Simon Inglis is a fan with a mission. Fed up with being labelled an anorak, yet repeatedly led astray by the glimpse of a grandstand accross a crowded city, he searches the world for a deeper meaning behind his fascination with stadiums.What is it, he asks en route from ancient Olympia to Sydney 2000, about men and neatly-edged turf? Why are there more football grounds in Buenos Aires than public libraries? Why do Auckland residents resent their local stadium while those in Chicago...

Ciudad de los Estadios (City of Stadiums) travels around the football grounds of Buenos Aires abridged from Sightlines - a Stadium Odyssey. Written and read by Simon Inglis. As soon as football writer Simon Inglis read the quote he knew what had to be done. ‘We have more stadiums than public libraries,’ reported a Buenos Aires newspaper, bemoaning illiteracy rates amongst the city’s football fundamentalists. Digging deeper, Inglis calculated that Buenos Aires has indeed more football groun...

Sightlines (abridged). Written and read by Simon Inglis. Simon Inglis was a sports fan with a mission. Fed up with being labelled an ‘anorak’, yet repeatedly led astray by the glimpse of a grandstand across a crowded city, in the late 1990s he travelled the world in search of some deeper meaning behind his fascination. What is it, he asked, about men and neatly-edged turf, and about Irish priests and hurling? Why are two cricket grounds in Mumbai so close together? Why do freeloaders rever...

This updated edition of the bestselling and wildly popular I Am the Secret Footballer features a new introduction and an additional chapter. The anonymous writer of The Guardian's "Secret Footballer" column gives Premiere League fans an insider's look into the unseen world of professional football.It is often said that 95% of what happens in football takes place behind closed doors. Many of these stories I shouldn't be telling you. But I will.Who is The Secret Foot...

This is a stimulating and deeply insightful football narrative by Rafa Benitez which focuses on the legendary manager's dramatic six Champions League campaigns with Liverpool. Rafa expertly navigates fans through intriguing European adventures that embrace the triumph and despair of two Champions League finals, three semi-finals and five quarter-finals in what was a golden era for the Anfield club - an era that supporters felt gave them their pride back after years in the wilderness. What ...

75 MILLION FANS.AN ANNUAL INCOME OF MORE THAN £500 MILLION.AND A STORY THAT HAS NEVER FULLY BEEN TOLD - UNTIL NOW.'A wonderfully entertaining history' Sunday Telegraph'When historians 1,000 years from now try to fathom the cult of Manchester United Football Club, White will be a good place to start' Financial Times

Mourinho is a beautiful illustrated book which is both a sumptuous celebration of The Special One's managerial career so far, and an enigmatic insight into his unique brand of football wisdom and philosophy.In the legendary manager's very first book, and in his own images and captions, Jose Mourinho charts the peaks and troughs of the opening fifteen years of what has been a stellar rise to the summit of the global game.Through more than 120 personally selected ima...

Whether you want to impress friends and colleagues with new-found football wisdom, brush up on details you're unsure about (the offside rule, anyone?) or improve your practical skills, this is the book for you! Covering all the basics of the game, rules and tactics, as well as giving an in-depth history of the sport and how it has evolved to the present day, this indispensable guide will get you up to speed on the most popular game in the world in no time. With dream team formations, tips ...

When the name of Theo Walcott was included in the England squad for the 2006 World Cup, shock waves ran through the football world. But no one was more surprised than Theo himself.Five years later, Theo Walcott is one of the most recognizable names in football. As the English heart of the brilliant young Arsenal team, he has become a firm favourite at the Emirates Stadium. He represents everything that is good about the beautiful game: a player with his feet on the ground, but ligh...

Marcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas. This will be the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters.He has coached some of the greatest names in world football - Gabriel Batistuta, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ander Herrera. He has been cited as a mentor by Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone.Yet Marcelo Bielsa remains one of the great enigmas...

Robin van Persie is one of the most talented players in world football today. An intelligent playmaker and deadly striker, he brings creativity and intelligence to Arsenal's forward line and is the first name on the Netherlands team sheet. Signed by Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2004 with a view to replace Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp, Van Persie quickly established himself as an integral part of Wenger's talented side, initially plying his trade on the left side of midfield. Playing alon...

Nick Hornby, author of the bestselling soccer classic Fever Pitch, offers an insightful account of an extraordinary sports season. Concentrating on a number of significant games in British soccer during the 2011–2012 season, Hornby chronicles the emotional, political, and societal highlights and woes that played out on the field. There were alleged racist clashes, revealing the deep cultural fissures still present in British life. There was a fairy-tale return for the legendary Th...