Rangers 101 distils the history of the most successful football club in the world, Glasgow Rangers F.C. From their founding in 1872 and their first (drawn) League Championship, all the way through to the present day, Rangers' history is brought to life via people, matches and objects. This fascinating volume traces the nearly 150 years of this unsurpassed institution - sometimes irreverent but always faithful to the characters, controversies, disasters and achievements that have taken place to give the club such a rich tapestry of triumph. Whether an old fan or new this is a perfect partner for those who support the club, are interested in its history and who love to recall past and present glories.

West Ham United's move to the new Olympic Stadium ended a 114-year stay at the Boleyn Ground. The spiritual home of some of football's greatest heroes: Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and Frank Lampard were just a few who made their name there, and revelled in its close-knit east London atmosphere. With the club anthem 'Bubbles' ringing around the stands, the Boleyn Ground had a raw flavour of its own. There were unforgettable afternoons fashioned by the club's two greatest managers, Ron Greenwood and John Lyall; fabulous nights under the lights, as the tightly-packed confines of the ground made it the most intense of stadiums; wonderful evenings competing against the best in Europe, such as beating Eintracht Frankfurt on a mud-heap of a pitch. Now it is gone, but the magic, the fervour, the triumphs, the disappointments and the special brand of humour which flourished there is captured here in all its glory. With full access to The Times archives and stunning photographic collection, lifelong Hammers fan John Dillon has penned the definitive history of the Home of the Hammers.

First published in 1988, this book contains edited and revised papers presented at the first World Congress of Science and Football. Held under the auspices of the International Council of Sport, Science, and Physical Education, the Congress was a unique gathering of international scientists researching into football and practitioners professionally involved in the many football codes. American football, soccer, rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules, Gaelic football and national variations of these games are all covered in depth, in both amateur and professional systems. Nutrition, biomechanics, equipment, physiology, sociology, psychology, coaching, management, training, tactics, strategy are among the main subject areas the contributors cover. With over 22 countries represented and with players, managers and coaches involved as well as academics the book represents a truly international, comprehensive and practical picture of contemporary football.

Over the past decade, European football has seen tremendous changes impacting upon its international framework as well as local traditions and national institutions. Processes of Europeanization in the fields of economy and politics provided the background for transformations of the production and consumption of football on a transnational scale. In the course of such rearrangements, football tournaments like the UEFA Championship or the European Champions League turned into mega-events and media spectacles attracting ever-growing audiences. The experience of participating in these events offers some of the very few occasions for the display and embodiment of identities within a European context. This volume takes the 2008 EUROs hosted by Austria and Switzerland as a case study to analyze the political and cultural significance of the tournament from a multidisciplinary angle. What are the special features and spatial arrangements of a UEFAesque Europe, in comparison to alternative possibilities of a Europe? Situating the sport tournament between interpretations of collective European ritual and European spectacle, the key research question will ask what kind of Europe was represented in the cultural, political and economic manifestations of the 2008 EUROs. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

This book examines the complex ways in which girls and women experience football cultures in Britain. It extends current debate surrounding women and football (namely, how gender has functioned to shape women 's experiences of playing the game), by focusing on organisational, administrative and coaching practices, alongside the particular issues surrounding sexuality, ethnicity and disability (not only gender).

The book analyses football and gender to reveal the subtle forms of discrimination that persist. It is important to highlight the many challenges and transformations made by girls and women but more importantly to consider the ways power continues to operate to devalue and undermine girls and women involved in the game. The UK-based authors make use of their recent research findings to offer critical debate on girls and women 's current experiences of British football cultures. Overall the book reveals the present day complexities of marginalisation and exclusion.

This book was published as a special issue of Sport and Society.

This is the first book-length political sociology of the European Football Championships (Euros). The Euros are the third largest sporting mega-event in the world. Explores key themes and emerging trends in sport studies, including digitalisation, the politics of co-hosting, and environmental concerns.

The Nearly Men tells the fascinating stories of some of the most revered international football teams of all time. Through the history of the World Cup there are many sides who thrilled us all with their elegance and style, or who revolutionised the game, only to fail when it mattered most. They are the teams that could, and in some cases perhaps should, have won the World Cup, yet remain memorable for what they did achieve as well as what they didn't. They all left a lasting legacy, be that of unfulfilled potential, crushed dreams or the artistry they produced that could have seen them prevail. Their exploits and accomplishments are frequently hailed more than those of the winners. The Nearly Men celebrates these teams: what made them great, what saw them fail, the legacy they left and why onlookers remember them so fondly. It is a tale of frustration and disappointment, but also of footballing beauty and lasting legacy, in homage to the kind of greatness that isn't defined by victory.

The commercialization of sport since the 1990s has had a number of consequences. The market forces that have defined commercialization, notably pay-per-view television, whilst initially welcomed as important new sources of revenue, have also had the unanticipated consequences of de-stabilizing many sporting competitions and institutions, undermining the financial future of clubs in their traditional role as key social and cultural institutions. This has been manifested in the paradox of chronic financial loss-making amongst professional sports' clubs in an era of exponential revenue growth, a trend exemplified by the experience of Italy's Series A and the English Premier League - both cases examined in detail in this book. But, at the same time, some traditional sporting organizations have sought with some success, to chart a middle way, retaining traditional sporting movement objectives whilst also embracing a form of commercialism. The Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland, the supporter-owned FC Barcelona football club, and New Zealand rugby union, offer illustrative examples of such strategies examined in detail. This book explores the background to this clash of commercial and traditional sporting objectives, and debates the consequences for wider sports governance. This book was published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

Newcastle United are a team that really should do better. They have a football-mad city all to themselves and fans as numerous and passionate as you will find anywhere. Yet their recent record is mediocre at best and poor at worst, with every fan painfully aware that 1955 was the last time they won a major English trophy. But it wasn't always like that. In the Magpies' glory days of well over 100 years ago, they were considered the best team in the world. They won the English league three times in five years, the English cup once and had several near misses, while supplying many players for the England and Scotland national teams. In this fascinating book, David Potter recreates the atmosphere of 'the Toon' in those distant days when men like McWilliam, Veitch, Higgins and Shepherd walked tall. Above all, that great era is a potent reminder to the current generation of Newcastle fans that 'it doesn't need to be like this'.

Red Men Reborn takes a unique look at the entire history and socio-cultural significance of Liverpool FC, from the club's foundation in 1892 to the present day. John Williams skilfully weaves his narrative around the great managers - from Tom Watson to Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish, Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, then finally the current epic era of Jurgen Klopp. The book shines a spotlight on the post-2010 period when the club was faced with an ownership crisis and possible extinction. Since then, new American owners, FSG, and Klopp have together presided over a period of extraordinary success at home, in Europe and globally. Red Men Reborn examines how this remarkable turnaround happened by analysing Klopp, his wider influences and his key recruitment and coaching strategies. Williams has been present at most of the major Liverpool finals and key matches since the late 1970s, and his treatment includes an analysis of the lasting impact of the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters on the club and its supporters.

Jimmy Armfield was one of the great figures of English football - captain of the national team before Bobby Moore, member of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, one-club man with Blackpool. Gentleman Jim went on to enjoy a wonderfully rich life and career as a manager with Leeds United, before becoming a broadcaster of warmth and insight, then consultant with the Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association. In Pantomime Hero, award-winning football writer and author Ian Ridley tells the remarkable tale of when Armfield took over at Leeds after Brian Clough's ill-fated 44 days and came up with a novel and unique idea to restore the morale of a club in turmoil. Around that amazing tale, Ridley also describes a friendship forged through the bonds of cancer with a giant of a man who was already long established as a national footballing treasure at the time of his death in January 2018. This is the first book in the innovative Football Shorts series.

Never give up on what you believe. Redwood Rovers FC are in trouble. The council wants to sell the club's pitches to a property developer. With no money to spare, Redwood's very future is threatened. Until Zak hears about the YouTube Allstars Cup. It's a football tournament for teams of social media influencers. Best of all, there's a cash prize of GBP500,000. Can Zak lead his team to victory and save Redwood Rovers? Tekkers 2: Turf Wars, shows how one simple hashtag can go much further than a single social media post, engaging an entire generation into inspiring change for good.

England's Calamity? challenges the standard view that England's famous 6-3 loss to Hungary in 1953 kick-started a revolution. The crushing defeat has long been seen as the watershed moment when England cast off its training methods and tactics of the past to embrace new continental practices. Author Chris Jones takes a different view: that the 6-3 trouncing was not a revolutionary moment but one key part of an evolutionary process. The England side of '53 had a fascinating mix of football archetypes - Alf Ramsey (The General), Billy Wright (The Golden Boy), Harry Johnston (The One-Club Man), Stanley Matthews (The Incomparable), Ernie Taylor (The One-Cap Wonder), Jackie Sewell (The Record-Transfer Holder) and Walter Winterbottom (The Boffin). England's Calamity? examines the different voices, arguments, biases, myths, agendas and responsibilities of that England XI, their coach, their observers and commentators to bring you a fresh perspective on an endlessly discussed moment in the history of the England team.

A football season ticket is one hell of a commitment! It's okay if you're guaranteed a good time - sexy football and three points a la Manchester City - but supporting a club of West Ham's stature is a marriage of convenience. In Fortune's Always Hiding, Paul Brand takes us through the Hammers' recent history, with a fan's-eye view that reads like 'The Secret Diary of a West Ham Fan Aged 40 and 3/4'. Chronicling a turbulent few years, from the final days at Upton Park to a European semi-final, this captivating account will resonate with anyone whose happiness is unwisely invested in the fortunes of their favourite team. Taking in fit and proper owners, the Leicester fairy tale, VAR, corporate greed, Covid lockdowns and the Three Lions renaissance (which has similarly teased success without delivering), this book is a must for Hammers devotees and anyone else who finds themselves disillusioned with the modern game but in too deep to ever give it up.

The definitive biography of Jurgen Klopp. Jurgen Klopp was confirmed as manager of Liverpool FC in October 2015 to a rapturous reception. His super-sized personality and all-or-nothing style of football and management made him the perfect choice to pump up the volume at Anfield and lift Liverpool out of a slump. Fans and club officials were delighted to get the coach they'd long admired from afar and eager to see the impact he would have on the club and the Premier League. Klopp is the manager to turn players into winners. He's authentic, approachable and funny, charming media and fans alike. He's also merciless and exceptionally driven, his quick temper bubbling away barely under the surface. Klopp's pitch-side passion has enthralled fans, leading to 2019's triumphant Champions League win and culminating in 2020 Premier League victory With exclusive access to Klopp's friends, family, colleagues and players, Raphael Honigstein goes behind-the-scenes at Liverpool to tell the definitive story of Klopp's career and how he brought Liverpool to victory.

As Marcelo Bielsa's interpreter, Salim Lamrani was his right-hand man throughout his first season in charge of Leeds United. As a privileged witness to that remarkable 2018/19 campaign, Lamrani tells the inside story of how the club came within a hair's breadth of returning to the Premier League before winning promotion in the very next season to end a 16-year exile. Lamrani lays bare the secrets behind Bielsa's methods, starting with the demands he makes in an intense pre-season, through to the Argentinian tactician's unwavering loyalty to a highly effective style of play - a style based on possession, collective coverage, rapid transitions, changes of tempo and constant attack. For him, beauty is non-negotiable. Thanks to Bielsa, the players of Leeds United were the actors in an unforgettable epic, which made an indelible mark on millions of supporters. Taking us match by match through Bielsa's first year in English football, Lamrani weaves a fascinating narrative and paints an intimate portrait of a unique football genius.