Football. Bloody hell.'

The longest serving and most successful manager in British football history shocked the world by finally retiring in May 2013 and instantly created more column inches and twitter mentions that the death of Margaret Thatcher. And he wasn’t just the greatest, but also one of the most outspoken, engaging and witty voices from the game, as this book proves. Here is the history of his supreme verbal sparring during his years at Manchester United - the man in his own words (with a few additional thoughts from those who knew him best and crossed swords with him most).

'There's nothing wrong with losing your temper once in a while if it's for the right reasons'

'If he was an inch taller he’d be the best centre-half in Britain. His father is 6ft 2in – I’d check the milkman' On Gary Neville

'He could start a row in an empty house' On Denis Wise

'The list of gentle, naturally retiring men who have been successful in their attempts at running clubs isn't a long one, is it?

From the post room to the board room, everyone thinks they can be the manager. But how do you manage outrageous talent? What do you do to inspire loyalty from your players? How do you turn around a team in crisis? What's the best way to build long-term success? How can you lead calmly under pressure? The issues are the same whether you're managing a Premier League football team or a FTSE 100 company. Here, for the first time, some 30 of the biggest names in football management reveal just what it takes. With their every act, remark, and success or failure under constant scrutiny from the media and the fans, these managers need to be the most adroit of leaders. In The Manager they explain their methods, offer lessons they've learned along the way, and describe the decisions they make and the leadership they provide. Each chapter tackles a key leadership issue for managers in any walk of life and, in their own words, shows how the experts deal with the challenges they face in an abnormally high-pressure environment. Offering valuable lessons for business leaders and fascinating behind-the-scenes insights for football fans, The Manager is an honest, accessible and unprecedented look at the day-to-day work of these high-profile characters and the world of top-level football management. Featuring: Roy Hodgson, Carlo Ancelotti, Arsene Wenger, Sam Allardyce, Roberto Mancini, Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers, Harry Redknapp, Sir Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Mick McCarthy, Gerard Houllier, Tony Pulis, Martin O'Neill, Neil Warnock, Howard Wilkinson, Kevin Keegan, Dario Gradi, Andre Villas-Boas, David Moyes, Alex McLeish, Hope Powell, Martin Jol, Glenn Hoddle, Chris Hughton, David Platt, Paul Ince, and George Graham.

Goooal! Now you can bring all of the fun and excitement of the soccer pitch to your desktop with this miniature set that you play with your fingers! * Everything you need to play: Includes soccer "pitch" mat, 2 goals, 2 pairs of soccer cleats for your fingers, 1 mini soccer ball * Book included: With a brief history and rules of the sport, profiles of famous players, trivia, and more in this 32-page fully illustrated miniature book * Unique gift: Perfect for soccer lovers of all ages

This book includes all the papers presented at the second World Congress of Science and Football held in Eindhoven in the Netherlands in 1991.

'Sunny' Jim Young is reckoned by some Celtic historians to be the greatest Celt of them all, winning nine League Championships (three as captain) and six Scottish Cups. Amazingly, he was only capped once for Scotland, and his tragic death aged only forty plunged the whole of Scottish football into sadness. This book profiles the life and career of a Parkhead legend.

The author decided that his definition of a 'hero' in the context of this book, is a player who is recognised by all Bluenoses as having a special quality which enabled him to make his own unique contribution to the history of Birmingham City Football Club.

A guide to the players of the cherished Lancashire club. It includes various statistics to supplement the career details of the players, including the top 20 goal-scorers and appearance statistics, while a separate section is devoted to managers of the club.

Glorious Reinvention is the story of how Ajax rediscovered their mojo to compete again with Europe's best. In November 2010, after Ajax's 2-0 loss in the Champions League group stage to Real Madrid, Johan Cruyff wrote a newspaper column criticising his former club. He believed the side were poorly run, had lost their identity and been left behind by modern football. Cruyff wanted change. He wanted Ajax to rely on their academy as they once had, and he wanted former Ajax players in high positions calling the shots at the club. This was dubbed 'the velvet revolution' - a peaceful coup that would propel Ajax to once more compete with the best. A few years on, with many of the changes in place, the side reached a Europa League final and a Champions League semi-final with an exquisite style of football and methods that Cruyff would have appreciated. Ajax, now run by former club greats such as Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, combined the techniques of old with modern elements.

A Nation Again is the chaotic tale of the Scotland men's team's return to a major tournament after more than 20 years in the wilderness. Ten major tournaments had come and gone for Scotland since they reached France '98, but the birth of UEFA's Nations League offered a new route to glory. In early 2018, after a long search for Gordon Strachan's replacement, Alex McLeish became manager for a second time. But despite successfully navigating the Nations League group stage, it wasn't plain sailing, and his tenure ended after a shocking defeat at the start of Euro 2020 qualifying. With a play-off semi-final on the horizon, the Scottish FA turned to Steve Clarke, who took on the challenge of inspiring a team rooted in failure, creating a band-of-brothers mentality and figuring out how to organise this incredibly talented group of players. From a couple of the lowest lows came the highest high. With exclusive memories of those who were part of the journey, this is the story of how Scotland finally became a nation again.

The history of Fulham Football Club told through the stories of the major matches, charting the path of a club with humble beginnings that rose and fell several times over the last 100 years.

Johnny 'Budgie' Byrne played for Crystal Palace, Fulham and England, as well as several clubs in South Africa, but he is most associated with West Ham, where he delighted the fans as he made goals, scored goals and put in fearless tackles. In the heady days of the 1960s he was on a par with the greats: Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Johnny Sissons. But Budgie was left out of the squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, so in some ways he never completely fulfilled his enormous potential. It was during Johnny Byrne's time at West Ham that the club really built its reputation for quality football. Loved by the fans, hated by the opposition, he is widely thought to be one of the finest players ever to have pulled on a claret and blue West Ham shirt. In this fascinating new biography Brian Belton tells the story of Budgie's life and career, focussing on the football and resisting the temptation to cast Johnny as a 'loveable rogue' in the manner that others have written about such famous subjects as Alex Higgins and George Best.There was much more to Budgie than his life off the pitch, and this is a book about a football hero who played like a demon and was adored by the fans.

"Derby's Days" delves deep into the historic rivalry between Derby County and Nottingham Forest, to investigate just why it is so special to everyone involved - from players to managers to supporters. It offers legendary stories, looking back at the greatest clashes between the clubs. Derby County v Nottingham Forest is a rivalry steeped in history, drama, controversy, success, failure, and pretty much anything else football can throw at you. How about recovering from your goalkeeper being sent off after a couple of minutes to win on opposition turf, a double over your rivals on the way to winning your first title while they get relegated, or even beating them in European competition? Then again, it's not always been plain-sailing. Who can forget the two disallowed goals and a missed penalty in stoppage-time, or the publicly-paraded yet ultimately failed signing of the rivals' star player, and that's without even considering the FA Cup final between the two sides? "Derby's Days" delves deep into the rivalry to see just what makes it tick and why it is so special to everyone involved - from players to managers to supporters. And as the title suggests it's a look at all things great and good from a black and white perspective, celebrating the history of this most anticipated of fixtures and looking back in great detail over many of the Rams' greatest moments against their foes from along Brian Clough Way.

This is a humourous and touching account of an Everton fans unexpected move abroad. It is loaded with adventure and surprise, a true journey of self-discovery. Football fans passionate about their team will relate to the intense need to 'get the result' no matter where they are in the world. On Friday, 1 September 1989 Cliff Green boarded a plane from Heathrow to Nairobi to begin what he imagined to be a two year interlude to his teaching career in the UK. He was 27 and had never lived overseas before. In all respects he was very much a 'homeboy' being immensely attached to the British culture notably pop music, English pubs, Coronation Street and, most significantly, Everton Football Club. In all respects he was the last person on earth that anyone would have expected to live away from the shores of the UK. He even surprised himself with the decision. On 15 March 2011 he returned to England after more than two decades of teaching overseas in a journey that included Kenya, Bermuda and Uganda and a career path that led to his appointment in 2009 as Principal of one of the largest international schools in East Africa. There was also a personal journey of discovery and adventure loaded with humour and surprise and, while the pull of British culture diminished, the passion for Everton just grew and grew, no matter how difficult it may have been to 'get the result'.

This is a complete history of Norwich City, including facts, figures, highs and lows and a short biography on each personality. It is a must read for all Norwich supporters that appreciate those whose time at Norwich have done so much to shape a brilliant club. "Hall of Fame - Norwich's All Time Greats" looks at some fascinating facts and figures about the Hall of Fame in general before examining each personality in more detail though a short biography. The biographies look at each characters career, focusing specifically on their achievements, their records and their memorable moments with Norwich City illustrating just why Canary supporters hold them in such great esteem. Written in chronological order it takes you on a journey through the complete history of Norwich City, reliving the many successes and also the lows, through the 'Famers' involved in that era.

Containing 1,000 challenging questions, "The Blue Army Quiz Book" will test the memory of all Leicester City fans with sections covering every aspect of the club's history. It is all here, from the club's humble beginning at Fosse Road through to the magnificent King Power Stadium, from fixtures with Harborough Town through to Real Madrid, from Arthur Chandler to Gary Lineker, Johnny Duncan to Sven Goran Erikson, from a 6-6 draw with Arsenal to Wembley wins, and from relegation battles to promotion play-offs. Informative as it is entertaining, this book is guaranteed to provide hours of fun for Leicester's Blue Army of fans.

This is a book guaranteed to provide hours of fun for Leyton Orient's loyal fans. Containing over 1,300 challenging questions, "Leyton Orient The Official Quiz Book" will test the memory of all O's fans with sections covering every aspect of the club's history. Some of the questions being fairly easy, and some a little more difficult, but all done with the purpose of enlightening all O's and footballing fans around the world about our grand history and important events. It also covers many of the players and officials over the years right down to today when we all look to the Gaffer, Russell Slade and his boys taking O's up the League. As informative as it is entertaining, this book is guaranteed to provide hours of fun for Leyton Orient's loyal fans.

This book takes the reader on the journey with a fanatical Ayr United supporter, detailing his fascination with football from the day of his birth right up to the conclusion of the 2011/12 Scottish football season. The story offers something different from the usual football yarns, as it provides an insight into the thoughts of a provincial club supporter from four different perspectives. "One Honest Man, Four Different Perspectives" takes the reader on the journey with a fanatical Ayr United supporter, detailing his fascination with football from the day of his birth right up to the conclusion of the 2011/12 Scottish football season. The story encapsulates the full range of emotions of a young boy and his football obsession, his dream to become a top player and the roller-coaster of emotions he experiences through his life as a supporter, a coach and a referee. He becomes hooked on Ayr United in 1967, as a twelve -year-old on his first visit to a league match at the hallowed ground that is Somerset Park, Ayr, and embarks on a dramatic and emotional 45 year journey that comes to a climax as the now fifty seven-year-old in 2012, surrounded by his family, friends and tribal colleagues at Hampden Park in Glasgow, the national stadium, witnesses the latest attempt at glory and a new chapter in the history of the Honest Men. The story offers something different from the usual football yarns, biographies and statistical accounts. It provides an insight into the thoughts of a provincial club supporter from four different perspectives, with his passion for football and the contrast of bitter disappointment and laugh out loud humour evident throughout in the numerous anecdotes taken from each of the different angles of a diehard follower of Ayr United, a football player in school, youth, amateur and pub football, a coach, manager and chairman in grass roots football and as a qualified referee in amateur and youth football.

"Son of My Father" explores the changing relationship between father, son and their beloved football club - Derby County. Along with the changing faces of managers and players: the fads, news and music of the eighties and nineties are brought to life. To the backdrop of driving through clouds to Oldham, to driving rain in Bristol, "Son of My Father" explores the changing relationship between father, son and their football club. From the eyes of a hero-worshipping four-year-old, through to a relationship of mutual admiration and shared understanding, via the angst and traumatic misunderstandings of an adolescent, Matches from Leyton to Liverpool punctuate a story about growing up at the end of the second millennium. The novel includes the family life as well as the football and what it was like supporting Derby County in a house occupied by a brother whose allegiance stood steadfast towards rivals Nottingham Forest. It also covers the friendships that were made at school, just because we supported the same team. Along with the changing faces of managers and players: the fads, news and music of the eighties and nineties are brought to life, as well as the dawning of the new millennium where overnight we all realised that despite the Y2K Bug promising computer meltdown, 1 January 2000 was just the same as 31 December 1999. "Son of My Father" charts the relationship between the author, his Dad and Derby County Football Club, from their first visit together to the Baseball Ground in November 1979 and through two and a half decades spent watching their team.

Gil Merrick, also known as 'Mr Birmingham City', gave his life and soul to Brimingham City serving it as both a player and a manager before the club broke his heart with the manner of his dismissal. This biography looks at how Merrick's time at the club coincided with many of the best days (and nights) in its history; promotions, an FA Cup Final appearance, European success, domestic success, the introduction of European coaching methods and debuts of many great young players. Birmingham City Football Club is acknowledged as 'a sleeping giant', the trouble is that this so-called giant has never awoken since its formation in 1875. Over 130 years of professional football in the heart of the industrial Midlands has produced only one major trophy - The League Cup in 1963 - alongside a million heartaches and disappointments for its fans. Faced with an underachieving football club, Bluenoses have had to look to their heroes to justify their blind faith and continued enthusiasm - Gil Merrick is the greatest hero of all! Gil is held in high esteem because he loved the club as much as the supporters, even though his father was a Villa fan. He gave his life and soul to Birmingham City serving it as both a player and a manager before the club broke his heart with the manner of his dismissal. Loyalty could have been Gil's middle name. Known as 'Mr Birmingham City', his time at the club coincided with many of the best days (and nights) in its history; promotions, an FA Cup Final appearance, European success, domestic success, the introduction of European coaching methods and debuts of many great young players. Who knows how Gil would have fared in today's game where money rules and international players become celebrities. I have little doubt that he would have remained level-headed and taken the trappings of success in his stride, but would he have remained with one club for 25 years? Whatever happens in the future to 'The Blues', whether they ultimately regain Premier League status and conquer Europe, there will never be another club servant to match my hero - Gil Merrick.

The "Burnley FC Miscellany" offers a detailed history of Burnley FC, where you can read some of the odd, quaint and quirky things that have been part of the past 125 years of Clarets history. 'Read all about it!' in "The Burnley FC Miscellany". Burnley Football Club come from the smallest town ever to win League Division One and the FA Cup. Some big city clubs currently in the Premier League have won neither! Burnley FC's history sparkles with international players, 'football firsts' and record-breaking achievements. Among their players have been a Footballer of the Year, one who played for Great Britain, several who played in World Cups and at least one who captained his country. But this book is mainly about Burnley 'off the record'. Here you can read some of the odd, quaint and quirky things that have been part of the past 125 years of Clarets history. Who scored three goals for England and was never picked again? When did Burnley play 10 Scots in the first team, making the only Englishman feel 'lonely'? And what has golf in a hotel bedroom got to do with anything? When Burnley were in Division Four, how was it that they attracted over 80,000 to watch them in one game? When did 10 Blackburn Rovers players walk off the pitch? Which position did Blackadder play in the Burnley team? And which bricklayer became the club's greatest ever player?