Books about Know The Score Books

Review

Synopsis: Denis Smith was football's real hardman in an era in which brutal defenders such as Ron 'Chopper' Harris, Norman Hunter and Tommy Smith introduced themselves to opposing centre-forwards with a friendly whack on the upper thigh. A man who knew no fear, Smith's fierce tackling once earned him the accolade in the Guinness Book of Records of the most injured man in football. Despite his reputation as a hatchet man, earned partly because of his tough upbringing on the unforgiving streets of Stoke-on-Trent, Smith was an integral part of the Stoke City team which won the first major trophy in the club's history in 1972. Coveted by Leeds, Manchester United and Brian Clough, alongside greats such as Gordon Banks, Alan Hudson, George Eastham and Jimmy Greenhoff, the unfashionable Potters established themselves amongst the elite in the English game.Then, as his career developed into management, Smith was responsible for the birth of the careers of the likes of Andy Cole, Garth Crooks, Steve Bould, Lee Chapman and Marco Gabbiadini. As manager, Smith helped York tot up the first ever hundred point total in Football League history, defeated Arsenal in the FA Cup and took on mighty Liverpool before moving on to Sunderland, a club who had fallen to the lowest position in their history. Dragging them up by their bootstraps, Smith led his rebuilt team back into the top flight within three years before being sacked in a season in which his side eventually reached the FA Cup final.A career managing clubs such as West Bromwich Albion, Oxford United, Bristol City and Wrexham has provided him with an incredible breadth of experience of how to deal with footballers with problems as diverse as egos, jealousy and a death amongst his playing squad and seen him become one of the few managers to preside over 1,000 matches in charge.Tough-talking, candid and in places brutally honest, Smith's autobiography reveals his tough upbringing amidst the gangs of Stoke-on-Trent, how he helped save Sir Alex Ferguson's job, the stories behind encounters with the likes of Ian Botham, Eddie Jordan, Clive Lloyd, Geoff Hurst, Frank Williams and how he nearly changed the course of former England coach Steve MacLaren's career.

Review

Synopsis: Why do football supporters choose one club rather than the other in a city where intense, often deep-seated rivalries exist? What made the choice for them; family ties, politics, religion, race, gang membership? Or were the clubs just different in what they stood for on the field as much as off it? Douglas Beattie spent two years getting underneath the skin of mainland Britain's biggest derby rivalries. These are the matches that are built up by the media as passionate, divisive and vitally important for the entire cities they are played in. These are the games that have a history of violence, fueds, social unrest and bigotry. But what is the truth about the origins behind these entrenched rivalries? And how does the enmity, so often displayed by supporters and, gleefully, by the media, reveal itself in modern times? With divisions going back as far as the English Civil War and preconceptions - mostly wrong - littering the landscape, Douglas visited Sheffield, Birmingham, north London, Manchester, Liverpool, the north east, Edinburgh and Glasgow to discover the answer to question such as, why do the citizens of Sheffield call each other 'Pigs', who was Wallace Mercer, the man who divided Edinburgh, what is it like to spend a day with Birmingham City's Zulu hooligans, why do the theme tune of 'Z Cars' and a banana loom large in the history of the 'friendly' Merseyside derby, and who really eats prawn sandwiches in Manchester?

Review

Synopsis: Whenever a famous footballer dies, there is an inevitable degree of public grief, depending on the age of the individual and the circumstances of his demise. But newspaper obituaries, in the majority of cases, are not about mourning. They are about the celebration of the lives of often remarkable characters who have loomed large in the collective consciousness of their countless supporters, people who have admired them week by week, season by season; been touched by them, perhaps outraged by them, maybe even loved them in that special way which fans reserve for their sporting heroes.The "Independent" newspaper is renowned for its detailed and heartfelt biographies of important figures in every sphere of life. "The Book Of Football Obituaries" deals with the detailed life and times of over 150 players, managers and personalities who have died in the last 15 years. Between these covers rest the likes of George Best, Alan Ball, Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Alf Ramsey, Brian Clough, Emlyn Hughes, John Charles and many more. The list is formidable, the scale of their achievement truly uplifting, and the essence of these exceptional men is captured here. This collection, featuring iconic images of every person included in the book, reveals the depth and breadth of research and knowledge which goes into each obituary and forms a collection of stunning remembrances of some of the greatest personalities to grace the game in recent times.

Review by - Nathan Davies

A footballer must possess skill, loyalty, passion and commitment to the cause if they are to penetrate the cynical soul of supporters, gain access to their hearts and earn the status of cult hero. Celtic's Cult Heroes includes 20 biographies of Parkhead ‘legends' - not necessarily the best players to play for the club but those, increasingly rare, players who manage to conjure a certain affinity with diehard fans. These well-written biographies are especially pertinent as they are compiled with love, affection and detail by a lifelong Celtic fan in David Potter. Players featured include Dan Doyle, Jimmy McGrory, Dixie Deans, Charlie Nicholas, Henrik Larsson and Shunsuke Nakamura among others.

Review

Synopsis: Only Sir Bobby Charlton and Ryan Giggs have played more games for Manchester United than Bill Foulkes, the granite bulwark of the Red Devils' rearguard for 15 years and a key figure in the history of the club. He played at right-back for the original Busby Babes, helped to pioneer the path of British clubs in Europe and survived the Munich air disaster. Then he switched to centre-half, becoming the defensive cornerstone of Matt Busby's third and last great team, a sumptuous collection of talent which peaked with triumph in the 1968 European Cup. Along the way Bill garnered four League championships medals, was a central figure as the FA Cup was lifted in 1963 and terrorised the life out of the First Division's finest attackers.

Review by - Nathan Davies

Unless you're an avid Carlisle United fan I would guess that you'd struggle to name five Brunton Park icons off the top of your head. However, author Paul Harrison has compiled a joyous celebration of 20 of the club's cult heroes including Bill Shankly, Bob Stokoe, Stan Bowles, Peter Beardsley and Jimmy Glass. Some player biographies can be dull and dry but lifelong fan Harrison injects his prose full of amusing anecdotes, strange facts and newly published interviews that make reading about the most obscure of characters to those outside Cumbria enjoyable.

Review by - Nathan Davies

David McVay is a former footballer who once plied his trade for Notts County. Whether or not McVay is still welcome at Meadow Lane is unclear but I doubt many of his former fans will be rushing out to purchase his latest book about Nottingham Forest's cult heroes. McVay skilfully pens short biographies of 20 City Ground icons including Wally Ardron, Jeff Whitefoot, Jim Baxter, Brian Clough, Stuart Pearce and Jason Lee.

Review

Synopsis: "Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot" examines the much tarnished reputation of FIFA, the governing body of world football, and just how they justify the exclusion of some 'nations' from their organisation while welcoming others. For two years, Steve Menary traced the incredible journeys of the teams that FIFA refuse to recognise - either for reasons of political expediency, or because FIFA just believed they could not compete with the likes of Montserrat on the world stage. Intrigued by just why anyone would want to play for such no hoper 'nations', he became drawn into a scene which surprised him in its positive approach to both the beautiful game and nationalism, and eventually resulted in the FIFI (Federation of International Football Independents) 'Wild Cup', featuring teams from officially non-existent countries such as Zanzibar, Greenland, Tibet and Northern Cyprus, being successfully staged in Germany prior to the FIFA World Cup in 2006.

Review by - Nathan Davies

Rangers Cult Heroes includes biographies of 20 Ibrox icons who possessed explosive talent and skill but also had a fair share of arrogance and impudence - a powerful mix that conjures feelings of passion, excitement and devotion amongst football fans. This entertaining book is easy-to-read and Paul Smith - a journalist for the Aberdeen Press and Journal - has done a good job in telling the history of the club through the player histories. Players featured include Ally McCoist, John Greig, Terry Butcher, Andy Goram and Mark Walters among others.

Review by - Nathan Davies

The Match of My Life series provides a captivating collection of first-person accounts by former footballers of their careers and in particular the most memorable match they played in. There are archive pictures and statistics on each player before the players entertain us with anecdotes and memories of classic matches. The Derby County edition, edited by Nick Johnson, includes recollections from fourteen club legends such as Dave Mackay, Darren Moore, Marco Gabbiadini, Kevin Wilson. Steve Powell and Phil Gee. With a foreword by Roy McFarland this is another worthwhile read from the Know The Score stable.