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Hard Knocks & Soft Spots
By Paddy Doherty. 2012
'I fight hard and love strong. I'm a traveller.'Paddy Doherty loves his life as an Irish traveller, but as a…
child he felt like an outsider. He was different to his siblings. On the rare occasions he went to school, he was bullied for being a gypsy boy. And beyond the gates of the camp he found nothing but hostility. Slowly, Paddy's hurt turned into anger and by the age of 11 he had started out on an illustrious career in bare-knuckle fighting. This earned him a position as one of the most well-respected (and feared) men in the travelling community. Yet while he won countless contests in the ring, the real battles he faced were very much outside.In this deeply honest autobiography, he tells of how he has loved and lost five children; plummeted to seven stone while battling depression, drink and drugs. He describes how it feels to be shot point-blank in the head and the lengths he'll go to to protect his people, as well as life since My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and Big Brother.Told with all the warmth and humour he is famed for, Paddy's rich and colourful story is one that will stay with you for a long time to come.The House of Lancaster: How England Rugby was Reinvented
By Neil Squires. 2015
Acclaimed world champions in 2003, the England rugby union team came home from the World Cup in New Zealand eight…
years later to the sound of silence. Their rugby was uninspiring and their reputation in tatters. Stuart Lancaster - former burger-flipper, PE teacher and the novice Saxons coach - was tasked with turning a failing team around. The transformation was astounding. Now Lancaster's side has the work ethic, humility and resolve to compare with that World Cup-winning team. Much of this is down to their coach, but with so little international experience, how did he bring about this renewal?Part biography, part examination of leadership, The House of Lancaster pulls apart the England rugby machine and looks at how it has been put together. Filled with exclusive interviews from the leading protagonists, players and coaches, as well as containing unprecedented access to Lancaster's methods, The House of Lancaster shows how the vision, personality and leaderships skills of one driven man can turn a team into genuine world-beaters.With a foreword from Sir Ian McGeechan OBEHeroes are Forever: The Life and Times of Celtic Legend Jimmy McGrory
By John Cairney. 2005
James Edward McGrory (1904-82) is a Celtic legend, remembered today as the greatest goal-scorer in the history of Scottish football.…
His record of 550 goals in his 15-year career at Parkhead from 1922 to 1937 is unlikely to be surpassed and will stand forever as a memorial to a player who was a typical product of the period between the two world wars. At a depressing time when wages were low and work was scarce, his feats on the field provided a welcome and much-needed escape for the thousands of ordinary, cloth-capped Scottish working men who packed the dirt terracing to cheer on every move he made. Heroes are Forever tells the full story of McGrory's life and career, and is set against the vividly drawn background of the inter-war period. It is a portrait of a loyal, modest and inspirational man who lifted the hearts of his countrymen and raised the spirits of a nation. It was he, after all, who by scoring twice for Scotland in 1933 provoked the original 'Hampden Roar'.Gloves Off: Tyson Fury Autobiography
By Tyson Fury. 2022
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHORAS SEEN ON NETFLIX'S AT HOME WITH THE FURYS 'Tyson Fury is an amazing…
real-life champion' - Sylvester Stallone, star of Rocky'The People's Champion' - Times'A boxing phenomenon...the anarchic and enormous sports star may prove to be the last of the boxing greats' - John Sutherland, The TimesSon. Father. Husband. Brother. Fighter. Showman. Mental health champion. Told with unflinching honesty and rock-star charisma, Gloves Off by Tyson Fury is the autobiography of a sporting icon, the like of which we may never see again.The undefeated heavyweight champion Tyson Fury looks back on his life and career to understand his remarkable rise, fall, and rise again, which has seen him journey from the brink of suicide to boxing immortality, culminating in his sensational knockout victory against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in front of a record-breaking 94,000 fans.Tyson's book reveals surprising and personal new sides to his character: he opens up about his fairy-tale romance with beloved wife Paris, and their down-to-earth life raising six beautiful children. He describes how his Traveller upbringing forged him, and how his fighting family, including dad John and his brothers, have sustained him.In the process, Tyson discusses his mental health and weight battles, his faith and his greatest boxing experiences. He discloses deeply moving new stories: in the weeks before the biggest fight of his career, Tyson was sleeping on a hospital floor in intensive care tending to his baby daughter, Athena, who was born premature and fighting for her life.Funny, frank and never less than entertaining, this is Tyson Fury at his very best, as you have never read before.Glory, Goals and Greed: Twenty Years of the Premier League
By Joe Lovejoy. 2011
The FA Premier League was born 20 years ago, on 23 September 1991, and has since established itself as the…
most popular club competition in world football. At the start, however, there was opposition from the players' union and the Football League. Then the breakaway elite were faced with the exposure of the game's 'bungs' culture, which stained the reputations of Brian Clough and George Graham, among others.After weathering that storm, the new league was threatened again by the very real possibility of financial meltdown, which was averted only by the controversial takeover of many top clubs by predatory overseas owners.Joe Lovejoy reported on the creation of the Premier League for The Independent and revisits the story in Glory, Goals and Greed, interviewing many of the 'founding fathers'. Later, as chief football correspondent at the Sunday Times, he witnessed all the main events and has spoken again to those involved to shed new light on the best matches, best players and standout incidents of the Premier League's enthralling first 20 years.Give Me A Ring: The Autobiography of Star Referee Mickey Vann
By Mickey Vann, Richard Coomber. 2003
Micky Vann is one of the world's top boxing referees. He has been involved in more than 350 championship fights,…
over 100 of which were world title fights. Outspoken and brutally honest, his hard-hitting views have often found him at the centre of controversy. The biggest night of his career - the 'Battle of Britain' world heavyweight clash between Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis - saw him on the mat for a four-letter outburst broadcast across the world.Vann is the son of showman Hal Denver and the grandson of The Silver King, who included the Elephant Man in his sideshows. In Give Me A Ring, he pulls no punches as he reveals the truth about his unusual childhood, spent between a Dickensian foster home and the circus; the bribe he was accused of taking from Don King; and the sleazy side of the fight game.Give Me A Ring covers Vann's professional career in all it's glory, from his time as a journeyman pro fighter to the fame he has found as a star-grade referee. in this frank and often hilarious autobiography, Vann candidly comments on personalities such as Lennox Lewis, Prince Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Don King, Barry McGuigan and Frank Bruno. He gives his views on the game's rackets and its future. Give Me A Ring is a compelling read, sure to be a revelation to the boxing world and its followersHammers in the Heart: A Lifetime of Supporting West Ham
By Pete May. 2005
West Ham are back in the Premiership and, to celebrate, Pete May reflects on a lifetime of supporting the Irons.…
It's all here in Hammers in the Heart, from a full account of West Ham's triumph against Preston in the Coca-Cola Championship play-off final at Cardiff on 30 May 2005 to his early recollections of Bobby Moore, high-leg DM boots in the North Bank, Billy Bonds' pirate chic, obscene humour in the Chicken Run, Trevor Brooking's sideburns, the FA Cup triumphs of 1975 and 1980, promotions, relegations and sides invariably 'down to the bare bones'. With the dark humour necessary to be a Hammers fan, Pete May recalls Frank McAvennie's Neighbours mullet; Paolo Di Canio's walk-off against Bradford; 'Two Bob' Florin Raducioiu, who preferred shopping in Harvey Nichols to playing for West Ham; Iain Dowie's legendary own goal at Stockport; homeboy Joey Beauchamp; John Hartson attempting to kick off Eyal Berkovic's head in training; beating Bury 10-0 and signing their centre-half; chants of 'We want a new back four!' and relegation with the most talented side ever to go down; and, of course, the sublime skills of Brooking, Devonshire and Di Canio. You'll laugh, you'll wince, you'll probably need a cup of Rosie Lea in Ken's Café after reading Hammers in the Heart, an epic tale of dreams that didn't always fade and die.Little did anybody anticipate that West Ham's play-off final victory against Preston in 2005 would provide the launch pad for…
one of their most successful seasons ever, with the club securing a top-half Premiership finish and qualifying for Europe thanks to its first FA Cup final appearance in 26 years. Indeed, the thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool will be remembered as one of the most dramatic finals of all time. With a keenly anticipated UEFA Cup campaign and the shock arrival of Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano, the future could hardly have seemed brighter. But storm clouds were gathering on the horizon as the Hammers embarked on what would prove to be the most turbulent and traumatic period in the club's entire history. A protracted takeover saga, the sacking of manager Alan Pardew, a Premier League inquiry that would result in a record £5.5 million fine and a season-long battle against relegation were the main issues that dominated the headlines, while an unseen presence - fuelled by ego and avarice - threatened to erode the fabric of the club from within. Yet salvation would eventually be achieved in the most sensational and controversial of fashions.Full of exclusive interview material, anecdotes and analytical comment, Hammers Heaven and Hell investigates the true reasons for two campaigns of contrast and conflict as West Ham experienced both ecstasy and agony in equal measures.Hail! Hail!: Classic Celtic Old Firm Clashes
By Martin Hannan. 2010
Some football derbies around the world might have bigger crowds and feature more fanatical fans, but no fixture has as…
long and passionate a history as the Old Firm derby. For more than 120 years, Glasgow has been divided between the green of Celtic and the blue of Rangers. The first official match ever played by Celtic was a 5-2 win over Rangers in 1888. Since then, the Old Firm derby has grown in stature to be acknowledged as one of the great clashes of football.Concentrating on the twenty greatest Old Firm matches from the perspective of Celtic Football Club, renowned sportswriter Martin Hannan puts these games in context, showing how the two clubs became such massive rivals and why the Old Firm derby became and remains by far the biggest match in Scottish club football.With exclusive reflections from a number of Celtic managers and players past and present, Hail! Hail! covers all of the magical matches, such as the titanic, league-winning 4-2 match in 1979, the amazing 6-2 win in 2000 and, of course, the famous 7-1 victory in the 1957 League Cup final, which remains the Parkhead club's biggest win over Rangers.Highly entertaining and informative, Hail! Hail! is a must-read for supporters of Celtic, football fans in general and anyone who wonders what all the fuss over the Old Firm is about.Giggs: The Autobiography
By Joe Lovejoy, Ryan Giggs. 2011
Ryan Giggs first played for Manchester United in the season before the Premiership began; back when Bryan Robson was still…
captain. He took possession of United's left wing and never loosened his grip. Over a fourteen year career so far, he's seen them all come and go: Cantona, Schmeichel, Beckham and the rest. Sir Alex Ferguson said of Giggs 'I knew we had an outstanding talent when we gave him his debut.' That was back in 1991, but it remains as true in 2005 as it ever was. Giggs has been a pivotal figure in United's dominance of the Premiership. There have been rivals but no other team can match the their sustained record of success over recent years. And Giggs is the only player to have played in all eight of those title winning campaigns. Off the pitch, Ryan Giggs has always closely guarded his private life. But here he opens up for the first time, sharing details of the sometimes turbulent childhood that shaped him and the relationships that have mattered to him to reveal the man behind the famous number 11 red shirt. One thing seems clear: the Old Trafford crowd will be singing 'Giggs will tear you apart again!' for a few years yet ...Haaland: The incredible story behind the world’s greatest striker
By Lars Sivertsen. 2023
The man who can't stop scoring goals for funIn his debut season with Manchester City, Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland has…
set the footballing world ablaze. The 23-year-old striker, known for his unique blend of speed and strength, has redefined the art of goal-scoring.Highly regarded football journalist Lars Sivertsen follows Haaland’s meteoric rise to stardom in this biography, a tale that begins in the small Norwegian town of Bryne where they both grew up. Born to former Manchester City player Alfie Haaland, Erling started his journey at hometown club Bryne FK in 2016 and later moved to Molde FK, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before Manchester City announced his arrival in the Premier League.In his first Premier League season with Manchester City, Haaland has shattered records and achieved his ultimate dream: winning the treble in his first season with the club. This accomplishment solidifies his status as one of the most exceptional talents in football history, and demonstrates that a boy from Bryne can indeed conquer the world of football.In Haaland, Sivertsen delves into Haaland's roots, providing insights from those close to him, and gets to the heart of what makes him tick.Guy Martin: Worms to Catch
By Guy Martin. 2016
‘I was never going to sleep in and take it easy, there were worms to catch.’Breaking records on the world’s…
biggest Wall of Death, cycling 2,745 miles across the length of the United States (while sleeping rough), attempting to be the fastest person ever on two wheels and travelling to Latvia to investigate his family’s roots, it's been a busy year for Guy Martin. There’s been some thrilling racing too, including wild Harley choppers on dirt and turbo-charged Transit vans through the Nevada desert. And don't forget there’s the day job to get back to in North Lincolnshire – the truck yard and the butty van. Guy has done more in one year than most people do in a lifetime, and with his gift for story-telling, he takes you with him to the outer limits of human endurance, and on a dizzying adrenalin high, all in a day’s work.Guy Martin: When You Dead, You Dead
By Guy Martin. 2015
'The maddest 12 months of my life. The journey starts with an oddball race up an American mountain and ends…
with me checking myself out of hospital with a broken back. Again …'As Guy’s Latvian grandfather frequently reminded him, ‘When you dead, you dead’. So before it’s all over, Guy Martin is making the most of the time he’s got. In this past year alone, Guy has raced the Isle of Man TT and finished on the podium; bike trekked through India; competed in solo 24-hour bicycles races; flown a stunt plane; broken a go-kart speed record down a French mountain and attempted to break the motorcycle land-speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats. And he’s done all this around his day job as a truck mechanic. But let Guy tell you about it himself: ‘This book starts in a Transit, ends in a Transit, and in between I’ve raced a few pushbikes, raced a few motorbikes and got a fair few stories to tell you.’ Spot on.Giants Of Scottish Rugby
By Jeff Connor. 2000
From the heights of the Grand Slams to a near whitewash in the 2000 Six Nations championship, one factor has…
remained constant in Scottish rugby - its huge resource of characters. Early in the year 2000, Jeff Connor set out on a mission to track down some of Scotland's best-known players, the true giants of the game, and discover whether there is life after international rugby. The result was 40 exclusive interviews and a book that is enlightening, hilarious and moving in equal measure. There are rare and extended interviews with Ken Scotland, Jim Telfer, Ian McLauchlan, Sandy Carmichael and Andy Irvine. There is the Hawick humour of Jim Renwick, the history of Finlay Calder's greatest wind-ups and the emotive story of Gordon Brown's battle with his most vicious opponent of them all, cancer. Bruce Hay's confrontation with the Duke of Edinburgh, Iain Paxton's disgust at the attitude of some English players on a British Lions tour and David Leslie's fearsome pre-match preparations are all vividly described, along with frankly expressed views from active modern-day players like Gregor Townsend.All rugby fans will find something to treasure in Giants of Scottish Rugby.Guy Martin: My Autobiography
By Guy Martin. 2015
The Phenomenal Sunday Times No1 Bestseller‘It was the start of the third lap of the 2010 Senior TT, the last…
race of the fortnight. The last chance to get a TT win for another year, and I was pushing hard. Ballagarey. The kind of corner that makes me continue road racing. A proper man’s corner. You go through the right-hander at something like 170mph, leant right over, eyes fixed as far down the road as I can see.But this time something happened. This time the front end tucked …’Guy Martin, international road-racing legend, maverick star of the Isle of Man TT, truck mechanic and TV presenter, lives on the edge, addicted to speed, thoroughly exhilarated by danger. In this book we’ll get inside his head as he stares death in the face, and risks his life in search of the next high.We’ll discover what it feels like to survive a 170mph fireball at the TT in 2010, and come back to do it all again. He’ll sweep us up in a gritty sort of glory as he slogs it out for a place on the podium, but we’ll also see him struggle with the flipside of fame. We’ll meet his friends and foes, his family, his teammates and bosses and we’ll discover what motivates him, and where his strengths and weaknesses lie. For the first time, here is the full story in Guy’s own words. From the boy who learned to prep bikes with his dad, to the spirited team mechanic, paying his way by collecting beer glasses in pubs, to the young racer at the start of his first race and the buzz he’s been chasing ever since.This thrilling autobiography is an intense and dramatic ride.God is Dead: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022
By Andy McGrath. 2022
•SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022••A SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES…
AND THE GUARDIAN•The remarkable untold story of the mercurial cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke, written by William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath.They called him God. For his grace on a bicycle, for his divine talent, for his heavenly looks. Frank Vandenbroucke had it all, and in the late Nineties he raced with dazzling speed and lived even faster.The Belgian won several of cycling's most illustrious races, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice and Ghent-Wevelgem. He was a mix of poise and panache who enthralled a generation of cycling fans. Off the bike, he only had one enemy - himself. Vandenbroucke dabbled in nocturnal party sessions mixing sleeping pills and alcohol and regularly fell out with team managers. By 1999 his team had suspended him and this proved to be the start of a long, eventful fall from grace. Depression, a drug ban, addiction, car crashes, divorce and countless court appearances subsumed his life. He threatened his wife with a gun. He tried to commit suicide twice. And when police found performance-enhancing drugs at his house, Vandenbroucke said they were for his dog.It seemed he had finally learned from his mistakes. Then, on 12 October 2009, aged just 34, Vandenbroucke was found dead in a hotel room in Senegal.Guided by exclusive contributions from his family, friends and team-mates, William Hill award-winning author Andy McGrath lays bare Vandenbroucke's chaotic, complicated life and times. God is Dead is the remarkable biography of this mercurial cycling prodigy.The Goalie: My Story
By Andy Goram, Iain King. 2009
This is the story of a genius with flaws. Lots of them. On the field, Andy Goram was a defiant…
figure between the sticks who, in many ways, defined the history-making nine-in-a-row team that brought so much success to Ibrox; off it, he careered through three divorces and a welter of lurid tabloid headlines sensationalising his hellraising antics.In this no-holds-barred account, Goram lifts the lid on his tempestuous life in football, from the Gers' glory days to a fairy-tale chapter with his boyhood heroes: Manchester United. His life in the Old Firm is examined in depth, from the saves that broke former Celtic manager Tommy Burns's heart to a story that was buried until now: Celtic's astonishing bid to sign him.Goram's Scotland career ended in bitterness when he walked out on the squad before France 98, and here he smashes the myths that have always surrounded his relationships with Craig Brown and Jim Leighton.This is the inside story of the man the fans voted Rangers' greatest-ever goalkeeper. He remains a genius with flaws: a legend simply known as The Goalie.Gunners' Glory: 14 Milestones in Arsenal's History
By Graham Weaver. 1998
From the all-conquering side of the 1930s to the Double-winning teams of 1971, 1998 and 2002, Arsenal Football Club have…
been one of the major forces in English football.Graham Weaver plots the club's progress from their first silverware in 1930 to the present day through the 14 most significant games in Arsenal's history, both domestically and in Europe. The club's greatest triumphs, such as Anfield in 1989, Copenhagen in 1994 and Old Trafford in 2002, are covered, with a thorough description of the players and their strengths and weaknesses, a full background to each game and details of the match itself, together with quotes and contributions from those who took part. This book is a must for those who remember fondly the cup final wins, Championship deciders and European successes of Arsenal's distant and recent past, or for those who wish to learn more about the history of London's premier club.Are you a runner, cyclist, swimmer or rower? Do you want to up your game and ensure you're getting the…
very best from your diet? To help with her own training, Kate Percy - a keen marathon runner and cook - has developed a range of delicious, carbohydrate-rich recipes that will complement any training programme, whether you're training for a marathon for the first time or an experienced athlete.Go Faster Food contains: over 100 delicious recipes, approved by a nutritionist; an overview of health benefits and a detailed breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins for each recipe; practical nutritional advice, 'Go Faster Tips' and meal planners for each stage of your training.With a unique combination of tasty recipes and nutritional advice all geared towards enhancing your sports performance, Go Faster Food will help you achieve your full potential.Ghost on the Wall: The Authorised Biography of Roy Evans
By Derek Dohren. 2004
Ghost on the Wall is the official biography of one of Liverpool Football Club's greatest ever servants: Roy Evans. Born…
in Bootle in 1948, Evans attracted the attention of many First Division club managers while playing for England's schoolboys team in the early 1960s. In 1964, legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly stepped in to sign him. But while the '60s were an exciting time to play for Liverpool, they were also very challenging, and Evans found it hard to break into the first team on a regular basis.Following Shankly's shock resignation in 1974, Evans was given the opportunity to become a member of the backroom staff. It was here that he really made his mark, taking the reserve team to seven Central League titles in nine years and coming of age as a coach and trainer, emerging as an invaluable member of the legendary 'Boot Room'.The decline in the club's fortunes during the 1980s meant that the resignation of manager Graeme Souness in 1994 left the incoming manager facing an exciting challenge - to return the club to its glory days. Roy Evans, 'the last of the Shankly lads', was handed his date with destiny. While the Reds did not win another League Championship under Evans' charge, neither did they finish any lower than fourth, and Evans' commitment to developing future Liverpool stars such as Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Michael Owen ensured that he would not become another 'ghost on the wall' at Anfield.In this engrossing account, Evans reveals the inside story of life as a member of Liverpool's famous Boot Room. He recollects his close working relationships with Reds legends from Shankly to Houllier and provides a vivid portrait of operations at the celebrated club over four action-packed decades.Finally, he discusses the challenges he faces in his new role as assistant manager of the Welsh national side and considers the way forward for Liverpool after their Champions League victory under Rafael Benítez in 2005.