Wayne Rooney: Boots of Gold
Wayne Rooney: Boots of Gold

Author: John Sweeney

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2012-04-30

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1849543518

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This book is not your usual whitewash. Irreverent, hilarious and surprising, Wayne Rooney: Boots of Gold is a tarts-and-all biography of England's most famous sportsman and an exposé of the iniquities of some of those who have sought their pound of flesh from his celebrity. Short-tempered and sweary he may be, but there's no doubting Rooney's passion for the beautiful game. But who is the real Wayne Rooney? On the one hand there was the disastrous World Cup in 2010, sex scandals and the unedifying spectacle of his grotesque contract negotiations with Manchester United; on the other, unprecedented success as the best British footballer of his time. On form, he's an unstoppable force, and the jewel in the crown of one of the most powerful club sides in history. But then there's the infamous entourage: a controversial agent, a crooked lawyer, tarts and gangsters, all attracted to the fabulous money Rooney gets for kicking a pig's bladder around a field. Wayne Rooney: Boots of Gold charts the rise and fall - and rise and fall again - of football's most intriguing star.

Weirwolf
Weirwolf

Author: David Weir

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2013-10-10

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1849546509

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David Weir was born without the use of his legs, and not only learned from an early age to cope with his disability, but defied his limitations to become a great wheelchair racer and national hero. Here he sheds light on his journey from frustrated schoolboy to Paralympic athlete and champion, and reveals how instrumental the 2012 Paralympics were in transforming attitudes towards disability - not only in Britain but around the world. Weirwolf is the extraordinary inside story of the man who won a total of six gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, and who is six-time winner of the London Marathon. It is an inspirational tale of the fight against discrimination and the desire to change the face of sport.

Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel

Author: Daniel Meuren

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2021-09-30

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1785907247

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"Absorbing. An essential primer for Chelsea fans and a warning to everyone who isn't a Chelsea fan." – Daniel Finkelstein "Daniel and Tobias were on the Tuchel train from the beginning and they give you the full story of one of the most fascinating coaches in the game. Instructive and revealing for the novice and with plenty of freshness for seasoned Tuchel watchers too. A very satisfying read." – Andy Brassell, The Football Ramble podcast *** When Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea in January 2021, having been unceremoniously sacked by PSG, few could imagine that a mere four months later he would be leading the Blues to victory in the UEFA Champions League final. Tuchel inherited a misfiring Chelsea side that he quickly galvanised with his exciting attacking style and brilliant tactical thinking. But who is Thomas Tuchel? Fans of his former clubs PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz would describe him as one of the best football managers in the world. An innovator, tactician, rulebreaker and sometimes controversialist, Tuchel went from a youth manager with Mainz to the top of the Bundesliga with Dortmund in just five years. He has identified and nurtured rising talents, such as André Schürrle and Christian Pulisic, and has also managed dressing rooms full of superstars, including Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. This is the definitive story of Thomas Tuchel: from his early days as an academy player at Augsburg and as a young manager at Mainz, to his successful but conflict-laden stint at Dortmund, his bittersweet tenure at PSG and finally his arrival mid-season at Chelsea. Compelling and revealing, Thomas Tuchel: Rulebreaker provides a fascinating insight into the life and mind of one of the most exciting coaching talents in football today.

In Search of Duncan Ferguson
In Search of Duncan Ferguson

Author: Alan Pattullo

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2014-09-11

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1780577478

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He was one of the hardest, most controversial footballers of his generation: the £20million man who became the first professional player to go to jail for an offence committed on the field of play. He was the fans’ hero who disappeared. Duncan Ferguson was an old-fashioned Scottish centre-forward who went from a boarding house in Dundee to the marble staircase of Rangers in a record-breaking transfer. His £4m move from Dundee United to Ibrox made him British football’s most expensive native player. But he would also become one of the most notorious footballers in the land. Sent to prison after head-butting an opponent during a Scottish Premier Division match between Rangers and Raith Rovers, Ferguson made history all over again. He served half of a three-month sentence in Glasgow’s infamous Barlinnie Prison. A twelve-match ban from the Scottish Football Association was later overturned following a long appeal process. Bruised by the experience, he turned his back on Scotland’s national team and the media. Ferguson reaped the riches of the Sky era. He was a folk hero at Everton, where he spent ten years either side of an injury-hit spell at Newcastle United. Although the game made him a millionaire, he rejected its new culture of celebrity and remained a fiery figure, racking up a Premiership record of eight red cards. And then, after scoring in the final minute of the last game of his career, he turned his back on football completely – or so it seemed.

Kicking Back
Kicking Back

Author: Nedum Onuoha

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2022-05-17

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 1785907484

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"A searingly honest account ... Nedum tells it like he played, with nothing left out." – Guy Mowbray, Match of the Day "A frank, thought-provoking and compelling insight into one of football's most articulate voices." – Rory Smith, New York Times chief soccer correspondent "Nedum Onuoha's autobiography is considerably more compelling than most of those by more decorated players." – When Saturday Comes *** Nedum Onuoha was not a typical footballer. Picked by the Manchester City Academy aged ten, he was determined to continue his education despite the lure of a career under the floodlights. Fiercely intelligent on and off the pitch, Onuoha developed into a talented defender and played his part in City's meteoric rise. In this characteristically forthright book, Onuoha reveals what goes on behind the scenes at top-tier clubs. Stuffed with insights into household names like Stuart Pearce, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp, this is football and its most famous figures as you've never seen them before. Kicking Back is also the story of one man's search for identity: as a footballer, as a black man in England and as an outsider in the US during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. What is it like to receive horrific racist abuse while doing your job? And how has football failed the black community? Onuoha provides a damning assessment of the sport's authorities as he dives deep into a life spent on the pitch.

North Korea Undercover
North Korea Undercover

Author: John Sweeney

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2013-11-14

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 144817094X

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North Korea is like no other tyranny on earth. It is Orwell’s 1984 made reality. The regime controls the flow of information to its citizens, pouring relentless propaganda through omnipresent loud speakers. Free speech is an illusion: one word out of line and the gulag awaits. State spies are everywhere, ready to punish disloyalty and the slightest sign of discontent. You must bow to Kim Il Sung, the Eternal Leader and to his son, Generalissimo Kim Jong Il. Worship the dead and then hail the living, the Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. North Koreans are told their home is the greatest nation on earth. Big Brother is always watching. Posing as a university professor, award-winning BBC journalist John Sweeney travelled undercover to gain unprecedented access to the world’s most secret state. Drawing on his own experiences and his extensive interviews with defectors and other key witnesses, North Korea Undercover pulls back the curtain, providing a rare insight into life there today, examining the country’s troubled history and addressing important questions about its uncertain future. Sweeney’s highly engaging, authoritative account illuminates the dark side of the Hermit Kingdom and challenges the West’s perception of this paranoid nationalist state.

The League Doesn't Lie
The League Doesn't Lie

Author: BBC Radio 5 Live

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2012-09-27

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 1446417700

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In The League Doesn’t Lie, the 606 team have selected the most debatable topics from the world of football, from best manager to most memorable penalty, and worst haircut ever to the ultimate England team. Learn about the top ten football Tweeters. Jump on your 606 Soapbox about the best ever player. And hear about the show’s angriest calls of all time! With introductions from the 606 team for each topic, plus a foreword by Robbie Savage, The League Doesn’t Lie is the ultimate book of football trivia and opinion for Sunday League players and armchair referees alike.

Monkey, Mole, Me
Monkey, Mole, Me

Author: Su Smith

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2011-04-20

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 1447667727

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Monkey, Mole, Me is a book of animal poems for children aged 7 - 13 (ish). From the sublime to the ridiculous, this collection is a must for children, parents and teachers everywhere.

Forman's Games
Forman's Games

Author: Lance Forman

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2016-07-12

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1785901249

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On 6 July 2005, the world held a collective intake of breath as IOC president Jacques Rogge declared: 'The games of the 30th Olympiad in 2012 are awarded to the city of ... London.' Despite the images of jubilant crowds in the streets of Britain's capital, there were some, like Lance Forman, for whom those words spelled only dread and uncertainty. His 100-year-old, fourth-generation family business, H. Forman & Son, was facing eviction to make way for the Olympic Stadium, and teetered on the brink of collapse. A full, unexpurgated account of his fight to keep the firm alive, Forman's Games lifts the lid on the fierce battle that pitched Forman's, the country's finest purveyor of smoked salmon, against the combined might of the UK authorities and the IOC in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics. It is a story of skulduggery and bullying mounted against 350 local businesses, employing over 12,00 people, who stood in the way not just of the world's most famous sporting event, but of an opportunity to develop the land on which they had successfully run businesses over decades.

Dmitry Rybolovlev
Dmitry Rybolovlev

Author: Arnaud Ramsay

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2017-09-28

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 1785903292

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Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev ranks in the top 200 wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes Magazine. Since December 2011 he has been the Chairman of AS Monaco, regenerating the famous football club, and taking it from the bottom of the French Ligue 2 to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the French Ligue 1 Championship title in 2017. A man of many parts, he first trained to be an emergency cardiologist, then became an international businessman, spending eleven months as a prisoner in a Russian jail for a crime he did not commit, before going on to transform the fortunes of fertiliser giant Uralkali and listing the company on the London Stock Exchange. From Russia's Urals Mountains to Monaco's Stade Louis II, this biography traces the epic saga of this reserved, determined and enigmatic character. It dissects his extraordinary story and takes us backstage at this famous football club, where the transfers and negotiations take place. It transports us from Rybolovlev's hometown of Perm in eastern Russia to the private Greek island of Skorpios once owned by Aristotle Onassis and now the retreat of Rybolovlev and his family. With rare access to Dmitry Rybolovlev himself, this is the complete story.