Pitch Publishing
Pitch Publishing Ltd Ain't Got a Barrel of Money: Sheffield United
Book SynopsisJohn Harris's arrival at Bramall Lane laid the foundations for the appearance of some of the greatest players in Sheffield United's history. In his second full season in charge, the Blades were promoted back to the first division. Ain't Got a Barrel of Money is the story of Harris and those who came after him, building a team that would challenge for a place in Europe, the decline that followed and the inevitable sale of many of the club's finest players. In 1975, they finished sixth in Division One, playing some of the most exciting football in the country. Currie, Woodward, Colquhoun, Speight, Hemsley and Badger were all household names. But within six years Sheffield United had gone from the brink of greatness to the ultimate humiliation - relegation to the fourth division, for the first and only time in the club's wonderful history. Filled with anecdotes and memories from many of those who were there, both on the field and on the terraces, this book captures the highs and lows of being a Sheffield United fan.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd West Ham United: From East End Family to
Book SynopsisWest Ham United: From East End Family to Globalised Fandom is the story of the evolution of West Ham. It charts how a works football team was transformed into a club that represented east London's working classes, only to be transformed again in the late 20th and early 21st centuries into a global brand with supporters in every habitable place on Earth. Starting as the Thames Ironworks Ltd works team, they changed their name to West Ham United in 1900, shortly before moving to the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park. For nearly a century they were supported by local working-class men from across the East End of London until a series of economic, social, cultural, geographical and technological changes brought the club a global fanbase. Through surveying West Ham United fan groups across the world, this book attempts to explain this phenomenon and to get a sense of what the club means to those who originally came from the East End, as well as to those who have no biographical connection to the area.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd A Director's Tale: John Bond, Burnley and the
Book SynopsisA Director's Tale is the story of Burnley Football Club in the early 1980s, a time of short-lived success and then turmoil. With special access to the diaries of director Derek Gill, Dave Thomas brings you the unvarnished inside story, revealing what went on behind the scenes amid conflict with chairman John Jackson and manager John Bond. These were torrid times involving, at first, a surprise promotion, then a relegation, then John Bond's departure and another relegation. This was a group of men who were all competent and professional in their own fields - Jackson was a barrister, Gill an accountant - but they became a toxic mix in the boardroom. The Bond season has gone into the Turf Moor history books as one of the most damaging. His name is much derided in Burnley today, but he was only a part of a bigger problem. The Gill diaries provide a unique opportunity to see - warts and all - the workings and machinations of boardroom politics. This is a story of failure and acrimony.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Last Busby Babe: The Autobiography of Sammy
Book SynopsisSammy McIlroy experienced one of the most memorable careers in football. After all, who else can say they played with George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, experienced relegation, won trophies and played under six different managers at Manchester United? With more than 400 appearances, McIlroy - the last player signed by the legendary Sir Matt Busby - is a bona fide Old Trafford legend, and is an intrinsic part of the fabric of its illustrious history. One of the few footballers to have played in two international tournaments for Northern Ireland (and been captain in one), 'Super' Sam went on to manage his country after a successful spell in charge of Macclesfield Town. He tells his extraordinary story with remarkable candour and emotion, pulling no punches. From the anxiety of his homesickness to the exhilaration of his club debut, from the lows of his heartbreaking exit from United to the highs of leading his country out in a World Cup, The Last Busby Babe finally puts on record one of the greatest careers in football history.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the
Book SynopsisDynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of The British Bulldogs is the triumphant but ultimately tragic story of Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith. Cousins born just a couple of years apart in a small mining town near Wigan, Tom and Davey discovered the art of wrestling as schoolboys. Tom went on to become 'The Dynamite Kid', arguably the greatest and most pioneering wrestler in history, but his short temper and determination to reach the top of a sport dominated by naturally bigger men would be his undoing. The more reserved Davey became a global superstar, but followed his cousin not just into exceptionalism, but into heavy substance abuse as well. Ultimately, the extraordinarily dysfunctional world of pro wrestling would prove too much for the cousins from Golborne - one proud, one naive. Together they became the best and most influential tag team of their generation. But they could not escape their demons, and their triumphs eventually submitted to their tragedy. Dynamite and Davey is a gripping cautionary tale.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Out of the Blue: Chelsea's Unlikely Champions
Book SynopsisBy the early months of 2012, it was clear that the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas as head coach at Chelsea wasn't delivering the required success. Instead, the club was spiralling towards its worst season of the Roman Abramovich era. On 4 March, Villas-Boas was dismissed, with his former assistant Roberto Di Matteo made interim head coach until the end of the season. Struggling in the league and with their place in the Champions League in peril, it was an appointment designed to make the best of things until a permanent replacement could be sought in the summer. Instead, under Di Matteo's guidance, Chelsea embarked on a run of performances that not only led to an FA Cup triumph, but resurrected their European hopes with improbable victories over Napoli, Benfica and Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona before, against all odds, winning the Champions League by defeating Bayern Munich in their own stadium. This is the story of a triumph that came out of the blue.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Newcastle United: The Great Days 1904 to 1911
Book SynopsisNewcastle United are a team that really should do better. They have a football-mad city all to themselves and fans as numerous and passionate as you will find anywhere. Yet their recent record is mediocre at best and poor at worst, with every fan painfully aware that 1955 was the last time they won a major English trophy. But it wasn't always like that. In the Magpies' glory days of well over 100 years ago, they were considered the best team in the world. They won the English league three times in five years, the English cup once and had several near misses, while supplying many players for the England and Scotland national teams. In this fascinating book, David Potter recreates the atmosphere of 'the Toon' in those distant days when men like McWilliam, Veitch, Higgins and Shepherd walked tall. Above all, that great era is a potent reminder to the current generation of Newcastle fans that 'it doesn't need to be like this'.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Goodison Memories: A Lifetime of Football at
Book SynopsisGoodison Park is one of British sport's most fabled venues: the home of Everton FC since 1892 and one of the last traditional football amphitheatres. It has witnessed highs and lows and been graced by the likes of Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton, Alan Ball, Bob Latchford, Gary Lineker, Pele and Eusebio. As the Toffees prepare to move to the waterfront, Goodison Memories celebrates that legendary stadium with vivid recollections not from Evertonians, but from opposition players, managers, officials and sports journalists. The result is a collection of candid interviews that capture the essence of Goodison Park. Listen to their tales of the Everton players they remember with fondness, priceless anecdotes and memories of the atmosphere and features of the stadium. Have you ever wondered what it was like for the broadcasters to sit on the TV gantry, the press to work from the press box? What was it like for match officials to take charge of the game and handle the characters on the Goodison turf? Goodison Memories holds all the answers.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd Laker and Lock: The Story of Cricket's 'Spin
Book SynopsisLaker and Lock is the first dual biography of Surrey and England 'spin twins' Jim Laker and Tony Lock, who helped their county and Test teams to an unparalleled run of dominance in the 1950s. Besides their peerless achievements on the field, the two men had little in common. Laker, the elder by seven years, was Yorkshire born, cool, phlegmatic, known to sulk, and not greatly enamoured with the class distinctions then inherent in English cricket and society as a whole. Lock, a southerner, was dynamic, ebullient, indefatigable both on and off the field, and tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, an attitude no less at odds with the prevailing social order. Both men courted controversy. Laker's post-retirement autobiography caused such a furore that he was made unwelcome at Lord's and the Oval for years afterwards. Lock suffered the stigma of being labelled a 'chucker' and ultimately moved to Australia, where his retirement was clouded by allegations of sexual abuse. This is the full story of the pair's uneasy partnership.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Life of Total Football
Book SynopsisThe Life of Total Football tells the story of the origins, history and inspiration behind one of the purest and arguably most-entertaining styles of football in the history of the game.Total Football was the style of play made famous by both Johan Cruyff''s Ajax and the great Dutch international side of 1970s in which he starred... but its story starts a long way before then.The origins of Total Football lie in Scotland in the early 1900s as football was taking its first pioneering steps as a Great British export. Initially finessed in Europe, and in particular Hungary and Austria, as the popularity of football spread; before the style emerged and evolved in South America as the game took hold across the globe.With so many admirers throughout the history of the game, The Life of Total Football explains how it captured the hearts and minds of its most dedicated followers, its many iterations and incarnations, and ju
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd Yorkshire Turf Wars
Book SynopsisIn the fourth book in the acclaimed Turf Wars series, veteran journalist and broadcaster Steve Tongue chronicles the competitive history of football in Yorkshire.Sports-mad Yorkshire is proud to be the home of football, the birthplace of the world''s oldest independent club as long ago as 1857. So the turf wars began earlier than anywhere else, often with bad blood spilt when Sheffield FC took on neighbouring Hallam. Fierce rivalries that remain to this day emerged among two new Sheffield clubs, Wednesday and United, plus Doncaster Rovers, Rotherham United and early FA Cup winners Barnsley; then in West Riding''s Bradford, Leeds and Huddersfield.After a national Football League was founded, the county had at least one team in the top division from 1892 for the next 90 years, capable of winning the English game''s biggest honours.This book charts the ever-changing fortunes of one of the great football regions, with a colourful cast of famous play
£13.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd One Shilling: The Football Programme Design
Book SynopsisOne Shilling: The Football Programme Design Revolution of 1965-85 is the first-ever exploration of this golden era of football programme design, when the humble football programme suddenly boasted a remarkable variety of eye-catching covers and layouts. The football programme has been a staple of the national game since Victorian times. Passionate artists and typesetters designed printed programmes for match goers, but unlike the fashion or music industries, the names behind the artworks for these pocket-money priced matchday publications were often uncredited or ignored. Until now. At its heart, this is the story of John Elvin, the greatest football programme designer, who tore up the formal code of lay-outs and traditional typefaces, and used photos in new and innovative ways. The book also explores the wider cultural and political backstory of British football over a transformative two decades from England’s World Cup victory in 1966, and looking forward, it champions the potential of a new era for programme design.Trade Review"This new hardback takes us back to a lost world of programme sellers and sixties, seventies and eighties graphics. It's perhaps hard to believe, without looking at page 206 (of 224) how fabulous Torquay United's programme looked (and still looks now): yellows and blues in a water-colour style, making quite a splash, [in] season 73/74. So, with football scarf on, set off right now to PITCH, the 'programme shop' and treat yourself to a super read. Sadly, hot teas and pies are not provided! Rating: 10/10." -- Mark Watkins * Dare Radio *
£21.25
Pitch Publishing Ltd Hot Shot Tottenham
Book SynopsisHot Shot Tottenham guides you expertly through the transformative 1980s, both on and off the pitch, for Spurs and English football. Read a season-by-season guide that covers all the key matches, players and events that shaped a dramatic decade, with exclusive player interviews and first-hand accounts from those who were there.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd Call Yourself a Gunners Fan?: The Arsenal Quiz
Book SynopsisHow much do you really know about the club you love? You can find out by exploring the 1,000 questions set out in 100 categories that make up this Arsenal quiz book. It's not often that books on football make reference to Ascot races, Fidel Castro, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pink Floyd, Fawlty Towers and Marilyn Monroe, but this one does! Call Yourself a Gunners Fan? is a quirky challenging affair for real Arsenal fans who can test themselves or take each other on, with the emphasis on enjoyment and discovery. Try these for size: Which Arsenal goalkeeper topped the county cricket bowling averages? What links the following Arsenal players: Bob John, Alex James, Mel Charles, Charlie George and Thierry Henry? General Custer's last stand occurred at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. His first two names together produce one of Arsenal's most popular players, who? You will struggle to find anything as comprehensive as this eclectic collection. It's a must for Arsenal fans of all ages and you might not see anything quite like it again.
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Spurs On This Day: Tottenham Hotspur History,
Book SynopsisSpurs On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's glorious past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of the club's history - with an entry for every day of the year. From their Victorian roots as Hotspur FC up to the Premier League era, Spurs fans have witnessed a unique FA Cup victory as a non-League side, League and Cup triumphs, hard-fought derbies and unforgettable European nights - all featured here. Timeless greats such as Glenn Hoddle and Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay, Jurgen Klinsmann and Bill Nicholson all loom larger than life. Revisit January 22, 2008 when Spurs beat Arsenal 5-1 in the Carling Cup semi-final. May 6, 1961 when Spurs became the 20th century's first Double winners. And July 13 2001, when Steffen Freund scored against Stevenage, his first and only Tottenham goal!
£9.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Inside the Hermit Kingdom
Book SynopsisInside the Hermit Kingdom charts the history of Albanian football from 1945 to 1991, when the country was ruled by modern Europe''s most brutal and oppressive regime. The book features a chronology of Albanian football history interspersed with iconic games that shaped the nation''s favourite sport. It details the matchday experience in Stalinist Albania, tells the story of a league footballer during the regime years and charts the growth of street football in Hoxhaist Tirana.You''ll read about the demise of ''The Party'' and Stalinism in Albania and the effects their disintegration had on football, peering beyond 1991 into a future riddled with conflict, uncertainty and, oddly, hope.The era is brought to life by the accounts of Albanians who lived through it, which capture the importance of football to a populace starved of any other source of communal enjoyment. The otherworldliness and innate cruelty of the Stalinist regime provide a terrifying
£13.49
Pitch Publishing Ltd Sky Blue Fall
£17.09
Pitch Publishing Ltd Fifty Shades of White: Half a Century of Pain and
Book SynopsisFifty Shades of White is Gary Edwards's fifth book; and he returns with more fabulous, rib-tickling tales that come with half a century of following one of the most talked about football clubs in the world. Like the time he was asked to accompany a four-and-a-half-foot tall monk with a large hearing aid, who hadn't previously left his abbey for 25 years, to a Leeds United game as part of a BBC documentary. Or the time he escaped from hospital, still in his hospital gown and attached to a catheter, a blood bag, several needles and with two tampons stuck up his nose to travel 70 miles up the A1 in a thunderstorm for a relatively meaningless Leeds game at Darlington. There is a fascinating, controversial and hilarious insight into Leeds United's former owner Ken Bates, gleaned from being a special guest at his birthday and Christmas parties for eight consecutive years. Fifty Shades of White gives a unique fan insight into the club and a life devoted to Leeds United.
£9.74
Pitch Publishing Ltd The History Boys Part Two
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£16.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd British Football's Greatest Grounds: One Hundred
Book SynopsisHave you ever wanted to visit the most scenic, historic or important football grounds in Britain, but weren't sure where to start or what to include? In British Football's Greatest Grounds, Mike Bayly offers a bucket list of places to watch football in England, Wales and Scotland as chosen by fans across the world.This first-of-its-kind book introduces the reader to a diverse and often breathtaking range of Britain's football venues. In addition to the oldest, biggest and highest our nation has to offer, it covers lesser-known grounds nestling next to castles, beaches, churches and mountain ranges, as well as modern Premier League stadiums in major cities. Featuring beautiful images taken by acclaimed sports photographers, along with written contributions from respected industry figures, British Football's Greatest Grounds is part guide, part love letter to the history, people and places that showcase the best of our unique football landscape. It's sure to leave you planning a future football trip.
£999.99
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Turning Season: Ddr-Oberliga Revisited
Book SynopsisIn The Turning Season, Michael Wagg goes in search of hidden histories and footballing ghosts from before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He revisits the 14 clubs that made up the 1989 DDR-Oberliga, East Germany's top flight. From Aue in the Erzgebirge mountains to Rostock on the Baltic Sea, this quirky account of his whistle-stop tour is for fans who know that football clubs are the beating hearts of the places they play for. There are portraits of the lower levels as well as the big league, stories of then and now that celebrate the characters he met pitch-side. There's Mr Schmidt, who's found a magical fix for the scoreboard at Stahl Brandenburg; Karl Drossler, who captained Lokomotive Leipzig against Eusebio's Benfica; and the heroes of Magdeburg's European triumph, last seen dancing in white bath robes, now pulling in to a dusty car park by the River Elbe. The Turning Season turns its gaze on East German football's magnificent peculiarity, with 14 enchanting stories from a lost league in a country that disappeared.
£12.34
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Leeds United Collection: A History of the
Book SynopsisThe Leeds United Collection takes you on a fascinating multi-coloured journey through the club's history from 1919 to the present day. With stunning photos of unique match-worn Leeds shirts and other paraphernalia, the book tells the Whites' story alongside anecdotes, interviews and quotes from many big names. See home and away shirts worn by Leeds legends from various eras including Billy Bremner and Albert Johanneson, David Batty, Gary Speed, Peter Lorimer, Paul Madeley, Paul Reaney, Norman Hunter, Mick Jones, Allan Clarke, Frank and Eddie Gray, Terry Yorath, John Sheridan, Ian Baird, Fabian Delph, Kalvin Phillips, Pablo Hernandez and many more. These superb images are brought to life with commentary on title- and trophy-winning seasons, plus promotion-winning campaigns. There are also interviews with Eddie Gray, Howard Wilkinson, Pablo Hernandez, Allan Clarke, Tony Currie, Jermaine Beckford, Aidan Butterworth, Simon Grayson, Brian Deane, Rod Wallace, Dominic Matteo and many more. This is a book no true Whites fan should be without.Table of ContentsRobert Endeacott is a respected writer, novelist and occasional artist, producing many works related to his team. His novels include One Northern Soul, No More Heroes, Dirty Leeds, After Extra Time (Dirty Leeds Uncut), Disrepute - Revie's England and The Gigante. His factual works include A Celebration - the Official Centenary Book. Ben Hunt is a leading Leeds United collector and possibly the only owner of a Leeds United museum.
£21.25
Pitch Publishing Ltd Glorious Reinvention: The Rebirth of Ajax
Book SynopsisGlorious Reinvention is the story of how Ajax rediscovered their mojo to compete again with Europe's best. In November 2010, after Ajax's 2-0 loss in the Champions League group stage to Real Madrid, Johan Cruyff wrote a newspaper column criticising his former club. He believed the side were poorly run, had lost their identity and been left behind by modern football. Cruyff wanted change. He wanted Ajax to rely on their academy as they once had, and he wanted former Ajax players in high positions calling the shots at the club. This was dubbed 'the velvet revolution' - a peaceful coup that would propel Ajax to once more compete with the best. A few years on, with many of the changes in place, the side reached a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final with an exquisite style of football and methods that Cruyff would have appreciated. Ajax, now run by former club greats such as Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, combined the techniques of old with modern elements.
£15.29
Pitch Publishing Ltd We Made Them Angry
Book SynopsisWe Made Them Angry is the story of Scotland's journey to and participation in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. It was their third in a row, but after a successful qualifying campaign, the Scottish team would face a ticketing disaster, a group draw fiasco, a threatened boycott of the tournament and their greatest adversary - themselves.
£15.29
