On Saturday July 30th, 1966, England beat West Germany 4-2, in extra time to win the World Cup. 4-2 is about that crucial and remarkable match. It also evokes what the day meant to English dreamers - on the pitch, in the crowd, and at home with TV coverage. It is a book about football, about being a fan and a fantasist with sport, and it is about 1966, when England was just beginning to realise its new place in the world.
Balls!! Is a hilarious new collection of football stories from the Scottish Sun. Featuring all your favourite players, it's crammed full of insults, scandal, confessions, pranks, boozy benders, toilet humour and practical jokes. Nothing is out of bounds as players, managers and backroom staff get stuck in and dish the dirt in the funniest collection of football stories around.
Boxing is a mass of contradictions: A sport that allies athletic grace to brutal force; A noble art enmeshed in an often ignoble world of conniving promoters and unreliable hangers-on; An enterprise in which the euphoria of victory is always haunted by the fear of defeat. It has given the world a gallery of sporting heroes, and provided an escape route from the degradation of the ghetto for the brave-hearted. It troubles the mind, but sets the pulses racing. It stirs our souls.
No Matter what your reason for doing it - personal fitness or n individual goal - the sheer high of finishing a long run takes some beating.
In this fully Illustrated book, running expert and former winner of the London Marathon, Hugh Jones, tells you all you need to know to get out there and experience the true joy of running.
Filled with advice on how to assess your initial fitness and get started, as well as helpful tips and information on overcoming common problems. this book even helps prepare you for the ultimate test - a full marathon, providing you with a 16 week programme to help you organize your training for the gruelling event.
High Balls, Long Balls & No Balls is a collection of funny, inspirational and downright brilliant football"es. Forget the canon of English Literature, thereï ½s more poetry per page here than you get in a volume of Wordsworth.
Our leading men of words include such luminaries as Brian Clough, David Beckham, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan, Big Ron, Ian Holloway, Bill Shankly and Sir Bobby Robson. And most of the leading clubs in Britain have their own dedicated pages, featuring club history and the characters with big gobs whoï ½ve worn the shirt.
From Gazzaï ½s kebab and Mickey Thomasï ½s dud tenners to Tommy Smithï ½s leg and Harry Redknappï ½s wife, the world of football is captured in all its glory, not forgetting classic moments from the commentary box.
As David Coleman once put it, ï ½if that had gone in, it would have been a goalï ½
When Kyran Bracken burst onto the international rugby scene in1993 he was up against the most feared opponents in world rugby: New Zealand. Despite suffering ankle ligament damage after being stamped on, he battled through to help England beat the All Blacks. His against-the-odds triumph was almost a snapshot of the ten-year international career that would follow. In this moving and powerful autobiography Bracken reveals that things have never been straightforward. From his battle to hold onto the No.9 shirt to his recurrecnt struggle with injuries and the role he played in England's World Cup triumph, this is a unique insight into the changing world o rugby - and the immense pressure so many top athletes must cope with - from one of the sport's most successful players.
An authoritative illustrated history of high performance motorcycle racing, featuring exclusive contributions from the legends of the sport, including John Surtees, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner.
There is something for every England football supporter in The England Football Miscellany. The England team has a long and illustrious history, but this book is neither a work of reference, nor a compendium of lists, nor a collection of biographies, nor a compilation of trivia. In fact, it is a gloriously random mixture of all these things and much more besides.
Within these pages, the reader will learn hundreds of quirky and abstruse facts about the national team on a wide range of topics, from the old Twin Towers to the new Wembley Arch, from hat-trick heroes to penalty shoot-out zeroes, encompassing the famous players, the outstanding managers and all the big match encounters.
Fully revised and updated, The England Football Miscellany will bring hours of reading pleasure to and England fan. It is also stands as a testimony to the unique and highly significant contribution the national team has made to the history of the game.
The Olympics is a comprehensive guide to the Olympic games, designed especially for children, but certain to interest every age group. It is a treasure trove of information and pictures covering the history and evolution of the Games and the traditions and symbols associated with them. It offers a full analysis of the individual Games themselves, a look at some of the athletic legends who have starred in the Olympics, and a section of statistical information, too, making it a truly indispensable guide for all sports fans, young and old alike!
The Treasures of International Rugby Union tells the story of the world's premier oval ball game. It comprises an authoritative account of the history of international rugby union from its beginnings in 1871 to the present day. In addition, there are features on the rugby heroes and the memorable moments that have illuminated the Rugby World Cup, the Six Nations Championships, the Tri-Nations Championship and the tours of the British and Irish Lions. It also contains more than 20 facsimile reproductions of rare rugby memorabilia integrated into the pages of the book. The read can relive the dramatic events that have held rugby folk spellbound by holding and examining match programmes, posters, souvenir booklets and items o personal correspondence, which until now have remained filed or exhibited in the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham Stadium. Many of these items are newly researched and previously unpublished.
This book is packed with humorous stories of golfing gaffes, silly snippets from the history of the game, hilarious anecdotes, golfers (men) talking about golfers (women) and vice versa as well as"es from all manner of celebrity golfers. This book is just what
Packed full of practical advice, this is the ideal book for the fishing enthusiast who wants to improve their knowledge of all aspects of angling including correct tackle, the latest and most successful baits.
Contains a wealth of expert advice, practical information and top tips for all coarse, sea and fly-fishing enthusiasts.
Provides detailed profiles of all major fish species, with informed guidance about how to locate and catch them.
Fully illustrated with superb colour photographs and diagrams.
Invaluable to both beginners and experienced anglers alike, this concise encyclopedia will enhance the enjoyment and success of this challenging and enthralling hobby.
Brian Clough's twenty years as manager of Nottingham Forest were a unique and unpredictable mixture of success, failure, fall-outs, madness and drink, and Duncan Hamilton, initiated as a young journalist into Clough's empire and his confidences, was there to see it all. In this strikingly intimate account Hamilton paints a vivid portrait of a huge personality: from the highs the double European Cup triumph to the torturous breakdown of relationships at the club, from Clough's incredible gift for management and motivation to his descent into alcoholism that would so damage his achievements and his legacy. Sad, joyous, personal and bizarre this is the story of one of football's greatest characters.
From the heated pub debate to moving the salt and pepper across the dining table, discussion about football are part of modern-day life. Here Jonathon Wilson shows how tactics spread around the world: how the South Americans shrugged off the colonial order to add their own finesse to the people's game; how the Europeans harnessed individual techniques into a team structure. Gradually a marauding five up front became inverted, to the point where one up front is not uncommon. Inverting the Pyramid is not only a fascinating account of changing football tactics, but also a gripping read for anyone interested in the sport.
Published in association with The Olympic Museum, The Treasures Of The Olympic Games brings to life, through over 200 photographs, 20 removable items of memorabilia and a DVD of dramatic sporting moments, the glorious history of the summer Olympic Games. Beginning in 776 BC in ancient Greece through to its revival in 1896 and the subsequent modern games, this exceptional archive beautifully captures the organization
And the action gets underway as the Official English Leagues' Football Records kicks off with its explosive debut edition: packed with stats and facts covering each of the 92 Barclays premier league and Power football league clubs and all of English football's major competitions, it is the must-have companion for every football fan.
Who is the youngest player ever to appear in the Premier league?
Who, in 1926, became the first team in English football league history to win three-successive top-flight titles?
Who was the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final?
Which player holds the record for having made the most appearances in the English league?
Golf is one of the few sports where the average player can walk in the footsteps of the great and encounter the same challenges ï ½ that do-or-die shot over water, that curling putt to become Open champion. Many of the gameï ½s most memorable moments have taken place on the courses in this book, and many of those courses welcome visiting golfers.
Includes Open Championship venues St Andrews, Royal Birkdale and Turnberry; the home of the US Masters, Augusta; and past and future Ryder Cup Venues The Belfry, Kiawah Island, Valderrama and Celtic Manor.
Full-colour course maps have been prepared using the latest technology, enabling the reader to follow course descriptions in detail.
Photographs by some of the worldï ½s great golf photographers encapsulated the beauty and atmosphere of each course perfectly. These are truly handsome courses.
The authorï ½s wide golfing experience allows him to write objectively about each course, including its history, design and playing characteristics as well as a host of non-golfing essentials.
Old Trafford tells the remarkable story of how the stadium was built, and how the club struggled for two decades to cope with the burden of debt it created. Just when everything seemed in order again, Old Trafford was bombed by the Germans. Rebuilt and home to the scintillating Busby Babes, it was transformed into the venue for great European nights of football. Then after the Munich Air Disaster it became a place of pilgrimage for fans from around the world. But the club rose again, first through the mighty side of Best, Law and Charlton; then through Sir Alex Ferguson's teams that dominated the Premiership era.
The remarkable story of Manchester United is brought vividly to life as never before in this stunning and comprehensive volume, packed with fascinating facts, rarely seen photographs and unique memorabilia. With special box features throughout, and timelines for at-a-glance convenience, The Official Encyclopaedia of Manchester United is the definitive account of the club that no fan can afford to be without.
Billion-pound Premiership teams enjoy million-pound training facilities, 24-hour support and high-tech nutritional programmes, but the elite of the beautiful game have much to teach even the Sunday player about the essentials of the sport. Find out how you can tailor your own fitness, diet and warm-up regimes to radically improve your performance whatever your level of ability, both on the pitch and in everyday life.
Explore every style of martial art in the world, form ancient fighting arts of India and China to modern self-defence techniques and Olympic sports. Follow the lives of the masters and their disciples, and experience the ultimate in combat training methods.
Examine the weaponry, armour, and culture associated with an incredible range of style and traditions. Written by kung-fu virtuoso and TV presenter Chris Crudelli, who has travelled the world to learn form the masters first-hand.