Trailing George Best: The Manchester Haunts of United's Greatest takes a forensic look back at the locations in and around Manchester where George Best worked, rested, partied and played during the Swinging 60s and the dubiously stylish 70s. Despite the questionable fashions, it was the best of times. George Best lived in the city for nearly 15 years and this book chronicles, with numerous images, the places where he lived, the avenues and alleyways he explored, the boutiques he managed, the nightclubs he both frequented and helped to run, and of course the football grounds where he ran amok. Having tracked down the people who knew George best during this period - people who lived with Best, the pals he hung out with, colleagues who worked with him, his business partners and personal managers - lifelong Manchester United supporters Stuart Bolton and Paul Collier unearth the stories that other writers could not reach.
The inspirational, bittersweet story of Tamsin Imber's journey as a runner. Starting out as a busy mum, she secretly trains for a marathon - and ends up completing nine in a year, running joyfully in the rainy North York Moors with a group of like-minded lunatics. But talented Tamsin's London Marathon attempt is thwarted by a mysterious fatigue. Running My Way explores the empowering sense of freedom and achievement that running can bring into the chaotic, stressful life of a typically selfless mum. Mocked by an old friend, Tamsin sets off on a bumpy road that leads to a rewarding new social life and countless hilarious adventures. Trophy-winning runs attract the attention of a coach who helps her toward qualification for a championship place in the London Marathon. Ultimately, an appreciation of running free with wild abandon - whether in glorious countryside or in competition - is sharpened by Tamsin's diagnosis with debilitating CFS/ME. Now her positivity and sense of humour are sure to inspire others to take up the sport.
Benny Leonard was arguably the greatest lightweight champion of all time. With superb boxing skills and potent punching power, he fought over 200 times and suffered just five defeats. He spent his boyhood in a crime-ridden ghetto in Manhattan's Lower East Side and was the greatest of a long line of Jewish boxers to emerge from the slums. Leonard was still only 19 when he knocked out Freddie Welsh to become world lightweight king in 1917. He defended the title eight times and retired as undefeated champion in 1925, to please the only woman he loved, his mother. But the 1929 Wall Street Crash wiped out his fortune and he was forced to make a comeback at 35. Leonard fought the best of his era: Johnny Dundee, Johnny Kilbane, Rocky Kansas, Jack Britton, Ted Kid Lewis, and Lew Tendler among them. Apart from being a sublime boxer, Benny was a first-class showman who helped to put boxing on a higher plane. He died as he lived - in the ring - while refereeing a fight at age 51. This is the definitive account of his remarkable life and career.
A complete study of the American prodigy whose career seemed to be crashing as spectacularly as it had soared until relocating to England redeemed him. His streamlined seat and acute judgement of pace - validated by the innovative sectional timings of the author, a trailblazing advocate of their value to race analysis - inspired others.
Taking its name from a Liverpool fan's message to buck-toothed Brazilian Ronaldinho, Cilla Wants Her Teeth Back draws together all the football world's best banners and stadium announcements, glorying in the anarchic, partisan humour which can arise when supporters and club DJs are intent on getting their message across to a wider audience.
Enable is a modern day racing heroine, a Queen of the Turf, and she has stirred the emotions of racing fans like few before her. She has won 11 Group Ones to date including the Epsom Oaks, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes three times, the Prix de l''Arc de Triomphe twice and the Breeders'' Cup Turf. She is partnered by Frankie Dettori, the world''s most famous jockey and she is his ''big girl'' and his favourite racehorse. His trademark flying dismounts seem to now be accompanied by tears and by the time of publication, she will have attempted a historic third ''Arc'' which Frankie wants to win ''for her'' and not himself. As well as looking at her close bond with ''Frankie'' the book looks at how Enable''s masterful trainer, John Gosden, managed her from the beginning and how her connections cherish her. Her full story is told through the lens of the Racing Post - its best writers, most astute analysts and unrivalled photographers.
The story of rugby and wrestling legend Douglas 'Duggy' Clark. By 24 Duggy was a rugby league great before being called up to serve in the Great War. He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery, but his war injuries were so severe he was discharged with a 20% disability certificate. Yet Duggy returned to achieve more extraordinary sporting feats.
The Racing Post Desk Calendar is the perfect office accessory. It is a tent-folded, wiro-bound desk calendar featuring one month to view with the most up to date race meeting information in the UK and Ireland at the time of publication - jumps, flat and the all-weather. It also includes the principal races and bloodstock sales dates.
Kings in Waiting is the story of how Somerset failed to win their maiden Championship title despite finishing second five times during the 2010s. Since they finished bottom of the table in 2006, Somerset have enjoyed and endured the most exciting period in their history. Following their bottom-of-the-table finish, they hired Justin Langer as their captain and he transformed them into one of the most competitive teams in the land. He departed in 2009, although the good work he had done alongside his successor Marcus Trescothick was expected to result in trophies. But they somehow failed to deliver, remarkably finishing as runners-up in eight tournaments between 2009 and 2012. This led to them being described as the bridesmaids of English cricket. After a few quiet years, a new team began to emerge under Chris Rogers, one full of youth and promise. He guided them to second in 2016 and his successor Tom Abell finally managed to win a trophy in 2019. Yet the all-important Championship title remains absent from their cabinet.
In a unique first, Celtic Minute by Minute takes you on a fantastic journey through the Bhoys' matchday history and records the historic goals, Old Firm classics, penalty saves, sendings off and other memorable moments and the minute they occurred. Unforgettable moments captured by time, goals from Dalglish to Larsson and from Nicholas to Petrov.
The Hibs are Here is the follow up to Ian Colquhoun's previous book on Hibernian Football Club: From Oblivion to Hampden. That culminated in the club's successful League Cup winning season in 1991/92. This next volume is subtitled Miller to Millennium and charts the period from 1992 through to 1999.
Ricky Hill grew up beneath the shadow of Wembley Stadium, where he sold programmes at England games as a boy. When he was seven, he was told by a teacher that only two in every hundred boys could possibly make it as a professional footballer. Ricky told her he would be one of the two. Ten years later, this gifted midfielder scored on his debut for Luton Town. Ricky stayed with Luton for 14 years, made 508 appearances and became a club legend. Emerging at a time when racism was rife, he was only the fourth black player to represent England. Later, as a coach, he had to fight to smash down barriers holding back black managers, and devised an equivalent of the NFL's 'Rooney Rule' to help BAME applicants secure senior coaching jobs in English football. While Ricky has won trophies and awards overseas, he has been overlooked in this country. In Love of the Game, he tells the shocking story behind his short spell in charge of Luton, and reveals just how much the football decision-makers in England have ignored him and other black coaches.
In the early 1970s in Scotland, women's football existed in the margins. Unrecognised by the Scottish Football Association, banned from playing in stadiums and with no recognised national team. Arrival tells the fascinating, inspiring and uplifting story of how Scotland's women footballers fought for their right to play, battling hostility, prejudice and intolerance in order to create a national side that the country could be proud of. Drawing on illuminating interviews with Scotland players and managers past and present, including Anna Signeul and Shelley Kerr, it tells the inside story of the remarkable journey that the Scotland women's national team made from formation to eventual qualification for the European Championship and World Cup. It reveals the passion, commitment and determination that enabled Scotland to build a squad capable of competing with the best in the world and inspiring a generation. Arrival is the true story of a team battling against the odds to take their place on the world stage.
Too Black to Wear White is the compelling story of Krom Hendricks, the first black South African sporting hero. One of the world's best fast bowlers, he was barred by Cecil Rhodes from playing for his country on grounds of race. In challenging the establishment, Hendricks became the central figure in the evolution of sports segregation.
In 2011 James Willstrop became the world number one squash player after years of dedication to the sport. Along the way he developed a fascination with the processes involved in achieving world-class standard. Interviews with Inspiration is a collaborative study on what drives the icons and achievers of our time.
In 1983 Cruyff was discarded by Ajax and signed for rivals Feyenoord, leading them to a double. Fierce Genius analyses this incredible season, as Cruyff evolves from player to coach. Packed with fascinating insight, kidnappings, bankruptcy, football revolution, and a ferocious drive for perfection. This is a compelling and poignant read.
Marcelo Bielsa: Thirteen Steps to the Premier League is the story of the tactical evolution of Leeds United under their legendary coach Marcelo Bielsa. It offers an insight into the game model of the Argentinian coach and allows us to break down the key tactical concepts behind Leeds' success in regaining their position in the English Premier Leag
The story of David Robertson, tracing his life from its council estate origins to his emergence as one of the finest attacking full-backs of his generation. A hero to the followers of Aberdeen and Rangers and an esteemed figure in the political hotbed of Kashmir, this is the explosive story of the career of one of football's great characters.
The son of a plantation owner and a free woman of colour, Andrew Watson was not only the first black football player, he was one of the best in the world. He was carelessly lost to history for more than 100 years, and only recently have we come to terms with his influence on the development of the game and recognised his remarkable achievements.
Bails and Boardrooms is the story of one of Middlesex cricket's best-loved players - a man who used the sport to change his life. David Nash lived and breathed cricket from a very young age. Touted as a future England star at age 15, he eventually found the strains of life as a professional cricketer too great and suffered severe mental-health issues. But the end of Nashy's 16-year Middlesex career proved to be the beginning of something far greater. Determined to make something more of his life, he set out on a journey that would see him build a multi-million-pound business. It was a business that would be his proudest achievement. This book charts Nashy's extraordinary life, from a cricket career of unfulfilled potential to building a business using the lessons he learnt from sport and raising millions for charity. This is a story for anyone who loves cricket or is interested in entrepreneurship. It's a story that shows how hard work, determination and talent can take you almost anywhere.
For fans of a certain vintage Gerry Gow is the greatest player to wear the red of Bristol City. A tough-tackling midfielder who always gave 100%, He's Here, He's There celebrates Gow's career with accounts from family, friends, team-mates and opponents; and it looks beyond the hardman image to provide a genuine insight to an Ashton Gate legend.
I'm with the Cosmos is Steve Hunt's story. After only seven first-team appearances for Aston Villa, he found himself playing with two of the greatest players of all time: Pele and Beckenbauer at New York Cosmos. He returned home to play for Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion and was capped twice by England. This is his story.
Black and White Knight is a story of redemption. The Magpies were on the road to nowhere under Ruud Gullit, with the magic of Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers' era a distant memory. Sir Bobby Robson - a genius in man-management - arrived in September 1999. Everything changed as he inspired another rollercoaster ride on Tyneside.
From Father to Son is Paul Bishop's semi-autobiographical account of his love of football, and most of all his local team Watford. It touches on the innocence of childhood and the influence of parents, family, friends, and in Paul's case Jimmy Hill, Johnny Haynes and many others. Part history, part travelogue, the book takes the reader on a nostalgic trip from the early 1960s, when football was a game and not a business. It explains why a five-minute segment in Kes makes it a better football film than Escape to Victory. It was an era when all English grounds were dominated by terraces, you could meet your mates and have a chat on the 'cinder curve' at Vicarage Road, as you marvelled at the skill of Ray Lugg and the heading ability of Barry Endean. The author also acknowledges the original 'boss' in his young eyes... Watford's legendary manager Ken Furphy, who went from Workington to New York Cosmos, via Watford, and ended up coaching both Pele and Johan Cruyff.
All Crazee Now is the story of English football and its footballers in the 1970s, a decade that saw the start of the move from the 'old-fashioned' game towards the modern Premier League era; a transition that accelerated throughout the decade. Much of what we recognise in today's game is rooted in the seventies - including diverse ethnicity and multi-nationalism in club teams; the rise of commercialism; the cult of the manager; the end of the player-next-door; and the demand for victory ahead of individualism. The beginning of the decade remains the period in English football that supporters felt more connected than anytime previous or since. By the time the Thatcherite 1980s were dawning, the way had been paved for a rapid evolution towards 21st-century football. More than just a chronicle of trophy winners, star players and personalities, it offers a study of the tactical, philosophical, social, cultural, economic and political landscape that shaped football throughout a turbulent period for a nation and its favourite sport.
Redemption is the ultimate story of sporting salvation. Born into a notorious crime family, John bought his first gun at 16 and carved out a lucrative career in armed robbery. Forced to re-evaluate while serving life at Belmarsh, he discovered an unbelievable talent and broke three world rowing records. He's now one of the UK's leading triathletes.
Rangers v Celtic is Glasgow's contribution to the world's great football derby matches. Otherwise known as the Old Firm, these clashes always attract fervent crowds and huge TV audiences worldwide. Author Jeff Holmes has watched dozens of these battles from the terraces and stands of Ibrox Stadium, Celtic Park and Hampden, and knows exactly what victory means to the hundreds of thousands of Rangers supporters scattered across the globe. Here, he brings to life 50 of Rangers' greatest triumphs against the old rivals, from their first victory in 1893 to a Christmas cracker in 2018. There are iconic matches aplenty and heroes galore, including the great Davie Meiklejohn, who started the rout in the 1928 Scottish Cup Final. Read about the time Rangers thrashed their opponents 8-1 in 1943 - and about Sir Alex Ferguson's favourite ever goal, by South African wing king Johnny Hubbard, back in 1955. Relive the feats of Bob McPhail, Davie Wilson, Ralph Brand, Ally McCoist and Davie Cooper - Rangers greats who knew how to win an Old Firm match!
There are those seasons which remain indelibly inscribed in the memory. Simply unforgettable. The 2006/07 season remains one of those for fans of West Ham United. Doomed with nine games to play, the Hammers produced a near miracle, and The Greatest Escape is the story of it: the highs, lows and controversies that were the 2006/07 season.
Tales from the Touchline: Football Memories from a Referee and Fan is the story of a football fan and his experiences as a referee. A fan of Dundee United for many years, John Gunn's playing career was virtually non-existent, being limited to schoolboy level. He moved home from Dundee to Elgin in 1979 and began his refereeing journey, which took him from amateur levels to the Scottish Football Association's Senior List. Ten seasons at the very top of Scottish football saw John encounter the game's real characters, plenty of daft decisions and a whole raft of humorous incidents. After hanging up his whistle, John returned to the stands as a supporter of Dundee United and his contacts within the game provided him with even more stories to tell, many regarding his own team's fortunes - including how Eddie Thompson took over from legendary ex-manager Jim McLean. Tales from the Touchline has a mix of football's politics, characters, blunders and a good dose of humour thrown in for good measure.
Sachin and Azhar at Cape Town is the story of an incredible partnership between Tendulkar and Azharuddin in the Newlands Test of 1997. Replying to 529, India slumped to 58/5 against Donald, Pollock, McMillan and Klusener. What followed was an exhilarating counter-attack from both ends, seldom seen in Test cricket. With Nelson Mandela watching on - he met the players during lunch that day - the pair added a magical 222 in 40 overs, treating the lethal bowling attack with disdain. Arunabha Sengupta and Abhishek Mukherjee relive the partnership, recounting and analysing every stroke, but as they do, they also bring to life the cricket, history and society of the two countries. Covering a multitude of topics as diverse as apartheid, Mandela and Gandhi, Indians in South Africa; cricket isolation and non-white cricket in South Africa, rebel tours; the television revolution and commercialisation of cricket; with other historical details and numerical analysis of the game supporting the text, this is a fascinating snapshot of cricket at that time through the prism of that impressive sixth-wicket stand.
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