LIFE WITH THE ROBINS AND BEYOND: THE GEOFF MERRICK STORY by Geoff Merrick & Neil Palmer

Life with the Robins and Beyond: The Geoff Merrick Story is the most anticipated book on any player ever to pull on the red shirt of Bristol City.

An England schoolboy international, Geoff turned down a host of top teams to sign for his local club. He became the Robins’ youngest captain at 18 and eventually led them back to the top flight.

During City’s stay in Division One, Merrick was seen as one of the country’s top defenders, but his life and career were thrown into turmoil when he and seven other players were asked to rip up their contracts to save the club from bankruptcy. This they did, and today their sacrifice is commemorated by a plaque outside Ashton Gate, yet it still goes down as the blackest time in City’s history.

It is a chapter in Geoff’s life that he has never spoken about in depth – until now.

When life threw Geoff and his family a cruel twist, he showed the qualities of bravery, self-belief and determination, the very traits that had characterised his performances on the pitch.

Life with the Robins and Beyond is the ultimate tale of not giving up.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. February 2022. Hardback: 256 pages)

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NOT ALL TICKET: FROM WITHERNSEA HIGH TO BOOTHFERRY PARK HALT by Richard Lusmore

Set in the 1980s, Not All-Ticket: From Withernsea High to Boothferry Park Halt chronicles a dramatic period in the history of Hull City AFC through the eyes of a young fan from rural East Yorkshire.

From relegation and receivership to the ‘Robinson renaissance’, Lusmore experiences a rollercoaster of emotions, culminating in dismay at perhaps the most contentious managerial dismissal in the club’s history.

In the process, he charts a course through his coming of age, capturing how it feels to follow an unfashionable team in an often unloved city.

He flirts with rival sporting attractions, then tosses them aside in favour of the small-fry team in this tatty fish town.

The football-fuelled adrenalin rush is soon replicated in his first forays into the local music and club scene. Discovering the delights of Hull after dark, he soon realises that Saturday is about much more than just the match.

First-hand terrace tales and musical memories abound in this uplifting memoir.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. February 2022. Hardback: 464 pages)

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TRIVQUIZ WEST HAM UNITED: 1001 QUESTIONS by Steve McGarry

How much do you really know about West Ham United?

Put your Hammers knowledge to the test with this bumper book of brainteaser quizzes and fascinating facts, beautifully illustrated by one of the world’s leading sports artists.

It’s packed with trivia on all the West Ham greats – from World Cup heroes Moore, Hurst and Peters to Hammers legends Bonds, Brooking and beyond – providing hours of highly dippable fun and entertainment.

Which West Ham manager played in a rock band called Rawbau? Who was West Ham’s first non-British manager? A statue erected near the Boleyn Ground, honouring the Hammers’ 1966 World Cup heroes, also includes which Everton player? Fan favourite Clyde Best was born in which country?

Trivquiz West Ham United holds the answers to all these questions and hundreds more.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. February 2022. Paperback: 224 pages)

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THE YEAR WE (NEARLY) WON THE LEAGUE: STOKE CITY AND THE 1974/75 SEASON by Jonathan Baker

The Year We (Nearly) Won the League charts one of the closest ever top-flight title battles in English football.

It was 1974/75 and with just four games to go, no fewer than ten clubs had a chance of winning. One was Stoke City, fielding the best team they had ever had. This book follows Stoke as they rise to the top spot, only to fall at the final hurdle.

You’ll discover the unorthodox methods of Tony Waddington, a manager with an eye for talent and a flair for sensational signings. Some of them are legends of English football: Banks, Hurst, Hudson and Shilton.

This campaign was the final glorious hurrah of that team, before the club met near bankruptcy and relegation.

Half a century on, the players themselves recall a time when hearts – and legs – were broken, when the football flowed, and the drink did too.

Although the focus is on one club, this story of Stoke’s ‘nearly men’ will resonate with every fan whose team has promised much, but never quite scaled the summit.

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

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THE O’LEARY YEARS: FOOTBALL’S GREATEST BOOM AND BUST by Rocco Dean

The O’Leary Years charts the rise and fall of Leeds United at the turn of the 21st century.

When David O’Leary took the managerial reins from taskmaster George Graham, he promoted a gifted crop of youngsters into the first team, transforming a well-oiled machine into a free-flowing bundle of joy.

This often-scorned club enjoyed popularity like never before, but things are never straightforward at Elland Road. Criminal charges against star players, the tragic murders of fans, a perpetual injury curse and a ‘spend, spend, spend’ attitude eventually brought the club to its knees – but not before it was one match from reaching its holy grail: a European Cup final rematch with Bayern Munich.

The journey lasted four seasons, each one a rollercoaster, and the story is told through the memories and match reports of the author, from a 14-year-old travelling the country with his dad, to an 18-year-old on the bus with his mates, with nostalgic tales of the good old days along the way.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. January 2022. Hardback: 256 pages)

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RADICAL FOOTBALL: JURGEN GRIESBECK AND THE STORY OF FOOTBALL FOR GOOD by Steve Fleming

Football can do more, so it must.

That’s the message of Jürgen Griesbeck, one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and, alongside Juan Mata, the co-founder of Common Goal.

From using football to promote peace on the gangland streets of Medellín, to building a global network of Football for Good organisations, Jürgen is now leading transformational change across the football industry, with the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Paulo Dybala, Pernille Harder, Jürgen Klopp, and even entire clubs, companies and competitions, taking Common Goal’s 1% pledge of earnings.

This incredible story captures Jürgen’s passion, drive and leadership, and presents a collaborative vision to put purpose – people and planet – at the heart of the game. With chapter contributions from a Radical XI of disruptive innovators, and with the growth of the women’s game presenting the biggest opportunity ever to redefine the sport, this remarkable book shows how, through a radical teamplay of fans, players, administrators and businesses, football can be unleashed for social impact towards the Global Goals in 2030 – the centenary of the men’s World Cup.

The Radical XI: 1. Katja Kraus 2. Dale Vince 3. Khalida Popal 4. Pippa Grange 5. Pamela Coke-Hamilton 6. Moya Dodd 7. Serge Gnabry 8. Tom Vernon 9. Eniola Aluko 10. Preeti Shetty 11. Jonas Baer-Hoffmann.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. January 2022. Paperback: 432 pages)

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FOSSE V LUFFS: LEICESTERSHIRE’S FORGOTTEN FOOTBALL RIVALRY by Nigel Freestone

Fosse v Luffs is a story filled with drama, excitement, controversy – and violence – about a footballing rivalry as intense as any in modern English football.

The Fosse (forerunner of Leicester City) were the dominant club in the town of Leicester, and Loughborough (the Luffs) were the biggest and most successful team in the county of Leicestershire. Each encounter between these two sides was a battle for supremacy within the county.

Fosse v Luffs charts the growth of the rivalry, from amateur games played in front of a handful of family and friends to Football League encounters witnessed by 10,000-plus spectators, with thousands more eagerly awaiting the outcome.

Drawing on extensive newspaper research, Nigel Freestone brings to life this forgotten era when football was a bone-crunching game and not for the faint-hearted. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in Leicester City FC, Victorian sport or local history.

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

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AIN’T GOT A BARREL OF MONEY: SHEFFIELD UNITED by Jason Holyhead

John Harris’s arrival at Bramall Lane laid the foundations for the appearance of some of the greatest players in Sheffield United’s history. In his second full season in charge, the Blades were promoted back to the First Division.

Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money is the story of Harris and those who came after him, building a team that would challenge for a place in Europe, the decline that followed and the inevitable sale of many of the club’s finest players.

In 1975, they finished sixth in Division One, playing some of the most exciting football in the country. Currie, Woodward, Colquhoun, Speight, Hemsley and Badger were all household names. But within six years Sheffield United had gone from the brink of greatness to the ultimate humiliation – relegation to the Fourth Division, for the first and only time in the club’s wonderful history.

Filled with anecdotes and memories from many of those who were there, both on the field and on the terraces, this book captures the highs and lows of being a Sheffield United fan.

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

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THE SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP: 75 YEARS FROM 1946 to 2021 by David Potter

The Scottish League Cup is often wrongly described as the ‘Cinderella’ of Scottish football, as distinct from its two ugly sisters, the Scottish League and the Scottish Cup.

Dating from the Second World War, it is certainly the youngest.

The trophy is unusual, if not unique, in having three handles. It is a major part of the Scottish season and has been keenly contested for 75 years.

Sixteen teams have won the cup. Unsurprisingly, the big Glasgow clubs have won it the most, but Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs and Dundee have also tasted glory. The trophy has also given the likes of Raith Rovers and Livingston their moments in the sun – and who could ignore the mighty deeds of East Fife, who won the cup three times in its first decade?

Rangers hold the record for Scottish League Cup wins, but Celtic’s victories have been more spectacular, not least their astonishing 7-1 triumph in the 1957 final.

This book pays homage to each one of the 75 seasons, with a detailed account of every final.

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. February 2022. Hardcover: 288 pages)

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TANGLED UP IN BLUE: THE RISE AND FALL OF RANGERS FC by Stephen O’Donnell

If the wider, football-conscious world is aware of just two things about Scottish football, they are surely as follows: firstly, that there is a virulent rivalry in Glasgow between the city’s two great teams, Rangers and Celtic, based on a religious divide; and secondly, that Rangers recently suffered a catastrophic financial collapse, which ultimately led to the club’s insolvency.

Split into two separate, but closely linked, sections, Tangled Up in Blue: The Rise and Fall of Rangers FC gives the full account of both of these stories.

Stephen O’Donnell explores how Rangers first became associated with hard-line Protestantism, dominating Scottish football for decades without ever knowingly signing a Catholic footballer, until the feted arrival of Maurice Johnston at Ibrox in 1989.

He then switches focus to the club’s financial affairs, as Rangers’ unsustainable spending brought the club to the brink of collapse and, despite the hidden benefits of an illegal tax avoidance scheme, resulted in its liquidation.

Read our review here: Book Review: Tang (footballbookreviews.com)

(Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd. August 2019. Paperback: 320 pages)

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