BLOOD ON THE CROSSBAR: THE DICTATORSHIP’S WORLD CUP by Rhys Richards

This is the story of the most controversial football World Cup of all time.

When Argentina both hosted and won the World Cup in 1978, just two years after the coup d’état that ousted Isabel Perón, it was against the backdrop of a brutal military dictatorship in the country. Under the leadership of General Jorge Videla, up to 30,000 citizens, categorised as subversives, ‘disappeared’.

Dogged by allegations of bribery, coercion and an historic failed drugs test, this is the story of Argentina’s maiden World Cup triumph and the controversy that simmered behind it.

This isn’t exclusively a tale of footballers and generals, and the risks they took to succeed. It’s a story of the people: Argentinean exiles, Parisian students, brave journalists, the marching mothers of Plaza de Mayo and their missing children – and Dutch stand-up comedians who led international boycotts from thousands of miles away.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. September 2022. Hardcover: 304 pages)

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SOMETHING IN THE WATER: HOW ENGLISH FOOTBALL FINDS ITS STAR PLAYERS – THE STORY OF ENGLAND’S TALENT HOTBEDS by Callum Murray

Have you ever wondered how football finds its star players?

Uncover the inner workings of English football’s talent hotbeds in this captivating book.

For decades working-class northern towns have churned out players – places like Huyton, a town of just over 33,000 that has produced the likes of Steven Gerrard, David Nugent, Peter Reid, Joey Barton and Tony Hibbert.

However, the emergence of south London as a new talent hotbed is equally as exciting with a new generation of players coming through – Jadon Sancho, Wilf Zaha, Joe Gomez and Joe Aribo among others.

Players produced here are like nothing seen before in England.

Bringing together thoughts, ideas and exclusive interviews with those involved at every level of the game – from the south London estate cages to the Premier League and Europe’s elite – this book unearths the secrets of two of England’s biggest talent hotbeds that represent the past, present and future of English football.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2022. Hardcover: 224 pages)

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KIT AND CABOODLE: FOOTBALL’S SHIRT STORIES by Matt Riley

Kits are cultural touchstones that tell us more about our club, ourselves and the beautiful game’s custodians than we often realise.

The colours, crests, designs and prices show what makes the game – and us – tick. Kit and Caboodle searches out the stories that our shirts tell us about our support and the society we accept or try to rebel against.

The book alternates short, shirt stories with a deeper dive into themes of ethics, philanthropy and dumb decision making.

We listen to MP Tracey Crouch as she tells us about her Fan Led Review and how shirts show the progress being made to a more equitable football ecosystem.

Shirts also illustrate the rise and mutation of gambling from pools to NFTs and cryptocurrencies, attitudes to the LGBTQ+ community, how clubs like St Pauli are determined to be driven by their values and why Messi’s transfer to PSG Qatar can never be financed by shirt sales.

Unlike anything else we wear, our club shirts envelop us in the history of our team and give us a hint of the future.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. September 2022. Hardcover: 224 pages)

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THE IMMORTALS: TWO NINES AND OTHER CELTIC STORIES by Phillip Vine

The Immortals is a passionate love letter to Celtic FC, by turns ecstatic and distressed, angry and joyous, but always obsessed.

After the disappointment in 2021 of failing to complete the fabled ten-in-a-row league titles, the author took solace in researching causes for celebration from Celtic’s proud past.

His starting point was the rallying cry that ‘two nines are better than one’, and the book’s centrepieces are stories of both of Celtic’s nine-in-a-row triumphs.

On his journey he discovered darkness and despair as well as derring-do and delight, the extremes of emotion inevitable in all love affairs. He uncovered the evils of the Irish Holocaust and the poverty of Glasgow’s East End that preceded Celtic’s foundation, the dubious conduct of Celtic’s money-men, as well as the ‘miracles’ of the immortals among the club’s founding fathers, its dynasties, managers and players.

The book takes us on a pilgrimage through time with faithful hope for the future.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2022. Hardcover: 352 pages)

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ISLAND HOPPING – THE FOOTBALL GROUNDS OF LANZAROTE by Steven Penny

Enjoy a journey around the clubs, grounds and footballing history of the Island of Eternal Spring.

Features more than 20 grounds on Lanzarote, with details of all its clubs and the history of the sport on the island.

Includes more than 170 colour pictures, guides to the grounds, maps, team shirts, club logos, statistics and mileage charts.

(Publisher: Penny for your Sports Publications. July 2022. Paperback: 120 pages)

 

Read our review here: Island Hopping

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THE OFFICIAL RANGERS STORY by David Mason

The Official Rangers Story celebrates the rich history of Rangers FC, one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in the world.

This is the story of a special city, the story of the birth of football and of a club that is revered by fans throughout the world. It is a story of humble beginnings in 19th-century Glasgow that charts the development of the ‘Association game’ in Scotland.

Drawing on 36 years of research, the author tells of the triumphs – a record number of Scottish championships and victory in Europe – but also of the disasters, like the 1902 and 1971 Ibrox tragedies, each reverberating throughout the UK.

The book explores the importance of men such as Struth, Souness, Smith and Gerrard, who with determination and ambition built this great club and its traditions. Then there were the great players such as Baxter, Gascoigne, and Laudrup.

It is no wonder Rangers has followers worldwide, each carrying the emotional attachment of their fathers and grandfathers before them. To them the club is everything – the beginning and the end.

 

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2022. Hardcover: 304 pages)

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THE REALITY OF THE DREAM: MY UNIQUE JOURNEY FROM NON-LEAGUE TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE by Malcolm Christie

Like most young boys, Malcolm Christie grew up dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.

Rejected by his hometown club Peterborough United and working at Somerfield supermarket, playing amateur football at 19, Malcolm thought the moment had passed him by.

But dreams do come true.

Just months after he was stacking shelves, Malcolm was playing for Derby County in the Premier League. International honours and a big money move to Middlesbrough followed as Malcolm became one of English footballs brightest prospects until a succession of injuries led to a premature end of his promising football career.

The Reality of the Dream chronicles the amazing story of Malcolm Christie’s journey to become the only person in history to go straight from non-league to scoring in the Premier League and representing his country without ever joining a professional academy.

Sad, funny and often emotional, Malcolm’s unique tale provides a brutally honest insight into the reality of life as a footballer, an injured footballer and worse – a retired footballer.

(Publisher: Morgan Lawrence Publishing Services. June 2022. Paperback: 248 pages)

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POMPEY CHIMES, POMPEY TIMES – A COLLECTION OF PORTSMOUTH FC MEMORIES & MEMORABILIA by Northstandcritic, Derek Hammond & Gary Silke

POMPEY CHIMES, POMPEY TIMES gathers together a treasure trove of memories and memorabilia that will strike a chord with every Pompey supporter aged nine to 90. Here’s your chance to relive all the ups and downs in the club’s rollercoaster ride. So grab a ticket for a nostalgia-packed, colourful and emotional journey that captures the very essence of fandom on this unique, football-crazed island…

Author Sean Simpson delves deep into the priceless clutter in his Unofficial Pompey Museum – the ultimate spare-room shrine – and the very best of his popular columns for the Sportsmail. He joins forces with Got, Not Got nostalgia gurus Hammond & Silke to bring you an irresistible portal to Pompey past.

POMPEY CHIMES, POMPEY TIMES doesn’t stop at painting vivid pictures of unforgettable games and all-time favourite players. It recreates the atmosphere of golden-age Fratton Park and legendary awaydays. Glories in stories of one-off Pompey characters. Showcases the very stuff of McCann/Marinello/Merson Mania: we’re talking the coolest kits and long-lost football cards, childhood games, programmes and petrol freebies. And much more…

Foreword by former Pompey chairman Iain McInnes.

 

(Publisher: Conker Editions Ltd. May 2022. Paperback: 176 pages)

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TEN BIG EARS: AN ALTERNATIVE ACCOUNT OF FC BARCELONA IN EUROPE by Aly Mir

Ten Big Ears is the story of one of the biggest football clubs in the world, told through an eyewitness account that spans four decades.

The story begins and ends with Barcelona in disgrace and threatened with a ban from UEFA competition. In between is a fascinating account of some of the greatest football the world has ever seen, including all five of the club’s European Cup Final triumphs.

Find out what it was like to attend Barcelona games in European club competitions in six different countries.

Drawing on wider historical and cultural references to provide an alternative and quirky take on the rollercoaster that is Barça, this is almost certainly the only football book to reference philosophy, classical antiquity, religion, popular music and reality television dance shows.

Written by a fan of another football club, Ten Big Ears is a personal and occasionally satirical account that commemorates the 30th anniversary of the club’s first European Cup win in 1992. It is also a unique record of how watching the game has changed.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. April 2022. Hardcover: 256 pages)

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