Search results for ""Author Mike Donovan""

Football's Braveheart is the riveting life story of Dave Mackay, the fearless, skilled, heroic and barrel-chested left-half who was an icon for Spurs, Hearts, Derby and Scotland. Off the field, Dave was a humble, fair-minded, sociable man. On it, he was an out-and-out winner, a warrior and inspiration with consummate ball skills and intelligence. The heartbeat of Spurs' double-winning side of 1961, he came back after two broken legs to add to a glittering trophy collection started at Hearts. After his playing career, Mackay distinguished himself as a title-winning manager with Derby County. A legends' legend, he was lauded by George Best as the hardest and bravest opponent he ever faced. Fabled managers Bill Nicholson (Spurs) and Brian Clough (Derby) hailed him as their best signing, and other admirers included Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law and Sir Alex Ferguson. Author Mike Donovan has gained exclusive, first-hand insights from those who knew Mackay best to bring you the definitive story of a man who made an indelible mark on football.

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From the thousands of matches ever played by QPR, stretching from their Victorian foundation to the Premier League era, here are 50 of the club's most glorious, epochal and thrilling games of all! Expertly presented in evocative historical context, and described incident-by-incident in atmospheric detail, Queens Park Rangers Greatest Games offers a terrace ticket back in time, taking in historical highlights from their first matches at Welford's Field in Kensal Rise to Loftus Road, Jim Gregory's QPR Revolution, the plastic pitch and beyond. An irresistible cast list of club legends - Stan Bowles and Les Ferdinand, Tony Ingham, George Goddard and Rodney Marsh - springs to life in a thrilling selection of famous firsts, derby showdown successes, Southern League title clinchers, last-day dramas, European nights, Cup finals and that unforgettable Sixties Double. In all, a journey through the highlights of the Hoops' history which is guaranteed to make any fan's heart swell with pride.

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Manchester United On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's distinguished past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of Red Devils history - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's Victorian foundation as Newton Heath through to their emergence as one of the world's most successful clubs, United's rollercoaster history takes in winding-up orders, the Munich air disaster and the joys of United's first European Cup triumph, all crowned by the drama of winning the first ever Treble. Pivotal historic events such as the club's first ever trophy win, the 1960s rebirth and Sir Alex Ferguson's arrival form a backdrop against which Old Trafford heroes - Duncan Edwards, George Best and Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Billy Meredith - all loom larger than life.

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Glory, Glory Lane is the life-affirming history - including a momentous last season - of a world-famous football stadium, home to Tottenham Hotspur for 118 years. A Victorian structure turned wraparound 21st-century all-seater, it became a theatre of dreams for supporters all attracted by teams which played the 'Spurs way' to achieve glory. The Lane gave a stage to a conveyor belt of legends from Cameron to Alli via Nicholson, Blanchflower, Greaves, Hoddle and Klinsmann. It provided unforgettable memories in unforgettable atmospheres - heart-lifting, heart-breaking, nerve-racking. Its story veers from founders obsessed by Harry Hotspur to Harry Kane via Harry Redknapp; through matches, personalities, ground developments and threatened closure, all with first-hand accounts. It's hard to imagine how a new GBP750m stadium can ever replace the edifice which shut its gates for the last time after Spurs played Manchester United in May 2017, having created a daunting legacy.

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The 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.

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The King of White Hart Lane is the authorised life story of Alan Gilzean, the legendary, world-class Tottenham Hotspur, Dundee 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, especially alongside Jimmy Greaves at Spurs. 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.

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The Jimmy Greaves We Knew celebrates the life and career of a national treasure through the memories of friends, family, team-mates, the media and fans. They recall a goalscoring great, a TV celebrity - most notably as one half of the legendary Saint and Greavsie - a newspaper columnist, comedian and raconteur who battled alcohol addiction. The modern game also pays tribute to this charismatic, friendly, down-to-earth, witty individual who built a reputation for hitting the back of the net playing for Chelsea, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and England. Greaves set a European record of 357 goals in 516 top-flight games and netted 44 in 57 full international appearances. Tragically, Greaves suffered a stroke in 2015 and died on 19 September 2021, when two of his former clubs, Spurs and Chelsea - plus 60,000 fans - gave him a minute's applause before they played each other at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The love and affection is as strong as ever.

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Chelsea On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's distinguished past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable Blues diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's foundation in 1905, all thanks to an Aberdeen terrier, to their emergence as one of the Premier League's greatest successes, Chelsea's rollercoaster history takes in a period with star players but no opposition, colourful managers, celebrity fans and the club's sale for GBP1 - all crowned by victory in the UEFA Champions League. Pivotal historic events such as the club's first European win, Roman Abromovich's arrival and seven victorious FA Cup finals form a backdrop against which Stamford Bridge heroes - Roy Bentley, Dennis Wise and Ruud Gullit, Peter Osgood, John Terry and Willie Foulke - all loom larger than life.

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