Tales from the Fraud Squad


Book Description

Tales from the Fraud Squad takes the reader on a journey from Willie McGee’s childhood in Mayo to the mean streets of Dublin as a fresh-faced officer in the late seventies, before rising through the ranks to become Head of the Fraud Squad. This book is packed full of extraordinary stories of elaborate forgeries, outrageous insurance scams and inventive crimes, along with the ingenious and meticulous attention to detail with which officers amassed evidence and brought the perpetrators to court. McGee writes fluidly and incisively, and tells his story with an open-hearted charm and warmth. Whether dealing with a common criminal or a former Taoiseach under the spotlight of a tribunal, McGee was unwavering in his quest for the truth. As he succinctly puts it, ‘money is never free and those who were caught paid a severe price for thinking that it was’. Equally well known for his heroics on the football field, Mayoman Willie ‘Four-goals’ McGee depicts a host of colourful characters – the con artists and tricksters he encountered in the line of duty – and paints a vivid picture of the murky underworld of Ireland in the 1980s and ’90s.




Hollywood Stories


Book Description

Just when you thought you've heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book - a special blend of biography, history and lore. Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been part of the world's most fascinating, unpredictable industry! Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, icons and will keep you totally entertained!




Secret Agent


Book Description

'I always knew I wanted to do something in football just like I always knew I wanted to be rich.' So begins this true account from a British football agent currently working at the heart of the English game. From mere coffee boy, to lowly scout, to multi-million pound wheeler dealer with the Big Four and the cream of the clubs in the UEFA Champions League: this book charts The Secret Agent's fast and furious progress through the dressing rooms, board rooms and bedrooms during the most recent days of the premier league. The glamorous field of sports agents was made famous over a decade ago in the Tom Cruise film Jerry Maguire but a romantic comedy this most definitely isn't - The Secret Agent presents the somewhat darker truth that often lies behind that film's most memorable line 'SHOW ME THE MONEY!!' a witty, worrisome, fearless and occasionally heartless account of ambition, greed, and power in a cut -throat and self-obsessed world. This book doesn't just look to lift the lid on today's EPL it tears it off and hurls it across the room. In the recent January transfer window the football world saw over 2,500 transactions take place and spending of close to $350 million - with sums like these involved it is hardly surprising that the beautiful game attracts no shortage of young men quite prepared to break the rules in order to get their share of the spoils.




Scoring At Half-Time


Book Description

Michael Parkinson: 'What was the nearest to kick-off that you made love to a woman?'George Best: 'Er- I think it was half-time actually'George Best was the first celebrity footballer and to many the greatest British player ever. In Scoring at Half-Time he gathers together his favourite memories, stories and anecdotes from his experiences in and out of the game over the last forty years. No dressing room door is left unopened, no player's bar tale untold and no secret kept in this fond, humorous look at football's golden era from the man who was usually there when it happened. Inside stories and lurid tales about George, Bobby, Denis, Nobby and Fergie amongst others. Scoring at Half-Time will delight anyone who has ever wanted to spend time in the company of the footballing legend.




Tales from the Secret Footballer


Book Description

FOOTBALL'S BIGGEST CHARACTERS TELL IT LIKE IT IS Who is the Secret Footballer? Well he's back and this time his mates speak out too. Players, agents, coaches and managers give you access to all areas of the Premier League. From deal-making to play-making, from dodgy tactics to drunken antics, they reveal the unforgettable highs and the unforgivable lows. This is football as you've never seen it before. 'What happens behind closed doors at Premiership clubs usually stays firmly shut behind closed doors. Not if the Secret Footballer has anything to do with it.' Loaded **From the bestselling author of I am the Secret Footballer and The Secret Footballer's Guide to the Modern Game.**




Access All Areas


Book Description

A candid examination of the inner workings of a football club, from the bestselling anonymous insider, dishing up the good, the bad, and the really ugly.




The Secret Player


Book Description

In the vein of Hotel Babylon and Confessions of a GP, The Secret Player will fascinate footballs fans with its wealth of insider knowledge and willingness to talk, albeit anonymously, about the inner workings of the game. Based on the hugely popular 'The Player' columns in FourFourTwo magazine, the book gives a warts-and-all insight into the daily life of professional footballers. Month by month, it chronicles the oscillating rhythms of the season, from the trudge of pre-season to the 'squeaky-bum time' of promotion and relegation. The player himself has played at all levels of English football - from Premier League to a season of non-League - and represented England.




When Footballers Were Skint


Book Description

Shortlisted for The Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2019 Long before perma-tanned football agents and TV mega-rights ushered in the age of the multimillionaire player, footballers' wages were capped – even the game's biggest names earned barely more than a plumber or electrician. Footballing legends such as Tom Finney and Stanley Matthews shared a bond of borderline penury with the huge crowds they entertained on Saturday afternoons, on pitches that were a world away from the pristine lawns of the game's modern era. Instead of the gleaming sports cars driven by today's top players, the stars of yesteryear travelled to matches on public transport and returned to homes every bit as modest as those of their supporters. Players and fans would even sometimes be next-door neighbours in a street of working-class terraced houses. Based on the first-hand accounts of players from a fast disappearing generation, When Footballers Were Skint delves into the game's rich heritage and relates the fascinating story of a truly great sporting era.




Dave Thomas


Book Description




Snow in May


Book Description

Residents of a thriving port town in Russia's Far East are shaped by regional history and lore throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, from a local woman who considers an Italian footballer's proposition to a former Soviet boss' memories about a thorny friendship.