An incredibly entertaining and perceptive look at the most controversial moment in Premier League history. 25th January 1995 A cold winter's evening. Manchester United away against Crystal Palace at a packed-out Selhurst Park. Eric Cantona, United's mercurial talisman, has been man-marked closely all game by Richard Shaw and become increasingly frustrated. In the 48th minute, Cantona's temper boils over and he kicks out at Shaw. The ref shows him a red card. On his way off the pitch, a Palace fan rushes towards the hoardings to hurl abuse. The Frenchman loses it. He launches into the crowd, aiming a kung-fu kick at the fan's chest. He is forcibly restrained and then taken off down the tunnel. The football world is stunned. Nothing like this has ever happened before. What followed has entered football folklore: the media furore, the seagulls following the trawler, and the longest domestic ban ever handed to a player; it would end up lasting 250 days. As Manchester United's campaign stuttered towards a trophy-less conclusion, surrendering the league on the last day of the season and losing the FA Cup final, Cantona withdrew from the public eye. But, behind closed doors, Ferguson was planning the most remarkable of fresh starts for his star player and for a new-look United. 250 Days tells the story in brilliant detail of one of the most turbulent times in United's recent history. Showing Cantona in a new light, and the genius of Ferguson's man management and vision in close relief, it is an incredibly entertaining and insightful look at the most controversial episode of the Premier League era.

Got, Not Got: The Lost World of Leicester City is an Aladdin's cave of memories and memorabilia, guaranteed to whisk you back to Filbert Street's fondly remembered 'Golden Age' of mud and magic - as well as a City-mad childhood of miniature tabletop games and imaginary, comic-fuelled worlds. The book recalls a more innocent era of football, lingering longingly over relics from the good old days - Foxes stickers and petrol freebies, league ladders, big-match programmes and much more - revisiting lost football culture, treasures and pleasures that are 100 per cent Leicester City. If you were a Junior Fox, one of the army of obsessive soccer kids at any time from Gordon Banks lifting the World Cup to the early days of the Premier League, then this is the book to recall the mavericks - Worthington, Weller and Walsh, Lineker, McAllister and Shilton - and the marvels of the Lost World of Football.

Ever since I recall I have followed football, And ingrained in my heart are the Rangers FC, Through good and the bad, times of happy or sad, It will always be Rangers for me. For when I was a lad, I was led by the hand, Down the Paisley Road West, I will never forget, That beautiful sight, of the red, blue and white, From that day I'd be Rangers for life. And I vowed to my dad if I too have a lad, I would show him the way as he did on that day, And so now here I stand with young Lyle by the hand, After walking down Paisley Road West. For when I was a lad, I was led by the hand, Down the Paisley Road West, I will never forget, That beautiful sight, of the red, blue and white, From that day I'd be Rangers for life. There's a great sense of pride, that I feel deep inside, As I'm watching the 'Gers, with my father and son, And its sure safe to say, at the end of the day, Win or lose we will all follow on. (Lyrics by: Davie Macintosh)

In this unique book, Sten Soederman explores the prospect of China reaching its goal of hosting the 2050 World Cup. Soederman takes into consideration China's size, resources, traditions and political system to ask what needs to be done and how. The book assesses football in China today, discussing the main driving forces behind the development of football in China, and offering an analysis of its organizational structure, strengths, regulations, and weaknesses. Taking a comparative approach, Soederman asks if China should simply adopt the European model of football, including values and skills, through imported players and coaches, or if it is better for China to forge its own path by building on its traditions and limiting the possibility of investing in foreign players, coaches and foreign football clubs. Looking to the future, the book outlines new models and tools to analyse the footballization of China. Soederman concludes with the argument that grassroots activity is the most critical factor in the development of football in China. Examining if a strategic management mix will help China win the 2050 World Cup, this book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of sport management and Asian business studies.

'Resilience can give you strength to keep moving forwards when you are caught in the rain or a storm, and keep you continuing on your journey through life. And it is a strength which resides in everyone.' Maya Yoshida, one of Southampton FC's most admired players, is well known for his sense of humour on the field. However, underneath the convivial public persona is a man with unrivalled ambition, resilience and strength of character. Unbeatable Mind reveals the secrets behind Maya's success and how he became a favourite of football fans across the globe. Recounting his stunning career trajectory, this book provides inspirational guidance on how to overcome obstacles and thrive in any competitive arena.

It is the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Rabbi Howell of Sheffield United, the first Romany to play for England, knows his career is peaking and the only way is down. His fate seems to be a return to obscurity, literally and metaphorically, back down the pit, his life ruled by the winding wheel and the domestic pattern set by his wife, Selina, her parents and family. He then meets Ada and risks throwing away career, home, everything. Follow Rab, Selina, Ada and the United through this turbulent, historic year.

Strength and power are key elements of soccer performance. A stronger player can sprint faster, jump higher, change direction more quickly and kick the ball harder. Strength Training for Soccer introduces the science of strength training for soccer. Working from a sound evidence-base, it explains how to develop a training routine that integrates the different components of soccer performance, including strength, speed, coordination and flexibility, and outlines modern periodization strategies that keep players closer to their peak over an extended period. Dealing with themes of injury prevention, rehabilitation and interventions, as well as performance, the book offers a uniquely focused guide to the principles of strength and conditioning in a footballing context. Fully referenced, and full of practical drills, detailed exercise descriptions, training schedules and year plans, Strength Training for Soccer is essential reading for all strength and conditioning students and any coach or trainer working in football.

This title is written by a fan for the fans, covering the last 50 years of Rangers' history. This is a journey down memory lane, celebrating the past heroes of a great club. It includes assessments of managers and ponders the changes to Ibrox Stadium. This book is written by a Rangers' fan for Rangers' fans. The book covers the last 50 years of Rangers' history and so it should hopefully provoke memories in teenagers as well as in the older generation who witnessed the games and players described from the early 1960s until the end of season 2009/10. In a way, this is a unique football book in that it describes the momentous matches and achievements of Rangers since 1960, not from a player or manager's perspective, nor from a journalist's, but from the point of view of an ordinary Rangers' fan. Therefore, it is a very subjective account of the Rangers' players, managers and games that have contributed to the history of that great club over the past 50 years. This book takes the reader through the good times and the not-so-good times at Ibrox. Rangers being the world's most successful club, means that the good times have far outnumbered the bad times over the past 50 years and the author has been there throughout to see all of them. This journey down memory lane will celebrate the great side of the early 60s: Ritchie, Shearer, Caldow; Greig, McKinnon, Baxter; Henderson, McMillan, Millar Brand and Wilson as well as remind readers of the 4 European finals that Rangers has participated in. Famous European and domestic victories will be recorded, 9-in-a-row remembered as well as the darker times such as the Ibrox Disaster of 1971. Apart from the author's personal experiences of the last 50 years in following Rangers, he also shows us what was happening in his own life while these events were taking place. He admits that when trying to recall events in his own life he usually manages to do this when he associates these with what was happening to Rangers at the time. This book celebrates his life as well as that of the club that he has loved for over 50 years now.

The football/soccer players who read this manual seek perfection - those who implement its ideas have found it. This inspirational world class training, and playing football/soccer manual uses a designed, and developed pragmatic approach in the analysis, and solution of unsteady state football/soccer phenomenon - in conjunction with chosen basic engineering fluid and particle dynamics principles incorporating analogies, with mental psychology for CONTROLLING the game - and shows how they are all interconnected. This manual transcends imagination and originality. Simple to follow the manual converge on the systems in harmony as one unit, shows how the experience of the coach, in relation to the player, and teammates relate for discipline on and off the pitch, and accomplish learning.

An exhilarating and often hilarious account of a dedicated fan addicted to the bittersweet experience of watching football during the dark days of football violence, when pre match entertainment usually consisted of a pie, a pint and a punch up.

Manchester City qualified for the European Cup following their League Championship success in 1967/68. Immediately after winning the title City manager Malcolm Allison said "We'll terrify the cowards of Europe." Inevitably therefore they lost their first-ever European tie against the unfashionable Turkish champions. Since that date the club's supporters have witnessed the highs and lows that European football can produce. Notable victories over the best teams in Europe, Gornik in the European Cup Winners' Cup in Vienna, remains clear in the memory as do those matches we would rather forget, Fenerbahce in 1968, Borussia in 1978, right up to present date, where the club promised so much but left the supporters disillusioned. This is an evocative collection of how the media perceived the games, player's memories, supporters European trips, action shots, programme covers and assorted memorabilia. Illustrating the story of City through the triumph and disappointment of epic struggles against the best teams on the continent. So as we head into the future we recall the past

IT'S A ROCKY ROAD! Game Changer is the eighth book in the football-tastic Roy of the Rovers illustrated fiction series, and the second Rocky of the Rovers story. Part of the third season, this exciting series is written by award-winning author Tom Palmer. The newly formed Melchester Women's team are going from strength to strength in their first full season of professional football, lead by the tenacious Rocky Race. But behind the scenes, the morale of the club is low. After a shocking incident in a men's European game, and the recent Race family tragedy, Rocky, her brother Roy, and the whole club is struggling to deal with the aftermath. What's more, she's fighting with Ffion her friend! Can she maintain her match-winning performances? How is she supposed to deal with everything that's happened? And just where does her footballing future lie? Enjoyed this title? Pick up The GBP100 Million Game next to continue the story! Praise for the Roy of the Rovers series: EPIC! - Match of the Day Magazine I love the way that they are about so much more than football: they are about heart, values and family. Both graphic novel and fiction titles are compelling, engaging and a lot of fun. Lace up and get reading. - Jim Sells, Programme manager for Sport & Literacy, National Literacy Trust. Read with my 7 year old who is football mad, really enjoyed it and left us wanting to read the next one in the series! - GoodReads Review

The first volume of the popular 101 Youth Football Coaching Sessions, part of the 101 Drills series and accompanied by 101 Youth Football Coaching Sessions Volume 2. The culmination of years of experience, this manual outlines comprehensive training sessions for young footballers, including warm-ups, skills training, games and final practice drills. Fun, educational and challenging, each session contains information on equipment needed, space required and how to organise the players. Ideal for teachers or coaches who are looking for a fully planned session, this contains everything you need to build up the skills of young players and ensure they have fun and remain safe.

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.

How much do you really know about the club you love? You can find out by exploring the 1,000 questions set out in 100 categories that make up this Chelsea quiz book. It s not often that books on football make reference to the CIA, Louis Armstrong, Goldfinger, Isaac Newton and David Bowie, but this one does! Call Yourself a Blues Fan? is a quirky, challenging affair for real Chelsea fans who can test themselves or take on each other, with the emphasis on enjoyment and discovery. Try this for size: Which nine Chelsea coaches and managers have scored in an FA Cup Final as a player? You will struggle to find anything as comprehensive as this eclectic collection. It s a must for Chelsea fans of all ages and you might not see anything quite like it again.

Are you ready for the World Cup? It's time to warm up for another roller coaster ride... Calling all footie fanatics! Put your knowledge of the beautiful game to the test with this quiz book, packed full of puzzles, stats and little-known facts. Whether it's chatting to a mate on a pre-match pub trip or to keep calm during a tense half time in front of the TV, every football fan loves a bit of trivia. Use this fact-packed quiz and puzzle book to gen up on World Cup legends such as Ronaldo and Messi and prepare to impress your friends with your fantastic football knowledge. Featuring brain-teasing puzzles, tricky true-or-false questions and hilarious "what happened next?" scenarios, this quiz book is guaranteed to keep you entertained until the final whistle. Have a go at guessing the top ten most expensive football players Discover who scored the worst-ever World Cup own goal Find out which World Cup match saw the same player booked three times Prepare yourself for penalties with stats on perfect shootouts and miserable misses

How much do you really know about the club you love? You can find out by exploring the 1,000 questions set out in 100 categories that make up this Everton quiz book. It s not often that books on football make reference to Bob Dylan, the London Underground, Pink Floyd, The Godfather, the Beatles, Shakespeare, Rising Damp and The Who, but this one does! Call Yourself a Toffees Fan? is a quirky, challenging affair for real Everton fans who can test themselves or take on each other, with the emphasis on enjoyment and discovery. Try these for size: in the 1966 FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, which surname appeared on both sides? What was unique about the 1962/63 season at Goodison Park? Who is the only Everton manager to score the winning goal in a European Cup Final? You will struggle to find anything as comprehensive as this eclectic collection. It s a must for Everton fans of all ages and you might not see anything quite like it again.

When most people think about the Netherlands, images of tulips and peaceful pot smoking residents spring to mind. Bring up soccer, and most will think of Johan Cruyuff, the Dutch player thought to rival Pele in preternatural skill, and Ajax, one of the most influential soccer clubs in the world whose academy system for young athletes has been replicated around the globe (and most notably by Barcelona and the 2010 world champions, Spain).
But as international bestselling author Simon Kuper writes in "Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Soccer in Europe During the Second World War," the story of soccer in Holland cannot be understood without investigating what really occurred in this country during WWII. For decades, the Dutch have enjoyed the reputation of having a "good war." The myth is even resonant in Israel where Ajax is celebrated. The fact is, the Jews suffered shocking persecution at the hands of Dutch collaborators. Holland had the second largest Nazi movement in Europe outside Germany, and in no other country except Poland was so high a percentage of Jews deported.
Kuper challenges Holland's historical amnesia and uses soccer--particularly the experience of Ajax, a club long supported by Amsterdam's Jews--as a window on wartime Holland and Europe. Through interviews with Resistance fighters, survivors, wartime soccer players and more, Kuper uncovers this history that has been ignored, and also finds out why the Holocaust had a profound effect on soccer in the country.
Ajax produced Cruyuff but was also built by members of the Dutch resistance and Holocaust survivors. It became a surrogate family for many who survived the war and its method for producing unparalleled talent became the envy of clubs around the world. In this passionate, haunting and moving work of forensic reporting, Kuper tells the breathtaking story of how Dutch Jews survived the unspeakable and came to play a strong role in the rise of the most exciting and revolutionary style of soccer -- "Total Football" -- the world had ever seen.

1982 tells the story of football's most exhilarating and entertaining World Cup side. This scintillating Brazil team - blessed with Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder and Junior - lit up the 1982 World Cup with a brand of football that was 'futebol arte'. Playing to the accompaniment of a samba soundtrack from their supporters in the stands, the side scored 15 goals in five games and enchanted the world, but their dream fell apart in the Sarria Stadium against Italy. Even so, it was a match considered one of the greatest World Cup fixtures of all time and it changed the way the game was played forever.The Brazilian 1982 World Cup side have become a cast of mythical characters. Despite failing to reach the semi-finals, they made the football world hold its breath every time they stepped on the pitch. Told through the eyes of a young boy who fell in love with the men in yellow, and the memories of those who were there to witness Brazil's most glorious failure, 1982 is the definitive account of the greatest team never to win a World Cup.

Walter Smith was one of the most respected managers in British football. This insightful biography casts a reflective and analytical eye over his life and career, examining this shrewd professional through the many highs and lows that he has experienced as a player and manager. He enjoyed an illustrious career in management at Rangers, joining the Souness revolution in 1987, winning nine successive league titles, a domestic treble in the 1992-93 season and winning both the Scottish Cup and League Cup three times. In 1998, Smith accepted a position in England with Everton, where he was the manager until 2002, before being reunited with Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2004. In December of that year, Smith was appointed as Scotland manager and his effort subsequently earned him the title of 'Scot of the Year' at the prestigious Glenfiddich 'Spirit of Scotland' awards in 2006. Midway through the qualifying rounds for Euro 2008, however, and with the Scots leading their group, he controversially accepted an offer to return to Ibrox in January 2007. Upon returning to Glasgow, Smith led Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final and triumph in the Scottish Cup in 2008, a domestic League and Cup double in 2009 and another double - this time in the domestic League and League Cup - in 2010. He retired from management in 2011 and died in October 2021.

"OUR IDENTITY IS INTENSITY," declares Liverpool FC assistant-manager Pep Lijnders in this compelling account of the 2021/22 season, and from the very first chapter he takes us on a footballing thrill-ride we will never forget. Liverpool's blistering brand of football has revived a sleeping giant, energised its vast army of fans, entertained crowds at home and all over the world, and redefined coaching excellence. Now Pep tells the inside story of a season which, even by LFC standards, has been truly sensational. Week by week as the drama unfolds it's all here: from pre-season to unforgettable finale; great goals and gruelling schedules; passionate team-talks and personal reflections; unsung heroes and Kop idols; the pride and the passion, the joy and the heartache... and the fun. In his own engaging and inspiring style, Pep takes readers behind-the-scenes at Anfield, the AXA Training Centre and the team hotel; on the pitch, in the dugout and back in the dressing-room away from the media glare. In forming a 'one-club' mentality, Jurgen Klopp, Lijnders and co have also created countless modern memories for the LFC family, and this unique book chronicles their legacy. It's an unprecedented account of a season at an elite football club from one of the game's most thoughtful students.