Pitch Publishing
Pitch Publishing Ltd Pulp Football: An Amazing Anthology of True
Book SynopsisFootball is about goals, great players and glory. But it's also about own goals, goats and the game gone wrong. Pulp Football looks at the comedy rather than the beauty of the world's favourite sport, the farce not the force: the incompetent coaches, the 30-yard thunderbolt that ends up in the wrong net, the players' Christmas parties that ended up in the courts. Find out how a murder was uncovered because Blackburn built a new stand, which manager was sacked after only ten minutes in a job, which mascot pulled the head off a rival and kicked it into the stands and which player scored all four goals in a 2-2 draw. Written by experienced Fleet Street scribe Nick Szczepanik, he has unearthed some cracking tales and stood up some of those so-called football myths. With sections devoted to owners, managers, goalkeepers, players, mascots, fans and of course, sex, drugs and rock n roll...Pulp Football is what it says it is: an amazing anthology of true football stories you simply couldn't make up!
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Run for Your Life: How One Woman Ran Circles
Book SynopsisRunning has been many things to Jenny Baker - a space to achieve new things, a way to keep fit and healthy, and a source of friendship and community. She had planned a year of running to celebrate her birthday; instead Jenny was hit with a bombshell which rocked her life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had one question for her oncologist: can I keep running? It gave her a sense of identity through her chemotherapy, while her treatment was stripping away everything that was important to her. Run For Your Life is the story of how she kept running to help her beat cancer, and how it helped her get her life back on track after an intensive spell of treatment and a turbulent time in her life.
£8.54
Pitch Publishing Ltd Million Dollar Crolla: Good Guys Can Win
Book SynopsisMillion Dollar Crolla: Good Guys Can Win tells the unique story of the 'nicest man in boxing' and his remarkable path from prospect to has-been, from victim to world champion. Written off by many, an office job beckoned for Anthony Crolla before a devastating but defining fight put him back on track. After overcoming the demons of badly injuring a rival, Anthony's boxing dream was again shattered after a neighbourly deed left him seriously injured. Against all the odds, he fought back to win a world title in front in his home fans. Covering key moments in a bumpy ride, the book gives unique insight into the preparations for the biggest nights of his boxing career - a rematch with the exceptional Jorge Linares and the must-win domestic showdown with Ricky Burns. It's access all areas with insight to family life, media commitments and his passion for Manchester United. Crucially, the book details the punishing training schedule, alongside his fellow champions at Gallagher's Gym, which has helped him to the top. Includes contributions from some of the biggest names in sport.
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd From a Field to Anfield: A Footballer's Journey
Book SynopsisFrom A Field to Anfield is the inspirational story of Nick Tanner's against-the-odds rise from the uncompromising grassroots football scene in Bristol to the glamour of then-champions Liverpool. Nick's story is not one of spending years mollycoddled in an academy system and having success handed to him, but of graft, days spent working in a factory before making it to the top, and being sold to Bristol Rovers by non-league Mangotsfield United for a couple of floodlight bulbs. Nick was a member of the last Liverpool squad to win the title, was in the stands at Hillsborough in 1989, and scored a Merseyside derby goal at Goodison Park, so his tales naturally include Anfield legends and A-list events with Kenny Dalglish and the rest. Equally, though, his is an inspirational story for any budding footballer about just how far hard work and relentless dedication can take you if you are willing to put in the yards. Nick also opens up on the personal impact of his career-ending injury, along with his various ongoing struggles.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Stuck in a Moment: The Ballad of Paul Vaessen
Book SynopsisFor some players, the final whistle heralds the beginning of an infinitely more difficult chapter in their lives. Some simply find it impossible to cope, replacing one addiction with another. Not well known is the story of Paul Vaessen, perhaps the most powerful and tragic tale of them all. Paul was the Bermondsey boy who rose from working-class roots to overnight fame in Turin when in April 1980, as an unknown 18-year-old, he scored one of the most dramatic goals in Arsenal's distinguished history. But all too soon Paul would discover how fragile and fickle the world of football could be as he experienced unforgiving injuries, loss of form and merciless barracking by his own fans. Just three years down the line, he was on the scrapheap, discarded by the game he'd devoted his young life to, and descending quickly into the only other world he knew, that of drugs. Paul would spend his lonely final days reliving his moment of glory with anybody willing to listen, that one moment in which he had effectively become stuck.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Tony Greig: A Reappraisal of English Cricket's
Book SynopsisTony Greig is remembered as the colourful captain who led cricket into its biggest crisis of the last century. An all-rounder who mixed boldness with belligerence, he was the first South African to skipper England, restoring national pride with victory in India after poundings at the hands of Australia and the West Indies. A controversial and charismatic competitor whose "make them grovel" comment about the West Indies signalled trouble, he later lost the captaincy for recruiting players for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. More than three decades later, now a leading television commentator, Greig has never been fully absolved. Featuring many new interviews, including with Greig himself, the book asks whether cricket history judges the accomplished all-rounder fairly, or is coloured by off-field controversies. Tony Greig offers a compelling portrait of a fascinating cricketing era - and was shortlisted for Best Cricket Book at the 2012 British Sports Book Awards.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Blues & Beatles: Football, Family and the Fab
Book SynopsisDuncan Ferguson. David Moyes. Paul McCartney. A father and a son. A passion for Everton, and a passion for The Beatles. Blues & Beatles is a story of football and music across the generations, showing in touching and hilarious detail how a young boy inherited his father's obsessions - and would one day pass them on to his own sons. A journalist like his father, Neil Roberts has special access to his beloved football club, so his heartfelt memoir includes glimpses within the inner sanctum of Goodison Park as well as every unforgettable Everton moment since the 1980s, all soundtracked by the Fab Four. Along the way, Neil meets his heroes - including musical as well as Everton icons - and reveals intriguing connections to Dixie Dean and a famous Victorian footballer. But above all, Blues & Beatles is a story of football and music shared by father and son. Described by Everton fans' website Blue Kipper as "a fantastic read [which] covers every Everton 'moment' from the 70's to date carefully captured in detail."
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Six Stickers: A Journey to Complete an Old
Book SynopsisAdam Carroll-Smith never completed a football sticker album as a kid. Try as he might, he was always a few stickers short. Six Stickers tells the story of Carroll-Smith's bid to complete his childhood album and rediscover his love for the game. After uncovering one of his long-lost, almost-finished albums, he decided now was the time to break that duck. Disillusioned and out of love with the modern game, he attempts to track down and photograph the six players missing from his Premier League 1996 sticker book. Featuring previously unpublished interviews with the subjects of the book, Carroll-Smith looks back at their time in football and how their lives have developed since; he also looks back at a time when English football was going through a transitional phase, prior to Euro 96 and at the dawn of the modern era, and examines the changes of the last 15 years.
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Playing the Game?: Cricket's Tarnished Ideals
Book SynopsisOf all games, cricket has long prided itself on its ethical traditions, but to modern sceptics the idea of cricket encapsulating a higher morality is actually something of a myth. Playing the Game? looks at the changing ethics of cricket, from its gentlemanly roots right up until the present day. After decades of sledging, intimidatory bowling, blatant gamesmanship and dissent, the MCC adopted `The Spirit of Cricket' in 2000 in an attempt to reclaim the game's original ethos - but was it already too late? While the concept is a noble one, its impact has so far been limited, as award-winning cricket scribe Mark Peel explains. As well as looking back to the infamous Bodyline series of 1932/33, Peel also investigates the effects of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket; takes the ICC to task on their failure to quell rowdy behaviour and gamesmanship; examines the double standards of Western cricketing nations towards Pakistan; and delves into the recent ball-tampering affair that has tainted Aussie cricket.
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd Thorny Encounters: A History of England v The All
Book SynopsisIn 1905, Vic Cartwright's England rugby team lined up against Dave Gallaher's touring All Blacks at Crystal Palace - the first ever meeting of two national teams. Ensuing matches, in both the amateur and professional eras, have been dramatic and controversial, steeped in the historical rivalry of the traditional home of the game for the nation that has claimed rugby as its own. Men in white (such as Wakefield, Beaumont, Carling, Leonard and Johnson) versus men in black (Meads, Lochore, Fitzpatrick, Lomu, McCaw). Hakas drowned out by rousing renditions of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. Grinding forward tussles on cold, murky afternoons and sweeping back-line movements on sun-lit grounds. Thorny Encounters chronicles the first 40 Test matches between England and New Zealand, in which giants of the sport have measured themselves against each other. In the professional era, the match has become the clash of the hemispheres.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Give Us Tomorrow Now: Alan Durban's Mission
Book SynopsisGive Us Tomorrow Now offers an entertaining and powerful narrative of a manager striving to satisfy legions of fanatical supporters and an impatient boardroom. Success and stability had long proven elusive objectives for Sunderland managers attempting the task of 'waking the sleeping giant'. In the summer of 1981, a new dawn shimmered as Alan Durban was persuaded to relinquish his comfortable Stoke post and enter the white heat of North East football mania. This disciple of Brian Clough battled to lay enduring foundations and find an on-field blend amidst constant boardroom interference and an intense media spotlight. A restless hierarchy failed to back their manager's judgement, and the lack of a cup run heightened boardroom impatience to boiling point. The book explores Durban's long-term vision and strategy - and how, heartbreakingly, his embryonic 'tomorrow team' would never be granted the chance to reach maturity.
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd Stanley Park Story: Life, Love and the Merseyside
Book SynopsisStanley Park Story: Life, Love and the Merseyside Derby charts the recent history of the longest continuous running derby game in English football. Liverpool and Everton have now contested the fixture every season since 1962. Using a mixture of fact, fiction and personal experience, Jeff Goulding has crafted a compelling tale spanning three generations of two families, Red and Blue. Their lives become intricately woven together through 50 years of this unique sporting rivalry. The story explores the changing fortunes of each team and the relationship between the two sets of supporters, which evolves over the years. The life and times of Jimmy, a Blue, and Tommy, a Red, form the basis of the drama which unfolds against a backdrop of thrilling sporting encounters, social and political upheaval and catastrophe. Ultimately, the story is one of a love so strong it reaches across the park to forge a timeless bond between the two families.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Running My Way: A Tale of Passion, Determination
Book SynopsisThe inspirational, bittersweet story of Tamsin Imber's journey as a runner. Starting out as a busy mum, she secretly trains for a marathon - and ends up completing nine in a year, running joyfully in the rainy North York Moors with a group of like-minded lunatics. But talented Tamsin's London Marathon attempt is thwarted by a mysterious fatigue. Running My Way explores the empowering sense of freedom and achievement that running can bring into the chaotic, stressful life of a typically selfless mum. Mocked by an old friend, Tamsin sets off on a bumpy road that leads to a rewarding new social life and countless hilarious adventures. Trophy-winning runs attract the attention of a coach who helps her toward qualification for a championship place in the London Marathon. Ultimately, an appreciation of running free with wild abandon - whether in glorious countryside or in competition - is sharpened by Tamsin's diagnosis with debilitating CFS/ME. Now her positivity and sense of humour are sure to inspire others to take up the sport.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Trailing George Best: The Manchester Haunts of
Book SynopsisTrailing George Best: The Manchester Haunts of United's Greatest takes a forensic look back at the locations in and around Manchester where George Best worked, rested, partied and played during the Swinging 60s and the dubiously stylish 70s. Despite the questionable fashions, it was the best of times. George Best lived in the city for nearly 15 years and this book chronicles, with numerous images, the places where he lived, the avenues and alleyways he explored, the boutiques he managed, the nightclubs he both frequented and helped to run, and of course the football grounds where he ran amok. Having tracked down the people who knew George best during this period - people who lived with Best, the pals he hung out with, colleagues who worked with him, his business partners and personal managers - lifelong Manchester United supporters Stuart Bolton and Paul Collier unearth the stories that other writers could not reach.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Mad Dog Gravesen: The Last of the Modern
Book SynopsisThomas Gravesen was one of the last footballing mavericks, once dubbed 'a grenade with the pin pulled out'. Hailing from rural Denmark, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a top player but never lost his unique identity, earning a reputation for his bizarre antics and eyebrow-raising behaviour. Gravesen lined up for Real Madrid's glamorous Galacticos and enjoyed colourful spells at European giants Hamburg, Everton and Celtic. Remembered as a cult hero at all of his past clubs, he is a truly fascinating individual. After abruptly ending his career and disappearing, he re-emerged years later in bizarre circumstances in Las Vegas. Did he really lose $54 million at cards? Did he really bring dynamite to training, and spend his summers in a dark basement? Known as a 'unicorn' due to his mysterious life, this is a fascinating, helter-skelter journey into the mind of 'Mad Dog'. Team-mates, coaches and friends recount what it was like to be swept up in the surreal whirlwind of the most unorthodox individual they've ever encountered.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd In His Own Words: Life on the Inside
Book SynopsisRecounted candidly In His Own Words: Life On the Inside looks back on the footballing life and times of Peter Mendham, Norwich City's larger-than-life former midfielder. He offers a no-holds-barred account of football in the 80s - and also of the incident that led to a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of his girlfriend. Peter gives his viewpoint on some of the stars he has played with and against, and on a decade in football characterised by falling gates, hooliganism and poor television coverage for fans who didn't follow the fortunes of the game's biggest clubs. The Mendham case remains one of the highest-profile trials ever to have involved a British footballer - his punishment and fall from grace standing in stark contrast to a playing career at the highest level, winning medals at Wembley for two clubs. Peter recounts his experiences in football and his time endured at Her Majesty's pleasure in a frank, occasionally blunt manner that will give readers an insight into a life of ups and downs.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Under an Orange Sky: The Story of the Vitality
Book SynopsisThe wildly dramatic story of the Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 - the biggest women's team sport event ever to take place on British soil. Under an Orange Sky was written and photographed by the team that brought you The History Makers: How Team GB Stormed to a First Ever Gold in Women's Hockey, winner of the Thompson Reuters Illustrated Sports Book of the Year 2018. At this crazy, anything-goes, ultimately tear-inducing competition there was no such thing as a certainty. High-ranked teams fell by the wayside, reputations were ignored and accepted practices turned on their heads as the form book was torn up in front of the huge crowds that flocked daily to the Lee Valley. Working together with world-class hockey photographers Frank Uijlenbroek and Koen Suyk - joined this time by Argentina's Rodrigo Jaramillo - authors Sarah Juggins and Richard Stainthorpe captured all the twists, shocks and surprises, and even a fabulous Irish fairy-tale, as east London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park welcomed the world's best.
£22.50
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Unknown Champion: From Fantasy Football to
Book SynopsisThe inspirational story of respected football talent scout, Rui Marques. Instead of continuing on the rather dull career path of an economist, Rui transformed his destiny by winning major Fantasy Football competitions in two different countries, and carving his own unique path into the real world of football. From early childhood Rui developed a great passion for football, yet only years later came to recognise his gift of being able to spot raw sporting talent. After completing an economics degree, Rui entered a Daily Mirror Fantasy Football competition - and won the first prize of GBP75,000. This was followed with another Fantasy first place in Germany, scooping Bild's EURO100,000 prize. As a result he earned his first scouting job at a Portuguese club, but after only two seasons became European scout at Sporting Kansas City, helping his team to win trophies before taking on a challenging new role as European scout with Polish champions Legia Warsaw. The Unknown Champion is the ultimate proof that if we follow our dreams, they can come true.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Bottled: English Football's Boozy Story
Book SynopsisBottled tells the story of English football's complicated relationship with booze through the experiences of the players who found themselves in crisis when they could no longer put it down - from George Best and Paul Gascoigne to Tony Adams and Paul Merson, as well as many others who escaped the headlines. Footballers play under intense pressure in the unforgiving glare of the media spotlight. But what do their stories tell us about ourselves? Are some challenges they face specific to a player's lifestyle? With insights from those at the sharp end, here is an examination of footballers in need and the help available from the industry. Untangling the complex web of links between alcohol and the beautiful game, Bottled explores the stories that characterised the origins of many of England's clubs, as churches and breweries vied for the souls of young men. From trashed hotel rooms to the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous via the China Jump club, Bottled navigates the journey from the stars to the gutter and, sometimes, back again.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Rangers FC in the 1980s: The Players' Stories
Book SynopsisRangers in the 1980s chronicles the fortunes of the club during one of the most turbulent, transitional decades in their history. The story is told by the players of the era, who recount their routes to Ibrox, memories of their time with the club, and retrospective opinions on both Rangers FC and the changing game. After securing the domestic Treble in season 1977/78 and narrowly missing out on winning all three trophies again in 1978/79, Rangers entered a period of several seasons in the wilderness. Under the guidance of John Greig, a successful but ageing team was broken up and Ibrox Stadium was redeveloped. Jock Wallace tried to mastermind a return to the club's former glories. Then the arrival of the visionary David Holmes kick-started a revolution. Former players such as Richard Gough, Ally Dawson, Bobby Russell, Hugh Burns and Derek Johnstone share their enthralling inside stories of life at Rangers, recalling the rollercoaster ride experienced as the club strove to re-establish itself at the pinnacle of the Scottish game.
£14.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Taking No Prisoners: The Legend of Frank Barson,
Book SynopsisFrank Barson's life story is one of hardship and hard-won fame, his tough tackling and prowess in controlled aggression earning him a reputation that lives on today. Rising from the factory floor to become a footballing giant, Barson lifted the fortunes of Aston Villa and Manchester United while earning more cautions than anyone before or since. Born in Sheffield's industrial district of Grimesthorpe, his no-nonsense football style was forged in the 20s when learning his trade with Barnsley FC's renowned Battlers. Even in an era of ruthless tackling he stood out as a notoriously powerful player, yet his frequent clashes with authority belied his status as an extremely intelligent player, an inspiration to his colleagues and a true leader. Although Barson only earned a single England cap, commentators and colleagues alike would bemoan the fact that he was not captaining the national side. Football's infamous 'hard man' set standards in deadly, focussed aggression which players such as Norman Hunter and Roy Keane have since striven to emulate.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd I Can't Help Falling in Love: Growing Up as a
Book SynopsisI Can't Help Falling in Love with You offers a personal, heartfelt yet tellingly critical survey of the changing world of football fandom. Greg Whitaker's coming-of-age memoir provides an emotional insight into the modern game from the perspective of a bona fide fanatic who has experienced all the highs and lows of football's last 20 years. Framed through the eyes of a die-hard follower of Hull City AFC and England, it explores the ways in which the global phenomenon of football fandom has developed since the end of the 90s - for better and for worse. By revisiting the most influential matches of his football-supporting life, Whitaker endeavours to explore the changing face of football alongside his own shifting relationship with his passion. Effortlessly documenting social change as he looks back over the decades, he builds a case-study insight into the game's 21st-century zeitgeist. Ultimately, Greg seeks an answer to the troubling question: has our love of football developed into an addiction?
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd What Was Football Like in the 1980s?
Book SynopsisWhat Was Football Like in the 1980s? provides a fascinating and insightful perspective on the game in a decade when football faced major challenges on and off the field. The author's own memories and experiences are augmented by a wealth of research to bring you a compelling account of the clubs, players, managers, referees, grounds, crowds and competitions that defined '80s football. The book highlights the Hillsborough, Heysel and Bradford tragedies, along with the increasingly commercialised aspects of the game and the evolution of televised football. The scourge of hooliganism - which reached its height in the 1980s - is brought to the fore. What Was Football Like in the 1980s? is an enthralling and illuminating account of a truly remarkable decade for the beautiful game, penned by a respected football author. How different was the sport 30 to 40 years ago? Richard Crooks gives you the answer, leaving no stone unturned.Trade Review"Thanks for whisking me back to the 1980s with this new book. I'd forgotten so much of it ! A nostalgic and intensely thought-provoking reminder. Exhaustively researched and a great read." -- Alan Biggs * Talksport football reporter and Sheffield Live host *"Get the book it really is a fascinating read." -- Steve White * BBC Radio Sheffield *"Throughout there is a recollection of nuggets from the decade - the government's failed membership scheme, the television blackout... the book allows the reader to reflect on thinking from another age." * TheSubstantive.com *"For a child of the 90s and early 2000s, this is very educational." -- Raf Diallo * Sports Journalist, RTE *"Fabulous book packed with stories of how the game was changing at a national and international level coupled with anecdotes." * My Kind of Town magazine *"A must for all soccer fans." -- Keith Hackett * ex-FIFA referee *
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd A Miscellany of Rugby's World Cup: Facts,
Book SynopsisA Miscellany of Rugby's World Cup (Facts, History, Statistics and Trivia 1987-2019) will transport you directly into the thrilling history of the greatest event in global rugby union. Here's a treasure trove of insider facts, fantastic feats, firsts and lasts, records and stats - covering every nation and every star player to have made their mark in a tournament now watched by 120 million fans worldwide. John White leads you through all the highs and lows and unforgettable moments from Rugby World Cup's 1995 inception, ushering in the sport's professional era, right through to Japan 2019 and the competition's ninth edition. Relive the greatest games and the finest individual performances. Compile your own Rugby World Cup Fantasy XV. Recall the captains, the record try scorers, the youngest and oldest, the longest drop goals and the strangest conversions. And every time you discover an elusive nugget and say to yourself, 'I never knew that,' rest assured John will soon enlighten you with a follow-up to leave you even more amazed. To the victor go the spoils!
£13.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Wilson on the Wing: The Davie Wilson Story
Book SynopsisWilson on the Wing is the exhilarating story of the life and times of Davie Wilson, one of the greatest forwards ever to play for Rangers FC. Spotted as a schoolboy, Wilson began at Ibrox in 1956. After being lauded in the Scottish press for his early performances, he became a stalwart of the great Rangers side of the early 1960s. He soon gained a reputation as not just a creator of goals but a regular scorer, and was part of an attacking trident that netted over 100 goals in the 1962/63 season. Wilson on the Wing traces Davie's life from his mining-village roots to his emergence as one of the greatest Scottish wingers of his generation. The book is filled with anecdotes and memories from Wilson's playing career - as well as his time at Rangers, there are stories from playing at Dundee United and Dumbarton, plus his 22 Scotland appearances. With contributions from, among others, Sir Alex Ferguson, Denis Law and members of Davie's family, this heart-warming tale presents the inside story of a true Scottish football legend.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches: The
Book SynopsisBarbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches is the compelling story of a cricket tour framed in a landscape of turbulent social history. Cricket, England's gentle summer game, was shaken to its core by demonstrations, strikes, arrests and violence amid growing global disgust at apartheid, ahead of South Africa's planned 1970 tour. The battle to stop and then to save the tour split the nation, drove a wedge between the generations and destroyed friendships in an uncanny foreshadowing of Brexit. Fifty years on, acclaimed author and social historian Dr Colin Shindler has delved deep into the MCC archives for new information and gained exclusive interviews with key players of the time. Alongside the views of cricketers Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth are the opinions of Labour politician Peter Hain, who was chairman of the Stop The Seventy Tour campaign. Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches brings you the full untold story of one of cricket's biggest controversies - the significance of which reaches far beyond the realm of sport.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Because it's Saturday: A Journey into Football's
Book SynopsisBecause it's Saturday is a compelling portrait of life in the professional grass roots of football, far from the glitz and glamour of Premier League superstars. Why does anyone travel from Grimsby to Accrington on a wet Tuesday night in November to watch players battling on a muddy pitch with more gusto than grace? How do teams survive in half-empty stadia, and how does a Cotswolds village side owned by an ex-hippy challenge the likes of Luton for promotion? Award-winning writer Gavin Bell spoke to the owners, managers, players and supporters of eight lower-league sides, over the course of a season, to discover the fierce passions and loyalties that sustain clubs unlikely to win anything other than the devotion of their fans. Going beyond the fields of dreams, Bell explores the communities for whom these clubs are more than football teams. From gritty northern towns blighted by post-industrial decline, to ivory towers of academia and a seaside resort riven by a fans' civil war - it's a rollercoaster ride of a season.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Fine Margins: How Manchester City and Liverpool
Book SynopsisFine Margins is the definitive story of how two mainstays of English football took their feuding on to the game's biggest stages. The Manchester City and Liverpool rivalry is synonymous with the Premier League, but its roots go back much further. For over half a century, these two clubs from opposite ends of the M62 have been perennial thorns in each other's side. Bill Shankly laid the groundwork in the late 1960s before a series of clashes a decade later further stoked the fires, culminating in an attack on City's team bus in 1981 after they beat Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield. The feud was reignited in the mid-1990s when Liverpool relegated City on the final day of the 1995/96 Premier League season. When they returned to the top flight, Manchester's blue half became the scourge of Merseyside's Redmen, snatching players and points away from them. Countless managers, players and directors have continued what started in the Bill Shankly era, with the rivalry ramped up a notch through the reigns of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Foot Soldiers
Book SynopsisVictorian England in the 1870s and the early years of the FA Cup. Pitches are little better than mud baths. Crossbars and referees' whistles don't exist, while the players all charge around in a rough-and-tumble manner more suited to rugby. But one side dares to be different. Combining silky skills with military muscle, they pass the ball in a spectacular new style of play. And they have a team spirit like no other. They are a 'band of brothers' who fight for Queen and Country - and for each other. They are the Royal Engineers from Chatham in Kent and Foot Soldiers is their extraordinary story. Among their ranks are 'Renny', one of the game's first superstars, and 'The Major', the mastermind behind their astonishing rise. In a four-year quest to land football's greatest prize both men must confront a disastrous fire, monstrous bad luck, the elements at their fiercest and the shocking death of one of the team's favourite players on FA Cup Final day itself.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Man of All Talents; the: The Extraordinary Life
Book SynopsisA Man of All Talents is the remarkable story of rugby and wrestling legend Douglas 'Duggy' Clark. Born in 1891 in the sleepy Cumbrian village of Maryport, at 14 he left school to work for his father's coal merchant business. Duggy grew into an exceptionally strong but quiet and reserved young man. His two great passions were rugby and Cumberland and Westmorland-style wrestling, and he excelled at both. By 24 he was already a rugby league great and a key member of Huddersfield's 'Team of All Talents', winning every honour the sport could offer. He represented Britain in the infamous 1914 'Rorke's Drift' tour of Australia before being called up to serve in the Great War. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery, but his war injuries were so severe he was discharged with a 20% disability certificate. Doctors gave Duggy an ultimatum: either he could stay home and live a long but sedate and ordinary life or risk his health by returning to sport. He chose the latter and went on to achieve more extraordinary and pioneering feats.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Tales from the Front Line: The Autobiography of
Book SynopsisFor over a decade Luke Fletcher has been a firm fan favourite at Trent Bridge. This 6'6" gentle giant never gives less than 100 per cent for Nottinghamshire, but a laugh and a joke are never far from his lips. Within the space of a week in 2017 he went from the highs of winning a Lord's cup final to suffering a serious injury. As with most events in his life, the incidents provided scope for his infectious humour, much of it self-deprecating. An uncanny ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and his on-off relationship with the strength and conditioning gurus has often landed him in hot water, providing ammunition for witty comebacks. But although a clever quip is never far away, the broad-beamed paceman has earned the respect of everyone in the game. He has played against - and got the better of - virtually every opponent he has faced and has a career record to be proud of. In Tales from the Front Line, 'Fletch' serves up laughs aplenty as he takes us on an anecdotal journey through our summer game.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd The King of Dens Park: The Authorised Biography
Book SynopsisThe King of Dens Park is the authorised life story of Alan Gilzean, the legendary, world-class Dundee, Spurs and Scotland footballer. Exclusive insights provided by his family, closest friends and colleagues add to the author's own experience to reveal Gilzean, the man and the player. A reserved, charming and intelligent individual who shunned the limelight off the field, Gilzean played with a swagger as a maker and taker of goals. We discover how the native of the Perthshire town of Coupar Angus became one of the greatest performers in the history of both his clubs. Gilzean emerged a Scottish folk hero having scored the winning goal against England in front of 133,000 at Hampden Park - and was later welcomed back with open arms by the game after ending a self-imposed exile during which the uninformed conjured often defamatory myths. The elegant striker dubbed 'Nureyev in Boots' left us on Sunday, 8 July 2018. There will never be another like him.
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd My Song Shall Be Cricket: The Autobiography of
Book SynopsisOne of cricket's great characters, Franklyn Stephenson was branded a 'rebel' for touring in apartheid South Africa with a West Indian XI. As a black sportsman, he knew his actions went against the wishes of the authorities and that there would be consequences, yet he overcame the character slurs and subsequent bans from both his beloved Barbados and the West Indian Test selectors. Recognised as the first fast bowler to develop a cunning slower ball, Stephenson became one of the world's top all-rounders. The beaming Barbadian achieved cricketing immortality in 1988 by completing the domestic Double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets during an English summer - a feat that is unlikely to be repeated. Read about encounters, on and off the field, with household names such as Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd and Desmond Haynes - and a lifelong friendship with Sir Garfield Sobers. From a childhood full of dramatic life experiences to the heights of one-day finals at Lord's, here is the story of an amiable cricketing giant.
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Close Quarters: An Extraordinary Season on the
Book SynopsisClose Quarters is the inspirational, against the odds story of Wycombe Wanderers, the poorest club in League One, and how it shapes into a side that sustains a nine-month challenge for promotion before the global pandemic stops the team in its tracks. When the season restarts, Wycombe finds itself in the play-offs behind closed doors, an unprecedented opportunity through unprecedented turmoil. Led by the longest-serving boss in professional football, the charismatic Gareth Ainsworth, this becomes an astonishing campaign, witnessed up close by award-winning sportswriter Neil Harman thanks to his special access. Harman gets to the heart of the team, joins them in the dressing room, on the coach, in the medical room and in team meetings to chart this unparalleled challenge. He gets the inside story of Ainsworth's rise from a working-class upbringing on the back streets of Blackburn, through a rumbustious playing career, to a one-club manager moulding Wycombe while dealing with an American takeover that could make the difference between the club's life and death. Close Quarters is a book that resonates, not just with Wycombe supporters, but fans of underdog clubs everywhere.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd LastWicket Stand
Book SynopsisLast Wicket Stand is a refreshingly honest examination of county cricket, middle age, identity and coping with change. In his 50th year, Richard Clarke followed his beloved Essex CCC throughout the 2019 season, the last before the introduction of a controversial new competition that threatened to undermine domestic cricket in England forever.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd England On This Day: Cricket History, Facts &
Book SynopsisEngland On This Day revisits the most magical and memorable moments from the national cricket team's illustrious past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable England diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the first ever Test match in 1877 through to the Twenty20 era, England's faithful fans have witnessed world domination and tragicomic failures, grudge matches, controversy and absurdity - all present here. Timeless greats such as Ian Botham, Jack Hobbs and Fred Trueman, Denis Compton, Harold Larwood and Alastair Cook all loom larger than life. Revisit 5 January 1971, when a Melbourne Test became the first ever one-day international, 30 July 1995 when Dominic Cork took England's first hat-trick in 38 years! Or 6 September 1880, when W.G. Grace and his two brothers all made their Test debuts - two successful, one tragic.
£13.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Tortured: The Sam English Story
Book SynopsisTortured: The Sam English Story is the fascinating yet tragic tale of a footballer destined to become one of the greatest goalscorers in Scottish football history, but who by his own admission became 'an embarrassing, grizzly peep show'. English was a veritable goal machine at Yoker Athletic in the late 1920s, netting nearly 300 in three seasons, and was soon being chased by a posse of big-name clubs. Legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman offered him a blank cheque, but 22-year-old English chose Rangers. He hit 44 league goals in his debut season - still a record today - but tragedy struck early in the campaign. In the first Old Firm match of the season, Celtic keeper John Thomson lost his life after bravely diving at the feet of the entirely blameless English. In an instant, English became one half of a tragic accident and his life changed forever. He moved to Liverpool, but was haunted by the fatality and its accompanying demons. He was cast as a villain and made a pariah. His life would be defined by that one tragic incident.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd An End of Innocence: The Watershed Season of
Book SynopsisJimmy Greaves was England's most prodigious goalscorer of the 1950s and 1960s. In his autobiography, Greavsie, he writes that the 1959/60 English football season was the final year of football's age of innocence. He saw the open, attacking football of the 1950s give way to a much more defensively minded game. It was an era which also saw the advent of the tracksuit manager and specialist coaches. An End of Innocence examines English football in the 1950s and a transition through the 1960s; looking at the international and domestic landscape, through the lens of a selection of teams. It considers different managerial styles, team formations, coaching and training methods, and the developments in tactics, diet and health care; as well as a significant change in footballers' lifestyles, that came after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. Set against a backdrop of social and political change, An End of Innocence reflects a changing nation and a game that was evolving, and the lasting impact that has had upon English football, its players and supporters.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Quiet Man Roars: The David Robertson Story
Book SynopsisThe Quiet Man Roars is the enthralling story of David Robertson, one of the finest attacking full-backs Scotland has produced in the last 30 years. Spotted as a schoolboy, Robertson signed as an apprentice with Aberdeen in the early 1980s. Initially a winger, a series of unfortunate events saw David selected at left-back for a youth game and he never looked back. He made his debut for Aberdeen at 17 and was snapped up by Rangers for just shy of GBP1m at age 22. David was an integral part of the Rangers side that won nine successive league championships and came within an ace of reaching the first Champions League final. Later, he played in the English Premiership for Leeds United before injury cut short his playing career, prompting a move into management. As a player, he was the epitome of the modern day marauding full-back. As a coach, he has already made his mark across the globe and been the subject of a BAFTA-winning BBC documentary. The Quiet Man Roars is the inside story of one of football's most respected characters.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Won't You Dance for Virat Kohli?: The Secret Life
Book SynopsisFormer Gloucestershire Media Sports Writer of the Year Rob Harris has been playing village cricket for almost 40 years. In inner cities some kids join street gangs in search of respect, but in Rob's childhood the gangs were village cricket clubs and the weapon of choice was a Gunn & Moore bat. Won't You Dance for Virat Kohli? is an honest, funny and colourful account of sporting obsession and how a childhood passion for cricket can dominate grown-up thoughts, dreams, relationships - and weekends. This is the story of one humble club cricketer's misguided search for personal respect and fulfilment in the strangest of places, foregoing holidays and family time to spend long summer days lounging around village greens with other screwed-up 'weekend warriors', whilst secretly wishing he was somewhere - anywhere - else. It is a book that will resonate with anyone who knows and loves grass-roots cricket.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Promotion Winning Black Cats: The Stories Behind
Book SynopsisFrom 1890 to 1958, Sunderland were part of football's elite with a 68-year unbroken run in the top flight. The shock of a first relegation in 1958 was matched by the elation of a first promotion in 1963/64. Starting with that season, the book celebrates every occasion Sunderland went up. What was the secret to each Black Cats promotion? And who did the fans have to thank? Rob Mason gets the inside story through exclusive interviews with players and managers who were at the heart of the action. Moments of magic and mystery are revealed as the story of each season unfolds. From Charlie Hurley's much-loved 1963/64 side, through to the second Bob Stokoe side to win a trophy at Sunderland in 1976, Ken Knighton winning promotion in his first season as a manager and the teams of Denis Smith and Peter Reid - who each won promotion twice - then on to the 'Sund-Ireland' era when promotion was won under Mick McCarthy and then Roy Keane, all the great days and great games are here to cherish and enjoy.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd The World at Your Feet: In Search of the Soul of
Book SynopsisIn The World at Your Feet: One Man's Search for the Soul of the Beautiful Game, Tim Hartley takes us on a footballing world tour. We meet fans in Hong Kong who refuse to bow to China, help clear the goats off a pitch in Africa and kick off the chanting at a bizarre game in North Korea. Back home, Hartley visits all 92 Premier and Football League grounds and watches a prisoners' team desperate to play a competitive match. Using wry observation and detailed research, The World at Your Feet unfurls the good, the bad and the ugly of football. It is brutally honest, informative and often very funny. This is a rough guide with a difference. The power of football across the world is put in the balance and measured, its successes raised up, its failings laid bare. Hartley rails against the excesses of professional football but he never loses faith and through his travels he finds the soul of the game is still alive and kicking. If you want a global health check of the game we sometimes struggle to love, then you really need The World at Your Feet.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd Inglory; Inglory Man United: Travels and Travails
Book SynopsisInglory, Inglory Man United chronicles the travails of United in the 1980s from the perspective of a diehard schoolboy Red Devil. Warrington-born (equidistant from Manchester and Liverpool for those who might not know), young Jamie Magill could legitimately have opted for the multiple-title winners from Anfield... but where was the fun in that? Who wanted the suet puddings of league championships and European Cups when you had the souffle of Ron Atkinson that might rise in the FA Cup every now and then? And who really cared about Europe before the Champions League? This is not just a story of pills, thrills and bellyaches; tears before crispy pancakes, fizz bombs and Juliet Bravo. It also provides an insight into who you are: a glory boy or a loyal supporter? Sticker or twister? Dumb, complacent roundhead or romantic cavalier? The fluffy dice you want to roll is better than the championship medal you don't have. The 1980s were a disaster, in terms of silverware; but they were fabulous entertainment for those who were there: soap opera storylines all the way. Not convinced? These five words should entice any United fan: Michael Knighton and Ralph Milne.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Sachin and Azhar at Cape Town: Indian and South
Book SynopsisSachin and Azhar at Cape Town is the story of an incredible partnership between Tendulkar and Azharuddin in the Newlands Test of 1997. Replying to 529, India slumped to 58/5 against Donald, Pollock, McMillan and Klusener. What followed was an exhilarating counter-attack from both ends, seldom seen in Test cricket. With Nelson Mandela watching on - he met the players during lunch that day - the pair added a magical 222 in 40 overs, treating the lethal bowling attack with disdain. Arunabha Sengupta and Abhishek Mukherjee relive the partnership, recounting and analysing every stroke, but as they do, they also bring to life the cricket, history and society of the two countries. Covering a multitude of topics as diverse as apartheid, Mandela and Gandhi, Indians in South Africa; cricket isolation and non-white cricket in South Africa, rebel tours; the television revolution and commercialisation of cricket; with other historical details and numerical analysis of the game supporting the text, this is a fascinating snapshot of cricket at that time through the prism of that impressive sixth-wicket stand.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Too Black to Wear Whites: The Remarkable Story of
Book SynopsisToo Black to Wear White is the compelling story of Krom Hendricks, the first black South African sporting hero. Co-authors Jonty Winch and Richard Parry explore the colonial roots of racism in cricket and the nefarious role Cecil Rhodes played in the origins of segregation when he barred Krom Hendricks from the South African tour to England in 1894. Hendricks's long struggle for recognition exposed a cruel system. It is a compelling human drama. Hendricks played for the South African 'Malay' team against English professionals in 1892. He was, they said, the best fast bowler in the world. He struck fear into the white establishment and targeted elite South African batsmen who feared his express pace and the prospect of humiliation at the hands of a 'coloured' player. Denied the chance to play Test cricket against Lord Hawke's side, his courage, perseverance and passion for cricket never diminished over several decades; and at the age of 60 he led representative 'coloured' teams in fundraisers during the First World War.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Arrival: How Scotland's Women Took Their Place on
Book SynopsisIn the early 1970s in Scotland, women's football existed in the margins. Unrecognised by the Scottish Football Association, banned from playing in stadiums and with no recognised national team. Arrival tells the fascinating, inspiring and uplifting story of how Scotland's women footballers fought for their right to play, battling hostility, prejudice and intolerance in order to create a national side that the country could be proud of. Drawing on illuminating interviews with Scotland players and managers past and present, including Anna Signeul and Shelley Kerr, it tells the inside story of the remarkable journey that the Scotland women's national team made from formation to eventual qualification for the European Championship and World Cup. It reveals the passion, commitment and determination that enabled Scotland to build a squad capable of competing with the best in the world and inspiring a generation. Arrival is the true story of a team battling against the odds to take their place on the world stage.
£999.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Life and Death of Andy Ducat
Book SynopsisThe Life and Death of Andy Ducat is the fascinating and captivating biography of one of England's earliest sporting heroes. The story starts in the reign of Queen Victoria and ends, tragically, on the hallowed turf of Lord's Cricket Ground during the Second World War. History has not been kind to Andy Ducat, and his untimely death in 1942, while playing at Lord's, is the only fact known by many about this sporting idol. Andy is one of a select band of men to represent England at football and cricket. In football, he captained Aston Villa to FA Cup glory in 1920 and made Arsenal's 'Greatest 50 players'. In cricket, Andy scored more than 23,000 first-class runs and played for Surrey in a team of greats such as Hobbs, Sandham and Fender. Andy was a gifted sportsman with a core philosophy of fair play, which made him universally liked. However, his contribution to English sport in the early years of the 20th century has been forgotten. It is time for a new generation of sports fans to discover Andy's story.
£17.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Ron Greenwood: A Biography of English Football's
Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length biography of Ron Greenwood, West Ham United's most successful trophy-winning manager - a man who was instrumental in the development of 1966 World Cup-winning heroes Moore, Hurst and Peters. Ron lacked the ruthlessness of his more feted contemporaries, Bill Shankly and Don Revie, with whom his trophy success did not compare. But his West Ham team of the mid-1960s had its own moments of heady triumph - an FA Cup win in 1964 (the club's first), a European Cup Winners' Cup victory in 1965 (only the second European win by an English club) - and crucially they were always easy on the eye, even in defeat. Then there was the little matter of supplying three team members to England's World Cup victory in 1966, at a tournament in which their perfection of Greenwood's near-post cross ploy proved devastating. After 16 years at West Ham, Greenwood became England manager in 1977 and led them to the 1982 World Cup. An impeccable sportsman, deep thinker and skilled communicator, he was a noble servant to football.
£17.99
