Oxford United On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's rollercoaster past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable U's diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the club's formation as Headington in 1893 through to more recent flirtations with the First Division and the Conference, the United faithful have witnessed promotions and relegations, breathtaking Cup runs and Wembley triumph - all featured here. Timeless greats such as Ron and Graham Atkinson, John Aldridge, Maurice Kyle and Dean Saunders all loom larger than life. Revisit 20th April 1986, when Oxford won the Milk Cup final. 2nd June 1962, when the Yellows were elected into the Football League. Or 8th February 1975, when the U's beat Man U in front of 16,000 fans, plus thousands more on that evening's Match of the Day.

From 1890 to 1958, Sunderland were part of football's elite with a 68-year unbroken run in the top flight. The shock of a first relegation in 1958 was matched by the elation of a first promotion in 1963/64. Starting with that season, the book celebrates every occasion Sunderland went up. What was the secret to each Black Cats promotion? And who did the fans have to thank? Rob Mason gets the inside story through exclusive interviews with players and managers who were at the heart of the action. Moments of magic and mystery are revealed as the story of each season unfolds. From Charlie Hurley's much-loved 1963/64 side, through to the second Bob Stokoe side to win a trophy at Sunderland in 1976, Ken Knighton winning promotion in his first season as a manager and the teams of Denis Smith and Peter Reid - who each won promotion twice - then on to the 'Sund-Ireland' era when promotion was won under Mick McCarthy and then Roy Keane, all the great days and great games are here to cherish and enjoy.

This book looks back at the teams, players, managers and rivalries between all the Midlands clubs since 1980. Over the last 30 years of great games there are many true icons who will never be forgotten and Midlands football fans have voted for the top 5 players from each of their clubs. Featuring every result of every Midlands derby ever played and in-depth profiles of 100 Midland club legends - this is a celebration of one of the world's football hotbeds. This title features: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town, Coventry City, Derby County, Kettering Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Leicester City, Northampton Town, Notts County, Nottingham Forest, Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City, Tamworth, Telford United, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Cardiff City Miscellany collects together all the vital information you never knew you needed to know about the Bluebirds. In these pages you will find irresistible anecdotes and the most mindblowing stats and facts. Heard the one about the striker who bought a round of drinks for the City directors, and cheekily put it on the club's bill? How about the time the first team worked as labourers on a Ninian Park stand? Or the three brothers who appeared in the same City squad? Do you know which City keeper let in 32 goals in a month? When a fan walked to away matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle? Or how a Cup tie came against Bristol City lasted 202 minutes? All these stories and hundreds more appear in a brilliantly researched collection of trivia - essential for any fan who holds the riches of Bluebirds history close to their heart.

Join official club historian Don Wright as he commemorates 150 years of the Reds, charting the lives of the players, officials and fans who have made this a world-famous club. In 2015, the same year that Nottingham was crowned England's first City of Football, Nottingham Forest Football Club celebrated its 150th anniversary. Forest is the second oldest football league club in the world (after Notts County, which began in 1862) and Don Wright tells its unique story largely through the exceptional individuals who formed and shaped it. Inspired by Italian freedom fighter Garibaldi's redshirts, the young founders of the Forest Football Club, who played on the Forest recreation ground near the centre of Nottingham, decided that Garibaldi red would be their colour and so it has remained ever since. Forest are the original Reds of world soccer. Featuring little known facts about players, managers and tactics, Forever Forest proves that the Forest story truly is the stuff of legends.

The English rugby team has been scrummaging its way around the rugby fields of the world since 1871. James Stafford's An Illustrated History of English Rugby takes you on a thrilling journey through a century and a half of glory, failure, mediocrity and brilliance. Mixing stats and facts with player profiles, match reports and social history, this book is perfect for hardcore and casual fans aged eight to 80. Packed with delightful illustrations from Raluca Moldovan, this follow up to Stafford's best-selling An Illustrated History of Welsh Rugby will give readers a new appreciation of the stars of today and the pioneers of yesteryear.

Who are the fifteen best players ever to represent Wales at rugby? We all know the answers, but all our answers are different! In pubs and clubs, in classrooms and chat rooms the length and breadth of this rugby-mad nation, this is a question that prompts energetic and entertaining debate; a question that has divided households and destabilized lifelong friendships. In The Greatest Welsh XV Ever, which includes over 130 full-colour photographs, Eddie Butler has gone where angels (and ex-international back-row forwards) fear to tread. Devoting a chapter to each position on the field, he produces a shortlist of the great players, before making his final, decisive, definitive choice in each case. So will it be Barry John or Phil Bennett at number 10? Jamie Roberts or John Dawes at number 12? Graham Price or Adam Jones at number 3? This is your chance to join in the greatest national debate since devolution.

Even the Defeats is the story of how painful moments in Sir Alex Ferguson's early reign inspired him to lead Manchester United to some of their greatest successes. A heavy 5-1 loss at Manchester City in Ferguson's early tenure led pundits and supporters to question the Scot's position, but by the season's end he was holding aloft his first trophy at the club -- the FA Cup. This trend continued when an end-of-season collapse handed Leeds United the league title in the spring of 1992, only to galvanise United to their first championship in 26 years the very next year. From struggles in Europe to winning the treble, from losing the title on goal difference to their city rivals to winning the Premier League in Ferguson's final season in charge - rising from the depths of despair to achieve glory, and using failure to fuel success, was arguably Sir Alex's greatest strength. John Silk brings you the inside story of what made Ferguson tick, with views from players, coaches and other members of staff from the great Scot's reign.

Manchester United may be world famous today, but back in 1907 the club had yet to win either the League Championship or the FA Cup. Things were to change dramatically over the following four seasons, during which time the club moved to Old Trafford under the management of Ernest Mangnall, and captured two League titles, two Charity Shields and a first FA Cup success. But how were these successes achieved? Who were the players that set the Manchester club on a path to greatness? Who were their opponents? Why did Manchester United move to Old Trafford? Find out more in Manchester United 1907-11: The First Halcyon Years, the first in-depth work on this truly great period in the illustrious history of the great Manchester United.

Orient fans rarely get to glimpse truly great footballers, unless, of course, they are playing for the other team. This book pays tribute to 12 of these Orient greats: Peter Allen, Sid Bishop, Steve Castle, Alan Comfort, Stan Charlton, Laurie Cunningham, Tony Grealish, Tommy Johnston, Peter Kitchen, Matt Lockwood, Dennis Rofe, Tommy Taylor.

July 1986. Leeds United are the most hated club in English football. Drowning in a tide of apathy and self-pity, relegation to the abyss of the Third division has only been narrowly avoided, much to the dismay of a hostile national media. Meanwhile, Neville Copley is to leave his teen age years as a lazy, unemployed, uneducated - yet opinionated - drop out. His only passion is the much-maligned football club that everyone else hates. Both are derided with equal contempt and as the new football season approaches there is little hope of success for either. Neville starts off desperately trying to avoid meaningful employment whilst his club seems intent on avoiding success. A disgraceful riot plunges the club and its supporters to new depths, and both Neville and the club seem to have reached rock bottom. Can this prove to become a watershed moment for both? As results pick up, Neville rides along on his new optimism, deciding he'd quite like to be a member of society after all as he looks for work, friends and maybe even a personality. Leeds United are looking for promotion and cup glory. Can Leeds United climb the ranks of the division? Can Neville lose his first name term status at the job centre? As the season reaches its climax, who will come out on top?

"Magic Carpet Ride" is the story of Niall Quinn's time at Sunderland as player, manager and chairman. Featuring insights from writers, business associates and former players, this is a tale of ups, downs, taxi cabs and clowns. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the Black Cats, but Quinn's tale will reach a national and international audience. He is very highly regarded in the game and massive in the ROI. He is currently one of the main summarisers on Sky Sports. Niall Quinn's love affair with Sunderland AFC is well documented. From arriving as a player to leaving as a director, having been manager and chairman in between, Quinn really saw it all in his time on Wearside. For the first time since leaving the club, writers from "Seventy3 Magazine" chart the ups, downs, taxi cabs and clowns during Quinn's tenure at the club.

To celebrate 50 years of watching Manchester City, Steve Mingle presents an array of memories spanning the whole period. The Best and Worst of Everything includes heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters, moments of genius and heinous cock-ups. Here are Steve's most memorable games, players and incidents in a weird and wonderful range of categories. There's much to look back on with affection - the best wins at Old Trafford, the Goat's spawniest finishes, Bell's finest goals, the best wins with ten men - but also plenty of pain, as Steve looks back on the worst goalkeeping howlers, City's jinxes and the biggest villains ever to have darkened the club's doorways. Amongst all this, Steve selects his favourite hard men, pie-eaters and comedy moments as well as providing hard statistical input - who have really been City's penalty kings? Who do we wish we could have played every week? It's a fascinating book packed with memories good and bad, full of debating points for City fans of all ages.

Got, Not Got: The Lost World of Tottenham Hotspur is an Aladdin's cave of memories and memorabilia, guaranteed to whisk you back to White Hart Lane's fondly remembered 'Golden Age' of mud and magic - as well as a Spurs-mad childhood of miniature tabletop games and imaginary, comic-fuelled worlds. The book recalls a more innocent era of football, lingering longingly over relics from the good old days - Spurs stickers and petrol freebies, league ladders, big-match programmes and much more - revisiting lost football culture, treasures and pleasures that are 100 per cent Tottenham Hotspur. If you're a lifelong Spurs fan, one of the army of obsessive soccer kids at any time from the Bill Nicholson era to the early days of the Premier League, then this is the book to recall the mavericks - Gascoigne, Greaves and Archibald; Hoddle, Mullery and Ardiles - and the marvels of the lost world of football.

Chelsea FC, as someone once observed, has always done what other clubs have done, but not necessary in the same order. A stone's throw from the King's Road, draped with showbiz connections, and not even based in the borough from which it takes its name, Chelsea is an enigma. Run by the entrepreneurial Mears dynasty, Ken 'electric fence' Bates and now the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the club has enough entertaining quirks and anecdotes to keep you entertained for ages. It is also a club whose history is filled with glorious games, unique facts, bizarre statistics, larger-than-life players and a special brand of supporter. And, as this book proves, far from being the imposters Kipling suggested, triumph and disaster make for a fantastically entertaining read.

Sociedad Deportiva Eibar is the Basque side from a passionate football town one-third the size of the Camp Nou. Eibar the Brave tells the amazing Cinderella story of La Liga's smallest club, which has seen Barcelona and Real Madrid playing top-tier football at Ipurua, the 5000-capacity stadium that Eibar calls home. Promotion-party pitch invasions are not uncommon; but the night of 25 May 2014 saw a promotion with a difference, involving a wildly unorthodox club. There weren't enough fans to cover the pitch. The celebration was 45 minutes after the final whistle. The team was wearing their away kit despite having played at home. And Eibar could still potentially be relegated! Having followed Eibar and witnessed the madness first-hand, Euan McTear documents the club's first season in La Liga and discusses all the pieces put into place over the years to make 2014/15 a season like no other.

Got, Not Got: The Lost World of Chelsea is an Aladdin's cave of memories and memorabilia, guaranteed to whisk you back to Stamford Bridge's fondly remembered 'Golden Age' of mud and magic - as well as a Blues-mad childhood of miniature tabletop games and imaginary, comic-fuelled worlds. The book recalls a more innocent era of football, lingering longingly over relics from the good old days - Blues stickers and petrol freebies, league ladders, big-match programmes and much more - revisiting lost football culture, treasures and pleasures that are 100 per cent Chelsea. If you were a Junior Blue, one of the army of obsessive soccer kids at any time from the arrival of Dave Sexton on the Kings Road to the early days of the Premier League, then this is the book to recall the mavericks - Osgood, Hudson and Dixon, Nevin, Walker and Harris - and the marvels of the lost world of football.

This is a complete history of the England rugby union team - told by the players themselves. Based on a combination of painstaking research into the early years of the England team through exclusive interviews with a vast array of Test match stars from before the Second World War to the present day, world-renowned rugby writers Stephen Jones and Nick Cain delve to the very heart of the English international rugby union experience, painting a unique and utterly compelling picture of the game in the only words that can truly do so: the players' own. This is the definitive story of English Test match rugby - a story etched in blood, sweat and tears; a story of great joy and heart-breaking sorrow; a story of sacrifice, agony, endeavour and triumph. Behind the Rose lifts the lid on what it is to play for England - the trials and tribulations behind the scenes, the glory, the drama and the honour on the field, and the heart-warming tales of friendship and humour off it.Absorbing and illuminating, this is a must-have for all supporters who have ever dreamed of walking the hallowed corridors of Twickenham as a Test match player, preparing themselves for battle in the changing rooms and then marching out to that field of dreams with the deafening roar of the crowd in their ears and the red rose emblazoned on their chest.

Red Odyssey: Liverpool FC 1892-2017, is a uniquely affectionate and often deeply moving history of one of the greatest sporting institutions on the planet. Born in the fire of boardroom conflict and launched into the humble surroundings of the Lancashire League, Liverpool Football Club not only endured but rose to conquer all of Europe, leaving its local rivals trailing in its wake. This journey through the ages represents a thrilling sporting odyssey, packed with heroes and foes, victors and villains. It features tales of conquest and heroic homecomings as well as soul-crushing defeats. Its people have endured great tragedy and fought for both redemption and vindication. Modern-day Liverpool supporters, standing on the shoulders of their forebears, are tough, gritty, irreverent and united. These qualities have sustained them for 125 years, and they run through the book like a golden thread. Red Odyssey is 125 individual love letters to Liverpool FC and its people, written with a Scouse accent.

Aberdeen have competed on the European stage since season 1967/68 and have enjoyed some epic encounters along the way, culminating in the club's greatest ever victory - beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the 1983 Cup Winner's Cup final. Ally Begg charts a path through Aberdeen's storied history in Europe, vividly brining to life the most interesting, exciting, and unforgettable games by interviewing players from Aberdeen and their rivals and augmenting them with his own richly rendered memories. Aberdeen European Nights takes the reader on a nostalgic romp around the continent, crossing beyond the Iron Curtain and building a fortress at home at Pittodrie. Humorous, quirky and insightful, it is the perfect book for Aberdeen fans, young and old.

The last twenty years have been tortuous for supporters of Leeds United Football Club. In 2001 they were in the final four of the Champions League; within six years they were condemned to the third tier of English football for the first time. A financial implosion brought a record GBP50 million loss in 2003, United 'enduring the nightmare' rather than 'living the dream'. After a dismal period of ownership by a local consortium brought the sale of the Elland Road stadium, Leeds were twice 'rescued' from financial collapse by the controversial Ken Bates. Amidst this turmoil, Leeds beat Manchester United in a legendary FA Cup clash at Old Trafford in 2010 and won an emotion-soaked promotion from League One. The summer of 2012 was dominated by rumours as a bank from the Middle East courted Bates, but the empty promises ran into the sand and GFH sold out to Massimo Cellino, an egocentric and eccentric Italian corn magnate. His near-the-knuckle business dealings pitched Leeds into more disputes with the Football League as Cellino went through managers like a hot knife through butter. When the Italian sold to Andrea Radrizzani in 2017, Leeds finally had stable leadership and the recruitment of the feted Marcelo Bielsa a year later brought Leeds to new playing heights. Engulfed by the 'Spygate' dispute with Frank Lampard's Derby County, United missed out on promotion by a whisker in 2019 but finally achieved the promotion they so dearly coveted the following season despite nearly being derailed by the pandemic. Bielsa's men took the Premier League by storm with their effervescent football and now look forward to a bright future. Beginning in 2000 as football's finances started to boom, this book tells the tale of how Leeds United tried to capitalise on the financial gravy train and almost perished in the process but retained the loyal and passionate support through thick and thin of one of the most committed fan bases in Europe.

Hard Shoulder, M62 Eastbound, June 1982... Britain is on the verge of taking the Falkland Islands back from the Argentine invaders, Margaret Thatcher is three years into her tenure at 10 Downing Street and for the first time since the 1930s, three million people are unemployed – with the nation reeling from recession. One of those searching for a job is standing at the side of the motorway which links the north of England’s east and west coasts with his thumb out. Newly-retired former Everton, Manchester City and England striker Joe Royle is trying to hitch a lift to Boundary Park for what he thinks is an interview for the post of manager at backwater Oldham Athletic. Behind him, smoke pours from his broken-down car’s engine. After a passing lorry takes him the rest of the way, Royle is told that the job is his – and that he will have to sell a player or the club will go bust. Later that day, bailiffs drop in and eye up his office furniture. That night he is in his own garage, stencilling the initials of players’ names on training kit as the reality of the task in hand hits home. What happened next is one of the great, untold football miracles of all time as unfancied Oldham emerged from the shadows of their illustrious Manchester neighbours and embarked on a thrilling, white knuckle ride to the summit of the English game. This is a story that has not been told before. It is a time when the impossible was possible, long before the vast millions in broadcast money arrived and the creation of the Premier League changed football in England forever. A time when an astute manager and wily chairman could scour the big clubs for castoffs and achieve the unachievable. It is something that will never be repeated and, in these times of huge salaries and commercial excess, is a tale of harder and yet often-happier times when small clubs could dream big. In the 30th anniversary year of Royle’s remarkable revolution, it is the perfect time for This Is How It Feels to hit the book shelves.

'An intriguing study of the minds of some of rugby's greatest leaders' - Tom English, BBC Sport An Official Licensed Product of the British & Irish Lions A British & Irish Lions tour presents one of the greatest challenges in sport. Rugby is a game that rewards creative expression, toil, teamwork and a never-say-die attitude. It can be joyful, vibrant and beautiful. Equally, it can brutally expose human flaws and frailties - even more so in the hugely pressurised environment of a Lions tour. Every team, no matter how talented, will find itself in dark and difficult situations both on and off the field; the successful ones are those with a leadership group that can navigate these challenging moments. In Legacy of the Lions, former Lions captain Gavin Hastings draws on his own experiences in the famous red jersey and interviews other greats of the game - including, among many others, Sam Warburton, Warren Gatland, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Martin Johnson, Finlay Calder and Sir Ian McGeechan, plus a selection of their illustrious opponents, such as Kieran Read, John Smit and John Eales - to explore how to forge a successful team in this most rarefied of environments, the difficulties they each encountered and what leadership lessons they learned. Inspiring, humorous and illuminating, Legacy of the Lions casts a unique light on leadership, team-building and elite performance and reveals a new perspective on touring with - and playing against - The British & Irish Lions in the modern era.