South America is a region that enjoys an unusually high profile as the origin of some of the world's greatest writers and most celebrated footballers. This is the first book to undertake a systematic study of the relationship between football and literature across South America. Beginning with the first football poem published in 1899, it surveys a range of texts that address key issues in the region's social and political history. Drawing on a substantial corpus of short stories, novels and poems, each chapter considers the shifting relationship between football and literature in South America across more than a century of writing. The way in which authors combine football and literature to challenge the dominant narratives of their time suggests that this sport can be seen as a recurring theme through which matters of identity, nationhood, race, gender, violence, politics and aesthetics are played out. This book is fascinating reading for any student, scholar or serious fan of football, as well as for all those interested in the relationship between sports history, literature and society.

Scotland 42 England 1 is an English OAP's light-hearted and affectionate look at Scottish football. Growing up in the 60s when 'abroad isn't for the likes of us' was a common refrain, Mark Winter developed a fascination with Scotland and its football clubs, his interest piqued by listening to the football results in compulsory silence as his grandad's pools coupon was checked. The process provoked many questions in the mind of the impressionable eight-year-old. Why had Third Lanark, apparently out of pure spite, won and stopped his grandad becoming a rich man? If East Fife was a town, why wasn't it on a map? When playing those cunning continentals, why did Scottish teams suddenly become British when they won? Fifty years later, Mark decides to visit all 42 league clubs north of Hadrian's Wall to separate the myths from the facts. Setting off from Dover each time, invariably he is met by a warm welcome, a hot pie and a strong drink. Along the way he has to climb the odd mountain. What he expects and what he finds are quite different.

The revealing autobiography of former footballer Emile Heskey. From humble beginnings, Emile became one of Leicester's favourite sons, as part of Martin O'Neill's swashbuckling misfits. In five years he won promotion, four top-ten Premier League finishes and two League Cups. England called, as did Gerard Houllier and an GBP11 million move to Liverpool, enabling Emile to form a memorable partnership with Michael Owen for both club and country. Then came the trophies - six of them, including the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. Heskey's England career saw him play in two European Championships and two World Cups as part of the Golden Generation, earning 62 caps and scoring seven times - including the final goal in the 5-1 demolition of Germany. He went on to play for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, Newcastle Jets and Bolton Wanderers, notably donating GBP100,000 to save Leicester City from extinction. Even Heskey Scored is the story of a largely unsung player, loved by his team-mates, who overcame fierce criticism to live the dream.

Football, Nationality and the State examines the complex and ever-changing relationship between football (its development and structure), nationality and the state. Divided into two parts the book first deals with the existence of more than one football nation within the same political state. Using international comparisons the authors argue that these divisions may result from football's early history and development, regional movements for independence, or the growth of a language cleavage. The second part of the book goes on to examine the structure of football as an extension, or reflection, of the structure of the state. Resulting structures include the imposition of state socialism on sport, the presence of democratic politics in the organisation of football clubs and the links between big business and football.

WINNER OF THE NEW WRITER AWARD AT THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE, THE GORDON BURN PRIZE AND FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE CROSS SPORTS BOOK AWARDS FEATURED IN THE OBSERVER'S SPORTS WRITERS' BOOKS OF THE YEAR And the Sun Shines Now is a book about why Hillsborough happened, and how the flawed response to the disaster created a 'whole new ball game' but destroyed a culture. The Taylor Report. All-seater stadia. Police lies. Political neglect. Murdoch. The oligarchs. And an FA plan to gentrify football. But what happens when you take the people's game away from the people? What happens to the game, and what happens to the people? Powerful, funny, soulful and brutal, Adrian Tempany's acclaimed book exposes the real cost of the modern game . . . and the forces that shaped it.

The Third World Congress of Science and Football was held in Cardiff, Wales in April 1995. The aim of the conference was to continue to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of the various branches of football and increase the awareness of the value of a scientific approach to these games. These aims and the outcomes of the conference are reflected in this third volume of Science and Football.
The volume is divided into eight parts, each part containing a group of papers that are related by theme or disciplinary approach. Metabolism and nutrition, football training, match analysis, medical aspects of football and psychology and football behaviour are just a few of the areas covered in this comprehensive, in-depth volume that has been fully edited and revised.
The conclusions drawn during the congress represent an invaluable practical reference for coaches, scientists, players, managers, and all those involved in the many football codes.

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHY OF ARSENE WENGER EVER PUBLISHED, NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED TO THE END OF HIS ARSENAL CAREER. When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996, he was little known to fans at the club and many doubted he could bring back the glory days of George Graham. But soon he was transforming the way the team played, melding the famous English defensive spine of Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and David Seaman with a hugely creative foreign attacking spirit, epitomised by Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, that could both outplay and outmuscle their rivals. At the same time, he introduced new ideas on diet, exercise, training and tactics, which many players believe extended their careers. Having won numerous trophies, and led the Invincibles to an unprecedented unbeaten league season in 2003-04, Wenger then had to help the Gunners through the next stage of their development when they moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, a move that was followed by a nine-year trophy drought. Despite the financial constraints he faced, he still managed to keep the club playing in the Champions League year after year while remaining true to his philosophy of how the game should be played. Some began to question whether he had been left behind, despite picking up back-to-back FA Cups in 2014 and 2015, and in the end in April 2018 he decided the time was right to step away. Now, in this updated edition of John Cross's acclaimed biography, the author provides a compelling account of the man and his methods across 22 years in charge. He assesses the scale of Wenger's achievements and whether the criticism he faced towards the end was justified. Arsene Wenger builds into the most complete portrait of the Frenchman yet written.

The study of association football has recently emerged as vibrant field of inquiry, attracting scholars worldwide from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. "Soccer As the Beautiful Game: Football's Artistry, Identity and Politics," held at Hofstra University in April 2014, gathered together scholars, media, management, and fans in the largest ever conference dedicated to the game in North America. This collection of essays provides a comprehensive view of the academic perspectives on offer at the conference, itself a snapshot of the state of this increasingly rich scholarly terrain. The diversity of approaches range from theory to pedagogy to historical and sociological engagements with the game at all levels, from the grassroots to the grand spectacle of the World Cup, while the international roster of authors is testimony to the game's global reach. This collection of essays therefore offers a state of the field for soccer studies and a road map for further exploration. The chapters originally published as a special issue in Soccer & Society.

A remarkable story of turning heartbreak into hope Life as we know it can change in an instant, in the blink of an eye. And it did for Martina Cox and her family in 2018. On an ordinary day in April of that year, Sean Cox travelled to Anfield to watch his beloved Liverpool play. But he never made it to the match. A vicious, unprovoked attack left him with a severe brain injury, unable to walk or talk. Here, Martina tells their remarkable story. It is a story of inner strength and determination, of dedication and commitment. By not taking no for an answer and with the help of their family, their community, the Liverpool spirit, and tens of thousands of people across the world who were touched by Sean's story, they have achieved what was thought to be impossible. With Hope in Your Heart brings Sean's story right to the present day, as he moved back to his family home for the first time in two years just as the coronavirus lockdown took hold. At its heart, this is a love story - the kind of love that conquers all. The book includes a foreword by Jurgen Klopp. 'Both a love story and a deeply moving, powerful account of how they have tried to piece their lives back together.' The Athletic 'Phenomenal book' Tommy Bowe, Ireland AM, Virgin Media Television 'Martina's strength is inspiring' Laura Woods, Ireland AM, Virgin Media Television 'Excellent book ... brilliant, uplifting and highly recommended.' Ryan Tubridy 'I'm a grown man, but there were tears falling on the pages ... absolutely brilliant ... wonderful, wonderful book.' Pat Kenny 'An extraordinary book' Matt Cooper, The Last Word 'Powerful and unflinchingly honest' Jennifer O'Connell, The Irish Times

Rediscovering soccer's long history in the U.S. Across North America, native peoples and colonists alike played a variety of kicking games long before soccer's emergence in the late 1800s. Brian D. Bunk examines the development and social impact of these sports through the rise of professional soccer after World War I. As he shows, the various games called football gave women an outlet as athletes and encouraged men to form social bonds based on educational experience, occupation, ethnic identity, or military service. Football also followed young people to college as higher education expanded in the nineteenth century. University play, along with the arrival of immigrants from the British Isles, helped spark the creation of organized soccer in the United States—and the beautiful game's transformation into a truly international sport. A multilayered look at one game’s place in American life, From Football to Soccer refutes the notion of the U.S. as a land outside of football history.

Football has become one of the most mediated cultural practices in modern Western societies, providing players, officials and spectators with implicit and often hidden discourses about race/ethnicity, national identity and gender. This book provides new and critical insights into how mediated football as a contested cultural practice influences, and is influenced by, discourses and stereotypes about race/ethnicity, nation and gender that operate at the local, national and global level. It analyzes both contemporary media representations and the ways these representations are negotiated, interpreted and used by football media audiences. These issues are explored across all media genres (print media, television, online, social media, film, and so forth) in a multidisciplinary and cross-cultural manner, with contributions from diverse disciplines and countries. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

1923: Life in Football 100 Years Ago takes a deep dive into the matches, personalities and events that lit up the game a century ago. Based on exhaustive archival research, it's also a social history that reveals how fans and footballers lived their day to day lives and how they were affected by the year's happenings. What they ate, drank and how they spent their leisure time. How players trained and what they earned. Who the top clubs and players were and what type of tactics they used. What kit and boots they wore and how they prepared and travelled to games, often alongside the fans. The book explores why mining communities produced so many of the year's top footballers, and how an amateur playing army captain made an unlikely debut for the full England side. From the infamous White Horse Cup Final and the shocking murder of footballer Tommy Ball, to the painful legacy of World War One on the game and the emergence of top professional football in Europe, it's a unique look at a memorable year in football and beyond.

Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World charts the growth of the game in each major footballing country, from the very first kick to the first World Cup in 1930. Football's global spread from muddy playing fields to colossal, purpose-built stadiums is a story of class, race, gender and politics. Along the way, you'll meet the people who established football around the world and discover the challenges they faced. Featuring interviews with leading historians, journalists, club chairmen and descendants of club founders and players, Origin Stories tells the fascinating country-by-country tale of how football put down its roots around the world. The sport's early growth includes a cast of English aristocrats and 'Scotch professors', French tournament pioneers, international merchants, keen students, raucous rebels and more. Origin Stories shows that football's early development was a truly global team effort.

On 25 November 1953, the footballing landscape was altered forever. In a mist-shrouded Wembley Stadium, the beautiful game's historic dominant force, England, met the most exciting team of the 1950s, Hungary. What followed sent shockwaves through the very foundations that the sport was built upon. After years of crumbling decline, the British Empire seemed to be enjoying a resurgence with the coronation of the popular young Elizabeth II. As such, England played with the crushing weight of expectation upon their shoulders, defending their proud, unbeaten home record and protecting the reputation of the nation. Hungary, meanwhile, took on football's most venerated team in the knowledge that they had the opportunity to make history by emerging victorious - anything less would not be tolerated. The newspapers called it the Match of the Century before it had even begun. By the time it was over, writers, players and fans were wondering if such a lofty billing had in fact undersold the contest. Now, over sixty years later, the match is imbued with meaning and symbolism far beyond the football pitch. This is the story of a match that would change the course of football history forever.

Summer of 63 takes an enthralling, in-depth look at one of the greatest transformations in football, as Don Revie moulded a Leeds United side teetering on the brink of relegation to Division Three into one of the most feared teams in Europe. Revie had arrived at Leeds in November 1958, on the back of an illustrious playing career with Leicester City, Hull City, Manchester City and Sunderland. In March 1961, he was appointed player-manager at Leeds before quickly taking over the reins as full-time gaffer. He fashioned a team of experience and untested teenagers that quickly developed into a force to be reckoned with. Summer of 63 uncovers the truth behind the 'Dirty Leeds' tag that has prevailed for almost 60 years. Gleaned from the private collections of photos, telegrams and scrapbooks of players, and the testimonies of Leeds and opposition fans, Gary Edwards presents an amazing account of one man's vision to turn a failing side into the club's greatest-ever team.

A Season on the Med: Riviera Football in Italy and France (With a Trip to Athens for Stan) is a story of football where the sun always shines - with a difference. In the wake of Brexit, writer Alex Wade decamped to Menton, the last town on the Cote d'Azur. During a swim from France to Italy, he realised two things. An array of great football clubs - from Nice, Marseille and Monaco to Genoa, Sampdoria and Spezia - were on his doorstep on the French and Italian Rivieras. Plus his hero, Queens Park Rangers talisman Stan Bowles, once played on the Med. Wade embarked on a journey of discovery to experience Riviera football over the 2021/22 season, with two questions in mind. Is football on the Med more laid-back, languid and amiable than elsewhere? And could he make it to Athens in a tribute to Bowles? Eloquently written with a blend of reportage, travelogue and memoir, A Season on the Med ends unexpectedly inland, in Brumano, Italy, as Wade captures the spirit of Riviera football and grapples with the meaning of heroes, and home.

I've Got Mail is the brand new book from Jeff Stelling, the Sunday Times bestselling author and host of Sky Sports' iconic football show Soccer Saturday. Reproducing a selection of correspondence he has received down the years, Stelling tells some intriguing stories around his experiences in broadcasting and football. This charming book is by turns warm and funny, moving and poignant, and invariably underpinned by a deeply rooted love of football and people. "It arrived while I was playing football. I remember my mum running towards me, dressed in pinny and slippers, waving a piece of flesh coloured paper, gripped in her hand, the print all in slightly faded block capitals. But the message from my new employer was clear and urgent. BERNARD GENT UNWELL. GO TO LEEDS IMMEDIATELY. COVER LEEDS UNITED V MIDDLESBROUGH It was the first and last telegram I ever received. It was a message that probably changed the course of my life. It was the first of many pieces of correspondence during my life which have made me laugh, cry or perhaps influenced my pathway in a more significant way. Receiving letters by post or via e-mail has always been important to me. Even now I feel slightly disappointed if the postman passes the door without anything for me, even though I know the chances are it will be a bill, a parking fine, a bank statement or a catalogue offering me clothing or garden furniture. The same applies when my inbox is empty save for someone offering a deal on a used car or urging me to change my energy provider. These days my mail is often from total strangers, usually with a simple birthday or autograph request. But at times the correspondence is emotional, and sometimes it is angry. Occasionally I'm entrusted with personal issues that the correspondents probably would not tell their closest friends. The only thing they all have in common is they start 'Dear Jeff'. Or almost all do..."

The story of how one small boy's near impossible dream became a reality. Growing up in poverty in the austere 1950s Fife coalfield, Tommy Hutchison had an unshakable belief that one day he would wear the dark blue shirt of Scotland. To an outsider it seemed an improbable ambition. Too weak to cross a ball from the byline to the goal area, the teenage Hutchison was overlooked by his teachers and never made the school football team. Through sheer determination, an indomitable spirit and hour upon hour of lonely practice, the adolescent Tommy was finally noticed by his local team, and his journey to Hampden and World Cup glory began. Tommy's football genius ultimately took him all over the world to play with and against some of the greatest footballers of the 1970s and 80s in a career spanning four amazing decades. Hutch, Hard Work and Belief is the funny yet inspiring story of how the seemingly unattainable can be achieved by unwavering, resolute self-belief.

Brazil 1970 is the fascinating and dramatic inside story of the greatest football team of all time. Predicted to be drab and dull, the 1970 World Cup became the greatest show on Earth, with the mesmerising Brazilians at the heart of a dramatic and delirious three weeks. After their demise at the 1966 World Cup, the South Americans were no longer the masters of the game. The defenestration rattled Brazil, and left them in purgatory before they swept through the qualifiers with coach Joao Saldanha. Even so, the team left their home country discredited against the backdrop of a military dictatorship and the proliferation of science in the game. At the World Cup finals, Mario Zagallo and his cast of balletic players - including lodestar Pele, the cerebral Gerson and the ingenious Tostao - ensured Brazil would forever be synonymous with the global game and a byword for style and craft. Their triumph was also the end of Brazil's golden era. The technocrats had invaded the terrain and Brazil would never again reach those heights.

Soccer is one of the most popular participant and spectator sports in the world. Social and cultural analysts have started to investigate the wide variety of customs, values and social patterns that surround the game in different societies. This volume contributes new data and explanations of soccer-related violence. Although episodes of violence associated with soccer are relatively infrequent, this book demonstrates that the occasional violent events which attract great media attention have their roots in the rituals of the matches, the loyalties and identities of players and crowds, and the wider cultures and politics of the host societies. The work provides a cross-national examination of patterns of order and conflict surrounding soccer matches. Examples are provided by expert contributors from Scotland, England, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Argentina and the US.

Have we matched Wembley 1966 and 2022, or lost again on penalties? As a football fan in the Home Nations, there is at least one thing of which you can be sure. Even if sometimes other countries play it better than us, they'll forever have to thank Britain for the fun, the excitement, the tragedy, the triumph, the pain, the pleasure and the sheer gloriousness of the best sport in the world. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, it was Britain that first spread the beautiful game across the world. Cornish miners took football skills along with their pasties to Mexico; Iraqi football legend Ammo Baba learnt the game at an RAF base; the Buenos Aires Cricket Club gave the world Argentine football; and Romanian dentist Iuliu Weiner got not one an English education but a passion for football too. This is a book about football, yes, but it is also a book about all the countries of the world, about shared passion and shared humanity. It's how Britain brought football to the world.

Anatomy of a Genius is a tactical breakdown of Lionel Messi's playing career at FC Barcelona. Despite spending his whole career with the club, the Argentine genius had to adapt and improve his game to become the foundation of Barca's modern success. This book explores his journey - from emerging as a talented prodigy to becoming the best player on the planet - through an enthralling narrative, in-depth tactics and key statistics. A great deal has been written already about the famous boy from Rosario, as his story has been told time and again by journalists and renowned authors. Anatomy of a Genius digs deeper to uncover things we don't already know, delving into stats and tactics to reveal the how and why behind one of the world's greatest athletes and his phenomenal career.

Hearts Heart of Midlothian Football Club 2018 Annual Yearbook - official licensed product

Essential World Cup Reading | Featured in The New York Times' 'What to Read During the World Cup' Wall Street Journal reporters Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg offer a deeply reported account of the intertwined sagas and legacies of two of the greatest soccer players of all time-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-examining how their rivalry has grown from a personal competition to a multi-billion-dollar industry, paralleling the stunning rise, overwhelming excesses, and uncertain future of modern international soccer. For over fifteen years, almost any conversation about international soccer has always come back to two players-Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-undoubtedly the greatest of their generation but with styles, attitudes, and fanbases that couldn't be more different. For millions of people around the world "Messi or Ronaldo?" isn't simply a barroom argument, or an affirmation of fandom, so much as a statement of philosophy, of values, of what global soccer is today and of what it will be tomorrow. Now Wall Street Journal reporters and co-authors of The Club, Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, unite the stories of Messi and Ronaldo into a single modern epic of global sports, detailing how one rivalry changed both the game and the business of international soccer-forever. Based on dozens of firsthand accounts and years of original reporting, Messi vs. Ronaldo weaves together the stakes, color, and characters at the heart of each man's story, going inside the locker rooms and boardrooms where their legends were forged and revealing off-field drama as gripping as anything that happened on it. From their contrasting origin stories to their divergent career arcs and their conflicting reputations, these players have built their successes on opposite paths, yet each, in his own way, offers a riveting tale of triumph and excess. Taken together, their story embodies the astronomical growth of international soccer, how social media has revolutionized the power of sports celebrity, and how the desire to capitalize on the billions of dollars these players represent electrified some of the most storied clubs in Europe-Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United among them-and cost them almost everything. With the 2022 World Cup almost certain to be the last for both of these figures, Messi vs. Ronaldo offers a deeply researched look at their legacy and grapples with the impact that their talents have had on the game for better and for worse. Much more than a retelling of the dual accomplishments of these great players, this is truly a biography of a rivalry, one that has become a crucial lens for understanding the past, present, and future of global soccer.

Uruguay remains a curious case in world football. Early Olympic and World Cup triumphs made it the game's first global power, and the small country has punched above its weight ever since. But the story behind its success is untold. In this first English-language history of Uruguayan football, Martin da Cruz maps the game's journey from exclusive British pastime to Uruguayan national passion, bringing to life the teams, players and personalities who helped create one of the world's most intense sporting cultures. From the start, football was intimately tied to Uruguay's national story. Wedged between giants Argentina and Brazil and lacking a cohesive national identity, Uruguay used the game to create unified and educated citizens, to put an end to civil war and become an advanced social democracy. Yet football also drove counter-narratives of class and race, challenging Uruguay's self-identification as a peaceful, 'white' nation. From Beauty to Duty is the story of a little country made big.