insights on a scandal which has gripped the world, he shows how greed and arrogance brought down the most powerful institution in sporting history. A wild, gritty, gripping, and at times blackly comic story, Red Card combines world-class journalism with the pace of a thriller.Trade ReviewSpellbinding. A gripping account of how the beautiful game got grotesquely ugly. Highly recommended -- Gary LinekerA gripping white-collar crime thriller that, in its scope and human drama, ranks with some of the best investigative business books of the past 30 years. * Wall Street Journal *Red Card is the meeting of American investigative reporting and real-life cop show. -- Simon Kuper * FT *Gripping...Bensinger's impeccably sourced account serves as a sharp reminder of the gargantuan levels of largesse and excess during Fifa's bad, bad days - as well as a warning that not enough has been done to prevent them returning. -- Sean Ingle * Guardian *
£9.49
Quercus Publishing King: My Autobiography
Book SynopsisRarely in the modern English game has a player been as loved by his supporters, admired by his teammates and respected by his peers as Ledley King. And even more rarely has such a shining talent seen their career cut so tragically short. Named 'the best defender in Europe' by Thierry Henry, and described by Martin Jol as 'the best central defender I've ever seen', King was undoubtedly one of the greatest talents of his generation. Yet injury forced his retirement, aged only 31. But even at the height of his chronic knee trouble - when he could only train once a week, and was advised not to even play football with his son - King still managed to captain Tottenham Hotspur and be called up to the England squad. King documents the successes and struggles - both personal and professional - behind this unique and unprecedented footballing career: from King's childhood in East London, to his future out of the white shirt of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur.Table of ContentsWhat If...? Just a Boy from Bow. The World at My Feet. The Hot House. The Orient Express to Tottenham. Turning Pro. Young Lion. The School of Hard Knocks. Debut! The Millennium Bug. In Which I Set a Record! The Dawn of the Hoddle Era. Capped - and Hoodooed. Losing the Faith. Pleat Takes Care. A Captain in Stormy Waters. Enter the Lion! The Road to Lasagne-gate. Running to Stand Still. No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition... Glory at Last! Attacking the Mountain. Sweet Relief. The Feelgood Revolution. Up Pops Crouchy! The England Hair-Shirt. 'I'll Give It a Go'. The Bitter End? A New Beginning. The Night I Took a Dive. Picture Credits. Index.
£11.69
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Football Made Simple: An Entertaining
Book SynopsisIf you have a player in your life but don't understand the game at all, then this is the book for you. Aimed at friends and family who go along to watch but have no real idea what is going on.This is the first in a series of guides for bemused supporters. After reading this book, you will know all about free kicks (direct and indirect), the difference between a goal kick and a corner kick and of course you will stun everyone with your knowledge of the infamous offside law and the way to beat the offside trap. You may even surprise family footballers by knowing more than them about the history of the game.We'll guide you on choosing kit, keeping it clean and ensuring your favourite player (whatever their relationship is to you) turns up to play looking well prepared and feeling part of the team. We've also included the latest support etiquette guidance if you're going along to matches for the first time.This book is for all bemused supporters, male and female, who loyally turn out to cheer in all weathers.
£6.95
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Soccer Analytics: Successful Coaching Through
Book SynopsisThis book applies research findings from soccer match analysis, coaching analysis, decision making in sport and motor skill acquisition to inform the coach on best practices, with a view to improving performance of the individual player and the team. Soccer match analysis has become more and more important in recent years. No professional soccer club plays a single match without having analyzed their own and their opponents matches to find the best possible plan for success. In Soccer Analytics Ian M. Franks and Mike Hughes explore soccer match analyses and use the results to develop realistic, progressive practices to improve the performance of the individual players and the team. Research is directly applied to the coaching process and technical and tactical practices are designed to accommodate these findings. Not only is the players behavior during practice and matches analyzed but the coaches as well. This helps evaluate different coaching practices to find your ideal coaching style. Coaches of soccer from elite levels to recreational players, directors of coaching clubs and teams, undergraduate university students, college professors involved in coaching and teaching soccer, physical education teachers, parents of soccer players will develop insight from the ample material presented.
£13.46
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Soccer Games and Drills Compendium: 35 Smart and
Book SynopsisThe Soccer Games and Drills Compendium is a comprehensive compilation of 350 realistic drills and games that facilitate high-quality design and quick implementation of modern soccer training. The many drills are divided into technical, tactical, and fitness-based focus areas. Individual focus areas cover basic training content, such as passing, dribbling, shots on goal, feints, juggling, and 1-on-1 situations, followed by focus areas with differentiated and advanced content, such as transitioning and reacting, chaos and action, game start variations, active defense, tournaments, and topics on tactical training. In addition, this book includes exercises for soccer-specific speed training, athletic and endurance training, indoor training, goalkeeper training, and team building.In this compendium you will find a wide variety of soccer-specific training exercises, and the graphics and practice-oriented design make it an optimal resource for taking effective training content and implementing it on the field. The many variations included with the drills and games make this compilation ideal for training players at all performance levels and age groups.
£20.40
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Man the Footballer—Homo Passiens: The Missing
Book SynopsisIn this book you will discover the truth—that Homo passiens is the missing link in human evolution. That Homo sapiens is a recently arrived imposter in the evolution of the genus Homo—a charlatan, a fraud, a villain, a quack! That all the academic stuff about consciousness, language, science, and so on, emanating exclusively from (and created by) Homo sapiens is evolutionary hogwash! It all came not from Homo sapiens—as this recently arrived, pathological lying subspecies claims repeatedly in schools, textbooks, literature, and all institutions of higher learning—but from the founder species, Homo passiens—Man the Footballer! As evidenced in this book, humans evolved two legs for football, domed head and flat face for subtle power heading, and flat and levered feet with non-opposable big toes for shooting. We all love to be clever, and this book is to be associated with its seminal ideas and not necessarily to read from left to right. The thinking fans will want to be associated with the mad science presented here. Man the Footballer also contains a foreword by Irvine Welsh, author of the bestseller Trainspotting. After reading this book, football will never be the same again!
£11.66
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Intelligent Soccer Training: Simulating Games to
Book SynopsisIntelligent Soccer Training is designed as a follow-up to The Soccer Games and Drills Compendium: 350 Smart and Practical Games to Form Intelligent Players. The 150 training exercises presented in this book are based on the basic requirements of modern soccer and deal with running (running, hunting, and catching), techniques (ball control, dribbling, ball processing, ball transfer, passing, and goal shot), group tactical behavior, varying game entry, and improving action speed and game intelligence. The range of content presented here is geared to a wide variety of age and performance levels. Intelligent Soccer Training differentiates known training contents to present innovative and modern training forms in basic training, to develop new forms, and to deepen the pool of exercise and playing forms for the interested coach. With this book, the trainer will learn new exercises, modern forms of play, and additional variations to expand his repertoire to offer varied and motivating training. The practice-oriented content is followed by a theory for training, which answers further questions concerning training and competition. Aspects such as talent definition, talent development, squad composition, teaching and learning path, game system, position specifics or training atmosphere are discussed in detail. This book is a must to expand the coach's, trainer's, or player's library of soccer training knowledge.
£16.96
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Coaching Positional Soccer: Perfecting Tactics
Book SynopsisCoaching soccer can be challenging to both the beginner and advanced coach. However, at any level, a modern and adaptive soccer playing style can be developed as players progressively acquire specific tactics and technical skills. Step-by-step, essential soccer lessons can be learned and then combined to build up a complex playing method. This positional coaching approach teaches players how to create, exploit, and defend spaces on the soccer field by using core playing principles. Players who understand these principles will have the ability to quickly adjust from one game moment to the next regardless of circumstances, strategy, or formation. The provided comprehensive practice plans, which include diagrams and sketches, will make practice planning a straightforward process throughout the season. Using the best teaching approaches and coaching interventions will also improve coaching confidence and accelerate player and team development. Coaching Positional Soccer provides complete soccer coaching education and is perfect for the beginner or volunteer coach who wants to understand how to best teach soccer to players. This book is also ideal for the advanced coach looking for new ideas to lift the team to higher playing levels.
£15.26
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd The Soccer Coach's Toolkit: More Than 250
Book SynopsisHere, soccer coaches will find a wealth of coaching activities to improve, stimulate, and provide enjoyment for players of all ages and abilities. Drawing on more than 20 years of soccer coaching and PE teaching experience, the author has provided only those activities he has successfully used time and again to engage and inspire his players. Each activity is graded from beginner to advanced, and they foster fresh ideas to coach the main techniques and tactics of soccer. The more than 250 coaching activities are also accompanied by an easy-to-understand description and diagram; the activities require only basic coaching equipment and can be adapted to challenge players of varying ability levels and needs. Coaches can use the activities to create one-off sessions for their players or use the activities to deliver regular sessions as part of a competitive training program. It is ideal for grassroots and elite youth soccer coaches and will enhance both the players' and team's development
£23.70
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd The Mental Game: Cognitive Training, Creativity,
Book SynopsisNot only are top players like Kevin De Bruyne or Luka Modric able to perceive everything that is happening around them, but they are also able to foresee the next game situations and react to them. This “mental speed” lays the foundation to building master performances in extremely complex game situations. The Mental Game outlines a theoretical framework in which anticipation, perception, attention, and memory processes play a big role in helping coaches and players better understand complex game situations and how to react in them. It also provides practical examples and more than 70 games for training sessions that will develop players’ cognitive abilities. With sharper minds, players will win the mental game and become better players on the field.
£15.26
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Nutrition for Top Performance in Soccer: Eat Like
Book SynopsisThis book uses the UEFA 2020 Expert Group Consensus Review on Nutrition in Elite Football to give evidence-based guidelines for optimizing soccer performance through appropriate nutrition. Also included are some amusing anecdotes about the history of soccer nutrition and some of the obscure and even absurd food and beverage choices that profession
£19.12
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Nutrition for Top Performance in Football: Eat
Book SynopsisForeword by Brendan Rodgers, Leicester City FC manager. Nutrition plays a crucial role in the match performance and recovery of the athlete. To apply the principles of sports nutrition in football, this book provides nutrition basics as well as insight into the physiological demands of the game itself by looking into what elite players eat and drink. Appropriate food choices and timing are also important for a player to perform hard, avoid illness, and recuperate from injury. This book uses the UEFA 2020 Expert Group Consensus Review on Nutrition in Elite Football to give evidence-based guidelines for optimizing football performance through appropriate nutrition and the latest comprehensive information on nutrition guidelines for professional players-also relevant to the amateur player. Included are the specific needs of female players and match officials and relevant issues such as eating during travel and food hygiene. Finally, the book provides some example meal plans and snacks for training, match, and recovery days. Meal recipes are provided by elite performance chefs, Rachel Muse and Bruno Cirillo, who regularly prepare meals for elite players. The science behind sports nutrition is evolving fast. Knowing what the top professional players are eating and drinking can help amateur players improve their own performance, recovery, and health.Trade Review"Nutrition for Top Performance in Football is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to improve their knowledge and understand the effect that nutrition can have on performance." Brendan Rodgers, Leicester City FC managerTable of ContentsCh 1 Does Nutrition Really Matter in Football? Ch 2 Some Things You Need to Know About Nutrition and Nutrients. Ch 3 Some Things You Need to Know About the Body's Metabolism. Ch 4 The Physiological and Nutritional Demands of Football. Ch 5 Nutrition for Training Days. Ch 6 Nutrition for Match Days. Ch 7 Recovery Nutrition. Ch 8 Body Weight and Composition. Ch 9 Injury and Rehabilitation Nutrition. Ch 10 Special Considerations. Ch 11 Football for Everyone .Ch 12 Meal Plans and Recipes for Footballers
£19.12
Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd Football Science & Performance Coaching: Develop
Book SynopsisIn recent decades, the sporting landscape has seen many changes, notably the inclusion and professionalization of sport science and coaching. With this change has come significant demand for applied research surrounding football science and performance coaching, leading to new theory and methodology across all aspects of the game. This book brings together the most fundamental components of football science and performance coaching through modern, integrated coaching science methods implemented by leading practitioners and researchers. The expertise included in this book provides a unique blend of modern, football-specific research trends with innovative coaching theory, implemented at an elite level, and will ultimately enhance the knowledge of coaches and medical and performance specialists, all while advocating an applied alternative to the development of players. The book is divided into three main sections: prepare, perform, recover. With each section, leaders in the fields of applied sport science, sport and exercise science, sport psychology, sport nutrition, and strength and conditioning outline the best coaching and training methods, making this book a must-have for coaches and trainers seeking to augment their own understanding of what is required to enhance player development.
£24.00
Guardian Faber Publishing I Am The Secret Footballer: Lifting the Lid on
Book SynopsisThis updated edition of the bestselling and wildly popular I Am the Secret Footballer features a new introduction and an additional chapter. The anonymous writer of the Guardian's 'Secret Footballer' column gives Premier League fans an insider's look into the unseen world of professional football.'It is often said that 95% of what happens in football takes place behind closed doors. Many of these stories I shouldn't be telling you. But I will.'Who is The Secret Footballer? Only a few people know the true identity of the man inside the game. Whoever he is-and whatever team he plays for - TSF is always honest, fearless and opinionated. Here he takes readers past the locker-room door and reveals the inner workings of a professional club, the exhilarating highs and crushing lows, and what it's really like to do the job most of us can only dream of doing.TFS chronicles the exploits of his Premiership colleagues with a gimlet eye and frank humour. Managers, agents and players are not spared from his observations - their mindsets, their relationships with those outside the sport, their behaviour good and bad. In his inimitable style, TSF recounts entertaining and eyebrow-raising vignettes, naming names and dropping colourful details along the way.
£9.49
Guardian Faber Publishing Tales from the Secret Footballer
Book SynopsisFOOTBALL'S BIGGEST CHARACTERS TELL IT LIKE IT ISWho is the Secret Footballer? Well he's back and this time his mates speak out too.Players, agents, coaches and managers give you access to all areas of the Premier League. From deal-making to play-making, from dodgy tactics to drunken antics, they reveal the unforgettable highs and the unforgivable lows.This is football as you've never seen it before. 'What happens behind closed doors at Premiership clubs usually stays firmly shut behind closed doors. Not if the Secret Footballer has anything to do with it.' Loaded **From the bestselling author of I am the Secret Footballer and The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game.**
£10.44
Guardian Faber Publishing The Secret Footballer: Access All Areas
Book SynopsisForgive your enemies, they say.Keep their addresses and keep notes, I say.In Access All Areas, you'll learn how to buy three Premier League points for just £25,000, what it's really like to face a Football Association disciplinary hearing, and why every footballer in the country shuddered when they heard about the Ched Evans case.Add to that The Secret Footballer's no-holds-barred tour of the country's Premier League clubs - telling us what it's like to play in each ground and revealing the one that all players really hate to go to - and you get an entertaining glimpse into a world that's normally off-limits to the fans. Unapologetically opinionated, witty and honest, Access All Areas is every thinking fan's guide to the beautiful game.I am The Secret Footballer and all bets from here on in are off...
£10.44
Guardian Faber Publishing How to Win: Lessons from the Premier League
Book SynopsisWhat separates the good from the truly great players? How do football managers get the best out of their team?How do you come back from a crushing defeat to win? In How to Win The Secret Footballer teams up with The Secret Psychologist to crack the secrets of success and share with us the tricks and tips that keep the best players at the top of their game. Exploring the winning mindset from confidence to concentration, exposing the successes, the failures and the frauds, this inspirational, funny and thought-provoking book will shock and entertain. And while most of us will never dribble like Messi or strike like Suarez, we can learn to think like them -- and aim to succeed at football, and at life.
£10.44
Transworld Publishers Ltd Fifty Years of Hurt: The Story of England
Book Synopsis'England invented football, codified it, became champions of the world in 1966 but humiliatingly then forgot how to play the greatest game of all. England took their eye off a ball they arrogantly thought they owned, allowing other nations to run off with it.'It was Fifty Years of Hurt from when Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup trophy at Wembley to arguably the nadir of the national game - defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016 and the most botched managerial appointment in FA history. In this groundbreaking book, a Sunday Times bestseller, Henry Winter addresses the state England are in as they celebrate, or rather not, the golden anniversary of their greatest moment. Part lament, part anatomy of an obsession, both personal and collective, it analyses the truth behind the endless excuses, apportions the blame for the crimes against English football, but is also a search for hope and solutions.As well as players and managers, Henry Winter talks to the fans, to agents, to officials, to the governing bodies, about every aspect, good and bad, of English football over the past five decades to provide answers to the question: 'where did it all go wrong?'. It is a passionate journey by a writer with vast personal insight into the national team, with unprecedented access to all areas of the game, but also by a fan who wants his England back. The Fifty Years of Hurt must end.Trade ReviewPowerful... Winter feels the pain as acutely as any ordinary fan. He also has a mischievous turn of phrase. The quips, however, don't dilute the serious issues he raises. It's a horribly sobering, as well as a revealing and entertaining read. * The Times *A wholly original work on arguably the biggest topic in football. Winter has a wonderful turn of phrase and his skilful hand is necessary because the subject matter is so well known. The recontextualisation of the past as a means to understand the present is this book’s gift. Winter is justifiably proud of his attendance at every England match since 1993, and his asides, observations and anecdotes are what elevate this above other accounts of the Three Lions. History suggests that Winter's tale is likely to remain relevant for years to come. * Independent *Deeply felt, highly readable and enjoyable. * When Saturday Comes *Elegaic... Winter's excellent contacts have brought him interviews with key players. * Economist *This is an utterly fascinating, moving and very dramatic book. Great footballing heroes past and present leap from the pages. Never has the beautiful game been more beautifully written about. * Jilly Cooper *
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Home and Away: Writing the Beautiful Game
Book SynopsisKarl Ove Knausgaard and fellow writer Fredrik Ekelund kick around thoughts and ideas on football, life, art and politics.Karl Ove Knausgaard is sitting at home in Skåne with his wife, four small children and a dog. He is watching football on TV and falls asleep in front of the set. He likes 0-0 draws, cigarettes, coffee and Argentina.Fredrik Ekelund is away in Brazil, where he plays football on the beach and watches matches with friends. Fredrik loves games that end up 4-3 and teams that play beautiful football. He likes caipirinhas and Brazil.In Home and Away, two writers use football and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to reflect on life and death, art and politics, class and literature and the most important question: was this the best football championship ever?Trade Review[It is] fascinating, insightful... Engrossing. -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *Home and Away is deeply intelligent, enjoyable and sometimes funny. -- Simon Kuper * Financial Times, Book of the Year *An entirely engrossing exchange of ideas, affection and memory… [A] genuinely engaging two-hander of real affection and insight. -- Barney Ronay * Literary Review *Knausgaard is a writer with an astonishing ability to elevate the prosaic… As a reading experience, Home and Away is diverting, indulgent and stealthily enjoyable. Just as it probably was to write. * Esquire, Book of the Year *At its core, Home and Away is a story about two men doing what they can to keep a friendship afloat, even from continents away. * New Yorker *
£999.99
Cornerstone Family: Life, Death and Football: A Year on the
Book SynopsisFrom the award-winning author of NO HUNGER IN PARADISEOutside the global spotlight, footballers don't drive Aston Martins or pose for underwear ads. This is war. This is life. This is football.Michael Calvin turned up for the first day of pre-season training at Millwall FC. 333 days later, he sat among the subs at Wembley.Over the course of a season, he witnessed the intimate everyday life of a football club far from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, and the unique characters that come together every day on the field. These are dedicated, hard-working family men, close to their roots, 'playing for the people who hate their jobs, who'd love our lives.' Forget about the over-hyped circus of the Premier League. This is the beautiful game in all its raucous glory: essential reading for anyone whom football is a way of life.
£9.49
Ebury Publishing The Last Line: My Autobiography
Book SynopsisIrish national hero, a Celtic great and their most-capped player, Patrick 'Packie' Bonner is a goalkeeping legend.He was Jock Stein's last signing for the club when he left his native Donegal for the city of Glasgow in 1978, where Packie evolved from being a shy, homesick teenager into a confident, world-class talent and first-choice goalkeeper. Billy McNeill handed him a debut on St Patrick's Day in 1979, and Packie went on to provide the last line of defence a record 641 times for the club. A seasoned Irish internationalist, Packie was a vital component in the most-celebrated Irish national squad ever, playing in a golden era under the tutelage of the inimitable Jack Charlton.In The Last Line, Packie shares stories from his incredible career, including his greatest moment in front of a global audience during the Italia '90 World Cup tournament when he became the penalty shoot-out hero of the nation by saving a spot-kick that took the Irish to the quarter-finals stage in their very first World Cup adventure.It was an iconic moment that would change his life forever not least because, whilst in Italy, he, along with his teammates, had an audience with another goalkeeper, Pope John Paul II.Throughout his 80 cap international career, he competed against the very best in the world. Men such as Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Gheorghe Hagi, Roberto Baggio and Gary Lineker came to know the name Packie Bonner. Equally, in his glittering Celtic career that included the winning of four Scottish League titles, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup, Packie Bonner played alongside some great Celtic names like Tommy Burns, Paul McStay, and Murdo Macleod.Along the way, Packie had to endure a career-threatening back injury, as well as the devastation of a routine save going wrong and costing a goal on the world stage against Holland in 1994, ultimately leading to elimination from the World Cup in America. More than just the telling of trophies, titles and triumphs, this is the story of a Celtic legend and a true great of Irish International football.Trade ReviewIt's a terrific tale that all Celtic supporters will enjoy * Celtic View *
£13.49
Ebury Publishing Gamechanger: From playing FIFA to owning my own
Book SynopsisHow one man went from gaming and making videos at home to becoming a football club owner'The bizarre new world of football' Guardian I lifted the trophy triumphantly over my head, just as I’d seen so many FA Cup, World Cup and Champions League winners do on TV. It was quite simply the best moment of my life. Hashtag United had won. So, how on earth did this happen? How did a kid who at one point couldn’t even get in his school team end up playing at Wembley Stadium in front of 20,000 people? How did someone who spent his life playing computer games get to play football in the same side as World Cup- and Champions League-winning players?I'm hardly sure myself. But here's my attempt to tell the story.
£11.69
Bonnier Books Ltd Simply Red: The Funny Book of Manchester United
Book Synopsis'It's a funny old game.' - JIMMY GREAVESFrom golden balls to golden balls-ups, this kit bag of double entendres, outrageous quips and quotes is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone. A must for all Man Utd fans.'SIMPLY RED captures many of the laughs associated with Manchester United.' - KEN DOHERTY'A must-read not just for United fans, but for every football fan out there!' - SIMON DELANEYTrade ReviewA glimpse into what goes on behind the headlines .... a must read not just for United fans! * EDDIE KEHER *
£8.54
Pitch Publishing Ltd Stuck on You: The Rise & Fall - & Rise of Panini
Book SynopsisStuck On You charts the history of football stickers in the UK - those little bundles of self-adhesive joy that have given so much to so many since Panini burst on to the scene in the late 1970s. Immerse yourself in a story of bitter rivalry, media moguls and the seedy underbelly of what can be a surprisingly murky business. Discover how upstarts Merlin took on the might of Panini and beat them at their own game - only for the Italian giants to hit back with the weight of nostalgia behind them. But ultimately you're invited to wallow in wistful memories of swapping in the school playground, shinies and recurring doubles. Featuring interviews with many of the industry's leading historical players and images from some familiar and lesser-known collections, Stuck On You is a must-read for anyone who has ever spent months, if not years, hankering after the St Mirren badge.
£11.69
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Roar of the Lionesses: Women's Football in
Book SynopsisMillions watched the 2015 Women's World Cup as the England Lionesses roared in Canada, winning bronze. Their fighting spirit and fabulous skill captured the fascination of the entire country as their campaign unfolded in the small hours of the 2015 summer mornings. On the back of this success, attendances in the FA Women's Super League increased, as interest in women's football accelerated. Top stars talked enthusiastically about the dawn of a new era for women's football. Carrie Dunn spent a year following some of the most famous - and not so famous - female footballers in the country, to see what the future holds for women's football. Can the smaller, lower-profile teams ever compete with the big bucks and big names of the Women's Super League? How are grassroots clubs going to rise to the top when elite divisions of women's football depend on the award of licences? Can the women win a World Cup before the men do? And if they do, what reward and recognition will they get? Roar of the Lionesses tells the tale of an increasingly popular, yet still woefully underrepresented sport.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Lost in France: The Remarkable Life and Death of
Book SynopsisIn 1914 one of Britain's most famous sportsmen went off to play his part in the First World War. Like millions of others, he would die. Unlike millions of others, nobody knew how or where. Until now. Lost in France is the true story of Leigh Roose: playboy, scholar, soldier and the finest goalkeeper of his generation. It's also the tale of how one man became caught up in a global catastrophe - one that would cost him his life, his identity and his rightful place as one of football's all-time legends. Lost In France is the biography of goalkeeper Leigh Roose, football's first genuine superstar, a man so good at his position on the field of play that the Football Association made one of the most significant rule changes in the game's history just to keep him in check. Small wonder that when the Daily Mail put together a World XI to take on another planet, Leigh's was the first name on its team sheet.
£8.54
Pitch Publishing Ltd Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff!: Roy's True Story
Book SynopsisRoy Race was Melchester Rovers' super striker, and later manager and chairman; he is known everywhere simply as 'Roy of the Rovers'. Real Roy of the Rovers Stuff is the inside story of his life with Melchester, told by the man who knows him better than anyone: editor Barrie Tomlinson, the man who helped turn him from comic-book hero to a national institution. From the 1950s, millions of children grew up reading about his footballing adventures in Tiger and Roy of the Rovers. Now they can relive all the memorable moments from Roy's illustrious footballing career. From his debut as a fresh-faced teen in the comic Tiger, Roy became the hero of his own football comic; with league titles, cup finals, Wembley wins and much more; how he survived near-death experiences, became the first boys' hero to get married and just why the saying 'Real Roy of the Rovers stuff!' became a stock phrase for football commentators everywhere. Packed with photos from Roy's life, the book tells how he became a top celebrity of his day, how Sir Alf Ramsey was convinced to be Melchester manager, Geoffrey Boycott became chairman and even how the Duke of Edinburgh once came to write for Roy's comic!
£13.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Red Odyssey: Liverpool FC 1892-2017
Book SynopsisRed Odyssey: Liverpool FC 1892-2017, is a uniquely affectionate and often deeply moving history of one of the greatest sporting institutions on the planet. Born in the fire of boardroom conflict and launched into the humble surroundings of the Lancashire League, Liverpool Football Club not only endured but rose to conquer all of Europe, leaving its local rivals trailing in its wake. This journey through the ages represents a thrilling sporting odyssey, packed with heroes and foes, victors and villains. It features tales of conquest and heroic homecomings as well as soul-crushing defeats. Its people have endured great tragedy and fought for both redemption and vindication. Modern-day Liverpool supporters, standing on the shoulders of their forebears, are tough, gritty, irreverent and united. These qualities have sustained them for 125 years, and they run through the book like a golden thread. Red Odyssey is 125 individual love letters to Liverpool FC and its people, written with a Scouse accent.
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd Booked!: The Gospel According to our Football
Book SynopsisBooked! The Gospel According to our Football Heroes is a funny, fascinating digest of over 120 footballer autobiographies. Authors John Smith and Dan Trelfer have forensically examined the life stories of legends, hard-cases, cult heroes and one or two players they vaguely remember playing for Portsmouth - so you don't have to. Along the way, they discovered answers to questions they never knew they needed to know. Which coach has a tattoo inked by Mickey Rourke? Which maverick witnessed his gaffer murder an animal in a team talk? Yes, the revelations from this Pandora's Box may melt the reader's face, like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. But they also offer an insight into the strange world that footballers inhabit, using their very own words. What drives star players apart? And what binds them together, beyond an almost universal love of Rod Stewart? Booked! investigates a unique world full of sex, booze, cash, fights, glory, bitterness, fame - and incessant, relentless banter.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Record Breakers: The Inside Story of Notts
Book SynopsisRecord Breakers: The Inside Story of Notts County's Momentous 1997/98 Title Triumph delves into the inner sanctum of a basement-league dressing room in the 90s, as its inhabitants attempt to write themselves into the history books. Led by future England boss Sam Allardyce, taking some of his first managerial steps, Record Breakers is the inspirational tale of how the world's oldest Football League club fought back from a plunge down the divisions, falling attendances and financial strife to become the first side in post-war English football to win a title in March. The momentous feat is relived by the players themselves, lending a unique insight into their record run. It's packed with characters and anecdotes, and augmented with memories of supporters who lived through this season of tumbling records. From training ground punch-ups to transfer tales and unforgettable celebrations, Record Breakers is a remarkable winners' story in what now seems a bygone era.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Lancashire Turf Wars: A Football History
Book SynopsisLancashire has had a major role to play in English football from its earliest days to the present. The county's leading clubs were largely responsible for the introduction of professionalism in the 1880s, after Preston North End admitted paying their players, and the world's first Football League was divided between teams from the North West and the Midlands. Preston's 'Invincibles' triumphed in that first competition before adding the FA Cup that two different Blackburn clubs had already won - and soon the great clubs of Merseyside and Manchester were winning their first trophies. As the turf wars developed, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Bury and Oldham all made their mark in the top division; clubs such as Rochdale and Wigan fought the good fight in rugby hotbeds; and more recently Fleetwood and Morecambe have carried the name of their towns further afield. This is the story of these great rivals, their triumphs, scandals and tragedies, and the great players who have kept the red rose to the fore at home and abroad.
£11.69
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Transfer Market: The Inside Stories
Book SynopsisFor years, transfer gossip columns have been Alan Gernon's (author of Retired: What Happens to Footballers When the Game's Up) guilty pleasure. Fed up with the time wasted reading them, he explores how many of these rumours are accurate, planted by agents or simply made up - and how easy is it to plant a transfer story in the UK media. Along the way, he discovers how the market works and how a transfer happens; what a move actually means for a typical player in a world where you could buy more than 315,000 League Two players for the price of Neymar; and that almost 30 per cent of transferred players worldwide are moved between clubs against their wishes. He also uncovers how to become a football agent overnight, and why British players are reluctant to move abroad. He speaks to players about the pressures and real-life effects of a move, and tries to figure out how much the stars of yesteryear would be worth in today's crazy transfer market - where Premier League clubs spent a record GBP1.4 billion in the summer of 2017 alone.
£11.69
Pitch Publishing Ltd One in a Million: The Trevor Francis Story
Book SynopsisCompelling, entertaining and refreshingly honest, One in a Million is the autobiography of Trevor Francis, the subject of the first GBP1 million transfer fee in football history - a record for all time. As a 16-year-old, Francis set a record as the youngest player to score four goals in a match, an early indication of an exceptional talent. And so his unique career journey would continue to unfold, encountering a seemingly endless succession of superlatives, larger-than-life characters and astonishing events. Trevor played professionally not only in England but also in the USA and Scotland, in Italy and Australia. He gained 52 England caps, and won the European Cup on his debut in the competition. He played his part in the English revolution at Glasgow Rangers and managed QPR, Crystal Palace, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City. Thrillingly, Trevor takes the reader with him into dressing rooms, into boardrooms and on to the field of play. He has a true gift for memorable detail, providing a wealth of revelations and remarkable stories.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Every Cloud: The Story of How Leeds City Became
Book SynopsisA true story of intrigue, mystery, blackmail and skulduggery, which tells how one man was able to bring down an English Football League club. In 1919, Leeds City player Charlie Copeland returned from active service and made a request for a pay rise, which the club steadfastly refused. During the war, guest players for League clubs were supposed to have gone unpaid for their services, though in general this FA law was overlooked as a nod to the war effort. Copeland, however, issued the club with an ultimatum: either meet his wage demand or answer to the FA for making illegal payments. When Copeland carried out his threat and City proved reluctant to produce their books for FA inspection, a complex web of deceit and hypocrisy ensued. Subsequently, Leeds City were disbanded and expelled from the Football League, the only club before or since to receive such harsh punishment. However, out of the ashes of this fallen institution emerged another, brand new club - Leeds United.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Tangled Up in Blue: The Rise and Fall of Rangers
Book SynopsisIf the wider, football-conscious world is aware of just two things about Scottish football, they are surely as follows: firstly, that there is a virulent rivalry in Glasgow between the city's two great teams, Rangers and Celtic, based on a religious divide; and secondly, that Rangers recently suffered a catastrophic financial collapse, which ultimately led to the club's insolvency. Split into two separate, but closely linked, sections, Tangled Up in Blue: The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC gives the full account of both of these stories. Stephen O'Donnell explores how Rangers first became associated with hard-line Protestantism, dominating Scottish football for decades without ever knowingly signing a Catholic footballer, until the feted arrival of Maurice Johnston at Ibrox in 1989. He then switches focus to the club's financial affairs, as Rangers' unsustainable spending brought the club to the brink of collapse and, despite the hidden benefits of an illegal tax avoidance scheme, resulted in its liquidation.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Stateside Soccer: A Definitive History of Soccer
Book SynopsisFew fans are aware of the long, vibrant history of soccer in the USA, which dates back as far as the American Civil War. Many wrongly believe that the introduction of the North American Soccer League in the 60s brought about American soccer's debut, while in fact its first golden age came during the Roaring 20s and the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. The NASL did have a huge impact on the popularity of the game, but the instability of the league and its reliance on ageing superstars meant its heyday was over by the mid-80s. This left the door wide open for a third golden age, starting with the introduction of the incredibly successful USWNT, World Cup 1994 and MLS. Having grown for more than 25 years, played and supported by both sexes, soccer is now seen as a viable sport in a country dominated by baseball, basketball and American football. Stateside Soccer shines new light on the rich history of a sport still too often mistaken as a relatively recent import to the United States.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Magical Magyars: The Rise and Fall of the World's
Book SynopsisMagical Magyars tells the remarkable story of the legendary Hungarian football team of the 50s, a side whose breathtaking technical skills and passing-and-movement style of play changed the very way the sport was played. Author David Bailey traces the team's origins and details how communist Hungary, a tiny nation impoverished and subjugated by one of the most brutal Stalinist regimes in the Soviet empire, was able to produce a football team that was the envy of the sporting world, and so very nearly world champions. Captained by the genius that was Ferenc Puskas, the Magical Magyars walked a tightrope between being the regime's darlings and providing the beleaguered Hungarian people with a sense of national pride during their darkest days. The team enthralled, dominated and revolutionised world football - until its own demise was brought about by a revolution of a different kind. Weaving in threads of friendship and betrayal, tactics and politics, the quest for glory and upheaval, here is a football story quite unlike any other.
£21.25
Pitch Publishing Ltd Celtic v Rangers: The Hoops' Fifty Finest Old
Book SynopsisThe Celtic v Rangers clash in Glasgow is one of football's major events, attracting a huge TV audience worldwide. Author David Potter revels in the joy that a victory over the old rivals brings to the Celtic support, reliving some of the club's greatest ever derby-day triumphs from the 1890s right up to date. Here is an expert selection of 50 such legendary occasions, rich in detail and atmosphere, and all the topic of fervent discussion over the years. We hear of Jimmy Quinn's hat-trick in 1904, the astonishing Scottish Cup semi-final of 1925, the 7-1 Scottish League Cup Final of 1957, the 4-0 thrashing in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final, the 6-2 'Demolition Derby' of 2000, plus many landmark games of a more recent vintage. Celtic's greatest players - Henrik Larsson, Jimmy McGrory, Patsy Gallacher, Charlie Tully, Jimmy Johnstone, Billy McNeill and Scott Brown - appear frequently in these pages, as do many others who all played their part in what is traditionally the greatest party of them all, when Celtic beat Rangers!
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Dundee United On This Day: History, Facts &
Book SynopsisDundee United On This Day brings to life the most glorious, weird and wonderful moments from the club's history in one irresistible page-turning diary. Formerly Dundee Hibs, very nearly called Dundee City and twice known (when playing in the US) as Dallas Tornado, Dundee United is a club with a colourful past. Within these pages are big derby wins, relegation battles, victories over Barcelona and other top European clubs, a dramatic league title win, cup heartache and eventual cup glory, canine pitch invaders, infamous disallowed goals and much more. Revisit the exploits of club greats like Finn Dossing, Hamish McAlpine, Paul Sturrock, Dave Narey, Mixu Paatelainen and Andy Robertson, and celebrate the successes of legendary managers Jerry Kerr and Jim McLean. You'll enjoy a wealth of evocative and sometimes bizarre anecdotes, enthralling match reports and tales of well-known and less-known figures from 1909 to the present day. With a treasure trove of club history, trivia and facts, this book is a 'must' for Dundee United fans.
£13.49
