Andy Bollen explores the history, tradition and violent nature of football's biggest clashes.In unravelling the history of these infamous feuds, Bollen gets to the crux of each conflict, exploring why the fans dislike each other so vehemently.Football is often a search for political identity, as in Spain's El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, while in Buenos Aires' Superclásico, it's poverty and privilege at the heart of the rivalry between working...

What makes the number-ten jersey so special? It's merely material and thread - the number only used for administrative purposes. Yet the number ten represents much more than football. Those wearing it carry the weight of expectation for club and country. Andy Bollen forensically examines the world's greatest players - from Puská s to Pelé , Maradona and Messi - and asks, what makes them tick? How did they reach legendary status? He explores how their will to win at all costs comes from the...

From Socrates to Arthur Montford, via Bovril, Buckfast and, of course, pies, this is a unique journey through the extraordinary world of Scottish football.Packed with anecdotes and observations, Andy Bollen wallows in a nostalgic haze, a time of hatchet-men with moustaches, a magic sponge that should have been granted miracle status and big-money strikers who couldn't hit a cow's posterior with a banjo.Opinionated, forthright and funny, Bollen reluctantly concedes that tatt...

An alternative take on European football, covering match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. In this fantasy football museum, Bollen delves into the archives to uncover idiocy and chaos from across the continent. The exhibits highlight the very worst of the human condition: greed, cheating, match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. Learn about the French captain who joined the Gestapo, the notorious football-mad Stasi boss, Erich Mielke and Gaddafi's son playing in Italy, the 1970s L...

In 1983, aged 36, Johan Cruyff, one of the world's most iconic football superstars, guided Ajax to a league and cup double. Out of contract, most people, including the player, expected a valedictory final season and a one-year extension. Inexplicably, Ajax let him go. They grossly underestimated the fierce genius of Johan Cruyff. He signed for bitter rivals Feyenoord, leading them to a league and cup double, silencing his critics and thrilling football fans everywhere. Fierce Genius analys...

'… an instant classic and a required part of the library of anyone fascinated with the record business.' – Danny Goldberg, bestselling author of Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt CobainChess Records tested their acquisitions out on people waiting at a nearby bus stop: if the crowd were bopping, they had a hit.Sub Pop rejection letters start with the harsh, yet funny, 'Dear Loser'.Atlantic Record...

Ride the Oasis rollercoaster ahead of Live '25.Oasis were Artful Dodgers from a housing estate who created stadium anthems that connected with millions. They became the band of the people by giving the people what they wanted: rock 'n' roll.Ahead of the Live '25 Tour, Definitely Maybe offers a unique take on their story. The euphoric highs, spectacular implosions, chaos, excesses and sibling rivalry. How the Gallagher brothers captured the zeitgeist of the 1990s ...

When Nirvana first exploded onto the music scene in 1991 with the anthemic 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', few people could've predicted their subsequent global impact. No one knew then that Nevermind would become one of the seminal albums of the decade, selling over 30 million copies worldwide and spearheading a whole new 'grunge' movement. In so doing, the band's lead singer Kurt Cobain was transformed into one of music's most enduring and iconic figures.As drummer for the British group Capta...

As the assistant editor of Melody Maker, Everett True was the first journalist to cover the Seattle music scene in early 1989 and interview Nirvana. He is responsible for bringing Hole, Pavement, Soundgarden, and a host of other bands to international attention. He introduced Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love, performed on stage with Nirvana on numerous occasions, and famously pushed Kurt onto the stage of the Reading Festival in 1992 in a wheelchair. Nirvana: The Biography is...

In this compelling biography, Christopher Sandford explores the full, inside story of Kurt Cobain.From the disruptive childhood which had such a crucial impact on Cobain's personality to the ambitious career musician who, as a friend said, "lunged for success", and the worldwide breakthrough of Nirvana's Nevermind, Sandford also writes about Cobain's stormy marriage to Courtney Love, his heroin addiction, and how he became more and more of a recluse. Finally, he wr...

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most exciting footballers of his generation. Starring at youth level on his home island of Maderia, his spirit and natural flair took him into the Sporting Lisbon first team, attracting the interest of Manchester United, who bought him in the summer of 2003. His dazzling footwork, showmanship and eye for goal not only inspired United to two Premiership titles, but he was United's only player to score in normal time in the 2008 Champions League final, which t...

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 ...