Mike Gibbons

Rob Smyth

Lars Eriksen

The story of the coolest international soccer team in history - the iconic 1980s Denmark national team - told for the first time.

The Story of Football’s Greatest Cult Team

Danish Dynamite

Scott Murray

Classic World Cup clashes brought to life and re-evaluated by two of the writers of the popular Guardian minute-by-minute football blog. Watching each match in real time and reacting to the twists and turns of the action, Murray and Smyth bring you the real stories of the matches as they happened, not the highlights package or rose-tinted version. From the crowd swarming over the pitch moments before the Brazil-Uruguay classic of 1950 kicked off, to the dubious refereeing decisions that decided England's single triumph at Wembley, this is the history of the World Cup as you've never seen it before. As well as 30 classic moments from other matches, the games given a full report include: 1950 Uruguay v Brazil 1962 Chile v Italy 1966 England v Argentina England v West Germany 1970 England v West Germany Italy v West Germany Brazil v Italy 1974 West Germany v Holland 1978 Scotland v Holland 1982 Brazil v Italy West Germany v France 1986 England v Argentina France v Brazil 1990 England vs Cameroon England v West Germany 1994 Romania v Argentina 1998 Argentina v England 2006 Italy v Germany 2010 Spain v Holland

And Gazza Misses The Final

Philippe Auclair

Jonathan Wilson

Iain Macintosh

Gabriele Marcotti

Uli Hesse

Rory Smith

James Horncastle

Jacob Steinberg

Matt Spiro

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Issue Two Contents ---------------- Le Blues ---------------- * Font of all Knowledge?, by Matt Spiro—The Clairefontaine academy was once the envy of the world, but has it gone stale? * What Makes a Nation?, by Philippe Auclair—The recent French race furore ignores the diversity of France's footballing culture ---------------- Interview ---------------- * Dragan Stojković—Andrew McKirdy talks to Dragan Stojković about his philosophical similarities to Arsène Wenger, his lost years and Japan's development -------------------- In Argentina -------------------- * Óscar Bravo, by Jonathan Wilson—How Óscar Washington Tabárez led Uruguay to Copa América glory as Argentina and Brazil misfired * La Historia de los Piñeyros, by Rupert Fryer—A fictional account of one family's experience of the 1978 World Cup ------------------ The Media ------------------ * The Man who Said it was Magnificent, by Rob Smyth—Barry Davies relives some old memories and discusses the state of modern commentary * The Man who Made Calcio, by James Horncastle—How Gianni Brera shaped the language and style of Italian football * The Man who Ate his Hat, by Scott Murray—The story of Lieutenant Commander Tommy Woodrooffe, the BBC's first football commentator --------------------------------- Back From The Brink --------------------------------- * Football to Remember, by Uli Hesse—How Borussia Dortmund returned from the verge of extinction to win the Bundesliga title ------------- Theory ------------- * Wenger, l'Auteur, by Miguel Delaney—What Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Cimino and the Hollywood of the seventies tell us about Arsenal * Brazil, and the Rise of the Back Four, by Rob Sweeney—How foreign influences led to the evolution of the back four in Brazil -------------- Italia 90 -------------- * A Sentimental Journey, by Gabriele Marcotti—The 1990 World Cup as experienced by a teenage Italian ---------------- Polemics ---------------- * Is Football Still Sport?, by Rory Smith—It unfolds like a soap opera for the entertainment of millions and the profit of a few. What has football become? * Too Fast, Too Furious?, by James Grossi—Why have so many creative players suffered such dreadful injuries in the MLS this season? ----------------------------- Football Manager ----------------------------- * The Ballad of Bobby Manager: My Autobiography, by Iain Macintosh—When somebody takes their game of Football Manager just a little too seriously... -------------------------- Greatest Games -------------------------- * St Étienne 3 Dynamo Kiev 0 (aet), by James Horncastle—European Cup quarter-final second-leg, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, St Étienne, 17 March 1976 ------------------- Eight Bells ------------------- * Finals Before the Final, by Jacob Steinberg—A selection of eight games that really shouldn't have been wasted on the earlier rounds

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Two

Robin Smith

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS * Robin Smith was one of England's most popular cricketers of the 1990s. The Judge, as he was known to all, took on some of the most dangerous fast bowlers of all time with a skill and fearlessness that ensured hero status. His savage square cut drew roars of approval from fans all around the world, especially those of his beloved England and Hampshire. But when he was prematurely dumped from the England set-up at the age of 32, he had to face his toughest opponent of all - himself. Smith suffered a debilitating loss of identity, especially when he retired from professional cricket in 2003, and struggled to deal with the contradictions in his personality. Was he the Judge, the fearless warrior, or Robin Smith, the frantic worrier? Without a support structure to transition from cricket to the outside world, Smith suffered from mental health, alcohol, marital and financial problems until he hit rock bottom and planned to take his own life. In The Judge - More than Just a Game, he revisits his experience of extreme darkness and challenges received wisdom about masculinity and mental health. He also shares the many highs and lows of his eventful international and county career, including his exhilarating battles with the West Indies and his struggles against mystery spin. And he reflects fondly on a time when cricketers worked hard and partied even harder; a time almost unrecognisable to the modern day.

More Than Just a Game

The Judge

Michael Cox

James Corbett

Rupert Fryer

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Contents of Issue Thirteen ---------------- History ---------------- * Uli Hesse, Never the Twain - The story of the meeting between West Germany and East Germany at the 1974 World Cup * Greg Johnson, Hearts and Minds - Spain threaten, like Lennox Lewis, to be a great but unloved champion * Richard Jolly, The Clubs behind the Countries - Which clubs have produced the most World Cup winners? * Martín Mazur, The Moral Pendulum - Argentina’s eternal vacillation between fútbol and anti-fútbol ---------------- Brazil ---------------- * James Corbett, Fifa, Go Home! - What does hosting the World Cup mean for Brazil? * James Young, Futebol Nation? - How much do Brazilians really care about football? * Marius Lien, A Troubled History - The ambiguous past of José Maria Marin, the head of the Brazilian World Cup -------------------------- Protagonists -------------------------- * Rupert Fryer, Sideshow takes Centre Stage - The Brazil defender on handling the pressure of being hosts * Mike Phillips, The Multi-Kulti Question - How the Switzerland national team became part of the debate on immigration * Vladimir Novak, Better Late than Never - Algeria’s Vahid Halilhodžić on finally making it to the World Cup as a manager * Leo Verheul, The Artist’s Boy - The Netherlands striker was shaped by the Rotterdam in which he grew up ----------------- Minnows ----------------- * Sean Carroll, The Secret Team - An Yeong-hag and Chong Tese on playing for North Korea at the 2010 World Cup * Michael Yokhin, The Indomitability of Lions - In 1990 Cameroon overcame shambolic preparations to shock the world * Oliver Pickup, Milla’s Time - Oliver Pickup speaks to Roger Milla about becoming his nation’s saviour at 38 * Martín Mazur, Two Men Down - In 1982 El Salvador came from war, chaos and corruption, lost 10-1 and retained their dignity ----------------- Fiction ----------------- * Iain Macintosh, Quantum of Bobby - Spinning through time and space, Bobby Manager finds himself in Italy in 1990 -------------------------- Greatest Games -------------------------- * Jonathan Wilson, Hungary 4 Uruguay 2 (aet) - World Cup semi-final, Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland, 20 June 1954 * Rob Smyth & Scott Murray, Italy 3 Brazil 2 - World Cup second phase, Group C, Estadi de Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain, 5 July 1982 ---------------- Eight Bells ---------------- * Michael Yokhin, World Cup Cameos - A selection of players who played only a few minutes at the World Cup

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Thirteen

James Young

George Osborn

First published in December 2016, Issue Twenty Three contains 18 articles in 6 sections, including: Paul Simpson on the end of Ron Knee and Private Eye's relationship with football; Joe Devine talks to David Icke about football's role as an opiate to suppress the masses; and Rupert Fryer with a selection of nutmegs for the ages.

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Twenty Three

Amy Lawrence

James Montague

Igor Rabiner

First published in June 2016, Issue Twenty One contains 15 articles in 8 sections, including: James Montague visiting Albania to get the lowdown on Ismail Morina and the drone controversy; Igor Rabiner on how a fall from a tree set Leonid Slutsky on his way to the top; and Amy Lawrence curates a people's history of the 1966 World Cup.

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Twenty One

Simon Kuper

Ben Lyttleton

Tim Vickery

Dion Fanning

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Contents of Issue Fourteen ------------------------- World Cup Review ------------------------- * Cassiano Gobbet, The End of the Affair - Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final defeat will reverberate through history: what went wrong? * Ben Lyttleton, The Inevitable Conclusion - Another World Cup exit on penalties: why can’t the Dutch win shoot-outs? * Various, Notes from a Tournament - It wasn’t all about the football. Memories of the 2014 World Cup. * Ryu Voelkel, A selection of the best images from the 2014 World Cup --------------------- Past Glories --------------------- * Elko Born, The Velvet Revolution - Johan Cruyff, Ajax and the struggle for the soul of Dutch football * Dan Nolan, Orbán Planning - The Hungarian prime minister’s attempts to restore the national team to glory * Rob Smyth, Lars Eriksen, Mike Gibbons, The End of the Affair - How Spain and a misplaced backpass halted Denmark’s glorious 1986 World Cup campaign --------------------- The Misfits --------------------- * Richard Jolly, Bye-bye Bebé - The strange Manchester United career of the Portuguese striker * Luke Alfred, Best in Show - While most fans were focused on the 1974 World Cup, George Best was playing in South Africa * Joachim Barbier, The Still Point - Can a player like Javier Pastore make it at a club like PSG? ------------------------------ The Revolutionaries ------------------------------ * Alex Footman, $10 Per Day - Aid poverty and political turmoil, football goes on in Afghanistan * John Harding, Football’s First Millionaire - How Bolton’s Jack Slater smashed class barriers to make his fortune * Pedar Foss, The Rise and Fall of Castel Rigone - The entrepreneur, the village team and the experiment in humanistic capitalism * Gunnar Persson, A Passage to Indiana - The Swedish great Murren Carlsson’s doomed attempt to make it in the USA * Philippe Auclair, The Second Birth of French Football - Michel Hidalgo survived kidnapping to lead France to the 1978 World Cup ----------------- Fiction ----------------- * Iain Macintosh, Quantum of Bobby - Spinning through time and space, Bobby Manager finds himself in Escape to Victory ------------------------ Greatest Games ------------------------ * Michael Yokhin, Russia 1 Ukraine 1 - Euro 2000 qualifier, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, 9 October 1999 ------------------- Eight Bells ------------------- * Jack Lang, Brazilian Courtroom Dramas - A selection of controversies in the Brazilian game that were settled off the pitch

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Fourteen

Ann Tornkvist

Luke Alfred

Sergio Levinsky

Carl Worswick

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Issue Eighteen contains 20 articles in 8 different sections: ---------------- Outsiders ---------------- * The Turf War, by Ann Tornkvist - How the murder of promising footballer Eddie Moussa sheds light on Sweden's gang culture * The Agony of Doha, by James Montague - Despair at a World Cup qualifying tournament in 1993 proved the springboard for the rise of Japan * Out of the Shadows, by Peter McVitie - The remarkable rise of PEC Zwolle, the minnow who reached successive Dutch Cup finals * Porterfield's Legacy, by Robert O'Connor - His former assistant Tom Jones remembers how Ian Porterfield inspired Armenia's resurgence ---------------- Liverpool ---------------- * The Forgotten Full-Back, by Scott Murray - John Barnes, John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley dazzled, but Steve Nicol was key to Liverpool's 1987-88 title * Accidental Hero, by Shaul Adar - Ronnie Rosenthal played an implausibly important role in Liverpool's last title success * Farewell, My Lovely, by Dileep Premachandran - A fan who followed from afar pays tribute to Steven Gerrard ---------------- Foundations ---------------- * The Ball Game Bulganin, by John Harding - It's 60 years since Jimmy Guthrie led the Professional Footballs Association into the TUC * The Unacknowledged Filters, by Jack Pitt-Brooke - Uncovering the hidden world of the football translator * The Nietzschean Dream of Barcelona, by Uriah Kriegel - Luis Enrique found the perfect blend of Apollonian and Dionysian to reinvigorate Barca * Flight of the Ladybird, by Jonathan Wilson - A centenary celebration of the publisher whose history of football was a set text for generations ---------------- Polemics ---------------- * The Subscription Model, by Tsjalle van der Burg - Does putting football on pay television really make economic sense? * A Convenient Culprit, by Luke Alfred - Is Steve Goddard really the only man to blame for South Africa's match-fixing scandal? ---------------- Women's World Cup ---------------- * Settling the Score, by Glenn Moore - The USA won a third title as the women's game confirmed the huge strides it has taken ---------------- Copa America ---------------- * The 99-Year Wait, by Jonathan Wilson - Under Jorge Sampaoli, Chile discovered a pragmatic edge to win their first trophy * Shifting Plates, by Sergio Levinsky - What the Copa America told us about the balance of power in Conmebol * The Unappreciated Genius, by Sergio Levinsky - After another defeat in a final, the Argentinian public is losing patience with Lionel Messi * The Caravan of Death, by Carl Worswick - El Estadio Nacional, where the final was won, played a central role in the aftermath of Pinochet's coup ---------------- Greatest Games ---------------- * Manchester United 2 Liverpool 2, by Rob Smyth - Premiership, Old Trafford, 1 October 1995 ---------------- Eight Bells ---------------- * Head Boys, by Naomi Westland - A seleciton of football-playing heads of state

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Eighteen

Sid Lowe

Graham Hunter

Miguel Delaney

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Contents of Issue Twelve ---------------- The Rivals ---------------- * Sid Lowe, Power Play - Carles Rexach and Jorge Valdano discuss the changing nature of the Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalry * Miguel Delaney, Gamechanger - Johan Cruyff on his role in creating the style of Barcelona and modern football * Graham Hunter, An Honourable Man - How Vicente del Bosque overcame rejection by Real Madrid to lead Spain to glory --------------------------- A Game of Chess --------------------------- * Philippe Auclair, Beyond the System - Could the lessons of chess show football the way to an exciting new future? * Scott Oliver, Play Jazz, not Chess - Reflections on football, order and the imagination, and the need for improvisation ------------ Theory ------------ * Steve Menary, Maximum Opportunity - Was Charles Hughes a long-ball zealot, or pragmatist reacting to necessity? * Sergio Levinsky, The Cult of the Pibe - Argentina’s love affair with scruffy urchins with feet of gold --------------------------------- Defenders of the Faith --------------------------------- * Paul Brown, The Birth of the Fan - Why Victorians flocked to watch 22 men kicking a pig’s bladder about * James Montague, Jerusalem Syndrome - The mysterious disappearance of Guma Aguiar, the saviour of Beitar Jerusalem * Brian Homewood, Identity Crisis - Unpicking the convoluted threads of Mexico’s franchise system * Bartosz Nowicki, Dream Fulfilled - Relief and glee as Cardiff City finally found their way into the Premier League -------------------------- Against the Odds -------------------------- * Robin Bairner, Sleeping Giant - In 1982, Jean-Pierre Adams was given anaesthetic before knee surgery. He hasn’t woken up. * Richard Jolly, And Not to Yield - Only one sportsman can match Ryan Giggs for longevity: the New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter * Javier Sauras and Felix Lill, The Street Dogs of Manila - The Philippines are rising through the rankings, but are they Filipino enough * Matthew Campelli, Second City Syndrome - Why has Birmingham struggled for football success for 30 years? --------------- Polemics --------------- * Alex Keble, Artist or Machine? - An investigation into the paradoxical relationship between sport and creativity * Tim Vickery, Alternate Title - The lessons sports journalists can draw from the Monkees --------------- Fiction --------------- * Iain Macintosh, The Quantum of Bobby - After his exile in Qatar, Bobby Manager returns to English football. Or does he…? ------------------------- Greatest Games ------------------------- * Rob Smyth, England 1 West Germany 1* - World Cup semi-final, 4 July 1990, Stadio delle Alpi, Turin ----------------- Eight Bells ----------------- * Michael Yokhin, Non-identical twins - A selection of twins who looked the same but played very differently

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Twelve

Harry Pearson

Dominic Bliss

George Caulkin

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Contents of Issue Fifteen ----------------------- The North-East ----------------------- * Jonathan Wilson, A Sentimental Journey - In a world of superclubs, what’s the point of the ordinary teams? * George Caulkin, The Great Betrayal - Mike Ashley and the cheapening of the Newcastle dream * Harry Pearson, The Van Basten of Hartlepool - Adam Boyd and the glory of a flickering talent * Michael Walker, Bob Paisley and the Red Kennedys - The north-eastern influence that underlay Liverpool’s period of domination ------------------ Strikers ------------------ * Dominic Bliss, A Season in Turin - Denis Law remembers his year playing in Serie A * Jim Davies and Juan Felipe Rubio, The Lost Weekend - Spending two days on Faustino Asprilla’s Colombian ranch * Thierry Marchand and Philippe Auclair, A Game for Individuals - Thierry Henry reflects on how football has changed in his 20 years at the top ------------------------------- Davids and Goliaths ------------------------------- * Luke Alfred, The Boys who never Grew Up - South Africa are African football’s greatest underachievers. What’s gone wrong? * Robin Bairner, When FFP Goes Wrong - Luzenac’s promotion to the French second flight should have been a joyous fair-story but it killed the club * Will Unwin, Defying the Odds - How tiny Eibar have taken their place in the Spanish top flight * Paul Watson, Fifa’s Exiles - For Pacific islands, football development can be a haphazard and fragile process ------------- Theory ------------- * Nicholas Blincoe, The Roundhead’s Paradox - Tony Pulis and the conflicted character of British Puritanism * Amy Lawrence, Wengerball - Arsène Wenger, the Invincibles and the transformation of Arsenal’s philosophy * Jonny Singer, The Archduke and the Offside Law - Did the First World War lead to the most significant ever change to the Laws of the Game? * Marti Pararnu, Pep Talk - How Guardiola inspired Bayern Munich before the Super Cup shoot-out against Chelsea ----------------------------------- The Sense of an Ending ----------------------------------- * Ewan MacKenna, Fallen Eagle - The death of the former Nigeria striker Rashidi Yekini remains shrouded in mystery. * Alessandro Mastrolucca, Bergamini - 25 years ago the Cosenza midfielder Denis Bergamini was run over by a truck. Was it murder? --------------- Fiction --------------- * Iain Macintosh, Quantum of Bobby - Spinning through time and space, Bobby Manager finds himself at Roy Keane’s Sunderland ------------------------ Greatest Games ------------------------ * Scott Murray, Liverpool 3 Newcastle United 0 - FA Cup final, Wembley Stadium, London, 4 May 1974 ------------------ Eight Bells ------------------ * Rob Smyth, Dethronings - A selection of champions who surrendered their titles in decisive fashion

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Fifteen

Anthony Clavane

Dominic Sandbrook

David Winner

The Blizzard is a quarterly publication put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Contents of Issue One ------------------------- Fortunes of War ------------------------- * Stars of David, by James Montague—The astonishing story of Israel's first national team * The Collaborator, by Philippe Auclair—The treacherous life and traitor's death of Alexandre Villaplane, France's first World Cup captain ------------------------- Interview ------------------------- * Dennis Bergkamp — David Winner talks to Dennis Bergkamp about his greatest goals, the nature of genius and the importance of predicting the future ------------------------- Leeds ------------------------- * Revie-Nixon, by Dominic Sandbrook—How ignominious exits overshadow the successes of a US president and a Leeds United manager * Mind of Peace, by Anthony Clavane—David Peace discusses the inspiration behind "The Damned Utd" and why he won't apologise to John Giles * 44 Days, Later, by Lawrence Donegan—Why Jock Stein lasted no longer than Brian Clough at Elland Road ------------------------- Theory ------------------------- * The First Bilardista, by Jonathan Wilson—How Victorio Spinetto pioneered pragmatism in Argentinian football * The Brain in Spain, by Sid Lowe—Juanma Lillo, mentor to Pep Guardiola, explains his thinking on clubs, coaching and why society is sick ------------------------- Grass Roots ------------------------- * Duels on the Nile, by Paul Myers—A report from Sudan on the second championship for Africans playing their football at home * An Exile at Home, by Scott Anthony—Vasilis Hatzipanagis, Greece's greatest player, explains why he never played a competitive game for his country * Port in a Storm, by Ben Lyttleton—The extraordinary success of the academy at Le Harve * Marsh Attacks, by Simon Hooper—How a Sunday League team gives London's Romanians a sense of identity ------------------------- Denmark '92 ------------------------- * Once Upon a Time..., by Dave Farrar—The fairy story of Denmark's 1992 European Championship campaign ------------------------- Origins ------------------------- * The Sum of their Parts, by Gunnar Persson—The rise and fall of Motala and its football team * When the Kites weren't Black, by Dileep Premachandran—The lost legacy of Indian football * Man and Boy, by David Ashton—Fathers, sons and the grumbling terraces of industrial Scotland ------------------------- Polemics ------------------------- * The Pillars of the Earth, by Simon Kuper—Could it be that the Premier League boom has only just begun? * What's the Point of Football Writing?, by Tim Vickery—There's more to it than getting up late, isn't there? Isn't there? * World's Apart, by Kieron O'Connor—Fifa and the financial legacy of the South African World Cup ------------------------- Football Manager ------------------------- * The Ballad of Bobby Manager: My Autobiography, by Iain Macintosh—When somebody takes their game of Football Manager just a little too seriously... ------------------------- Greatest Games ------------------------- * Manchester United 2 Real Madrid 3, by Rob Smyth—European Cup quarter-final second-leg, Old Trafford, Manchester, 19 April 2000 ------------------------- Eight Bells ------------------------- * Pre-War Scottish Legends, by Scott Murray—A selection of eight of the early stars of the game in Scotland

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue One

The improbable story of a soccer player who scammed his way into a lengthy career…without ever playing in a game. Born in Rio Pardo, Brazil, Carlos Henrique Raposo had dreams of becoming a professional soccer (futbol) player. After a youth career at Botafogo and Flamengo, he had his sights set on the future. Whether given the nickname “Kaiser” due to his resemblance of superstar Franz Beckenbauer or a bottle of Kaiser beer, he used his new-found name to begin a career where he “wanted to be a footballer, but did not want to play football.” Thus began a decade-plus career that spanned across Brazil (Botafogo, Flamengo, Bangu, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, and America), Mexico (Puebla), France (Gazelec Ajaccio), and the United States (El Paso Sixshooters). Relying on his charm and friends in high places—from fellow footballers Carlos Alberto Torres, Ricardo Rocha, and Renato Gaucho, to reporters willing to write “stories” of his “career”— Carlos Kaiser used his skills of deception to have a storied career without ever stepping foot on the pitch. Whether faking injuries, having friends lie for him, making up tall tales, or getting thrown out of a match just before taking the field, Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football is an incredible story of the lengths one man went to have a professional soccer career without every playing a game. Originally published in the UK, and with a world-renowned documentary released on his life, Kaiser! shares the lengths taken by one man who wanted all the glitz and glory of being a professional athlete . . . without ever having to be an actual athlete. So whether you’re a fan of soccer, futbol, professional sports, or stories of cunning and deception, Kaiser! is the story you don’t want to miss!

The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football

Kaiser!

Georgina Turner

Jumpers For Goalposts is a fascinating reflection on the history of British soccer, which examines why the charm, innocence, and good humor has disappeared from today's game, compared to the golden days of yesteryear. Smyth considers everything from the huge wage bills, to players' lack of loyalty to their clubs, and their escapades off the pitch. He concludes that the true beauty of football is when it's at its simplest. Including anecdotes from players, past and present, and other sporting insiders, Jumpers For Goalposts is an exhaustive study of whether football has lost its charm—and, perhaps more importantly, whether it can ever get it back.

How Football Sold Its Soul

Jumpers for Goalposts

Rob Smyth

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