Rory Smith

Football has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it’s not the algorithms or new metrics that have made this change, it’s the people behind them.

Expected Goals: The story of how data conquered football and changed the game forever

Simon Kuper

Anthony Clavane

Aleksandar Hemon

Philippe Auclair

Jonathan Wilson

Mike Calvin

Andy Brassell

Jonathan Liew

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. Issue Ten Contents: ----------------Forgotten----------------* The Dreamers, by Philippe Auclair — Amid the protests of 1968, a group of journalists took French football leaders hostage* The Silenced Crowd, by Richard Fitzpatrick - When Manchester United and Liverpool colluded to fix a match* The Reluctant Cabbie, by Michal Petrák - The tragically curtailed career of the Czechoslovak great Rudolf Kucera* The Unmarked Grave, by Tom Adams - What really happened to Andrew Watson, British football’s first black star* The Talent Spotters, by Mike Calvin - A glimpse into the murky and unglamorous world of football scouts----------------Interview----------------* Fatih Terim, by Andy Brassell - The Emperor on the rise of Turkish football and breaking the glass ceiling with Galatasaray---------------------Nationalisms---------------------* Anyone But China, by Henryk Szadziewski - Football plays a vital role in establishing a sense of identity for the Uyghur people* The Hamburg Factor, by Simon Kuper - The Euro 88 semi-final marked the peak of the Dutch-German football rivalry* No Man’s Land, by Jonathan Wilson- Sinisa Mihajlovic, Vukovar and the compromises of war---------------------Photo Essay---------------------* Golden Vision, by Felix Lill and Javier Sauras - The Olympic dream that fires the world’s greatest blind footballer------------Theory------------* Notes on Street Football, by Aleksandar Hemon - What kickabouts reveal about the tortured artists of neo-romantic myth* A Man for all Seasons, by Aleksandar Holiga - Tomislav Ivic pioneered pressing and won league titles in five different countries-------------Writers-------------* The Thinker, by Vladimir Novak - Ivan Ergic on the competing draws of football and philosophy* More Important Than That, by Anthony Clavane - David Peace discusses Red or Dead, his novel about the life of Bill Shankly---------------Polemics---------------* Literally on Fire, by Jonathan Liew - How the game’s relationship with smoking has changed over the years* The Death of Mystery, by Rory Smith - Is the modern thirst for knowledge taking the fun out of football?* An Extra Edge, by Colin O’Brien – Is football really clean, or does the sport have its head in the sand?* Importing “Puto!”, by Nicolas Poppe – What a chant reveals about attitudes to homosexuality in US stadiums* The Voice of a Nation, by Dan Edwards – The commentator Victor Hugo Morales is controversial, but makes football matter-----------Fiction-----------* Los Cincos y los Diezes, by Rupert Fryer - A letter changes the life of a young footballer forever---------------------------Greatest Games---------------------------* AC Milan 2 Benfica 1, by Miguel Delaney - European Cup final, Wembley Stadium, London, 22 May 1963-------------------Eight Bells-------------------* Computer Games, by George Osborn - Key moments in the development of the football sim

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Ten

The Men Who Gave the World the Game

Mister

Rob Smyth

Iain Macintosh

Gabriele Marcotti

Uli Hesse

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

Jumpskip Productions LLC

Phylliss DelGreco

Jaclyn Roth

Kathryn Silverio

In "Wednesday, A Walk in the Park," Jessie spends a glorious day in the park with Grandpa, frolicking in the falling leaves, swinging on the swings, and encountering a variety of other people. In the ordinary course of walking and talking and playing, Grandpa imparts his wisdom and love of life, and Jessie sees in him what she hopes to be. "Wednesday, A Walk in the Park" is the third book in The Jessie Books series, which offers an inspiring story for each day of the week, featuring a precocious little girl who lives with her two moms in Queens, New York. Be sure to join Jessie on Thursday, when, on a play date, she and friends Helenna and Alex make some surprising discoveries.

Wednesday, a Walk in the Park

Ian Hawkey

David Conn

Igor Rabiner

Tim Vickery

Davidde Corran

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 Nine Contents ----------- Iran ----------- * The Vacant Lot, by Gwendolyn Oxenham—The search for a kickabout in Iran is complicated by religion and gender politics * Conflict Management, by Noah Davis—Dan Gaspar is a key part of Iran's qualifying campaign for Brazil 2014 despite holding a US passport --------------- Interview --------------- * Zbigniew Boniek, by Maciej Iwanski—The Polish great discusses Juventus, the modern game and his friendship with Michel Platini ------------------------------------------- For the Good of the Game ------------------------------------------- * The Only Way is Ethics, by Philippe Auclair- Fifa's super-cop Michael J Garcia explains his mission to wash the corruption out of football * Power Play, by James Corbett—The Asian Football Confederation's presidential elections highlight football's murky governance * Genesis, by Davidde Corran—How a tournament in China in 1988 changed women's football forever ------------- Theory ------------- * The Weight of the Armband, by Joel Richards—The Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella explains why he made Lionel Messi national captain * Pep's Four Golden Rules, by Simon Kuper—How Guardiola made Barcelona the masters of the pressing game * Taking the Initiative, by Nick Ames—Andy Roxburgh, the former Uefa technical director, on how football tactics are changing --------------- The North --------------- * City and the City, by David Conn—What does Sheikh Mansour's investment mean for the city of Manchester? * Meanwhile Back in Sunderland, by Jon Spurling—How a Tyne Tees documentary on Cup final day 1973 captured the spirit of the town * That Grandish Pile of Swank, by Anthony Clavane—Tracing Leeds United's place in the tradition of Northern Realism ------------------ Lev Yashin ------------------ * The Jersey That Wasn't Black, by Igor Rabiner—Lev Yashin's widow and Eusébio remember the great Soviet goalkeeper --------------- Polemics --------------- * Partisans and Purists, by Charlie Robinson—Do fans experience football differently to those who watch without a vested interest? * The Lager of Life, by Tim Vickery—Football is haunted by violence, but can it be blamed for it? -------------------- Past Glories -------------------- * The Nearly Men, by Ian Hawkey—Zimbabwe's nostalgia for the Dream Team of Bruce Grobbelaar and the Ndlovu brothers * The Grand Griguol, by Dan Colasimone—How El Viejo defied accusations of boringness to inspire the golden age of Ferro Carril Oeste * A Dream Denied, by Antonis Oikonomidis—But for the politics of Greek football, Ferenc Puskás might have ended up in Athens not Madrid --------------- Fiction --------------- * In Search of Punditaria, by Scott Oliver—An anthropologist heads into the jungle to discover a society founded by stranded football journalists ---------------------------- Greatest Games ---------------------------- * Bari 4 Internazionale 1, Rory Smith—Serie A, Stadio San Nicola, Bari, 6 January 1996 ------------------ Eight Bells ------------------ * Goalless Draws", by Jonathan Wilson- A selection of the best 0-0s in history

The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Nine

Rory Smith

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