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.

Wherever we turn in God's world we find his fingerprints, not just in the glories of the countryside but also in the tangled web of human life and culture. With all the contradictions and ambiguities we encounter and experience... we must never allow ourselves to forget that God is in the world, laughing, singing, shouting, whispering, healing, weeping, reconciling, enabling, resisting, forgiving... He has not given up on it and neither should we.' - From Chapter 9, 'Positively worldly' 'I was one of the original members of Holy Joes, and The Post-Evangelical is a great snapshot of what happened on the fringes of church in the UK in the 1990s. But 20 years on, it endures as a classic commentary on understanding why church fails to connect with people who define themselves as "spiritual and religious". Essential reading.' - Maggi Dawn, Dean of Chapel and Associate Professor of Theology and Literature, Yale Divinity School 'I first met Dave Tomlinson when I was a student some forty years ago. Twenty years later I was fascinated to read his reflections on his spiritual journey when he brought out the first edition of The Post-Evangelical, which provoked much debate and discussion. Another twenty years have passed in which its importance and influence have become clear, while the debate and the journey have continued to develop for all of us. It is a privilege to have had Dave as my parish priest for the last decade or more, so I warmly welcome this Classics edition - and look forward to where we are going next!' - Richard Burridge, Dean of King's College, London and Professor of Biblical Interpretation

Leeds United AFC was formed in 1919 following the disbanding of Leeds City FC by the Football League. The team took over the Elland Road stadium and have won three First Division League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. The club also won two Inter-Cities Fairs cups. The majority of the honours were won under the management of Don Revie in the golden age of the 1960s and '70s. In Leeds United: A History, author Dave Tomlinson relates the complete and definitive history of the club from foundation to the present day. He reveals the voices of the people involved with the club, including supporters, players and former players, owners, administrators and local writers, to describe the club's history within its social context, how changes have affected the club and how developments in football itself have made an indelible impact upon both the football club and the wider community. This is a must-have for any fan of the 'Mighty Whites'.

In the course of his work as a vicar, Dave Tomlinson meets lots of people who describe themselves as 'not good enough' to be a Christian, thinking that faith involves going to church a lot, or believing in a list of strange things, or following certain rules. But being a Christian isn't about any of that - and actually, following Jesus is a lot easier, and more fun, than most people think... In this handbook to Christianity for people who describe themselves as spiritual but not necessarily religious, Dave sketches out some key practices for how to be a 'bad' Christian, including how to talk to God without worrying about prayer, how to read the Bible without turning off your brain, and how to think with your soul rather than trying to follow rules. With beautiful illustrations from artist Rob Pepper, this is an accessible, light-hearted book, but one with a powerful invitation: to be the person you've always wanted to be, following a God you've always hoped is on your side.

For Leeds United fans of a certain age, the 80s are the Dark Ages, the Wilderness Years between the collapse of the team that Don Revie built and the Rebirth brought to Elland Road by Howard Wilkinson in the 90s when Leeds United were for a time once again the best team in the country. That was before Wilkinson sold Eric Cantona to the hated Manchester United and then lost his way and his job. Success came too early and quickly for Wilkinson’s own good and when the Caspian Group bought out the club in 1996 they had eyes only for George Graham and gave him the chance to redeem himself from his ‘bung’ controversy. When George Graham high-tailed it off back to London, David O’Leary succeeded him and built a brand new and very exciting new team around his ‘Babies’. The 80s were grim and grey days when Margaret Thatcher held sway and Leeds imploded before Wilkinson came over the hill like a dour knight in shining armour to lead the club back to the Promised Land and a completely unexpected league championship triumph in 1992. And oh how we partied when Wilko delivered the holy grail. This is the tale of how Don Revie’s Paradise was lost, how Leeds collapsed into the Second Division, almost made it the FA Cup final and promotion in 1987 before Billy Bremner was sacked and chairman Leslie Silver recruited Howard Wilkinson from Sheffield Wednesday to develop a new legacy. These are the years when the First Division gave way to the Premiership, when money and television changed everything and football became a business rather than the People’s Game. This book covers the period from 1980 to 2000 when Leeds crashed and burned and rose from the ashes to become the last English First Division champions.

Dave Tomilinson is author of "The Post Evangelical", a seminal book which acknowledged the disenchantment with simplistic approaches to faith experienced by many evangelicals. Many, locked into interpretations of Christianity that they can no longer accept, have given up on the Church altogether. But is re-enchantment possible in our post-modern, post-Christian age?Re-enchantment is not a return to credulity or an attempt to recapture lost innocence, but it is finding a realistic faith that reconciles heart and head, that offers a positive, engaging spirituality, that is unafraid of grappling honestly with difficult questions.

Dave Tomlinson's book How to Be a Bad Christian was written for all those who want God without the guff - revealing that being a 'bad' Christian is perfectly good enough, and that it's possible to ditch religion without losing the faith. The Bad Christian's Manifesto continues the conversation, unpacking what spiritual intelligence - from an unapologetically Christian viewpoint - might look like for all the self-confessed bad Christians of the world. Join Dave as he explores how to befriend your inner sceptic, make a virtue of pleasure and find heaven in the ordinary things of life.

'Very interesting, it's all about not alienating people before they even think about crossing the threshold of where you worship.' Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2 Do you feel more at home on the edges of faith than at the centre? Would you call yourself a bit of a black sheep? Too often Christian spirituality has been associated with conformity, or a subculture where people don't feel able to ask questions. But Dave Tomlinson, author of How to be a bad Christian, doesn't think it has to be like this; instead, our spiritual communities can be 'laboratories of the Spirit' - places where we can explore issues of faith and spirit with openness, imagination and creativity. Welcome to black sheep spirituality - where doubts and questions are an essential part of faith; where difference of opinion is a sign of a secure community; where divine revelation is embraced wherever it is found - in the arts, science and the natural world as well as religious tradition; and where faith is something that is lived and practised rather than embalmed in beliefs or ritual. 'Theology for anyone and everyone' BBC Radio 2

'Very interesting, it's all about not alienating people before they even think about crossing the threshold of where you worship.' Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2 Do you feel more at home on the edges of faith than at the centre? Would you call yourself a bit of a black sheep? Too often Christian spirituality has been associated with conformity, or a subculture where people don't feel able to ask questions. But Dave Tomlinson, author of How to be a bad Christian, doesn't think it has to be like this; instead, our spiritual communities can be 'laboratories of the Spirit' - places where we can explore issues of faith and spirit with openness, imagination and creativity. Welcome to black sheep spirituality - where doubts and questions are an essential part of faith; where difference of opinion is a sign of a secure community; where divine revelation is embraced wherever it is found - in the arts, science and the natural world as well as religious tradition; and where faith is something that is lived and practised rather than embalmed in beliefs or ritual. 'Theology for anyone and everyone' BBC Radio 2