Written by lifelong fan Ian King, the book covers every aspect of Crystal Palace's story, from its beginnings in the Southern League Second Division to the present day. Different sections include Memorable Matches which were chosen as defining moments for the club, every Football League season is covered with match details, along with biographies of managers and top players. Summaries, records and statistics, complete the picture. The result is a volume that is an essential addition to the bookshelves of any fan.

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.

With anecdotes and humour throughout, the book will not only interest Carlisle United fans as they re-live the halcyon days, all football fans should find something that they can also relate to. Over a twelve year period during the 1960s and 1970s the small Cumbrian club rose through the Football League, winning promotions and titles, performing heroic giant-killing acts, and taking part in its one and only European competition. This book tells that story. "The Golden Era of Carlisle United, Fourth, First & Fulham" is part conventional history, part commentary on the period, and part personal memoir, as told through the eyes of a small boy going to live football matches for the first time and experiencing some unusual goings-on in a strange adult world. Forty years on, his footballing heroes of the time, including players like John Gorman, George McVitie and Tot Winstanley have shared their recollections of the great adventures. Supporters and journalists from the period, as well as the current chairman Andrew Jenkins, who was a director at the time, have also contributed. It all gives the book an authenticity that will allow the reader to experience the mood in the dressing room, the rational in the boardroom, the excitement on the pitch, and the agony and ecstasy on the terraces. With anecdotes and humour throughout, the book will not only interest Carlisle United fans as they re-live the halcyon days, all football fans should find something that they can also relate to.

No-one in their wildest dreams could imagine the success the pair would bring to Maine Road. Within 12 months City had won the Second Division title. Two years later they were League Champions and by 1971 had added the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup-winners' Cup. And for good measure they had at last overcome the always looming shadow of Manchester United. This is the fantastic story of those great days at Maine Road.

On the 7th December 1935, Sunderland went top of the First Division and so at the start of a two year period that would bring them unprecedented success. The highs and lows of the league campaign are recalled in detail. Included in the book are the tragic death of goalkeeper Jimmy Thorpe after a match at Chelsea. Thorpe's grief-stricken teammates went on to play their hearts out, eventually hammering Birmingham City 7-2 at St Andrews to capture the league title. In 1936-7, Sunderland went on to lift the FA Cup at Wembley for the first time in the club's history by beating Preston North End. The Wearsiders also claimed the Charity Shield, bringing more silverware to Roker Park Bill Shankley, who played for Preston in that final remarked: "In many ways the Sunderland team of 1937 played the same brand of Total Football as the great Holland team of the 1970's.

Jimmy McMenemy played for Celtic for almost twenty years at a time when Celtic were at the top of Scottish and world football. He remains without doubt one of the great characters of early 20th century Scottish football, and his story deserves to be told. Jimmy McMenemy was one of Celtic and Scotland's truly great players. He played for Celtic for almost twenty years at a time when Celtic were at the top of Scottish and world football, and he was the man that made it all happen for them, generally agreed to be the star of the team that won six League Championships in a row from 1905 until 1910. He also played his part in quite a few triumphs for Scotland, notably against England in 1910 and 1914. Arguably his contribution to the Celtic cause as a player was matched by his contribution in the late 1930s as the trainer of the great Celtic side who won the all-British Empire Exhibition Trophy of 1937.

This title captures the dramas and emotion of Manchester City's victories and losses, as witnessed through the eyes of two lifelong City fans. Feel their hopes, fears, nerves, disappointment, resignation, exultation and final relief.

This book recaptures the excitement of the memorable games and key personalities of each of Fulham Football Club's eight promotional seasons from 1907. It includes comprehensive statistical appendix attached to each chapter, highlighting how the seasons unwound with the turning points identified. Since joining the Football League in 1907, Fulham Football Club has enjoyed eight promotion seasons, three from the second tier to the top flight, four from the third to the second and one from the fourth to the third. Each of these seasons had its own special features, memorable games and key personalities. This book tries to recapture some of that excitement as the individual seasons are put in the context of the club's history, the season discussed as it unwound, the key personalities and turning points identified plus a comprehensive statistical appendix attached to each chapter. Written by club historian and director Dennis Turner (who personally can recall all but two of the eight promotions) and, with the exceptions of the two earliest campaigns, the chapters are illustrated from the remarkable archive of club photographer Ken Coton. It is a timely reminder to many supporters who now take Premier League football for granted, that getting to where they are today has been a long, tortuous and occasional painful path.

The story of FIFA's fall from grace has it all: power, betrayal, revenge, sports stars, hustlers, corruption, sex and phenomenal quantities of money, all set against exotic locales stretching from Caribbean beaches to the formal staterooms of the Kremlin and the sun-blasted streets of Doha, Qatar.

In Red Card, investigative journalist Ken Bensinger takes a journey to FIFA's dark heart. He introduces the flamboyant villains of the piece - the FIFA kingpins who flaunted their wealth in private jets and New York's grandest skyscrapers - and the dogged team of American FBI and IRS agents, headed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who finally brought them to book. Providing fresh insights on a scandal which has gripped the world, he shows how greed and arrogance brought down the most powerful institution in sporting history.

A wild, gritty, gripping, and at times blackly comic story, Red Card combines world-class journalism with the pace of a thriller. Red Card (filmed as Houses of Deceit) will be a major film, produced by Pearl Street Films, the production company owned by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

This is a book dedicated to being a Norwich Supporter, the highs, the lows and the extraordinary. There seems to be few books dedicated to Norwich, even though it's the highest achieving club in Norfolk. It looks at the 2011/12 season on and off the field, from the jubilation of promotion from the Championship to the thrills and spills of competing with the best teams in England, the feelings before, during and after games and the all consuming nature of being a Norwich supporter. Over the years much has happened at Carrow Road. The supporters have been poked, prodded, dealt cruel blows and seen dour performances. They've been encouraged to pay up and shut up, and believe the line that you can be prudent and ambitious. But since the club board changed and the management team was reinvigorated it's been a fantastic rollercoaster ride. The spirit of the team, the dedication of the support, and the humour and excitement surrounding the club has catapulted Norwich back to where they belong - in the Premier League. It casts a humorous eye over the strange world of a football fan, dealing with a whole host of subjects from the weekly hike to Norwich from London to watch games, the constant struggle to convince your partner that you aren't crazy and the weird and wonderful opportunities that arise to show your support for the team. It tells of some of the extraordinary situations he has found himself in over the club's first season back in the big time since 2005. Being a Norwich fan is never easy, but the ride is worth it.

"The Legends of Nottingham Forest" is dedicated to all those responsible for the period known simply as 'The Clough Era', where the Reds became a household name, putting the city of Nottingham on the map both in a football sense and in business and economic terms. As well as honouring former players and management from other periods in Forest's rich history, members of the two FA Cup-winning sides are featured, as well as many of the leading goalscorers, record appearance holders and international stars. The rise and fall of Nottingham Forest has been one of football's sadder sights. Twice Champions of Europe, as well as a major force in our domestic game, the City Ground club began 2007 in the third tier of the English League. Supporters who had enjoyed the triumphs of the previous 30 years now had to realign their ambitions. Those big days out at Wembley, basking in the glow of a cup success, were over and the regular challenge for silverware, both at home and abroad, had evaporated - almost as quickly as it had appeared. Like so many other clubs before and since, Forest had joined the also-rans, desperate for the good times to return. Alongside the banks of the Trent many a good footballing story has been created and this book helps recall some of those golden moments, stretching back to the club's foundation in 1865 and right through to modern times. With the help of some of the club's most loyal supporters, the author pays tribute to 100 leading lights who can justifiably be acclaimed as 'the legends of Nottingham Forest'.

This is a season by season record, including every line up plus details of the war years. It offers pen portraits of the club's top players and profiles of York City's managers over the years and much more. It is a must read for any York City fan! This is the detailed story and comprehensive history of York City Football Club since its formation in 1922 illustrated with pictures many from archives. It looks at the early pioneering days in the Midland League and election to the Football League in 1929. It covers seventy-five years proud membership of the Football League, including two seasons in the second tier of English football in the mid 1970s. They had six promotion successes including the winning of the Fourth Division Championship in 1983-84 when they became the first Football League club to reach 100 points. In 1992-93 they made their first appearance at Wembley when they won promotion via the Play-offs. The club's many Cup giant-killing exploits over the years with appearances in the quarter and semi-finals of the FA Cup are also fully chronicled. In 1937-38 they reached the sixth round of the competition and 17 years later became the first Third Division side to reach an FA Cup semi-final replay. In the 1980s they twice reached the fifth round of the competition beating Arsenal and having four memorable tilts against Liverpool. In the 1990s in the Football League Cup they defeated Manchester United and Everton. It offers appearance records and a look back at memorable matches together with many other facts and figures.

This title will be an important addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in this proud club and is sure to appeal to Stoke supporters of all ages. In the history of Stoke City, there has probably never been a better time to celebrate. Not only have they finished second in the Championship, but they have also reached the premiership for the first time. For those who wish to revel in the glory of the club, Tony Matthews has penned a fitting tribute to 100 of Stoke City's most outstanding performers. After great deliberation and consultation with fans of the club, Tony has selected 100 players, which include favourites from recent times alongside the stars of a bygone era. Anyone who has read any of the author's previous titles will be familiar with his expert knowledge of West Midlands football, and "The Legends of Stoke City" is no exception to his impressive back-catalogue. Meticulously researched and illustrated throughout with high- quality photographs, this great new title is essential reading for all true Stoke City fans.

Charlie Tully belonged to a time when players were underpaid and exploited, but he played football with a smile on his face. He was a man born to entertain and captivate, but a footballer above everything else. Charlie Tully was a legend, and there is no other word to describe the boy from Belfast who came to Glasgow in 1948 and transformed the fortunes of Celtic on and off the pitch. After the wartime years the famous Glasgow club had slumped to the edge of relegation, but things were different on Charlie's arrival: the crowds rolled up to see this brilliant inside-forward, whose displays were recalling memories of bygone Celtic heroes, and his fame was assured when he took on Rangers' famed and feared Iron Curtain defence and tore it to shreds in an epic 3-1 victory at Celtic Park. And there are people who still swear that they saw Charlie Tully sit on the ball during that particular Old Firm match! The legend grew, as did the stories, but one thing could be said of Charlie Tully: very often his exploits exceeded the myths surrounding him. At Brockville in a Scottish Cup tie against Falkirk, with Celtic two goals down, he scored directly from a corner-kick, had the goal disallowed and scored again with the retaken corner! A few months earlier he had scored for Ireland against England at Windsor Park with a similar corner-kick from the left, and that was after the cheeky Tully had assured his immediate opponent, Alf Ramsey, that the Englishman would never be picked for his country again after he had finished with him! And in the twilight of a career that brought silverware and a League flag to Celtic Park, he was outstanding at Hampden Park when Celtic defeated Rangers in the 1957 League Cup Final by seven goals to one...Charlie Tully belonged to a time when players were underpaid and exploited, but he played football with a smile on his face. He was a man born to entertain and captivate but a footballer above everything else. To this day his name reverberates around Celtic Park in the songs of a Celtic support who have been brought up to recognise genius on a football pitch.

"Hibernian The Players 1949-2009" seeks to capture all of the stories of the Hibernian players through the clubs history. The all-time great Hibees are all in the book - Baker, Smith, Reilly, Sauzee, Cormack, Turnbull and Combe - but they jostle for space with the likes of Hamilton, Stein, Wright, Riordan, Goram, Rae, Best and a host of others. Some wonderful players, some wonderful stories, and above all a host of memories. Hibernian players have come in all shapes and sizes. They have written their part in the club's history in a variety of ways and this book seeks to capture all of their stories. Every player who has featured in a Hibernian competitive match since 1946 is to be found between these covers. There had to be a cut-off point therefore only players who have made a senior appearance in a competitive match are included. I have made League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and European outings the criteria for inclusion. How best to sum up the range of players covered in this book? There is the Hibernian goalkeeper who played only one match for the club...a European Cup semi-final. There is the player who played well over 200 games as a Hibee without ever scoring, but did just that in his one and only Scotland appearance. There is the Hibernian player who edited the Hearts match programme. There are two Hibs players who did some male modelling. There is the strange case of the farmer who became a reluctant Hibernian goalkeeper. There was the tragic debutant who broke his leg just 20 seconds into his career. There are brothers and fathers and sons serving the club. There are men who both played for and managed Hibs. There is the young winger who played only one game for Hibs...a League Cup Final at Hampden. The above, in a nutshell, is the essence of this book.

This book is the definitive guide to Sheffield Wednesday and will be on the wish list of every Owl fan. The story of Wednesday, from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present day, is covered in fascinating detail. It is followed by profiles of the club's great players, the managers, matches to remember and a history of the grounds. In addition, the full season-by-season record of every first-team League and Cup game they have contested is documented. Summaries, records and statistics complete the picture. The result is a volume that is an essential addition to the bookshelves of any Owls fan. Put simply, this is a book that provides everything any Sheffield Wednesday fan, and indeed any football fan, would want to know about Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.

This is the book every loyal Oxford United fan should possess. Featuring club history, player profiles, match summaries and statistics, it is written by club expert, fan website editor and programme columnist Martin Brodetsky. "Oxford United: The Complete Record" is the official record of the Us since their formation in 1893. Written by Martin Brodetsky, this book is the definitive guide to Oxford United and will be on the wish list of every Us fan. The story of Oxford United FC, from their beginnings as Headington FC in the 19th century right up to the present day, is covered in fascinating detail. Also included are profiles of the club's great players, all the managers, matches to remember, and a history of the grounds the club have played on and the planning problems encountered during the search for a new ground. In addition, the full season-by-season record of every first-team League and Cup game Oxford United have contested since turning professional in 1949 is documented. Summaries, records and statistics complete the picture. Building on the excellent history written by Andy and Roger Howland, and published by Breedon Books in 1989, the result is a volume that is an essential addition to the bookshelves of any Us fan. Put simply, this is a book that provides everything any United fan, and indeed any football fan, would want to know about Oxford United Football Club.

This book is a must for the bookcase of any true Sunderland fan! What makes a player a cult hero? Well he has to give 100 per cent, and he has to be lovable. As much as any set of supporters, the fans of Sunderland - shown to be the noisiest in the country by a study of decibel levels - love their heroes and take them to their hearts. In this official "Sunderland AFC book, Sunderland Cult Heroes", the club's publications editor Rob Mason speaks to nine cult heroes, including 1973 Cup winners Vic Halom and Dick Malone, sublime schemers Kevin Arnott and Julio Arca, hard-man full-backs Joe Bolton, John Kay and Chris Makin, modern-day cult figure Nyron Nosworthy and the inimitable goalkeeper from the 1970s and 1980s Barry Siddall. To show that cult heroes are not just a modern-day phenomenon, a goalkeeper from a century ago, L.R. Roose, is also featured - perhaps the biggest cult hero of them all.

"The Legends of Aston Villa" will delight all true supporters of the club and many followers of the game in general. Stories of many Villa players are covered in detail in this book, which is illustrated with some high-quality photographs. Aston Villa, founded in 1874 and one of the great clubs in world football, were giants in the game long before the introduction of League football in 1888. Throughout their history, the name of Aston Villa has never been far away from the honours, and over the years some brilliant players have worn the famous claret-and-blue strip, many helping them win the Football League title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the coveted European Cup and the European Super Cup as well as a handful of other competitions. Now the team is playing with the elite in the Premiership, where they have been since its introduction in 1992, and one feels there could be a few more prizes to be won in the very near future. Around 1,000 players have represented the club at various levels since 1874, but only 100 have been chosen after great deliberation, and their Villa stories are covered in detail in this book, which is illustrated with some high-quality photographs. "The Legends of Aston Villa" is an important addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in this proud club and is sure to appeal to Villa supporters of all ages.

Following strict criteria laid down by Rangers based on talent, length of service, and ambassadorship to the club, here are the top Rangers players of all time. Stretching from the club's inception in 1872 to the present season, all eras are covered. But will the fans agree with the chosen seventy-seven? Are Ally McCoist, Gazza, Sandy Jardine, Graeme Souness in there? Yes, of course. Are Mark Hateley, Davie Wilson, Ian Ferguson, Terry Butcher in there? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Each of the entries to the Hall of Fame includes fascinating information and in-depth play reviews about each team member and trivia to get you talking. This great book is absolutely sure to inspire and invigorate the Gers supporters, but will everyone agree?

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.

Aston Villa On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's distinguished past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of Villa history - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's Victorian foundation by the congregation of Handsworth's Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel through to the Premier League era, Villa's rollercoaster history takes in FA Cup glory from the Victorian age to the 1950s, Third Division ignominy in the early '70s followed by league championship success just a decade later, all crowned by European Cup victory in Rotterdam. Pivotal historic events such as Villa committee man William McGregor's founding of the Football League form a backdrop against which Villa Park heroes - Archie Hunter, Pongo Waring and Peter McParland, Andy Gray, David Platt and Paul McGrath - all loom larger than life.

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.

Institutionalized as a fascist game in Mussolinis Italy, football was exploited domestically in an attempt to develop a sense of Italian identity and internationally as a diplomatic tool to improve Italys standing in the global arena. The 1930s were the zenith of achievement for Italian football. Italy hosted and won the 1934 World Cup tournament and retained the trophy in 1938 in France. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Italy won the soccer tournament with a team of university students, affirming the nations international football supremacy. At club level, calcio was reorganized into a single, national league in 1929namely, Serie Aafter which the first Italian club teams emerged to dominate European competition and threaten previous British notions of supremacy.In this time, Italian Fascism fully exploited the opportunities football provided to shape public opinion, penetrate daily life, and reinforce conformity. By politicizing the game, Fascism also sought to enhance the regimes international prestige and inculcate nationalist values. The author argues that the regimes attempt to use sport to formulate identity actually forced it to recognize existing tensions within society, thereby paradoxically permitting the existence of diversity and individuality.The book serves as a cultural history of Fascism in Italy viewed through the lens of football.

Generazione Wunderteam is the enthralling story of the Austrian national football team of the 1930s, an innovative side that dazzled Viennese crowds and sparked a new-found passion for football both at local and international level. Although the Wunderteam was short-lived, this squad led by Hugo Meisl, one of the most prominent figures in European football, proved hugely influential. Vienna quickly became - along with Budapest and Prague - one of the world's football capitals and the birthplace of some of the greatest players of the era, including Matthias Sindelar, a centre-forward whose fame transcended football, and who was often compared to Mozart and other Viennese celebrities. Sindelar died in suspicious circumstances at age 35, after defying the Nazis. The book takes the reader on a journey through that forgotten era, examining the genesis of Hugo Meisl's side, its key figures, the historical vicissitudes of the inter-war years and the most important Viennese teams of the period.