Tony Kelly was football crazy from the age of seven. At sixteen Nyrere Anthony Kelly was the youngest ever player in the first team at Bristol City and in his twenties he went professional, playing for clubs such as Stoke City, Cardiff City, Leyton Orient and Bury in the second and third divisions of the Football League and starring in a Swedish side. But his blossoming soccer career was marred by a series of mishaps and misdeeds which drove him to disaster. Ruined by an addiction to gambling, he lost his job, his career, his partner and all his money. Now he has written his story - as Kelly puts it, to "invite the public, my family and my friends into my secret hell of racism, despair, depression, stardom, gambling addiction and ultimately self-destruction". Red Card is a tragic yet uplifting story of a sportsman's battle with his demons, on and off the pitch. Published with the kind assistance of the Professional Footballers' Association

Described as ""the Greatest Batsman in the Country"" by sports writers of his era, Dennis ""Big Dan"" Brouthers compiled a .342 batting average, tying with Babe Ruth for ninth place all-time, and slugged 205 triples, eighth all time, in 16 major league seasons. He won five batting and on-base percentage titles, and seven slugging titles, and was the first player to win batting and slugging crowns in successive years. Although he ranked fourth among nineteenth-century home run hitters, many fair balls he hit into the stands or over the fence were counted only as doubles or triples due to local ground rules. Brouthers was extremely difficult to strike out--in 1889, for example, he did so just six times in 565 plate appearances. He was the first player to be walked intentionally on a regular basis. This comprehensive biography of Dan Brouthers examines his life and career from his youth as an apprentice in a print and dye factory to his final years as an attendant at the Polo Grounds. It corrects numerous errors that have crept into earlier accounts of his life, and clarifies his position as one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game.

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.

This is the paperback re-print of the bestselling 2009 edition. It is a true 'rags to riches' football story of a miner's son who fulfilled his dream to play for his country. It is a book with a message - rewards are earned from hard work and determination. It includes foreword written by Jimmy Greaves and contributions from Sir Bobby Charlton. "The Gerry Hitchens Story" follows the life of a young miner who was plucked from the mineshaft to find himself playing football in the Italian League a few years later. It is surely something that dreams were made of, a real 'rags-to-riches' story; however, this is exactly what happened to one such talented, working-class lad from a small Shropshire mining village in the late 1950s. Gerry Hitchens was an uncomplicated footballer with obvious natural ability and virtues. It is fair to say there have been more skillful players than Hitchens, but footballers do not always require skill and flair to succeed at the very top - sometimes hard work and determination are equally important qualities, along with the will to learn and improve. Gerry had a bit extra to offer - the instinct to sniff out half chances and to score goals in abundance at any level. Containing a foreword by Jimmy Greaves and contributions from Sir Bobby Charton, Jimmy Armfield OBE, Gigi Riva, Louis Suarez and world-renowned football writer and journalist Brian Glanville, "The Gerry Hitchens Story" is a fitting tribute to a great footballer who was 'born to play'.

An All Black's memoir of rugby, dementia, and the hidden cost of success 'The best sports book I have read in decades' - Kevin Norquay, Stuff 'Startlingly honest' - Phil Gifford 'A brilliant read. Bold, brave and honest' - Mike Hosking, Newstalk ZB Carl Hayman, All Black #1000, once the most highly prized player in world rugby and a giant of the game in every sense - someone who was always respected, even feared. But at the end of seventeen years as a professional rugby player, the last eight played with the sole aim of setting up his family's future, Hayman's life began to unravel in nightmarish fashion. Head On is about the pressures on the modern athlete, where physical performance and commerce collide, and players become victims of their own success. Exploited then left out in the cold, Hayman is now left counting the hidden cost of the achievements that would have exceeded any young rugby player's dreams. He now fears both the known and the unknown with equal trepidation. as he looks for answers to dementia and a degenerative brain condition called CTE. In Head On, Hayman relives a remarkable rugby career, with revelations about the shock All Blacks loss to France in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the decisions to leave New Zealand and play for the Newcastle Falcons in England, in doing so becoming one of the best-paid players on the planet, and how being put on the fast track to the All Blacks as a youngster combined with the Southern Man rugby ethos in Dunedin caused him to develop a dangerous relationship with alcohol. This book is about how we can better understand the unintended consequences of the decisions we make, and how we can better serve the next generation.

This is a paperback reprint - back due to popular demand. It includes analysis of his greatest races and the changing technology of his bikes. It is an in-depth, richly illustrated biography of one of motorcycling's best-loved characters. Fourth in a series intended to cover the careers of the world's greatest motorcycle racing champions, "Bob McIntyre - The Flying Scot" tells the story of the man who never actually won a world championship - but certainly deserved to. In many ways he was the two-wheel equivalent of car racing driver Stirling Moss, who is seen as one of the greats in his sport although he never won an official world title. Well over four decades since his untimely death, following an accident that occurred while racing his 500cc Manx Norton at Oulton Park, Cheshire in August 1962, Bob McIntyre's memory lives on. An annual Bob McIntyre Memorial race meeting held at East Fortune attracts racing enthusiasts from as far afield as Australia. Not only was 'Bob Mac' a brilliantly gifted rider and self-taught mechanic, he was also a man of the people, someone who would always help a fellow competitor or take the time to sign an autograph or chat to a fan. He was also honest, loyal and modest; his word was his bond. Unlike the three riders already covered in this series, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini, Bob Mac was very much a self-made man; someone who started from the very bottom and reached the very top in his chosen profession. He was the first man to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit, the most fearsome in the world, at over 100 mph; and this was just one of his great achievements. This in-depth account of his career focusses on the bikes and the races but also provides an insight in Bob's life away from the track. Lavishly illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, it is a must-read for any motorcycling fan.

Beloved for his thunderous, commanding voice and affable personality, Phil Georgeff, known as "The Voice of Chicago Racing," holds the world record for calling the most horse races an astounding 96,131. During his fifty years in the sport, Georgeff brushed shoulders with every great jockey and saw just about every great horse, from 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation to 1973's Secretariat. Part memoir, part historical analysis, and part nostalgic remembrance, this book is the quintessential guide to the history of thoroughbred racing in the twentieth century.

With rare and unrivaled access, bestselling coauthor of Soccernomics and longtime Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club in the world-and how that era is now ending FC Barcelona is not just the world's highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any other sports club except Real Madrid CF-and by one earlier measure, more than all thirty-two NFL teams combined. It has more in common with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. No wonder its motto is "More than a club." But it was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona went from a regional team to a global powerhouse, becoming a model of sustained excellence and beautiful soccer, and a consistent winner of championships. Simon Kuper unravels exactly how this transformation took place, paying special attention to the club's two biggest stars, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. Messi joined Barca at age thirteen and, more than anyone, has been the engine and standard-bearer of Barcelona's glory. But his era is coming to an end-and with it, a once-in-a-lifetime golden run. This book charts Barca's rise and fall. Like many world-beating organizations, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting few outsiders access to the Camp Nou, its legendary home stadium. But after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was given access to the inner sanctum and the people behind the scenes who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal, and capturing all the latest upheavals, his portrait of this incredible institution goes beyond soccer to understand FC Barcelona as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon.

'On the pitch he was a magician' - Arsene Wenger The first full autobiography from former footballer and England manager Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle was one of the most celebrated footballers of his generation. A wonderfully talented No. 10 - he formed part of the great Spurs teams of the early 1980s and cut his teeth in the blood and thunder of an England team that prioritised aggression over creativity. Often seen as a player 'out of time', Glenn was a playmaker in the purest sense. A creator and a goal scorer, he rose through the Tottenham youth academy - playing under Keith Burkinshaw and crossing paths with the likes of club legends Bill Nicholson and Danny Blanchflower - before going on to play in Monaco under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger. In Playmaker, he looks back on his rise as a prodigious young footballer and talks at length about his career that took him from cleaning the cockerel at White Hart Lane to managing the England football team at a World Cup. From scoring in an FA Cup final to winning the league in France; from revitalising Chelsea in the early 1990s, to managing the fall-out after David Beckham's infamous sending off at the 1998 World Cup; from surviving a near fatal cardiac arrest at the age of 61, to continuing to work within the game he loves - Playmaker is a life lead through football, and an autobiography of one of the game's most admired, thoughtful and respected personalities.

This book covers Joan Newton Cuneo's life and her role (from 1905 to 1915) as the premier female racer in the United States and spokeswoman for women drivers and good roads. Beginning with her family history and marriage to Andrew Cuneo, it traces their life in New York society, the birth of their children, and Joan's growing interest in automobile touring and racing and partnership with Louis Disbrow, her racing mechanic. The book covers Joan's experiences in three Glidden Tours, including her notes on the experience, her first races, and her rivals. It also looks at the growth and change of automobile culture and the battle for control of racing between the AAA, ACA, and the AAMA, which ends in the banishing of women racers shortly after Joan's greatest racing victories at New Orleans (in 1909). The book then follows Joan's attempts to continue racing, the end of her marriage, her move to the Upper Peninsula, and her remarriage and death. The book also includes a chapter on her female rivals in racing and touring.

The quintessentially English cricket commentator, writer, oenophile, bon viveur, collector and national treasure, fondly known as "Blowers", tells his riveting life story. Born in Norfolk and educated at Eton and Cambridge, Henry Calthorpe Blofeld OBE, nicknamed "Blowers" by the late Brian Johnston, is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. His distinctively rich, cut glass voice and his vividly eccentric observations of life on and off the pitch, have made him a household name, not only in Britain but around the world, wherever cricket is played. Blowers has been close the the heart of the game for over fifty years and his career has taken him to the far corners of the earth. This autobiography, stuffed to the gunwhales with delicious anecdotes, brings his astonishingly colourful story bang up to date.

Benjamin Howard Baker - Sportsman Supreme is the first time that this incredible all-round British sportsman has been immortalised in print. His achievements covered an era in Britain when the whole nature of sport was being transformed - from before the first World War until the 1930s Benjamin Howard Baker is arguably Britain's finest ever all-round sportsman, and yet his life and competitive career has never previously been written about at any length. He twice competed at the Olympic Games as a high jumper and held the British record for a quarter of a century. He also set an English record for the triple jump and was a fine hurdler and very capably threw the discus, hammer and javelin. He played in goal for Chelsea and for the England professional and amateur international teams. He was also a water-polo goalkeeper and came close to England selection in that game. He was a title-winning tennis player. He was a star turn as an exhibition swimmer and diver. He played cricket at the highest club level. He rowed, sailed, boxed, and ran round the streets at night to keep fit long before jogging became a popular pastime. His achievements covered an era in Britain when the whole nature of sport was being transformed - from before World War One until the 1930s - and he remained, remarkably, an amateur throughout, playing League and international football just for the fun of it. His flamboyant goalkeeping antics for Chelsea made him a favourite with the crowds of 60,000 or more who regularly watched him at Stamford Bridge. His favourite party-trick was a high kick which set the chandeliers jangling at the numerous social receptions to which he was invited. He was so famous in his native Liverpool that express trains from London were stopped specially at his nearest station to let him off. He lived to the age of 95, regretting only that he never had the opportunity to try the 'Fosbury Flop' high-jump technique invented more than 40 years after he retired. No such sporting life as Benjamin Howard Baker's will ever be led again.

Burleigh Grimes--forever remembered as the ill-tempered spitballer with the perpetual five o'clock shadow. For nearly two decades, he brought his surly disposition to the pitcher's mound. His life-or-death mentality resulted in a reputation as one of the game's great competitors and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Along the way he suited up for eight different ball clubs and played alongside a record 36 Hall of Famers. In all, Grimes spent over half a century in professional baseball as a player, manager, coach and scout. This biography covers all aspects of his life. From his early childhood in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, to his twilight years in that same town. In between are World Series highs and lows, brawls, five marriages, a near-death experience and 270 major league victories.

Billy Southworth was the most successful major league baseball manager of the 1940s including the three straight years in which his St. Louis Cardinal teams won more than 100 games. He won three National League pennants with the Cardinals and one with the Boston Braves, and his .597 winning percentage is the fifth highest in baseball history. But Southworth was dogged by demons off the field, including the deaths of three children. On the field, his achievements were minimised by many because they occurred during the war years when the baseball talent level was below par. When he finally got top recognition, being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007, the honour occurred 38 years after his death.

Joe Louis held the heavyweight boxing championship longer than any other fighter and defended it a record 25 times. During the 1930s and 1940s, the owner of the heavyweight title belt was the most prominent sports competitor not aligned with a team sport. In addition, Louis helped make breakthroughs for African American athletes and bridge the gap of understanding between whites and blacks. During World War II he not only raised money for Army and Navy relief, entertained millions of troops as a morale officer, but became a symbol of American hope and strength. In a famous speech Louis pronounced that the United States would win the war ""Because we're on God's side."" The simple phrase helped energise the populace and some said that Louis ""named the war."" The biography of Louis outlines his rise from poverty in Alabama to becoming the best-known African American of his times and describes how an uneducated man, simple at his core, became so articulate and always ended up on the side of right in the battles he fought, with fist or voice.

Instant New York Times Bestseller "Buzz Bissinger's Friday Night Lights is an American classic. With The Mosquito Bowl, he is back with a true story even more colorful and profound. This book too is destined to become a classic. I devoured it." - John Grisham An extraordinary, untold story of the Second World War in the vein of Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat, from the author of Friday Night Lights and Three Nights in August. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war - the invasion of Okinawa-their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: Former All Americans, captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame, and nearly twenty men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL. When the trash-talking between the 4th and 29th over who had the better football team reached a fever pitch, it was decided: The two regiments would play each other in a football game as close to the real thing as you could get in the dirt and coral of Guadalcanal. The bruising and bloody game that followed became known as "The Mosquito Bowl." Within a matter of months, 15 of the 65 players in "The Mosquito Bowl" would be killed at Okinawa, by far the largest number of American athletes ever to die in a single battle. The Mosquito Bowl is the story of these brave and beautiful young men, those who survived and those who did not. It is the story of the families and the landscape that shaped them. It is a story of a far more innocent time in both college athletics and the life of the country, and of the loss of that innocence. Writing with the style and rigor that won him a Pulitzer Prize and have made several of his books modern classics, Buzz Bissinger takes us from the playing fields of America's campuses where boys played at being Marines, to the final time they were allowed to still be boys on that field of dirt and coral, to the darkest and deadliest days that followed at Okinawa.

In the late 1950's John Surtees was the dominate rider in top-level British and European motorcycle racing. A precocious talent, he began riding competitively on Vincents in the early 1950's, then REGs and NSUs and Nortons A precocious talent, he began riding competitively on Vincents in the early 1950's, then REGs and NSUs and Nortons. The technical side of Surtees's career - the bikes he rode and his considerable skills as a mechanic and engineer - is covered in detail. The book gives a fascinating insight into the intense motivation that often gave Surtees the edge over his rivals and laid the foundation for the success that followed. In many ways Surtees is the precursor of later generations of fiercely dedicated, perfectionist riders like Kenny Roberts Snr and Mick Doohan, and the time is right for a reassessment of his contribution to the sport.

This is the autobiography of one of Ireland's greatest ever full-backs - Dave Langan. Brought to England by the legendary Brain Clough, Langan made his name as one of the best young full-backs in Britain. With brutal honesty, Dave Langan tells of his battles on and off the field, as well as his international career with Ireland. Dave Langan, regarded by many as one of Ireland's greatest full-backs, was also a mainstay of the famous Oxford United team that made history in 1986 when they won the Milk Cup. Managed by Maurice Evans, Langan and his teammates, including fellow Irish legends Ray Houghton and John Aldridge, were part of the side which beat QPR 3-0 in the final. Brought to England by the legendary Brian Clough, Langan made his name as one of the best young full-backs in Britain with Derby, before making a then record breaking transfer to Birmingham. With a brutal honesty reminiscent of his playing days Dave Langan tells of his battles on and off the field, as well as his international career with Ireland.

This is an autobiography of former Morton and Celtic footballer and all round fans favourite, Andy Ritchie. Retired by the age of 28, Ritchie still managed to make his mark on Scottish football, not only for his amazing ball skills but also for his larger than life personality and colourful personal life. AT 22 Andy Ritchie had the footballing world at his feet. Scotland's disastrous World Cup campaign in Argentina left the nation crying out for an entertainer and Morton's 'Idle Idol' filled the void. A former Celtic prospect, his spectacular goals, close control, dead ball genius and dazzling skills made him Scotland's player of the year and the nation's top goalscorer three years running. But by the age of 28 Ritchie dumped his boots in a bin and quit football for good. Plagued by depression, panic attacks and attitude problems one of the Scottish game's biggest ever characters tells with brutal honesty of the match-day drinking, the gambling, the indiscipline and the casual drug abuse which cut short his playing days and drove the late Jock Stein to despair. Celtic's chief scout under Tommy Burns, he expresses his regrets at the failure to patch up a rift with his lifelong friend before he died and of the spell of homelessness he survived following a breakdown and the break-up of his marriage.

"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.