If You're Proud To Be A Leeds Fan
If You're Proud To Be A Leeds Fan

Author: Tom Palmer

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2013-03-01

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1780577990

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When the Gelderd End sings 'If you're proud to be a Leeds fan clap your hands' you clap your hands . . . but should you? Leeds United Football Club have one of the worst reputations in the country. For years the fans and players - fairly or unfairly - have been associated with thuggery. In If You're Proud to be a Leeds Fan Tom Palmer tries to work out just why he claps and why, when he has to miss a home game for work, he feels so bad. Set in the 2001-02 Premiership season, the author follows Leeds United at stadiums home and away, in bars watching satellite, listening to Radio Leeds and Radio Five Live and watching the pages of Ceefax. He focuses as much on the fans as on the action on the pitch and tries to establish whether Leeds fans and players are really so bad. The book examines the highs and lows of the club's recent history and their impact on the supporters - from the Paris riot in 1975 to relegation in 1982 and the glory of the 1992 League win. Palmer discusses the Bowyer-Woodgate trial, the board's plans to take Leeds United away from Elland Road, the controversial replacement of manager David O'Leary with Terry Venables, and the club's persistent hooliganism problems, especially the fans' unceasing hatred of Manchester United. If You're Proud to be a Leeds Fan tries to explain why, in the face of so many reasons why you shouldn't, you still find yourself clapping. The book includes Leeds poet Tony Harrison's poem 'v.'.

From Bovril to Champagne
From Bovril to Champagne

Author: Matthew Eastley

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1452005826

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There was a time, not so long ago, when the FA Cup really mattered. When fans would go to extraordinary lengths to get tickets for Wembley and when the biggest teams of the day saw the FA Cup as a 'must have' rather than a 'nice to have.' The 1970s was, quite simply, a fantastic decade for the most famous domestic competition in the world, a decade in which the wonderful 'David and Goliath' stories which were the very essence of the Cup, at last spread themselves to the final itself. Of course, football fans everywhere know the stories. The famous goals by the likes of Porterfield, Stokes, George, Webb and Osborne. The saves by Montgomery, the misses by Macdonald, the flukes by Greenhoff and Kelly and the 'five minutes of madness' of the 1979 final. But what are not known are the stories of the fans who were at Wembley to witness these amazing matches which are so fondly remembered today. This book features, first-hand, exclusive stories from the fans who were there. Fans who defied the FA's patently unfair ticket allocation to get to Wembley. The book features love, tragedy, kinship and loyalty all played out before a backdrop of pop music, television, films, news and politics. It is a book not about players and celebrities but about true football fans, many of whom regard their personal Wembley experience as one of the greatest - or worst - occasions of their life.

You're Going Home in a F*****g Ambulance
You're Going Home in a F*****g Ambulance

Author: Cass Pennant

Publisher: John Blake

Published: 2022-08-18

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 178946191X

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In his latest book, bestselling author Cass Pennant takes an engaging and unparalleled look at some of the most volatile and violent scenes of fans following their football clubs to have unfolded over the past five decades, and examines the lengths to which many will go to put one over their local rivals. Here is history that also examines everything from the changing face of football violence, to who gets involved - and why. It looks, too, at how the' firms' operate, both home and away, and at the effects of the football establishment's often counter-productive attempts to contain hooliganism on the psychology of supporters. Has the war on hooliganism been successfully stamped out? Can it ever be won? This remarkable and informative book gives a frank examination of football violence to show how different inter-club and inter-regional rivalries have evolved - and features many first-hand accounts of incidents that make chilling reading. It builds up to provide the most comprehensive look behind the match-day madness and the activities of some of British football's most notorious hooligans, to give answers as to why these games are so important to supporters. The history of such infamous 'firms' as the ICF, the Bushwackers, the Headhunters, and the Red Army has never been fully documented . . . until now. You're Going Home in a F*cking Ambulance is an eye-opening study of a problem that refuses to go away, by a writer who knows his subject inside-out.

LGBT Football Fans
LGBT Football Fans

Author: Rory Magrath

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-11-10

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1000992632

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While recent years have seen the emergence of a significant body of research on LGBT inclusion in sport, little is known about LGBT fans. This book provides the first in-depth examination of LGBT football fans’ experiences and sense of place in the contemporary English game. Drawing on almost 100 semi-structured interviews with LGBT fans, it explores several important findings, including how these fans represent ‘authentic’ notions of fandom, the emergence of LGBT Fan Groups, improved stadium environment for LGBT fans, LGBT-themed chanting and the role of governing bodies and professional football clubs. The research presented in this book extends current theorising of under-represented groups of sports fans. This is fascinating and important reading for those with an interest in the sociology of sport, sports fandom, gender and sexuality.

The Extra Mile
The Extra Mile

Author: Kevin Sinfield

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2023-05-25

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1804942766

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The extraordinary memoir of the sporting icon, devoted friend to Rob Burrow, and fundraising hero who has inspired the nation in his fight against MND NOW UPDATED WITH TWO BONUS CHAPTERS ON SINFIELD'S LATEST CHALLENGES THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘A very British hero, the unassuming yet utterly superb Kevin Sinfield – rugby league great turned rugby union coach turned charity fundraiser, all while carrying a torch for the true meaning of sport and friendship. The Extra Mile tells how Sinfield set about raising money to combat motor neurone disease, the appalling condition that has gripped his former Leeds Rhinos teammate and best pal, Rob Burrow. If Sinfield weren’t such a modest man, his story could be subtitled, How to Be a Decent Person.’ The Times, Sports Books of the Year, 2023 'If you want inspiring, uplifting and empowering... give this amazing man some of your time' Jake Humphrey 'Kevin Sinfield is adored and respected . . . he is the best of men' Brian Moore, Daily Telegraph 'I've always thought Kevin Sinfield was a hero. His quiet, calm, committed leadership makes people want to support him and we are all doing that as he supports Rob Burrow and everyone living with MND' Clare Balding 'The friendship between Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow gives you faith in humankind' Sir Chris Hoy The Extra Mile is no ordinary sports memoir. But Kevin Sinfield is no ordinary sportsman. A one-club legend of Leeds Rhinos, who has now crossed codes as a defence coach for the England national rugby union team, Kevin Sinfield is a rugby icon. But in recent years has shown heroism of a very different kind through his selfless and extraordinary fundraising for motor neurone disease (MND), the terminal illness that has affected his best mate and former teammate Rob Burrow. Sinfield's epic challenges have included running 7 ultra marathons in 7 days, and running over 101 miles in 24 hours. In the process, Sinfield has captured the hearts of the nation and over £7 million for MND. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday honours for his efforts, along with the Freedom of Leeds and a special BBC Award for his fundraising. Told with Sinfield's characteristic warmth, dry wit and inspirational leadership, The Extra Mile is the story of an astonishing life, of an enduring friendship, of perseverance against the most difficult of challenges, and of a remarkable, humble human being who has defied the odds. The book equips readers with the tools and the mindset to embrace togetherness and to overcome their own challenges. It leaves the reader with the urgent question: Who would you go the extra mile for to help in life? PRAISE FOR KEVIN SINFIELD 'Inspirational does not do him justice, he's that and much, much more' Matt Dickinson 'Kevin Sinfield is an incredible human being' Gabby Logan 'A total hero' Yvette Cooper 'Britain's greatest sportsman (off the pitch) ... Kevin Sinfield's fundraising is a poignant story of friendship and human endeavour' The Times Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, June 2023

Devil on the Dancefloor
Devil on the Dancefloor

Author: Barbara Ann Joyce

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers

Published: 2023-06-23

Total Pages: 49

ISBN-13: 1528998693

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The story consists of people who live happy lives but encounter human barriers and have become strong in mind and soul due to determination. The initials LGBT stand for loving, gentle, beautiful, and transparent. If you investigate them with a broad and open mind you will see their hearts are exactly like everyone else’s: strong and beating. There are many devils not only on the dance floor but in every environment or workplace. The night club and business. A surgeon will operate on a person whoever they are, or who or what they believe in: the body parts are all the same. A firefighter will risk his life to extract a person from a burning building and he thinks only to save a life, with no thought to who they are. This world has many devils in all shapes, forms, and status - one day hopefully they will wake up and smell the coffee.

All on the Line
All on the Line

Author: Padraic Maher

Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland

Published: 2022-11-03

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1399714082

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'One for the hurling fan, and for all those who appreciate the sacrifices involved in a 100% commitment to team and tribe' RTÉ Guide Pádraic Maher is one of the greatest hurlers of his generation and an icon in his beloved Tipperary. Winner of three All-Ireland senior hurling medals and six All-Star awards, Maher was one of Tipperary's key men for over a decade while with his club, Thurles Sarsfields, he ignited a revival that led to seven county titles. Born into a passionate GAA family, hurling was Maher's life. Until, in spring 2022, he was forced into a shock early retirement. Here, he looks at the events leading up to the injury that ended his career and takes us back through his life with hurling to give an honest and down-to-earth account of the sport, the club and the county that means so much to him. From being a central figure in the great Tipperary-Kilkenny rivalry, to the unforgettable trilogy of Tipperary-Galway All-Ireland semi-finals, to his side of one of hurling's most famous tackles, All on the Line gives an unforgettable insight into the commitment it takes to be a GAA player in modern Ireland, and the passion this great hurler holds for his club and county.

Longy - Booze, Brawls, Sex and Scandal
Longy - Booze, Brawls, Sex and Scandal

Author: Sean Long

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2010-09-06

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 184358218X

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Sean Long is one of the finest rugby league half-backs to ever pick up the oval ball. Long started his pro career at his hometown club Wigan Warriors and, after a short stop-over at Widnes, he was signed by St Helens in 1997 to fill the boots of another Saints legend, Bobby Goulding. It wasn't long before the Knowsley Road faithful took Longy to their hearts. Long has won every major honour in the game at club level and is the only player in Challenge Cup history to win the Lance Todd Trophy three times as man of the match in the 2001, 2004 and 2006 finals. He also won 15 caps for Great Britain and five for England before retiring from international rugby on 16 April 2007. Still one of the most colourful characters ever to play the game, he continues to wear the No 7 shirt at St Helens.

My Favourite Year
My Favourite Year

Author: Various

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2012-11-29

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1780225520

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An outstanding collection of football writing - edited by Nick Hornby, author of the bestselling Fever Pitch Roddy Doyle's account of the Republic of Ireland's triumphant journey through Italia '90 is just one of the many first-class pieces in this anthology of original football writing. Contributors include: Roddy Doyle, Harry Pearson, Harry Ritchie, Ed Horton, Olly Wicken, D.J. Taylor, Huw Richards, Nick Hornby, Chris Pierson, Matt Nation, Graham Brack, Don Watson and Giles Smith.