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In 2013, Alan Hodgkinson
marks 60 years spent
playing and coaching at
clubs including Sheffield
United, Manchester
United and England. This
is the story of his life
? and the life of the
game ? in that time. In
2013, Alan Hodgkinson
marks 60 years spent
playing and coaching at
clubs including Sheffield
United, Manchester
United and England. In
?Between the Sticks?,
Alan tells the story of a
life in football: from
his days as a trainee at
Worksopp Town in the 50s,
to his big-money move to
Sheffield United (where
his signing-on fee was a
new suit for ?courting?),
to England duty, as
well as a glittering
coaching career at Man
United, Rangers, Villa
among others. It is a
story that features
legends of the game such
as Matthews, Charlton,
Best, and Pele, all of
whom Alan has played with
or against. ?Between the
Sticks? will transport
the reader back to a
golden age of football,
when pig skins were
hoofed around with
hobnail boots, to the
modern day where as a
coach at Oxford United
Alan sees the realities
of 21st century football
first-hand. It is a story
that no football fan will
want to miss.
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Meet the men who, for
decades, have ruled the
football terraces. They
are the faces behind the
biggest firms in football
history; behind the
rucks, the rules and the
respect. They have caused
chaos for the public and
the press and struck fear
into rival fans that have
crossed their path. In
this ground-breaking
book, the men behind the
mobs have joined forces
to reveal their
experiences as key
figures in the most
notorious terrace fights.
Never before has such a
wide-ranging book on this
phenomenon appeared
because never before have
the men of violence been
prepared to co-operate.
From the bovver boys of
the sixties and seventies
to the football casuals
of the eighties, the
names central to the
biggest firms - the names
that were to become the
stuff that terrace
legends were made of -
have all been tracked
down and interviewed.
They tell their stories
in this essential book.
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Details: The fully
revised and updated 2012
edition of the Man United
Miscellany is essential
reading for fans in the
red half of Manchester.
Written by respected
football journalist Andy
Mitten, editor of
popular fanzine United We
Stand, this goldmine of
information reveals all
manner of facts, feats
and stories from the
proud history of one of
English football's most
famous clubs. A rich
source of quirky trivia,
the book explains how Old
Trafford and the
Stretford End took their
names, tells the story
behind the club's most
famous terrace chants,
and reveals how the
future James Bond nearly
came to be on its books
too. In addition, it
also relives United's
greatest comebacks,
introduces the die-hard
fan who changed his name
in honour of the club and
includes special chapters
celebrating the wit and
wisdom of legends Sir
Matt Busby, Eric
Cantona, George Best and
Sir Alex Ferguson.
Alongside these
meticulously researched
entries are biographical
sections on other club
heroes like Duncan
Edwards, Bobby Charlton,
Bryan Robson, Roy Keane
and Denis Law as well as
detailed season-by-season
records to satisfy even
the most ardent of
statisticians. With its
extensive array of facts,
feats and anecdotes to
chew over, this labour
of love is the perfect
Christmas present for the
Man United fan in your
life - young or old.
Beautifully printed on
imitation cloth. Ideal
for: A must for any
Manchester United fan.
This hardback book has
164 pages and measures:
19.2 x 12 x 1.7cm
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Detail: World Football
Stars is a brand-new
run-down of the greatest
footballers in the world,
featuring top players
with a focus on the best
performers of 2013. Great
photos and plenty of
up-to-date facts and
figures make this Pocket
Manual essential reading
for football fans
everywhere. Aimed at
children, Haynes Pocket
Manuals provide fun and
factual information on a
wide range of subjects
including machines,
history and the natural
world. Ideal for:
football crazy children
and also football fans in
general. This paperback
book has 127 pages and
measures: 16.2 x 12.2 x
1cm
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The Little Book of Man
Utd is a neat collection
of words of wit and
wisdom by and about
Manchester United's
players, managers and
officials past and
present. From Alan
Hansen's falsely
prophetic 'You'll never
win anything with kids'
to Eric Cantona's
existentialist aphorism
on the theme of seagulls,
sardines and trawlers,
the book will contain
over 180 Red Devilish
football"es.
Each"ation will be
dated and attributed to
its source and, where
appropriate, entries
will be accompanied by
explanatory asides and/or
supporting statistics.
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Shadow of the Knight is a
celebration of Sir Alex
Fergusons trophy-studded
management career,
brilliantly analysing the
factors which have
contributed to his
success - then looking to
the future, and the
vexed question of how
Manchester United will
ever be able to replace
their iconic leader. Paul
Smiths detective work
uncovers the key
decisions and methods,
the people and beliefs
which have shaped
Fergusons values and
helped evolve his deadly
mode of operation. He
scrutinises Fergusons
credentials through the
eyes of former
team-mates, managerial
charges and those who
have worked closest to
him. And so to the almost
unthinkable question of
United after Ferguson,
and who best to follow in
his illustrious
footsteps. Discover the
ruthless and softer sides
of Ferguson, the key
role of family in the
Manchester United success
story - and how the past
might offer up the key to
the future at Old
Trafford.
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Following on from Aurum's
successful sports humour
title in winter 2006,
Peter the Lord's Cat, we
bring you a football
equivalent for winter
2007. "Pickles the World
Cup Dog" is a
beautifully-designed
small gift book which
offers an eccentric
gallery of over 200
footballing obituaries.
This original collection
concentrates on the more
unusual subjects, from
celebrities (Rod Hull -
death by TV football);
inventors (Charles
Goodyear, without whom
the manufacture of
bladder footballs and the
development of the modern
game would not have been
possible); literary
greats (Albert Camus,
goalkeeper turned
novelist who 'owed
everything to football');
god's creatures (Toby the
Sheep, Morton FC's club
mascot who drowned in the
club bath); musicians
(Elgar, an avid Wolves
fan who wrote the first
football 'chant'); and
murders (referee William
Ernest Williams killed in
1912 by a disgruntled
player); and of course
the much lamented mongrel
Pickles, the '66 world
cup hero who discovered
the stolen cup under a
bush in South Norwood
before garrotting himself
on his own leash in
pursuit of a neighbour's
tabby. This work does for
football what Aurum's
successful "Peter the
Lord's Cat" did for
cricket. It offers an
original collection of
200 football-related
obituaries, full of
surprising and eccentric
entries. It is available
in a beautifully produced
miniature hardback. It is
an ideal gift book for
football fans.
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The fully revised and
updated 2012 edition of
the Chelsea Miscellany is
essential reading for
fans of the Blues Written
by respected journalist
Clive Batty, a lifelong
Chelsea devotee and
prolific author of books
on the club, this
goldmine of information
reveals all manner of
facts, feats and stories
from the proud history of
the reigning European
Champions. A rich source
of quirky trivia, the
book explains how the
club adopted its famous
blue shirts, reveals the
alien invasion that
nearly took place at
Stamford Bridge, and
tells the story of the
larger than life
goalkeeper who struck
fear into opponent's
hearts. In addition, it
also relives Chelsea's
part in the strangest
goal ever scored,
explains how the Blues
fielded the most
expensive Premier League
team ever assembled and
celebrates the wit and
wisdom of Jose Mourinho
in a chapter dedicated to
the finest musings of the
'special one.' Alongside
these meticulously
researched entries are
lists of the club's best
and worst buys, record
appearance holders, cult
heroes and villains and
top goalscorers - as well
as detailed
season-by-season records
to satisfy even the most
ardent of statisticians.
With its extensive array
of facts, feats and
anecdotes to chew over,
this labour of love is
the perfect Christmas
present for the Chelsea
fan in your life - young
or old. Beautifully
printed on imitation
cloth.
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Ronnie Whelan was a
mainstay of the iconic
1980s Liverpool FC side
that won six League
Championships, two FA
Cups, three League Cups
as well an unforgettable
European Cup. Under the
management of Kenny
Dalglish, Whelan and his
club team mates,
including Alan Hansen,
John Barnes and Bruce
Grobbelaar, formed one
of the finest club sides
in English football
history -- a side that is
dear to the hearts of
Liverpool fans to this
day. It was also,
though, a time of great
tragedy; when the twin
disasters of Heysel and
Hillsborough devastated
the club and its
supporters. In this frank
and full-hearted
autobiography, Ronnie
Whelan tells the story of
the good and the bad
times at the club, as
well as his international
career with Ireland.
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Football the Golden Age
is a striking and
evocative look back over
85 years of the people's
game. Here are the likes
of George Best and Bobby
Moore at the peak of
their celebrity, as well
as backstreet players at
the height of their
anonymity. From Cup
Finals to Clydebank
kickabouts; from Wembley
to the local park.
Football the Golden Age
has it all; the players,
the managers, the fans,
the books, the balls,
the pitches, the goal
posts and the pies! This
book is an outstanding
visual celebration of
football with more than
275 photographs that
brilliantly captures the
moments out of the
ordinary. Brought
together, these images
present a new perspective
on the only game that
matters.
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Tony Bluff providing the
text and Steve Uttley,
taking the photographs,
have produced a book to
record life at the club
during the final twelve
months in the life of a
Stadium, Belle Vue,
that had been the home of
Doncaster Rovers for 84
years. Many people will
lament it's passing but
old age had finally
caught up with the grand
old lady and it was time
to move on. Tony and
Steve have previously
co-operated when
compiling a pictorial
record of the history of
Belle Vue in the "Book of
Belle Vue" and this book
will augment that
publication by providing
the final chapter to the
history of a football
ground that will live in
the memory of the fans
who have passed through
it's portals. Recording
the build up to the
demise of the Stadium
proved to be an emotional
journey for the authors,
which culminated at the
Final game in the old
eyes being somewhat
moist. The book provides
a fascinating
photographic record of
the Stadium for
posterity, all of which
will evoke many memories,
particularly of the
final game against
Nottingham Forest.The
thousands of people who
have spent their Saturday
afternoons watching their
team play at the Stadium
will, of course, have
their own memories of
Belle Vue and the dramas
that have taken place
there so the photographic
record in this book will
enhance that memory when
conversations at work or
over a pint at the pub
turn to nostalgia
whenever the mention of
Belle Vue crops up. For
the generations to come
who will never know Belle
Vue it will be a record
of times past.
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Details: A new addition
to the hugely successful
football miscellany
range, The Man City
Miscellany is essential
reading for fans in the
blue half of Manchester.
Written by respected
football journalist Andy
Buckley, a lifelong City
fan, this goldmine of
information reveals all
manner of facts, feats
and stories from the
proud history of the
Premier League Champions.
A rich source of quirky
trivia, the book
explains how City fans
first came to adopt the
inflatable banana, what
happened when a group of
them tried to hire a
fishing trawler to make
an away game, and
reveals the cheeky
request of a lucky mascot
before a recent
Manchester derby. In
addition, it also tells
the story of the player
who had his tattoos
removed before meeting
royalty, reveals the
club legend whose
autobiography might have
saved his life and
celebrates the genius of
Mario Balotelli in a
special chapter
containing some of the
madcap Italian's most
famous escapades.
Alongside these
meticulously researched
entries are biographical
sections on club heroes
like Bert Trautmann,
Denis Law, Mike Doyle
and Sergio Aguero as well
as detailed
season-by-season records
to satisfy even the most
ardent of statisticians.
With its extensive array
of facts, feats and
anecdotes to chew over,
this labour of love is
the perfect Christmas
present for the Man City
fan in your life - young
or old. Beautifully
printed on imitation
cloth. Ideal for: A must
for any Manchester city
fan. This hardback book
has 151 pages and
measures: 19.2 x 12 x
1.6cm
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Paul Days and Brian Leng
are two of Sunderland
AFCs most devoted
followers, both
historians of a club that
has always ranked among
the biggest in English
football even if their
most successful days are
behind them.They have
produced a unique book,
one in which they show a
team photograph for every
year of the clubs
existence since 1884. The
collection is not
complete because although
the club was founded in
1879 as Sunderland and
District Teachers by
James Allan, an
Edinburgh school-teacher
working in the town, no
photographs exist from
before 1884?85. Also
missing are photos from
the First and Second
World Wars when none were
taken. But otherwise the
full panoply is there,
from Victorians with
handlebar moustaches, to
the frizzy perms of the
1980s to todays
multi-millionaires.Paul
Days has seen more than
1, 000 matches involving
Sunderland AFC. He was
the major contributing
author to the clubs
Official History
published in 1999 and has
since written many other
football books. He was
the first editor of their
official website now
safc.com. Brian Leng saw
his first game at Roker
Park in September 1956.
He has contributed to
numerous SAFC-related
publications including
the official matchday
programme and was also
co-editor of the
award-winning fans?
magazine, The Wearside
Roar. Brian has also
worked closely with the
Sunderland Former Players
Association since its
formation and was elected
as an honorary member in
2009. He is currently
editor of the SFPA
web-site therokerend.com.
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Fourth edition of this
popular, bright and
quirky annual football
records book. Crammed
with records, facts,
stats and amazing feats
from the world's greatest
game, The Vision Book of
Football Records 2013 is
the perfect Christmas
present for football fans
of all ages. It includes
an entry on every English
league team plus all the
Scottish SPL clubs plus
the major European and
world clubs from
Barcelona to Boca
Juniors, and a monster
squad of current and
former football legends.
There's also a wealth of
fun and quirky facts like
the team who scored 149
own goals in one match!
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Details: CARLISLE UNITED:
THE COMPLETE RECORD
provides the most
comprehensive history of
the club. Football
historian Paul Harrison
has carefully researched
all aspects of the club's
fascinating heritage to
write this, the full
story of Carlisle United.
Alongside profiles of the
club's great players and
managers, fans can
relive the games that
secured trophies and take
an imaginative tour of
the club's grounds. In
addition there are
accounts of League and
Cup encounters and other
important matches in the
club's history, such as
the match that saw them
stay in the Football
League after Jimmy
Glass's last-gasp goal.
This compendium of
fascinating information
is a must-buy for all
devotees of the
Cumbrians. Ideal for: Fan
of Carlisle United young
and old. This hardback
book has 448 pages and
measures: 24.7 x 17.5 x
3.5cm
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They are the end product
of a year of hard work
and 38 nail-biting league
matches. But what went on
behind the scenes, when
the TV cameras were
turned off? Champions
Uncut is an unrivalled
collection of exclusive
pictures taken by
official club
photographer Sharon
Latham during the course
of a triumphant season.
From inside the training
ground, to airport
lounges, to private club
events, to strolls
through foreign cities,
Latham was there with the
players to take photos
that give a real insight
into the personalities of
the stars who have turned
Manchester City into a
Premier League
powerhouse. You don't
know the full story of
the best team in the
2011/12 Premier League
until you've seen
Champions Uncut.
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Each year, as soon as
the forthcoming seasons
fixtures are announced,
fans do tow things: look
to see what and where the
opening game will be,
and then look for the
dates of the home and
away matches against
their bitter rivals - the
local derby games. Such
is the rivalry between
the two north London
clubs, the pre-match
build-up s a mixture of
trepidation and
anticipation depending on
which team is currently
the most successful. The
fixture dates back to
November 1887 when
Tottenham Hotspur
entertained Royal Arsenal
in a friendly that
finished 2-1 to the home
side; since then there
have been some of the
greatest games of
football played anywhere
in the world. Packed with
fascinating statistics,
facts, trivia and
unforgettable"es,
this book tells the
fascinating tale of the
north London derby.
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The Little Book of
Arsenal is a hotshot
collection of words of
wit and wisdom by and
about the managers,
players and officials who
have passed through the
marble halls of Highbury.
From Herbert Chapman to
Arsene Wenger, via the
likes of George Allison,
Bertie Mee and George
Graham, from one Double
to another, and from Ted
Drake to Charlie George,
Frank McLintock, Liam
Brady, Tony Adams,
Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry
Henry, Jack Wilshere and
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,
here are more than 185
hot-shot"ations for
the avid Gooner. Enjoy
the humour and poignancy
as "The Little Book of
Arsenal" takes the reader
through the highs and
lows of the club's
fortunes on the pitch and
savour some great moments
as England Rugby
International and
broadcaster Stuart Barnes
says: "I did not have a
choice, but I am so glad
I was born an Arsenal
supporter."
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Alec Troup, known to his
many fans as 'Wee
Troupie' due to his small
stature, played for
Forfar Athletic, Dundee,
Everton and Scotland
from 1914 until 1933. His
sparkling play,
gentlemanly demeanour,
good humour and extremely
likeable personality
undoubtedly brightened up
many a troubled heart in
the dark days of the
First World War and the
years that followed.
Indeed, he became a real
hero of the people at a
time when such role
models were in great
demand to rouse the
population's spirits.
Troup was an extremely
talented player and he
was awarded 5 caps for
Scotland during his
career, playing in
internationals against
all the home nations.
However, he is arguably
more famous for being the
man who 'made' Dixie
Dean. As the man on the
opposite flank who
supplied many of Dean's
goal-scoring
opportunities, Troup's
involvment in Dean's
great footballing
achievements - in
particular his record 60
goals in a season for
Everton - is second to
none. This highly
entertaining biography,
lovingly researched by
one of Troup's greatest
admirers, the well-known
Scottish football
historian David Potter,
features many details and
anecdotes about Troup's
career, from an early
case of maternal football
hooliganism in 1914,
through the flory days at
Dundee and Everton, to
his life after retirement
of the game. Lavishly
illustrated with many
photographs - some of
which have never before
been published -
cigarette cards and
cartoons, these all help
to tell the fascinating
story of one of Scottish
football's smallest
giants: Wee Troupie.
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Details: Manchester
United have a long and
distinguished history as
Britain's most successful
football club and the
songs the supporters sing
about their team and its
players reflect this
perfectly. On the pitch,
the performances have
ensured that the trophy
cabinet has stayed full
to the brim and off the
pitch the supporters have
ensured that the Reds'
success has been played
to a backbeat of
innovative and catchy
anthems and one-liners.
Now those songs and
chants are collected in
the Manchester United
Songbook. From 'The White
Pele' ode to Wayne Rooney
to the regular favourite
'Running Down the Wing' -
Ryan Giggs'.. .From
'Stretford End Arising'
to 'Take Me Home United
Road'.. .From 'Ooh Aah
Cantona' to 'Gary Neville
Is A Red' to
'U-N-I-T-E-D' and 'Are
You Watching
Merseyside?'.. .The
Manchester United
Songbook recounts the
classics and also goes
underground to capture
the real songs sung by
the Old Trafford
faithful. It is a
must-have book for any
fan. Ideal for: Fans of
Manchester United This
hardback book has 223
pages and measures: 20.4
x 13.3 x 1.4cm
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As a footballer, Josep
'Pep' Guardiola was a
much-acclaimed defensive
midfielder who spent the
majority of his playing
career with FC Barcelona.
He was part of the great
Johan Cruyff's 'dream
team' that won the club's
first European Cup. After
retiring as a player,
Guardiola became a coach
at Barcelona, succeeding
Frank Rijkaard as
first-team manager in
2008. In his first
season, he led the team
to the treble of La Liga,
the Copa del Rey and the
Champions League - and
became the youngest-ever
winning manager of that
tournament. The following
season the club won six
trophies in six
competitions, playing
some of the most fabulous
football ever witnessed.
The team comprises global
stars like Lionel Messi,
Xavi and Iniesta and
continues to compete at a
level its rivals cannot
match. This book tells
how Pep Guardiola did it,
playing the Beautiful
Game - and winning.
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Details: Twelve
Sunderland legends have
come together to tell the
unique stories behind
their personal favourite
games from their Potters
careers, including many
never before told tales
from behind the scenes
and photos from each
match. The featured
players include: Kevin
Ball; Jimmy Montgomery;
Charlie Hurley; Marco
Gabbiadini; Gary Rowell;
Shaun Elliott; Gary
Bennett; Bobby Gurney;
Stan Anderson; Nick
Sharkey; Len Ashurst; and
Craig Russell. The games
they have selected
include the 1973 FA Cup
Final, promotion winning
matches, feats of
scoring prowess and a
victory over Newcastle at
St, James' Park. The
book also includes one
interview from beyond the
grave as Sunderland
legend Bobby Gurney, who
died in 1994, gave his
last interview to the
editor shortly beforehand
and it has never before
been published. But which
game will each player
select as his favourite
ever in a Sunderland
shirt? This book is sure
to delight Sunderland
fans of all ages as they
relive these magic
moments through the eyes
of the men who were on
the pitch playing the
Match of Their Life.
Ideal for: Fans of
Sunderland football club.
This hardback book has
146 pages and measures:
24 x 16.5 x 2.2cm
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The climax to the Premier
Leagues 20th season was
the most nail-biting,
the most dramatic and the
most downright exciting
since it began in 1992.
When Sergio Aguero scored
the winner for Man City
in the dying seconds at
the Etihad Stadium, he
sealed the first ever
Premier League title to
be decided on goal
difference. This
staggering denouement
makes a fitting
introduction to this
celebratory tome. We have
looked at the Premier
League lives of all the
45 clubs that have played
in the top flight since
1992/93, from Man Utd
down to Swindon Town via
Portsmouth and Oldham
Athletic. We have looked
at every season: the
stories, the scandals,
the stars and the
sensations and printed
the all-time Premier
League table in full. We
have compiled top tens on
everything from Magic men
to Memorable Moments. We
have put together an A to
Z covering everything
from Roman Abramovich to
Gianfranco Zola via
Jean-Marc Bosman and the
Prawn-Sandwich Brigade.
Oh, and round the back
we have listed all the
most diverting facts and
stats. If you want to
know anything about the
last 20 years of the
Greatest League in the
World, this is not a bad
place to start.
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Who is The Secret
Footballer? His identity
is jealously guarded by
just a handful of people.
But whoever he is - and
whoever he plays for - he
is always honest, always
fearless and always
opinionated. This genuine
story of one player's
career is a unique
combination of considered
analysis, tell-all
gossip and the joys and
frustrations that only
someone who plays the
game at the highest
levels can really feel.
From the realities of
racism and depression,
to the pleasure and pain
of sky-high salaries and
the scandals of Christmas
parties, The Secret
Footballer reveals
everything you need to
know about the beautiful
(and not so beautiful)
game.
Availability: In Stock
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Details: Do you like
football ? learn how to
train like a proffesional
football player. With
football skills join
former international
Michael Petersen as he
takes you through the
important skills and
drills that all good
players need to master.
Wether your practising
alone, with a partner or
in a group this essential
resource will take you
through key exercises and
routines to help you
develop your skills.
Learn about the history
of the game and the rules
to discover winning match
tactics. Set includes 64
page book with step by
step instructions and
photographs and a 53
minute training DVD.
Ideal For: This is ideal
for all football
enthusiasts wanting to
develop there football
skills.
Availability: In Stock
£4.99
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-
Details: Manchester
United might not have won
the league title during
the 80s, but they
triumphed in two FA Cup
finals with a team
blessed with grit, flair
and some remarkable
perms. Andy Mitten has
tracked down 11 of the
key names from this
fondly remembered era to
hear their stories -
stories of working class
boys living the dream of
playing for Britain's
biggest and most
glamorous club, playing
hard, on and off the
pitch. Ideal for: A must
for any Manchester United
fan, especially older
fans. This paperback book
has 256 pages and
measures: 19.7 x 12.9 x
1.8cm
Availability: In Stock
£2.99
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-
The story of Irish
international football
With individual diary
entries for every day of
the year, this book is
full of heroes and
villains, and tells the
tales of the matches,
characters, tournaments,
and managers that have
helped shape the story of
Irish international
football. From the early
days of Olympic
qualification and a World
Cup debut to improving
fortunes and the Jack
Charlton era, all the
major stories are
covered.
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: 1056 fact-filled
pages with everything you
need to know about
domestic and
international football.
This 43rd edition of the
football bible brings you
all the Premier League,
Football League,
Champions League and
Europa League stats. It
never fails to deliver
with unrivalled stats and
information including an
exhaustive daily round-up
of the main diary events;
comprehensive
season-by-season players'
directory with an
invaluable A-Z of all
entries; the most
informed stats for
English and Scottish
league and cup matches
and English and Scottish
important dates at home
and abroad for the
2012-2013 season. As
ever, this is the 'first
reference book you should
turn to'. Ideal for: A
must for any football
fan. This paperback book
has 1056 and measures: 21
x 13.5 x 6.1cm
Availability: In Stock
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-
Just imagine tracking
City's journey from the
Championship to the
Premier League title,
not through the eyes of
journalists or
supporters, but from the
players who made it all
possible. NINETY+5 does
exactly that in a series
of 95 revealing
interviews as captured by
author David Clayton
during his time working
at the heart of the club
he loves. Starting with
the players Kevin Keegan
assembled for the 2001/02
season and then following
the Blues over the next
decade with the
disappointments, highs,
shattered dreams and,
ultimately, unbridled
ecstasy as City went from
a sleeping giant, to the
champions of England in
the most incredible set
of circumstances
possible. From the genius
of Ali Benarbia and the
dreams of Keegan all the
way through to the vision
of Vincent Kompany and
the refusal to believe
the impossible was
possible, NINETY+5 takes
us inside the club and
minds of the men wearing
the famous sky blue
shirt. Goal-posts getting
shifted is nothing new,
but where Manchester City
are concerned, nobody
could have predicted what
the next decade held in
store for its long
suffering supporters. One
club. A shared journey. A
dream fulfilled.
NINETY+5...the time has
come to tell their story.
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: This book will
take you back to the
halcyon days of
yesteryear and recalls
the mixed fortunes of
Manchester United during
the 1950's. It features
high-quality full-colour
photos. Football in the
1950s was a far cry from
the game that we are
familiar with today. For
many, Saturday morning
meant putting in a shift
at work, with the sound
of the 12 o'clock hooters
signalling a mad dash for
the exit, an even
quicker bite to eat and
then off to the match.
Stadiums were spartan,
with little covered
accommodation and
terracing packed with
swaying bodies eager to
see the heroes of that
period. Players, who had
often travelled to the
game on the same public
transport as those
supporters, frequently
had another form of
employment in order to
supplement the meagre
wages paid by their
club's. Grass on the
pitch after October was
something of a rarity,
with the muddy conditions
doing little to create
the perfect surface for
the players, already
handicapped with their
ankle-high leather boots,
heavy playing kit and
even heavier match ball,
on which to display their
undoubted talents. They
did, however, entertain
the masses who flocked to
grounds on a weekly
basis, conjuring up
memories which lasted a
lifetime. Games were
written into the history
of the clubs with
incidents, and indeed
complete 90 minutes,
being narrated from
father to son as the
tradition of supporting a
particular club was
handed down through the
generations. The 1950s
brought mixed fortunes
for Manchester United. It
was a decade that saw
manager Matt Busby having
to rebuild the team in
the immediate post-war
period and his assistant,
Jimmy Murphy, forced
into hauling the club
back from the brink of
despair and total
collapse following the
Munich air disaster. This
book will take you back
to those halcyon days of
yesteryear, bringing to
life those thrilling
encounters and recalling
the exploits of players
who were to become
legends in the history of
Manchester United
Football Club. Ideal for:
A must for any Manchester
United fan, especially
older fans. This hardback
book has 191 pages and
measures: 24 x 16.2 x 2cm
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: This is a
selection of the most
memorable highs and lows
of derby county's matches
through the eventful
decade of the 1990s. It
is illustrated throughout
with colour photographs,
snippets from match day
programmes, tickets,
drawings and many other
types of memorabilia from
the authors own archive
and various other
sources. Compiled from
"Derby County Season
Reviews", Derby
Telegraph, The Ram,
National newspapers and
VHS video footage from
back in the day. The
1990s was an eventful
decade for Derby County,
which began in Division
One under the ownership
of Robert Maxwell. His
unwillingness to fund the
football club after
finishing fifth the
previous season soon had
a detrimental effect on
the club as there were to
be no more incoming
transfers and, despite
local businessman Lionel
Pickering being willing
and able to buy the club,
they could not reach
agreement on the price.
The reduction in the
club's value allowed
Pickering to take control
and, fortunately, the
management team of Arthur
Cox and Roy McFarland
provided some continuity
and could start the
rebuilding process. Mr
Pickering funded the
large-scale rebuilding of
the team that saw many
multi-million pound
transfers, but they
rarely gelled into a
consistent force. Arthur
Cox was forced to resign
his post due to ill
health, and his natural
successor was Roy
McFarland who was in
charge of the team that
made it to the Divisional
Play-off Final in 1994,
unluckily being beaten by
Leicester City. Jim
Smith, 'The Bald Eagle',
was brought in as
manager to bring some new
ideas, players and new
life into the club. He
brought with him Oxford
United reserve-team
manager and former Derby
player Steve McClaren as
his assistant and
first-team coach.
Together they, along
with some clever,
inspired signings such as
the Croatian
international captain
Igor Stimac, Robbie van
der Laan and Ron Willems,
saw promotion to the
Premier League, which
was achieved at the first
attempt. The move to the
new Pride Park stadium in
1997 was a superb setting
for Premier League
football, and Jim Smith
was able to attract
further foreign stars -
Stefano Eranio, Jacob
Laursen, Franceso
Baiano, Aljosa Asanovic
and Paulo Wanchope all
pushed Derby up to eighth
position in the Premier
League by end of the
1998-99 season. In 10
years between 1990 and
2000 they had come a long
way, and selecting 30 of
the 546 matches played
during the decade is not
an easy task. Matches can
be memorable for many
reasons - the occasion,
the match or the result -
and some of those
included in this
selection did not always
result in a win for
Derby. Some are obvious
selections, such as the
two Wembley appearances,
the last game at the
Baseball Ground and
promotion to the Premier
League; others may not be
so obvious, or
immediately memorable.
When the reader looks at
some of the games,
hopefully they will
recall the incidents here
and bring their own
memories of those
particular games. Ideal
for: A must for any Derby
County fan, especially
older fans. This hardback
book has 192 pages and
measures: 24 x 16.2 x
1.8cm
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: Tommy Lawton is
England's greatest
goalscorer. His record of
44 goals in 43
internationals is
unsurpassed and in all he
scored an astonishing 635
goals in his 731 game
career playing for
Burnley, Everton,
Chelsea, Notts County,
Brentford and Arsenal.
Tall, handsome and as
strong as an ox he was a
national treasure and a
true Boy's Own hero. But
by the '70s Tommy's life
was in ruins. Bankrupt,
drinking heavily and on
the dole after a
succession of failed
managerial posts and
business ventures, the
famous football legend
faced jail after numerous
court appearances.
Withdrawn, depressed and
out of love with football
and life he came close to
ending it all. In Get in
There! which Lawton would
famously shout as the
ball hit the back of the
net from one of his
bullet headers his great
friend, former
Nottingham Evening Post
editor, Barrie Williams,
and his son, Tom Lawton
Junior, have pieced
together an exclusively
personal account of Tommy
Lawton's extraordinary
life. Packed with
wonderful memories and
anecdotes, the book
brings the story of Tommy
Lawton, the footballer,
to life: the poor working
class background, the
emerging talent, playing
for Burnley aged 16,
signing for Everton and
practising headers for
hours with the great
Dixie Dean, starring in
England's greatest ever
attack with Stanley
Matthews and Stan
Mortensen. It also tells
the moving, human story
of Tommy Lawton, the
man: how the idolised
star's life descended
into a cruel morass of
debt, poverty, drink,
shame and scandal before
a chance encounter put
him back on top, where
he belonged. Beyond
Tommy, the book
encapsulates a
footballing heyday when
the stadiums were packed
with working men straight
from the factories and
the players earned just a
few pounds a week,
smoked cigarettes at
half-time and went on
holiday to Blackpool if
they were lucky. Get in
There! is a fitting and
very personal tribute to
the great Tommy Lawton by
two of the people who
knew him best and a
beautifully written trip
down football's memory
lane. Tommy Lawton scored
an unprecedented 44 goals
in 43 international
matches for England
(including wartime
internationals). He also
represented Great Britain
versus Europe in 1947.
Ideal for: All football
fans, especially the
older fans. This hardback
book has 337 pages and
measures: 24 x 16 x 3.3cm
Availability: In Stock
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-
AN EPIC SWINDLE is the
inside story of how
Liverpool FC came within
hours of being
re-possessed by the banks
after the shambolic
44-month reign of
American owners Tom Hicks
and George Gillett. It is
the tale of a civil war
that dragged Britain's
most successful football
club to its knees,
through the High Court
and almost into
administration. Players
Steven Gerrard and Jamie
Carragher tell of their
anger at the broken
promises, as well as
their pain at watching
loyal fans in open
revolt. Manager, chief
executive, board
members, leading fans
and journalists reveal
the turmoil at a revered
sporting institution run
by two men at war with
each other, who trampled
Liverpool's cherished
traditions into the
gutter. No story sums up
the naked greed at the
heart of modern football
quite like Hicks' and
Gillett's attempt to turn
a buck at Liverpool.
No-one has had as much
access to the truth, or
tells it with as much
passion, wit and insight
as Brian Reade. AN EPIC
SWINDLE is the riveting
story of how close one of
the great football clubs
came to financial
implosion.
Availability: In Stock
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Plymouth Argyle On This
Day chronicles, in diary
form, the major events
in the club's history.
With individual diary
entries for every day of
the year, plus multiple
listings on busier dates,
it tells the story of
the Pilgrims' long and
surprisingly eventful
history. It is full of
Home Park heroes (and
villains) and tells the
tales of the titles and
the characters, the
promotions and
relegations - indeed,
all the events, however
big or small, that have
helped make Plymouth
Argyle the club it is
today.
Availability: In Stock
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This is a very different
look at the World Cup. It
is a book of drawings by
35-year-old Argentinian
German Aczel, who now
lives in Munich. Aczel,
as he signs himself, has
taken many of the iconic
photographs from World
Cup history and turned
them into caricatures,
giving each an added
unique dimension.
Aczels art also
looks forward to the 2010
finals to be staged in
South Africa, the first
time the African
continent has held the
tournament. The drawings
are accompanied by short
histories of each of the
World Cups, which began
in 1930 in Uruguay.
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Liverpool Football Club
is Englands most
successful club with
eight European cup
victories (five in the
European Cup, three in
the Fairs/UEFA Cup),
plus 18 League titles,
15 FA Charity/Community
Shields, eight League
Cups, seven FA Cups and
three UEFA Super Cups.
The clubs home ground,
Anfield, is populated by
of some the most famous
and knowledgeable fans in
the world. The Treasures
of Liverpool FC
celebrates this great
club in a unique way,
comprising a running
history of the club,
features of Liverpool FC
greats and a portable
museum in the shape of
more than 60 items of
memorabilia, some of
which are removable
mementoes. Co-written by
a veteran Liverpool Echo
journalist and the
curator of the Anfield
Museum, in association
the club and fully
authorised, this book is
the perfect addition to
the shelves of every
Koppite.
Availability: In Stock
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-
The great footballers and
coaches are rarely
glimpsed from up close.
They shield themselves
from the tabloids, hide
their personalities
behind professionalism,
and in the words of the
cliche, 'do their
talking on the pitch'.
This book gets up close
to them. The Football Men
is not a series of
celebrity profiles, and
it doesn't attempt to
unearth secrets in the
players' private lives.
Rather, it portrays
these men as
three-dimensional human
beings. It describes
their upbringings, the
football cultures they
grew up in, the way they
play, and the baggage
that they bring to their
relationships at work.
This multimillion-pound,
multinational world is
mostly inhabited by
ordinary men. The
profiles in this book are
sometimes funny, but
never breathless or
sensational. Some of the
profiles in this book are
based on interviews;
others are the results of
time the author spent
with that person;
sometimes the profile is
a story of a country. All
are fascinating and shed
light on their subject to
reveal things you
wouldn't expect. From one
of the great sports
writers of our time this
is a penetrating and
surprising collection of
articles on the figures
that have defined the
modern sporting world.
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Having invented the game,
for England and its
national football team,
everything that has
followed has been
something of an
anti-climax. There was,
of course, the golden
summer of 1966, when Alf
Ramsey's radicalism in
unveiling his wingless
wonders in a World Cup
quarter-final paid
dividends. And there was
the great period of
English dominance on the
world stage, which fell
roughly between 1886 and
1900, when England won
35 of their 40
internationals.. .But
before long foreign
teams, with their
insistence on progressive
'tactics', began to pose
a few questions. And much
of what followed for
England constituted a
series of false dawns (a
thrashing of Italy in
1948; one World Cup
triumph; the demolition
of Holland in Euro '96),
muddling through and by
and large panicking under
pressure. In The Anatomy
of England award-winning
journalist Jonathan
Wilson seeks to place the
bright spots in the
context of the
twentieth-century,
where, time and again,
progressive coaches have
been spurned by England -
technique being all very
well, but what really
matters is pluck and
'organised muscularity',
or to"e Jimmy
Hogan's chairman at Aston
Villa in 1936: 'I've no
time for these theories
about football. Just get
the ball in the bloody
net.' Wilson takes ten
key England fixtures -
from defeat in Madrid in
1929; to Steve McLaren's
evening to forget at
Wembley in 2007 - and
hacks back through the
myth, conjecture and
personal recollections,
to get at the games
themselves, and explore
how what actually
happened on the pitch
shaped the future of the
English game. Bursting
with insight and critical
detail, yet imbued with
a wry affection, this is
a history of England like
no other before.
Availability: In Stock
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Champions League Dreams
is a stimulating and
deeply insightful
football narrative by
Rafa Benitez which
focuses on the legendary
manager's dramatic six
Champions League
campaigns with Liverpool.
Rafa expertly navigates
fans through intriguing
European adventures that
embrace the triumph and
despair of two Champions
League finals, three
semi-finals and five
quarter-finals in what
was a golden era for the
Anfield club - an era
that supporters felt gave
them their pride back
after years in the
wilderness. What sets
Champions League Dreams
apart is the unique ways
in which Rafa allows fans
into his high-pressured
world, the fascinating
glimpses he offers of a
top manager's thought
processes and decision
making during the cut and
thrust of a high-octane
European campaign.
Understand how a great
manager prepares for,
then executes, a
master-plan for European
success.
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details: Told in
absorbing detail, this
is the story of Doncaster
Rovers from 1993 to
today. As a follow up to
Donny, published in
1993, Tony Bluff now
charts the trials and
tribulations that befell
the club on Ken
Richardson's watch,
before moving onto its
rise under John Ryan.
Bluff, an avid football
supporter, investigates
the exhilirating
ascension of the club
through the divisions to
the Championship. The
fascinating story of one
club's brush with
extinction, this will
appeal to all those
interested in the
often-hidden dynamics of
football management. For
fans of Doncaster Rovers,
this is an essential
buy. Ideal for: Fans of
Doncaster Rovers Football
Club, especially older
fans. This hardback book
has 192 pages and
measures: 26.7 x 20 x 2cm
Availability: In Stock
£3.99
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-
Details: Put your players
in position, decide on
the winning tactics, get
the ball to your star
striker and lift the
trophy! Plus get closer
to the action with stats
and facts as you prepare
to follow the players and
teams on the world stage
this year! This paperback
measures 30cm x 24cm x
0.5cm
Availability: In Stock
£2.99
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-
Up one season, down the
next: there's never a
dull moment at Manchester
City and no football
club's profile has become
higher than City's since
the takeover by Middle
Eastern investors in
2008. The millions of
pounds they have spent on
world superstars - and
allegedly billions
offered to others - has
kept the media at the
Eastlands doorstep on a
daily basis. And their
loyal fans have ridden
the roller-coaster of
English football's
wildest ups and downs for
so long they hardly know
which division they're
in, yet they keep coming
back for more. It's all
here in this super
collection of pearls of
wit and wisdom from the
many characters who have
been involved at Maine
Road and Eastlands. From
Malcolm Allison, Joe
Royle, Carlos Tevez and
Robert Mancini to the
Gallagher Brothers, here
are more than 185
soundbites for the true
City fan, ranging from
the profound to the
perplexing.
Availability: In Stock
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-
Details For all the
accusations of greed
levelled at its
well-remunerated players,
and the gripe that it is
dominated by an elite of
wealthy clubs, the
Premier League has proved
a huge success in
footballing and
commercial terms since
its inaugural season of
1992-3. It has
transformed the violent
terrace culture of the
1970s and 1980s into
sophisticated sporting
theatre, a twenty-first
century Circus Maximus in
which an international
cast of footballing
gladiators strut their
skills before vast crowds
in gleaming stadia - and
a global audience of
billions. Jim White has
chosen ten epic clashes
to represent the rise and
rise of English
football's top flight. He
evokes the sweat and
effort of the matches in
thrilling detail, and
uses them as a prism
through which to view
every strand of the
premiership's
development: he profiles
players, managers and
owners; charts the ebb
and flow of club fortunes
in footballing and fiscal
terms; and brings to life
the turning-points and
moments of drama, joy
and despair that have
punctuated the first 21
years of global
football's most watched
league. Ideal for: Fans
of the Premier League and
football. This hardback
book has 400 pages and
measures: 24.2 x 18 x
3.1cm
Availability: In Stock
£4.99
Available
-
Traditionally one of the
Big Five English football
clubs, although Everton
haven't won many trophies
in recent years, they
are currently undergoing
a revival thanks to the
management of David Moyes
and leadership of Bill
Kenwright, the club's
owner. Older than
Liverpool, Everton have
nearly as rich a history.
Nine-time winners of the
English League title and
winners of the FA Cup on
five occasions, they've
sent out some of the
greatest characters in
English football on to
the pitch at Goodison
Park. From Dixie Dean,
Tommy Lawton and Alex
Scott through Alan Ball,
Bob Latchford and Howard
Kendall to Gary Lineker,
Duncan Ferguson, Wayne
Rooney and Tim Cahill,
few clubs can boast as
many people with so much
to say for themselves.
Everton have a proud
tradition, very loyal
support, and this book,
filled with more than
180"es from
legendary Evertonians,
aims to capture the
flavour of both.
Availability: In Stock
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-
The Daily Telegraph
Football Years provides
an authoritative and
compelling account of the
history of the world's
most popular sport. Set
out in a year-by-year
chronological format and
written from the British
perspective, it includes
articles on all the
notable football stories
since 1863, together
with key soccer
statistics and
memorable"es.
Special feature spreads
are allocated to each
major tournament and the
year-by-year reportage is
also interspersed with
special essays on the
leading characters and
milestone events of the
history of football. The
Daily Telegraph Football
Years is one of the most
comprehensive
chronological histories
of the game ever
published.
Availability: In Stock
£9.99
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-
Details: When the Leeds
United players celebrated
winning the championship
in April 1992, they
could not have had an
inkling of how momentous
the occasion was.
Manchester United,
losers at Liverpool that
sunny Sunday afternoon,
had now gone 25 years
without winning the
league. Howard
Wilkinson's side,
promoted just two seasons
ago, could bring back
the glory days to Leeds.
But Wilkinson would prove
to be the last English
manager to win the
league. In 1992,
football changed beyond
all recognition. Twenty
years on, The Last
Champions looks back at
the roots of that success
and the amazing cast of
characters who came
together to fashion the
triumph. As in his
acclaimed book The
Fallen, Dave Simpson's
quest to catch up with
the protagonists of the
era, from the visionary
Sergeant Wilko, top
scorer Lee Chapman and
unsung heroes like Mike
Whitlow and Carl Shutt
(not forgetting Eric
Cantona, of course),
sees him unearth some
extraordinary untold
stories. And he finds
that The Last Champions
were also the last
ordinary people to win
the league, before the
Premier League saw
skyrocketing wages,
billionaire foreign
owners and the dictates
of television taking the
game away from the fans.
It is the brilliantly
told story of the end of
an era. Ideal for:
Perfect book for any
Leeds United fan. This
hardback book has 322
pages and measures: 24 x
16 x 3cm
Availability: In Stock
£3.99
Available
-
Endorsed by the club,
Aberdeen FC On This Day
chronicles, in diary
form, the major events
in the club's history.
With individual entries
for every day, and
multiple listings for
more historic and busier
days, the book includes
all the club's big
matches, promotions,
cup runs, significant
events, and sensational
signings. From the Dons'
1983 European Cup
Winners' Cup success in
Sweden to the 'Great
Mystery' betting scandal
of 1931 - all the major
events at the club are
included.
Availability: In Stock
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-
This popular guide caters
for football supporters
and enthusiasts and
contains extensive
information for all 92
Barclays Premier League
and Coca Cola Football
League clubs plus Wembley
Stadium. Illustrated with
large mono ground
photographs and detailing
travelling and historical
data, plus disabled
supporters' information
it has become an
essential buy for many
fans. More than simply a
guide, it includes
statistical information
for the previous season
including league and cup
results, final tables
and a full record of
recent international
matches played by the
England National team.
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When George Best, a
dark-haired skinny
teenager from Belfast,
made his United debut in
the autumn of 1963, he
was joining a club still
recovering from the
horrors of Munich. Among
his team-mates were
goalscorer supreme Denis
Law and England
midfielder Bobby
Charlton. Together they
would combine to help
United to win two league
titles and a long-awaited
European Cup as the Reds
came to personify all
that was most exciting
about the Swinging
Sixties. By 1968, all
three men would have been
honoured as European
Footballer of the Year -
the only time three
winners of that award
have lined up in the same
side. In David Meek's
compelling portrait of
the United Trinity, he
not only reveals their
different characters and
what made them so
successful on the pitch,
he also speaks to many of
their team-mates to find
out what it was like
playing in the same side
and researches
contemporary reports to
assess how they were
viewed at the time.
Having reported on their
entire careers together,
Meek has a unique insight
into what made Best, Law
and Charlton stand out as
the truly special players
they were.
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Details: Written by Waggy
himself, Dave Wagstaffe:
An Autobiography tells
the story of his
professional playing
career at Wolverhampton
Wanderers. Dave's story
began at his local club
Manchester City. His move
to Molinuex, following
four and a half years at
Maine Road, was
finalised on Boxing Day
1964. And it is from
there that his story
truly begins. Waggy went
on to become a Wolves
legend, making over 400
senior appearances. He
was a key figure in the
squad, and ever present
in the number 11 shirt
when promotion was gained
in 1967. He played in two
major finals for Wolves,
receiving a runners'-up
medal in the UEFA Cup
Final defeat by Tottenham
Hotspur in 1972 and then
defeating his old team at
Wembley in the League Cup
of 1974. He eventually
left Molineux for
Blackburn Rovers in 1976,
but he will always be
regarded as one of the
finest wingers to play
for Wolves and fondly
remembered for the class
and skill he displayed
during the 1960s and 70s.
Dave Wagstaffe's
autobiography is told
with humour and wit and
gives the reader a
fascinating glimpse into
his unique story. Ideal
for: This book will be a
must-read for all Wolves
fans. This paperback book
has 223 pages and
measures: 23.5 x 15.5 x
1.1cm
Availability: In Stock
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Richer Than God is an
authoritative,
provocative,
investigative account of
Manchester City's
history, culminating in
its transformation as
Sheikh Mansour seeks to
spend the formerly
miserable Manchester club
into the European elite.
When Conn asked an
American working in Abu
Dhabi whether its economy
had been at all affected
by the global recession,
he said: 'My friend,
we're richer than God'.
It is also a tale of
innocence: that of a
six-year-old boy
transfixed by his
sky-blue heroes, coming
of age as a writer with
the mature understanding
that both his club and
the game are businesses.
Why should modern
football continue to
claim the unquestioning
loyalty of fans, when
there is so much in the
game to question?
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In the late 1920s,
Frenchman Jules Rimet had
a grand vision for a
global football
tournament: he named it
the World Cup. Just 13
teams contested the
inaugural tournament in
1930, and the hosts
Uruguay emerged as
winners. From these
tentative beginnings,
the World Cup has grown
exponentially into a
truly all-embracing
international
competition, involving
more than 200 countries.
It has provided the stage
for such footballing
legends as Bobby
Charlton, Eusebio,
Franz Beckenbauer, Johan
Cruff, Diego Maradona,
Zinedine Zidane,
Ronaldo, Lionel Messi
and the incomparable
Pele, and has furnished
many football fans with
their most cherished
sporting memories. It is
the biggest prize in
competitive team sport.
The Treasures of the
World Cup tells the story
of the quadrennial
festival of world
football. It comprises an
authoritative narrative
account of all 19
tournaments played to
date and a preview of
Brazil 2014. The
reportage is complemented
by features on the
superstars and the
memorable moments for
each of the finals, as
well as maps of the
venues and results boxes.
It also contains more
than 30 facsimile items
of rare football
memorabilia integrated
into the pages of the
book. The reader can
relive the dramatic
events that have
entranced the watching
millions by holding and
examining football
programmes, match
tickets, posters,
stickers, postcards and
items of correspondence,
filed or exhibited in the
National Football Museum
and other private
collections around the
world.
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Written by sixteen of the
club's most famous stars,
Match of My Life -
Ipswich Town is a
wonderful journey through
the club's history,
reliving their greatest
games through the eyes of
some of their
greatest-ever players.
Each chapter features a
player's unique story,
including those of
legendary ex-skipper Mick
Mills, who holds the
record for making most
appearances, all-time
record goalscorer Ray
Crawford and other
international stars,
including Kevin Beattie,
John Wark, Allan Hunter,
Bryan Hamilton, Trevor
Whymark and Alan Brazil,
whose recollections cover
epic clashes at home and
in Europe.Relive the FA
Cup Final victory over
Arsenal in 1978 with the
man who scored the only
goal, Roger Osborne,
while stars Larry
Carberry, John Elsworthy
and Ted Phillips recall
triumphs in the Third
Division (South), the
Second Division and, in
1962, the top prize of
the League Championship.
The club's play-off
success at Wembley in
2000, along with its
subsequent Premiership
adventure, are
remembered by Tony
Mowbray and current boss
Jim Magilton, while we
come right up to date
with fans' favourite
Jonathan Walters, who
netted a memorable
hat-trick in the biggest
Championship win of the
2007-2008 campaign. Jason
Dozzell also casts his
mind back to how he
claimed a place in the
record books by scoring
in the top-flight while
still attending school.
"Match of My Life -
Ipswich Town" will
delight Town fans of all
ages as they relive those
magic moments through the
eyes of the men who made
them happen.
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Details: With 125 years
of competitive action
behind them, it's no
surprise that Leicester
City can fully relate to
many of football's highs
and lows. From the early
days, when they were
known as the Fosse,
right up to the modern
era which saw the club
slip unceremoniously into
the third tier in 2008,
only to bounce straight
back as champions twelve
months later, City has
been the heartbeat of a
community that
appreciates hard work and
good football.
Generations of supporters
have returned home and to
their work places
enthusing about some of
the great players that
have represented 'The
Foxes' and have gone on
to become household
names. Inside 'The
Legends of Leicester
City' you'll read about
some of these all-time
favourites - recall names
such as goalscoring
heroes Arthur Rowley,
Arthur Chandler, Gary
Lineker and Steve
Claridge, those
world-acclaimed 'keepers
Gordon Banks and Peter
Shilton, loyal stalwarts
like Graham Cross and
Steve Walsh, plus
successful managers Peter
Hodge, Matt Gillies and
Martin O'Neill - as well
as 'Mr Leicester City'
himself Alan Birchenall.
Read about the agonies of
the club's four FA Cup
Final defeats, as well
as happier Wembley times
in the shape of League
Cup and Play-Off Final
success. These, plus
many more of the great
personalities and players
that have gone to shape
Leicester City's first
125 years have their
story told in this
beautifully researched
tribute. From a glorious
past at their former home
at Filbert Street to a
bright and prosperous
future at the
state-of-the-art Walkers
Stadium, the Foxes story
is sure to appeal to
supporters of all ages.
Ideal For: This book is
ideal for all football
fans and in particular
those with a passion for
Liecester City Football
Club.
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The author of a
best-selling biography of
Diego Maradona, and
similarly widely
acclaimed books on FC
Barcelona and Real
Madrid, digs deep into
the roots of the most
popular sport, to look
at how football played in
Spain became the most
admired in the world.
From its early beginnings
when the first football
on the shores of Bilbao
and Buenos Aires was
played by British sailors
and engineers, through
to the influx of South
American stars, and
similarly inspirational
Italians, Dutchman and
Scandinavians, the
author shows how the
engagement of foreigners
with home-grown Spanish
talent overcame political
adversity and produced
football of sublime
skill, passion, and
unparalleled
entertainment value. The
book takes us on a
journey through some of
the extraordinary
characters, games, and
moments that have defined
Spanish football from the
early days when a few
enthusiasts developed
their talent kicking a
ball around on a piece of
industrial waste-ground
or beach, to the
emergence of rival
giants, FC Barcelona and
Real Madrid - the most
powerful and successful
football clubs in the
world - and a national
team that, encompassing
all that was most
brilliant in the Spanish
League, became the World
Champions.
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Details: The 2014 FIFA
World Cup
Brazil[trademark]
Official Book is an
authoritative and
comprehensive preview of
world football's greatest
tournament. Packed with
stunning photography and
expert analysis of each
team, its star players
and its prospects in the
finals. The book also
features a guide to each
of the stadiums and host
cities, a history of the
World Cup and a
tournament progress chart
that can be filled in as
the competition
progresses. No other
event in the sporting
world can rival the
glamour, impact,
fervent following and
universal appeal of the
World Cup - and no other
tournament comes close to
the 2014 FIFA World Cup
Brazil Official Book.
Whether you are watching
the games live in Brazil
or in your own home,
this is the tournament
preview for you. Ideal
for: Essential reading
for football fans
everywhere. This
paperback book has 128
pages and measures:24.5 x
19 x 1cm
Availability: In Stock
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Details: Scary
goalkeepers, magical
midfielders and sublime
strikers: the
ever-changing cast of the
Champions League never
fails to entertain. The
Champions League is the
most important club
competition in the world.
This guide will tell you
everything you need to
know about the best
football competition on
the planet and will
certainly whet your
appetite for 2012. We pay
homage to 20 Champions
League Legends from
Ronaldo to Zidane and
compile various top 10s
from Memorable Moments to
Follicular Fails. We rank
the tournament's 50 most
successful clubs those
who have reached the
quarterfinal stage and
above from Barcelona to
Club Brugge via Monaco
and Galatasaray. We also
take a look at every
season: the stories, the
scandals and the
sensations. There s an
A-Z covering everything
from Roman Abramovich to
Zadok the Priest, the
top 10 worst haircuts and
even a where are they now
feature and a rundown of
our favourite finalists.
Ideal for: Fans of
football and stats and of
the champions league.
This paperback book has
130 pages and measures:
27.5 x 22.2 x 0.7cm
Availability: In Stock
£1.99
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One of four new titles in
VSP's best-selling
football Pocket Books
range, The Pocket Book
of Aston Villa is the
essential book for all
fans of one of England's
most famous clubs. Learn
about Villa's glorious
history, from the very
first team back in 1874,
to the 1957
record-breaking FA Cup
winners, to the European
Cup heroes of 1982. Take
a trip down memory lane
with classic matches such
as the 5-1 thrashing of
mighty Liverpool in 1976
or the 6-4 thriller with
Blackburn earlier this
year. Savour the skills
of a host of club
legends, be it Aitken
and Athersmith, McGrath
and Mortimer, or current
heroes Young and Carew.
Packed with original
pictures, hand-drawn
illustrations and genuine
Aston Villa memorabilia,
this beautifully packaged
book salutes the greatest
goals (who can forget
Dalian Atkinson's goal of
the season against
Wimbledon in 1992?),
legendary managers and
tactics of the club's
most successful teams,
as well as the most
memorable kits worn over
the years yes, that
includes the infamous
1987 'blancmange' design.
On top of all that,
there is also a club
directory, a detailed
diagram of Villa Park,
honours, records and
stats, plus a foreword
by club favourite Gary
Shaw.
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Details: This footballing
box set contains all you
need to know about your
Brazillian Legends such
as Pele and Cafu.
Containing over 100
images the little book of
Brazil - Player by Player
has the perfect
compilation of the 100
greatest players that
have played for Brazil. 5
Star Brazil Legends DVD
contains a wonderful
insight to one of Brazils
greatest players Pele.
Running time approx 25
minutes. Details: This
book and DVD set would
make the perfect gift for
all footballing fans.
Availability: In Stock
£5.99
Available
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Details: Manchester City
fans have long been the
denizens of gallows
humour after years of
bouncing between the
divisions, and the songs
the supporters sing about
their club and its
players reflect this
perfectly. Now, for the
first time, those songs
and chants are collected
in the Manchester City
Songbook. From the heady
days of Bell, Lee and
Summerbee, to the crazy
antics of Mario Balotelli
and supreme skills of
Sergio Aguero, the very
best of the terrace
chants, songs and
timeless classics that
have set City fans apart
over the years, this is
a book that will delight
and entertain in equal
measure and is truly a
book of the people. From
Blue Moon and
Sha-la-la-la-Summerbee,
to Oh, Balotelli,
WonderBall, Feed the
Goat and Niall Quinn's
Disco Pants, every fan
will want to own The
Manchester City Songbook.
Ideal for: Fans of
Manchester City. This
hardback book has 220
pages and measures: 20.4
x 13.3 x 1.4cm
Availability: In Stock
£2.99
Available
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Details: Learn all the
facts in this World Cup
Legends England gift set.
Contains a little book of
England - Player by
player containing a
compilation of the 100
greatest England players.
And a 25 minute DVD on
Sir Bobby Charlton -
World Cup Winner. Ideal
For: This would make the
perfect gift for all
England football
fanatics.
Availability: In Stock
£5.99
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Please May I Have My
Football Back? is the
story of the Alexander
family and how they
helped run Manchester
City football club from
its foundation in 1880
until the club was sold
to Peter Swales a century
later. Written by Eric
Alexander, former
Chairman and current
Honorary President of the
club and board member
throughout the glorious
60s and 70s, it contains
wonderful
behind-the-scenes stories
detailing what it was
like running one of the
world's biggest football
clubs at that time.
Crammed full of stories
about players such as
Rodney Marsh, Colin
Bell, Franny Lee, Mike
Doyle and Mike Summerbee,
this book also tells
many boardroom stories of
the kind of shenanigans
that go on in
negotiations between
clubs, how Eric's
grandfather, then
Chairman of Manchester
City was asked to drive
the victorious Manchester
United team on their tour
of the city following the
1909 FA Cup final
victory, his dealings
with football's
administrators and
referees, which would
often leave him
incredulous and how City
won bundles of silverware
throughout that
successful era. Eric
followed in the footsteps
of his grandfather and
father as Chairman of the
club and he tells the
tale in full of how he
stood aside to allow the
controversial Peter
Swales to assume the
mantle in 1972 amidst a
battle within the club
between manager Joe
Mercer and coach Malcolm
Allison that split the
club and cost it the
chance of further
Championship glory. But
there are splendid tales
about City's summer tours
abroad, the
decision-making process
behind the appointment of
Joe Mercer, which saw
Don Revie, Bill Shankly
and Peter Doherty all
rejected, and the
strange tale of the
confusion over the
assassination of Bobby
Kennedy in 1968. There
are also intriguing
stories about the likes
of Matt Busby, Adi
Dassler (founder of
Adidas), Nancy Sinatra,
Billy McNeill, King
George V, Josef
Goebbels, Denis Law,
Bobby Robson and Trevor
Francis. "Please May I
Have My Football Back?"
looks back at a bygone
era, bids farewell to
Maine Road in
tear-jerking manner and
allows fans of all hues
to understand how much
the game has changed from
its humble roots to the
multi-million pound
industry of today.
Availability: In Stock
£3.99
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