A Life in Football: My Autobiography


Book Description

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Wrighty's characteristic honesty means his book is far more engrossing than most bland football memoirs' Sunday Times Ian Wright, Arsenal legend, England striker and TV pundit extraordinaire, is one of the most interesting and relevant figures in modern football. His journey from a South London council estate to national treasure is everybody's dream. From Sunday morning football directly to Crystal Palace; from 'boring, boring Arsenal' to inside the Wenger Revolution; from Saturday afternoons on the pitch to Saturday evenings on primetime television; from a week in prison to inspiring youth offenders, Ian will reveal all about his extraordinary life and career. Ian will also frankly discuss how retirement affects footballers, why George Graham deserves a statue, social media, why music matters, breaking Arsenal's goal-scoring record, racism, the unadulterated joy of playing alongside Dennis Bergkamp and, of course, what he thinks of Tottenham. Not a standard footballer's autobiography, Ian Wright's memoir is a thoughtful and gripping insight into a Highbury Hero and one of the greatest sports stars of recent years.




How to Be a Footballer


Book Description

'Very funny on almost every page, wonderfully self-deprecating and very sharp on the ludicrous behaviour of the modern player' - Sunday Times 'The funniest man in British sport' - Metro **A Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year** **Shortlisted for the National Book Awards** **Longlisted for the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year** You become a footballer because you love football. And then you are a footballer, and you're suddenly in the strangest, most baffling world of all. A world where one team-mate comes to training in a bright red suit with matching top-hat, cane and glasses, without any actual glass in them, and another has so many sports cars they forget they have left a Porsche at the train station. Even when their surname is incorporated in the registration plate. So walk with me into the dressing-room, to find out which players refuse to touch a football before a game, to discover why a load of millionaires never have any shower-gel, and to hear what Cristiano Ronaldo says when he looks at himself in the mirror. We will go into post-match interviews, make fools of ourselves on social media and try to ensure that we never again pay £250 for a haircut that should have cost a tenner. We'll be coached and cajoled by Harry Redknapp, upset Rafa Benitez and be soothed by the sound of an accordion played by Sven-Goran Eriksson's assistant Tord Grip. There will be some very bad music and some very bad decisions. I am Peter Crouch. This is How To Be A Footballer. Shall we?




Graduation


Book Description

The 2010/11 season will go down as a memorable one for Goalkeeper Richard Lee. After more than ten years at Watford FC, Richard signed for League One outfit Brentford FC, but soon found himself cast aside. Dropped after one game and behind three other goalkeepers before he would get another opportunity - Richard would take on his toughest challenge to date! Cup wins, penalty saves, hypnotherapy and injury would follow, but these things only tell a small part of the tale. Suffering from acute mental anxiety throughout his career pushed Richard into making a choice between fight or flight. Could he overcome his fears or take the easy road out and quit? Fortunately for Brentford fans, he chose to fight. Throughout this book, Richard shares his understanding of the mind and how to apply it for high-level performance. Filled with anecdotes, insights, humour and honesty - Graduation uncovers Richard's campaign to take back the number one spot, save a lot of penalties, and overcome new challenges. What we see is a transformation - beautifully encapsulated in this extraordinary season.




Is There Life After Football?


Book Description

"Draws upon the experiences of hundreds of former players as they describe their lives after their football days are over. It also incorporates stories about their playing careers, even before entering the NFL, to provide context for understanding their current situations. The authors begin with an analysis of the 'bubble'-like conditions of privilege that NFL players experience while playing, conditions that often leave players unprepared for the real world once they retire and must manage their own lives. The book also examines the key issues affecting former NFL players in retirement: social isolation, financial concerns, inadequate career planning, psychological challenges, and physical injuries"--Amazon.com.




Family


Book Description

From the award-winning author of NO HUNGER IN PARADISE Outside the global spotlight, footballers don't drive Aston Martins or pose for underwear ads. This is war. This is life. This is football. Michael Calvin turned up for the first day of pre-season training at Millwall FC. 333 days later, he sat among the subs at Wembley. Over the course of a season, he witnessed the intimate everyday life of a football club far from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, and the unique characters that come together every day on the field. These are dedicated, hard-working family men, close to their roots, 'playing for the people who hate their jobs, who'd love our lives.' Forget about the over-hyped circus of the Premier League. This is the beautiful game in all its raucous glory: essential reading for anyone whom football is a way of life.




How Not to Be a Professional Footballer


Book Description

An anecdote-driven narrative of the classic footballer's ‘DOs and DO NOTs’ from the ever-popular Arsenal legend and football pundit Paul Merson, aka ‘The Merse’.




Consuming Football in Late Modern Life


Book Description

Consuming Football in Late Modern Life explores the phenomenon of football (soccer) fandom as consumption in the age of late modernity. By centralising fandom within the sociology of consumption, the book examines how this phenomenon equates to a fluid series of consumption activities that are practiced in the course of everyday life. In turn, the work departs from much of the existing literature that features exceptional properties of fanatical fans, in order to emphasise the position that seemingly trivial acts of consumption can have a profound influence on the construction, maintenance and evolution of football fandom cultures. Containing up to date research findings derived from a programme of interviews with a sample of football fans, Kevin Dixon examines the social, emotional, economic and technological implications of consumption as fans participate in and respond to the demands of consumer life.




My Turn


Book Description

"A personal portrait of the forefront European soccer star traces his early years with Ajax, the award-winning achievements that have made an indelible mark on Spanish soccer and his post-World Cup contributions as a coach and team advisor, "--NoveList.




Denis Law: My Life in Football


Book Description

When Denis Law signed for Manchester United from Torino for a British record fee of £115,000 in 1962, even at the age of 22 he had already established himself as one of the world's great forwards. No wonder his arrival at United sparked a revival in the club's fortunes, as they won the FA Cup in his first campaign. In his second season, 1963-64, he scored 46 goals - a club record that stands to this day - and became European Footballer of the Year. He then helped United to league titles in two of the next three terms, delivering 39 and 25 goals respectively. Now, having reached 70 years old, Denis looks back on his remarkable career and reflects on both the highs and the lows from his time on the pitch and beyond, as captured in lavishly reproduced photographs, many of them in full colour. Denis Law: My Life in Footballis a book no true fan of football can afford to be without.




My Life in Football


Book Description

Kevin Keegan is one of the greatest players in English football history. Throughout his career as a player and manager he was famed for his style on the pitch and the passion for the game, which he shared with his fans. In My Life in Football, Keegan tells the story of his life, from the streets of Doncaster to signing for Liverpool under Bill Shankly where he won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, a European Cup and the FA Cup before moving to Hamburg where he won the Bundasliga as well as the Ballon d'Or twice. After retiring, Keegan enjoyed a legendary five-year spell as manager at Newcastle United during which the club was promoted to the Premier League and then finished runners up in the top flight, not once but twice. In My Life in Football, Keegan tells the full story of the glorious highs, but also the pain of managing England and his unhappy return to Newcastle for a short-lived second tenure. Brilliant, funny, passionate, deeply moving and incredibly honest, My Life in Football is the full story of an incredible journey from miner's son to being crowned 'King Kev' by his adoring fans.