Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award The Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year The Times Sports Book of the Year Telegraph Football Book of the Year 'Ferris's wonderful memoir represents a twin triumph. He has endured every kind of setback in life but has invariably reinvented himself; and his writing is a pure pleasure.' The Sunday Times 'Enough depth and humanity to make your average football autobiography look like a Ladybird book.' Telegraph 'A masterpiece of the genre' Brian McNally 'Football memoirs rarely produce great literature but Ferris's The Boy on the Shed is a glistening exception.' Guardian 'Fascinating and stylishly told.' David Walsh, The Sunday Times The Boy on the Shed is a story of love and fate. At 16, Paul Ferris becomes Newcastle United's youngest-ever first-teamer. Like many a tricky winger from Northern Ireland, he is hailed as 'the new George Best'. As a player and later a physio and member of the Magpies' managerial team, Paul's career acquaints him not only with Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Bobby Robson, Ruud Gullit, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer but also with injury, insecurity and disappointment. Yet this autobiography is more than a tale of the vagaries of sporting fortune. It begins during 'The Troubles' in a working-class Catholic family in the Protestant town of Lisburn, near Belfast. After a childhood scarred by his mother's illness and sectarian hatred, Paul meets the love of his life, his future wife Geraldine. Talented and carefree on the pitch, shy and anxious off it, he earns a tilt at stardom. His first spell at Newcastle turns sour, as does his return as a physio, although obtaining a Masters degree shows him what he could achieve away from football. When Paul qualifies as a barrister, a career in Law beckons. Instead, a craving to prove himself in the game draws him back to St James' Park as part of Shearer's management triumvirate - with unfortunate consequences. Written with brutal candour, dark humour and consummate style, The Boy on the Shed is a riveting and moving account of a life less ordinary.

This text explains how football has ended up where it is today. From the formation of the very first football club to the creation of Arsenal's Emirates stadium, it tells the story of the commercialisation of the game, in a tone and language the fans will welcome.

A Times Sports Book of the Year The story of Jack and Bobby Charlton, and a family that characterised English football for decades 'Gripping' Daily Mail 'Wilson is a fine, nuanced writer' TLS 'A powerful chronicle' Irish Times 'Surprisingly moving' Guardian 'Razor-sharp tactical analysis' Irish Independent In later life Jack and Bobby didn't get on and barely spoke but the lives of these very different brothers from the coalfield tell the story of late twentieth-century English football: the tensions between flair and industry, between individuality and the collective, between right and left, between middle- and working-classes, between exile and home. Jack was open, charismatic, selfish and pig-headed; Bobby was guarded, shy, polite and reserved to the point of reclusiveness. They were very different footballers: Jack a gangling central defender who developed a profound tactical intelligence; Bobby an athletic attacking midfielder who disdained systems. They played for clubs who embodied two very different approaches, the familial closeness and tactical cohesion of Leeds on the one hand and the individualistic flair and clashing egos of Manchester United on the other. Both enjoyed great success as players: Jack won a league, a Cup and two Fairs Cups with Leeds; Bobby won a league title, survived the terrible disaster of the plane crash in Munich, and then at enormous emotional cost, won a Cup and two more league titles before capping it off with the European Cup. Together, for England, they won the World Cup. Their managerial careers followed predictably diverging paths, Bobby failing at Preston while Jack enjoyed success at Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday before leading Ireland to previously un-imagined heights. Both were financially very successful, but Jack remained staunchly left-wing while Bobby tended to conservatism. In the end, Jack returned to Northumberland; Bobby remained in the North-West. Two Brothers tells a story of social history as well as two of the most famous football players of their generation.

Founded in 1904 by representatives of the sporting organisations of six European nations then expanding into the Americas, Asia and Africa FIFA has developed to become one of the most high profile and lucrative businesses in the global consumer and cultural industry. Recent years however have been characterised by a series of crises leaving the organisation open to critique and exposure, and creating a soap operatic narrative of increasing interest to the global media.
In this critical new account of one of the world s most important sporting institutions, Professor Alan Tomlinson investigates the history of FIFA and the underlying political dynamics characterising its growth. The book explores the influence of the men who have led FIFA, the emergence of the World Cup as FIFA s exclusive product, FIFA s relationships with other federations and associations, the crises that have shaped its recent history, and the issues and challenges that are likely to shape its future. Particular focus is given to selected moments in the post- Havelange administration and the way in which FIFA, its current president Joseph Blatter and some key close colleagues have responded to and survived successive scandals. The book provides a foundation for understanding the growth and development of what is widely accepted as the world s most popular sport; sheds light on the shifting politics of nationalism in the post-colonial period; and reveals the opportunistic forms of personal aggrandizement shaping an increasingly media-influenced and globalizing world in which international sport was both a harbinger and an early reflection of these trends and forces.

Fascinating and provocative, this is essential reading for anybody with an interest in soccer, sport and society, sports governance, or global organisations.
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The cult SkySports Soccer Saturday anchorman delivers a Sunday Times bestseller - a volley of entertaining and informative anecdotes about life in front of the videprinter. Jeff Stelling is a legend amongst football fans. To the millions unable to get to their teams' games on Saturday afternoons, the next best thing is undoubtedly the pleasurable company of Jeff and the Sky Sports videprinter for a cosy marathon on the sofa. If someone's got to reveal that your beloved team have just gone 3-0 down away from home and had a man sent off, it's best if it's consummate professional Jeff who breaks the news to you. Avid Hartlepool fan Jeff knows our pain and shares our joy...but mostly he knows our pain. The long-time host of SkySports' iconic Soccer Saturday show has become a cult figure, universally admired for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game, his genuine and unlimited enthusiasm for ALL levels of football, and his wicked sense of humour which makes the six-hour long show simply whiz by. Jellyman's Thrown a Wobbly is a deliciously chaotic, hugely entertaining, anecdote-ridden, humorous taste of life in the Soccer Saturday studio. Hear what Jeff has to say about some of the show's legendary pundits over the years - ex-players such as George Best, Rodney Marsh, Chris Kamara, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier. Be a fly on the wall of the hotel bar on Friday nights as Jeff and his guests gather for a natter and few drinks. Get the inside track on all those great one-liners: * "Mansfield Town's Gareth Jellyman has been shown the red card for dissent. Looks like Jellyman's thrown a wobbly." * "Darlington's equaliser has been scored by Guyain Ndumbu-Nsungu. Very much a case of local boy makes good." (He's from Congo.) * "They'll be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions tonight." * "James Brown's grabbed a second for Hartlepool. I feel good!" Jellyman's Thrown a Wobbly goes a long way to demonstrate how a six-hour long, studio-based show with no live action pictures and featuring men gazing into TV monitors which the viewer can't see, can hold a huge audience enthralled every Saturday afternoon between August and May.

Norwich City On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the Canaries' rollercoaster past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's formation in 1902 to the Premier League era, City fans have witnessed promotions and relegations, European adventures and Cup runs, hard times and hard-fought local derbies - all featured here. Timeless greats such as Duncan Forbes and Martin Peters, Ron Ashman, Kevin Keelan, Darren Huckerby and Mark Bowen all loom larger than life. Revisit 9th February 1980, when Justin Fashanu volleyed home the Goal of the Season against champions Liverpool. 18th March 1959: an FA Cup semi for the Third Division giantkillers of Man U and Spurs. Or 20th October 1993: City become the first and only British team to win away at Bayern Munich.

Wayne Rooney, England's record goal scorer, is one of the most feared and respected strikers to have graced the Premier League in the last decade. He is certainly its most famous icon, appearing on the front pages of the newspapers nearly as often as on the back. Wayne started his glittering career as a teenage wonder at Everton, the club he had staunchly supported as a boy. A self-confessed and fiercely passionate blue-blood, Rooney was raised in Croxteth, a product of the rough district just outside the shadow of Goodison Park. After a white-hot start, the teenager joined regional rivals, Manchester United, in a seismic transfer and, in his deeply successful time at Old Trafford, won sixteen major honours, played in three World Cups, married his childhood sweetheart and began a young family, throwing off his reputation as the gifted 'wild-child' of English football. Yet, in the summer of 2017, the prodigal son returned to his first club, providing Evertonians with a sense of pride and football fans everywhere with a classic narrative. His warm reception made it clear that Rooney still has a special place in the hearts of Toffees fans, and the saga embodies the pride and passion that has propelled the Premier League to become the most exciting - and profitable - in the world. Told by veteran football writer Ian MacLeay, this is the definitive story of Rooney's explosive, emotive and turbulent return to Everton Football Club, and the historic season which followed.

Jimmy Greaves was England's most prodigious goalscorer of the 1950s and 1960s. In his autobiography, Greavsie, he writes that the 1959/60 English football season was the final year of football's age of innocence. He saw the open, attacking football of the 1950s give way to a much more defensively minded game. It was an era which also saw the advent of the tracksuit manager and specialist coaches. An End of Innocence examines English football in the 1950s and a transition through the 1960s; looking at the international and domestic landscape, through the lens of a selection of teams. It considers different managerial styles, team formations, coaching and training methods, and the developments in tactics, diet and health care; as well as a significant change in footballers' lifestyles, that came after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. Set against a backdrop of social and political change, An End of Innocence reflects a changing nation and a game that was evolving, and the lasting impact that has had upon English football, its players and supporters.

A vivid and lively account of the personal and professional life of the much-admired Liverpool manager who led his team to an astounding victory in the Champions League, the pinnacle of European football.

Rochdale AFC had occupied the fourth tier of English football for so long that the division was unofficially named after them. In 2006, manager Keith Hill took charge and transformed the unfashionable, cash-strapped club into a side known for flowing football and overachievement. But what about the other Rochdale bosses? Those who sought to rid The Dale of its tiresome fourth-tier anchor? The Rochdale Division is told by the managers and players, who reveal the struggles and joys of life at an out-of-step club in the modern football age. It features managers such as Hill himself, Mick Docherty, Graham Barrow, Paul Simpson, Steve Parkin, Steve Eyre and John Coleman, plus the players they led. The book shares insights from cultured centre-half Alan Reeves, Rochdale's sons Craig Dawson and Matt Gilks, prolific strikers Rickie Lambert and Adam Le Fondre, fleet-footed Will Buckley and Paddy McCourt, plus powerhouse Glenn Murray. Alongside them are cult heroes Steve Whitehall, Shaun Reid, Gary Jones, Calvin Andrew and Ian Henderson.

There are few football clubs in the world that attract as much interest in the modern game as Chelsea. Whether it is the latest observations from former coach Maurizio Sarri, his successor Frank Lampard, big-money transfer targets, the style of play or results in Europe, everybody thinks they know what's happening – or at least has an opinion on it. The arrival in 2003 of Russian billionaire tycoon Roman Abramovich as owner turned a glamorous club with a long history of under-achievement, into an international powerhouse. After one championship in 99 years, the Blues have, in a dozen years, won five Premier League titles, plus the UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Europa League titles, five FA Cups and three Football League Cups. The club always was a magnet for well-known names – vaudeville legend George Robey played for the Pensioners in the club's earliest days – and, in the modern era, Stamford Bridge has become home to a dazzling array of world stars. From Ron 'Chopper' Harris and Ken Bates through Ruud Gullit, Roberto Di Matteo and Glenn Hoddle to Jose Mourinho, John Terry, Zola, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, there is no lack of characters to draw on for quotes.

The true and remarkable story of the English double agent who ended up playing for Spartak Moscow. Like many working class children growing up in the war, the young Jim Riordan would fantasise his way out of his devastated surroundings with dreams of Wembley and FA Cup glory for his local team, Portsmouth FC. Spartak Moscow, the team he would end up playing for, wasn't even on his radar. Taught Russian and trained as a spy in the same institution that nurtured the likes of Alan Bennett and Michael Frayn, he was posted to Berlin as part of his National Service to listen in on Soviet military communiques. But, unbeknownst to his seniors, he began mixing with Russian servicemen, mostly through informal kick-abouts, and the passion of these idealistic young men would cultivate his interest in Russian culture, and especially communism, until it blossomed into a full-grown love affair. From the shambolic outfit that was the British Communist Party in the 1950s, to Cold War Moscow at its coldest, to his friendship with the Cambridge Five and meetings with Brezhnev and Gregarin, and his eventual debut in front of 50,000 Spartak fans at the Lenin Stadium, 'Comrade Jim' is the remarkable true story of the only Englishman to have played - and survived - Russian league football, told with grace, humour and lashings of vodka. An incredible journey of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.

Aberdeen FC On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the Dons' distinguished past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of Reds history - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's Edwardian formation through to the SPL era, the Pittodrie faithful have witnessed Scottish League, Cup and League Cup triumphs, unforgettable European nights and American summers - all featured here. All-time greats including Willie Miller and Jim Leighton, Joe Harper, Gordon Strachan and Lachlan McMillan(!) all loom larger than life. Revisit 11 April 1970: The Dons claim their second Scottish Cup with a shock 3-1 win over Celtic. 18 November 1931: 'The Great Mystery' betting scandal sees five first-teamers axed. Or 11 May 1983: The European Cup Winners' Cup is won in rainy Gothenburg with a sensational 2-1 victory over Real Madrid.

FULLY UPDATED WITH JOSE MOURINHO'S SENSATIONAL RETURN TO CHELSEA When Jose Mourinho realised as a teenager that he was never going to be a great player, he decided he was going to become the best coach in the world. From translator and assistant to Sir Bobby Robson at Barcelona to multiple league and Champions League-winning manager at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and now Chelsea once again, Jose Mourinho's ascent has been rapid. FURTHER ANATOMY OF A WINNER is the definitive account of the life and psychology of one of the greatest football managers of all time.

This extraordinary book charts David Beckham's rise to celebrity during his years in Manchester.

At the age of 3 David Beckham's parents gave him a Manchester United shirt as a Christmas present, beginning a relationship with the club that was to last a quarter of a century. He signed schoolboy terms in May 1988, eventually joining United as a trainee in July 1991 and moving up to Manchester to begin what was to become an extraordinary story.

From relatively early days, right up to his departure for Real Madrid, Eamonn and James Clarke, the Manchester paparrazi, have recorded his unofficial story--even before he came to prominence as a player and well before his meteoric rise to iconic status.

They were there when he was a young player finding his feet at the club, there to see him out and about with girlfriends or team colleagues, there when "Posh Spice" arrived on the scene, and there to see him becoming a proud father and family man.

And they were the first to photograph him, with the cut above his eye, walking in Manchester after the boot-kicking incident with Sir Alex Ferguson, when it began to dawn on everyone that David Beckham's time at Manchester United was almost over.

In an introductory text, and through extended captions, Eamonn and James Clarke describe their work and encounters with David Beckham. The two brothers have worked as the Manchester paparrazi for the last 10 years. Their images appear regularly on the front pages of the press in the UK as well as internationally in magazines.

The outspoken anonymous author is back with the ultimate book to challenge conventional footballing wisdom. With his trademark wit, intelligence and candour, the Secret Footballer will guide you through formations, tactics, mind games and everything else you need to know about what it takes to be a pro. Includes: in-depth analysis of modern tactics; insight into the psychology of players on and off the pitch; tips on nutrition and fitness; how to deal with fans (including what it's like to play in each Premier League ground in England); a guide to modern footballing language; and a remarkable expose of the finances involved in the commercial game. If you want to know how to stop a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, or why exactly Rooney is worth GBP300,000 a week, or who the greatest player of all time is, you will find it all here. Fully illustrated with line drawings showing the technical aspects of the game, this will be the perfect Christmas gift for aspiring football stars and armchair pundits alike.

'Striking . . . extraordinarily ambitious' JONATHAN WILSON, NEW STATESMAN 'A compelling account of how football became a force in Latin America with an impact far beyond the pitch, helping forge national identity and fuelling regional rivalries' INDEPENDENT !Golazo! recounts the story of Latin American football: the extravagantly talented players; pistol-toting referees; bloody coup d'etats; breathtaking goals; invidious conspiracies; strikers with matinee idol looks and a taste for tango dancers; alcoholism; suicide and some of the most exhilarating teams ever to take the field. And yet it is gripping social history. Andreas Campomar shows how the sport that started as the eccentric pastime of a few expat cricket players has become a defining force, the architect of national identity and a reflection of the region's soul. Including not only the well-known heroes of 'the beautiful game', but also the numerous forgotten gems of Latin American football, !Golazo! is the extraordinary tale of how football came to define a continent.

Back in the Big Time! Sheffield Wednesday's Return to Division One, 1984-86 tells the story of the Owls' return to the top flight after 14 years in the wilderness. In the 1970s, the club had been a footballing byword for underachievement. After flirting with relegation to Division Four in 1976, it began its slow climb back to the top table under Jack Charlton and then Howard Wilkinson. It was Wilkinson's team that gained promotion to the highest league in 1984. They attacked Division One with gusto - within two years finishing fifth in the league and embarking on cup campaigns that took them heartbreakingly close to Wembley. Drawing on detailed research, John Dyson shines new light on the period, combining exclusive interviews with key players, management and club officials with the perspective of supporters and others to piece together a new history. Here is the unfiltered story of a team that did not give up. This is the Owls back in the big time!

Reds and Rams: A Story of the East Midlands Derby is the tale of one of the most fiercely fought football rivalries in the world. Hewed from the Victorian industrial revolution, Nottingham Forest and Derby County have contested league games for 130 years. Ever since the 1898 FA Cup Final, the rivalry has ebbed and flowed, with each club enjoying both periods of sustained success and existential threat. The reasons for this deep-rooted antipathy are numerous, yet ultimately it boils down to two football clubs similar in stature, size, history and geography existing cheek by jowl. In essence, they are like two teenage siblings bickering about anything and everything. Throughout, they have traded managers and players, producing deep and lasting enmity. Derby is renowned for its railways, Nottingham for Robin Hood. Each city has its own proud identity and history. The only thing they have ever agreed on is the genius of Brian Clough.

When football legend Sir Stanley Matthews described England's 4-1 defeat of the Netherlands in Euro 96 as 'the best England performance I have seen in years', coach Terry Venables knew he had achieved what he had set out to do. It was his most thrilling experience in football, and a moment that brought the nation together. Football had truly come home, and Venables had plotted the route. After more than 50 years at the top of the game, Venables has developed an unparalleled reputation as one of the most innovative coaches this country has ever produced. He recalls his early days as a player making his way in the Swinging Sixties of London, when showbiz and football first began to mix. But he was always destined for a career in management, and there soon followed a golden period of success. He reveals the secrets behind his methods that took him to FA Cup and La Liga triumphs, along the way becoming the founding father of the modern Barcelona. For all the acclaim he received, there has also been controversy as well, and Venables relives that horrible period when he suddenly became front-page news. In the end, there was always the football to return to and the loyal support of his family. For anyone who wants to understand the story of English football, from the days of Alf Ramsey to Roy Hodgson today, this book is an essential read.

What Was Football Like in the 1990s? captures the spirit of a decade that witnessed so many changes in the game, especially off the field. This engaging and absorbing account of the era interweaves the author's memories and experiences with a wealth of research. The Taylor Report, the Bosman ruling, the advent of the Premier League, the increasing focus on the business of football, Sky television, the rising price of entry to top-flight football, hooliganism and racism are all covered along with the managers who defined the era - Ferguson, Dalglish, Wenger, Atkinson - and of course the players who lit up the decade, including Eric Cantona and other foreign stars who helped mould the Premier League. What Was Football Like in the 1990s? is an enthralling and illuminating account of a truly remarkable decade for the beautiful game, penned by a respected football author and journalist. It's a 'must' for any nostalgic fan.