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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Sporting events, tours & organisations > Sports teams & clubs
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.
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.
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.
Two or three of them came over and asked what team I was ...they
followed me at a distance and when I looked across the platform I
saw the other lads from the train getting a good kicking. I felt
uneasy and was obviously next on their list for a hiding. I could
not bottle it. I had to front it and act as normal as
possible...You don't choose West Ham - it chooses you. Following
West Ham United is not about how many pieces of silverware the team
can win. For true fans, it's a lifelong, sometimes agonising
passion. In 1964, when footballing legend Bobby Moore held the FA
cup aloft for West Ham, Micky Smith was in the crowd, experiencing
the unique thrill of seeing his club emerge victorious. In 1967,
when Manchester United came to the East End, Micky witnessed the
birth of the football hooligan. This is the gripping, inside
account of run-ins with the police, rivalry between firms and
events such as Heysel that changed the face of football as we know
it today.
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.
Whakapapa. You belong here.
Whakapapa is a Maori idea which embodies our universal human need to
belong. It represents a powerful spiritual belief - that each of us is
part of an unbroken and unbreakable chain of people who share a sacred
identity and culture.
Owen Eastwood places this concept at the core of his methods to
maximise a team's performance. In this book he reveals, for the first
time, the ethos that has made him one of the most in-demand Performance
Coaches in the world.
In Belonging, Owen weaves together insights from homo sapiens'
evolutionary story and ancestral wisdom. He shines a light on where
these powerful ideas are applied around our world in high-performing
settings encompassing sport, business, the arts and military.
Aspects of Owen's unique approach include: finding your identity story;
defining a shared purpose; visioning future success; sharing ownership
with others; understanding the 'silent dance' that plays out in groups;
setting the conditions to unleash talent; and converting our diversity
into a competitive advantage.
Got, Not Got: The Lost World of Derby County is an Aladdin's cave
of memories and memorabilia, guaranteed to whisk you back to the
Baseball Ground's fondly remembered 'Golden Age' of mud and magic -
as well as a Rams-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 - Rams stickers and petrol freebies, league ladders, big-match
programmes and much more - revisiting lost football culture,
treasures and pleasures that are 100 per cent Derby County. If you
were a Junior Ram, one of the army of obsessive soccer kids at any
time from when Cloughie's lads won the League to the early days of
the Premier League, then this is the book to recall the mavericks -
Mackay, Lee and Hector, George, Saunders and Gabbiadini - and the
marvels of the Lost World of Football.
From the makers of the UK's best football magazine! MATCH is the
UK's bestselling football annual and is top of Christmas wishlists
for footy fans everywhere. Inside the Match Annual 2021 you can
find the ultimate guide to Euro 2020, epic interviews with the
stars, plus the UK and Ireland dream team and also discover
everything you need to know about Messi, Ronaldo, Kane, Salah,
Mbappe, Maguire, Hazard, Pogba and all the other top footballers.
Plus, it's packed with legendary Prem No.7s, craziest hair of 2019,
brain-busting quizzes, the greatest Premiership team ever, bonkers
pics, footy stars emojis, cool cartoons and loads more! Don't miss
it!
Featuring more than 70 exclusive interviews with former Leeds
United players and coaches, the likes of Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray,
Johnny Giles, Allan Clarke, John Sheridan, Howard Wilkinson, Gary
McAllister, Lucas Radebe, Mark Viduka, Olivier Dacourt, Dominic
Matteo, Simon Grayson and Jermaine Beckford talk readers through
the matches supporters will never forget with a host of rarely told
stories. Jam-packed with insight, anecdotes and first-hand accounts
on everything from changing room drama and tales of celebration to
transfer sagas and disciplinary procedures, Ups And Downs is a
revealing nostalgia trip through Leeds United's proud, rich
history.
England On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable
moments from the national side's rollercoaster past, mixing in a
maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce
an irresistibly dippable Lions diary - with an entry for every day
of the year. From the first ever international match in 1872 to the
Premier League era, England's faithful fans have witnessed decades
of world domination and tragicomic failures, grudge matches, World
Cup heroics, bizarre goals, fouls and metatarsals - all featured
here. Timeless greats such as Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Paul
Gascoigne, Steve Bloomer, David Beckham and Stanley Matthews all
loom larger than life. Revisit May 12 1971, when England beat Malta
5-0 and Gordon Banks only got four touches - all backpasses!
September 1 2001: Germany 1-5 England! Or July 12 1966, when the
England team took a morale-boosting trip to the set of You Only
Live Twice...
From the New York Times bestselling author of Return of the King
comes the story of LeBron James's incredible transformation from
basketball star to sports and business mogul. With eight straight
trips to the NBA Finals, LeBron James has proven himself one of the
greatest basketball players of all time. And like Magic Johnson and
Michael Jordan before him, LeBron has also become a global brand
and businessman who has altered the way professional athletes think
about their value, maximize their leverage, and use their voice.
LeBron, Inc. tells the story of James's journey down the path to
becoming a billionaire sports icon - his successes, his failures,
and the lessons both have taught him along the way. With plenty of
newsmaking tidbits about his rollercoaster last season in Cleveland
and high-profile move to the Lakers, LeBron, Inc. shows how James
has changed the way most elite athletes manage their careers, and
how he launched a movement among his peers that may last decades
beyond his playing days.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been a powerhouse in college football
for decades, with numerous national championships and NFL draftees
to their credit. With such a successful history, it s no wonder
that the passion for Ohio State football has reached a level of
devotion that has religious overtones. "Saint Woody: The History
and Fanaticism of Ohio State Football" is a Bill Bryson style look
at Ohio State football and the spiritual fanaticism that surrounds
it. Bob Hunter tracks the development of this powerhouse program
from its earliest days to its heights under Woody Hayes, the de
facto king of Ohio State football. Hayes led the team to three
national championships and a record of 205-61-10 over a
twenty-eight-year period and was at the heart of the Ten-Year War,
a particularly intense period in the infamous Ohio State Michigan
rivalry. Hunter also looks at the present-day state of Buckeye
football and the team s scarlet-and-gray-clad followers, as well as
its legion of detractors, who voted Ohio State as the most hated
college team in a nationwide survey. America loves and hates a
winner.Irreverent, honest, insightful, and always entertaining,
"Saint Woody" will appeal to anyone whose spirit has ever lifted
when hearing that famous cry Go Bucks
Now for the first time in paperback, this is a unique and
magnificent collection of photographs of Liverpool Football Club
from the very early days until 1992, freshly selected from
thousands of images in the Daily Mirror's extensive archive. These
superb photos, many of them previously unpublished, document the
rise of the most successful football club in the English game. The
early days and the championship-winning sides of the early 1900s,
the 'untouchables' of the '20s, the coming of the 'messiah' Bill
Shankly after the lean years of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, the
triumphs of the '60s '70s and '80s, the tragedies of Heysel and
Hillsborough - it's all here. This book will bring to life the
periods, the personalities and the human stories.
*Middlesbrough Memories - Scores of candid interviews illuminate
Boro's proud history * Boro legends - From Lindy Delapenha and
Graeme Souness to Juninho and Gareth Southgate, heroes reflect on
their Boro days. * Bossing the game - Illustrious managers speak
out on life in dugout * Captain Marvels - Inspirational skippers on
leading from the front * The Road to Glory - The inside story of
Boro's Carling Cup success * Small Town in Europe - the
unforgettable march to Uefa Cup final * Heroic failure - detailed
account of heartbreaking 1996-97 season * Back from the brink - the
battle for survival in the mid-80s * Life behind the scenes - as
told by unsung heroes. * Young guns - A celebration of the
Academy's astonishing success * A club in transition - From
Ayresome Park to the Riverside * Match for anyone - the stories
behind Boro's biggest ever games * Unseen photographs from players,
club and local media archives * Political and social landscape -
Teesside's former mayor Ray Mallon on wider context as club
prospers in face of economic recession.
Being a Phillies fan has never been easy. The team has amassed the
most losses of any professional sports franchise in history, as
well as the longest losing streak and the most last-place finishes
in the major leagues. The year 1980 was redemption for a miserable,
century-old legacy of losing. It was also the beginning of the end
for a team that could have been among the very best in baseball
throughout the decade. Between 1980 and 1983 the Philadelphia
Phillies captured two pennants and a world championship. Legends
like Tug McGraw, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, and Pete Rose led the
collection of homegrown products, veteran castoffs, and fair-haired
rookies. If they had won another World Series, the team not only
would have distanced themselves from a history of losing but would
have established a championship dynasty. It never happened. The
1981 season was a watershed for both the Phillies and baseball. A
players' strike led to a sixty-day work stoppage. The Phils, who
had been in first place before the strike, were unable to regain
their winning ways after play resumed. Labor relations between an
increasingly powerful Players Association and inflexible owners
became more acrimonious than ever before. Player salaries
skyrocketed. Old loyalties were forgotten, and the notion of a
homegrown team, like the 1980 Phillies, was a thing of the past.
Almost a Dynasty details the rise and fall of the 1980 World
Champion Phillies. Based on personal interviews, newspaper
accounts, and the keen insight of a veteran baseball writer, the
book convincingly explains why a team that had regularly made the
post-season in the mid- to late 1970s, only to lose in the
playoffs, was finally able to win its first world championship.
From Alfred Ackroyd to Yuvraj Singh, from Isaac Hodgson in 1863 to
Kraigg Brathwaite in 2017, this volume features profiles of all
those 670 men who have represented The Yorkshire CCC by playing for
its first eleven in first-class cricket, limited-overs matches or
Twenty20 games as well as the 59 who played for 'Yorkshire' prior
to the official Club's formation. Whether they played in an amazing
total of 883 matches, as Wilfred Rhodes did, or whether they wore
the county colours just once – and this, surprisingly, applies to
115 players – each and every one of them has their own place in
the county’s history and the contents within. Produced in quality
hardback and featuring over 250 illustrations – this is a must
read for fans of YCCC
From hilarious to heart-breaking, The 101 Club tells the tale of an
epic journey from the club's darkest nights to one of its greatest
occasions and beyond. Almost 40 years on, the legacy of these local
heroes lives on - had it not been for their exhilarating exploits,
Town's Premier League dreams would be unfulfilled. Manager Mick
Buxton's misfits and castoffs joined forces to capture the hearts
of a generation of Town fans - including current club owner Dean
Hoyle. Scoring a club-record 101 goals, the Fourth Division title
was dramatically clinched in the final moments of the 1979-80
season with a never-to-be forgotten win over Hartlepool in front of
a jam-packed Cowshed. The 101 Club is a warts-and-all story of how
Buxton changed the entire culture of a place that was more holiday
camp than football club and includes: * Exclusive interviews with
Town legends and forgotten heroes * Special reflections from
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman * Interviews with so-called `Wags' *
Fans' perspectives * The view from behind-the-scenes *
Never-seen-before photographs * Absorbing match reports * Essential
facts and figures Not only does The 101 Club re-live the highs and
lows of football through the eyes of Buxton and his players, it
also provides a rare insight into the lives of lower-league
footballers and loved ones before Sky Sports money revolutionised
the sport. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about
Huddersfield and Huddersfield Town.
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