{"product_id":"square-peg-round-ball-9781472979315","title":"Square Peg Round Ball","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023 - SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e''What Ned hasn't seen on a sports TV channel isn't worth knowing about.''\u003cb\u003eGabby Logan\u003c\/b\u003e''From falling out with Mourinho to flying with Gerrard, this is a wonderful journey through football.''\u003cb\u003eHenry Winter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSquare Peg, Round Ball\u003c\/i\u003e is a candid, insightful reminiscence on a life in football.\u003c\/b\u003eAlthough best known as ITV''s commentator on the Tour de France, Ned Boulting has spent most of his professional life covering football.Follow Ned''s journey from football supporter to reporter  from criss-crossing the country in a banger of a car hoping for a word or two from the latest big signing, to the glamour of the Champions League. Ned really has been there, done that, and got the Sky Sports jacket to prove it.Witnessing the shenanigans, the machinations and the idiocy of football at close quarters Ned shares his best stories with affection. Whether it''s treading mud int\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBELIEVABLE! * Chris Kamara *\u003cbr\u003eFrom falling out with Mourinho to flying with Gerrard, this is a wonderful journey through football. Insightful and funny * Henry Winter, chief football writer, The Times *\u003cbr\u003eFull of stories told with great affection -- the Telegraph\u003cbr\u003eA great read by one of sport's good guys. * Jonathan Liew, sports writer, The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eA beautiful love letter to a love no longer felt. * Adrian Chiles *\u003cbr\u003eA bouncy, amusing and honest reminiscence. This is Ned in a nutshell. * Jim Beglin, BT Sport co-commentator and former Irish professional footballer *\u003cbr\u003eA funny, warm and wise book about football and the perpetual struggle to reach adulthood * Harry Pearson *\u003cbr\u003eNed's perspective on football was always like no other – on one hand an amusingly stubborn refusal to succumb to its self-importance; on the other, a fascinated engagement with its narratives and culture. I promise you – nobody saw the game quite like he did * Peter Drury *\u003cbr\u003eNed has seen it all from the excesses and madness of Sky Sports in the early years to the revolving door of ITV Sport which he stayed firmly on the right side of. What Ned hasn’t seen on a sports TV channel isn’t worth knowing about. * Gabby Logan *\u003cbr\u003eAn elegant, stirring and often joyful journey through football and masculinity * Musa Okwonga *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. \u003ci\u003eAnpfiff\u003c\/i\u003e 2. Football is the Game 3. The Man With the Cone Upon His Head 4. Brown and White Dynamite 5. Football Factory 6. First Dance 7. Access Codes 8. Best 9. The End of the Day 10. Monkey Business 11. Gap Year 12. A Good Out 13. Wednesday's Child 14. Championship Form 15. The Colour Blue 16. The Skipper 17. Fußball Comes Home 18. Trans-Europe Express 19. Fick FUFA 20. Euro Exit 21. \u003ci\u003eAbpfiff\u003c\/i\u003e  Epilogue Acknowledgements","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408792756567,"sku":"9781472979315","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781472979315.jpg?v=1730504224","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/square-peg-round-ball-9781472979315","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}