Best of
Football

2016

QB: My Life Behind the Spiral


Steve Young - 2016
    His perseverance, intelligence, and, most of all, grace under pressure NFL-style, make this book a fascinating read. Thanks, Steve, for sharing your story with one of your biggest fans!”—Tom Brady  “Steve was extraordinary in every facet of life. I’ve never read a football book with more honesty and integrity—it’s typical Steve. What a quarterback! What a man!” —Jim Nantz, CBS Sports “All football fans know what a tremendously talented and successful quarterback Steve Young was in his NFL career. But what they don’t know about are the challenges and personal obstacles Steve had to overcome to make his dreams come true. This is a most exciting and compelling story.”—Roger StaubachA stunningly candid look at what it takes to become a super-elite professional quarterback Steve Young produced some of the most memorable moments in NFL history. But his most impressive victories have been deeply personal ones that were won when no one was watching. His remarkably revealing memoir is the story of a Mormon boy with a 4.0 GPA, a photographic memory, and a severe case of separation anxiety.    As an eighth-string quarterback at Brigham Young University, it was doubtful that he would ever see any playing time. But Young became an All-American, finished second in the Heisman voting, and was the top draft choice out of college. Then, after signing the largest contract in sports history, anxiety nearly drove him to walk away from football completely.    In short, Young’s quest in life was always about grit. Now, he shares the experience of being inside his helmet while he faces down his toughest adversaries, both on and off the field.

The Playbook


Kelly Elliott - 2016
    Football and my cock. And not necessarily in that order. Being the head football coach for a top university in Texas had its ups and its downs. The ups? Endless women to f*ck.The downs? The politics that came with the job. From the moment Aubrey Cain walked into my office, she turned my world upside down. Being forced to have her follow me around for a month was going to be a pain in the ass. Especially since I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.The best I’d hoped to come out of this was a few nights with her in my bed. I never imagined she’d be the game changer. Brett Owens was my assignment. Head football coach for a top college, bad boy reputation, short temper, and handsome good looks should have scared me off. But I was tougher than that. From the first words out of his obnoxious, dirty-talking mouth, I knew it was going to be a long month. It wasn’t five minutes after meeting him, he hit on me. If only I had known his blue eyes would haunt my dreams and awaken a desire inside of me I never knew existed.This was business. There was no way I would be tempted by him no matter how good looking he was or how many things he whispered in my ear.He was only supposed to be my assignment. Not the man who threatened to destroy both my heart and my career. I would follow along with his playbook for now. But who would end up winning was anyone’s guess. The Playbook is a stand-alone novel.

The Perfect Pass: American Genius and the Reinvention of Football


S.C. Gwynne - 2016
    Gwynne tells the incredible story of how two unknown coaches revolutionized American football at every level, from high school to the NFL.Hal Mumme is one of a handful of authentic offensive geniuses in the history of American football. The Perfect Pass is the story of how he irreverently destroyed and re-created the game.Mumme spent fourteen mostly losing seasons coaching football before inventing a potent passing offense that would soon shock players, delight fans, and terrify opposing coaches. The revolution he fomented began at a tiny, overlooked college called Iowa Wesleyan, where Mumme was head coach and Mike Leach, a lawyer who had never played college football, was hired as his offensive line coach. In the cornfields of Iowa, while scribbling plays on paper napkins, these two mad inventors, drawn together by a shared disregard for conventionalism and a love for Jimmy Buffett, began to engineer the purest, most extreme passing game in the 145-year history of football. Implementing their “Air Raid” offense, their teams—at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky—played blazingly fast—faster than any team ever had before, and they routinely beat teams with far more talented athletes. And Mumme and Leach did it all without even a playbook. Their quarterback once completed sixty-one of eighty-six passes, both collegiate records.In The Perfect Pass, S.C. Gwynne explores Mumme’s leading role in changing football from a run-dominated sport to a pass-dominated one, the game that tens of millions of Americans now watch every fall weekend. Whether you’re a casual or ravenous football fan, this is a truly compelling story of American ingenuity and how a set of revolutionary ideas made their way from the margins into the hot center of the game we celebrate today.

Left Out


Tim Green - 2016
    But his deafness and the way he talks have been obstacles all his life. Other kids, and even adults, have never been able to look past his disability and see the real Landon. But now, he finally sees his chance to fit in. Bigger and taller than any other seventh grader in his new school, Landon plans to use his size as his biggest asset. In Bronxville, football reigns supreme, and what could be better for a hopeful lineman desperate to gain friends beyond his fiery little sister? Still, the same speech problems and the cochlear implants that help him hear continue haunt him. At best, his new teammates keep their distance, and when football proves harder than he thought, the coaches encourage Landon to be their oversized water boy. Just when it looks like Landon will be left out for good, Brett Bell—a star player whose family knows about being different—becomes an unlikely friend. And the whole Bell family pitches in to help Landon, even Brett's uncle, a New York Giants All-Pro tackle who shares some of his trade secrets. But in the end only Landon can fight his way off the bench and through a crowded field of bullies bent on seeing him forever left out. From former NFL player and New York Times bestselling author Tim Green comes an action-packed story about one boy's journey to change how others see him—both on and off the field.

Angels With Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina


Jonathan Wilson - 2016
    Argentina is responsible for some of the greatest footballers on the planet. Their rich, volatile history is made up of both the sublime and the ruthlessly pragmatic.Argentina is a nation obsessed with football, and Jonathan Wilson, having lived there on and off during the last decade, is ideally placed to chart the five phases of Argentinian football: the appropriation of the British game; the golden age of la nuestra, the exuberant style of playing that developed as Juan Perón led the country into isolation; a hardening into the brutal methods of anti-fútbol; the fusing of beauty and efficacy under César Luis Menotti; and the ludicrous (albeit underachieving) creative talent of recent times.More than any other nation Argentina lives and breathes football, its theories and myths. The subject is fiercely debated on street corners and in cafes. It has even preoccupied the country's greatest writers and philosophers.ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES is the definitive history of a great footballing nation and its paradoxes.

Chuck Noll: His Life's Work


Michael MacCambridge - 2016
    Later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his achievements as a competitor and a coach are the stuff of legend. But Noll always remained an intensely private and introspective man, never revealing much of himself as a person or as a coach, not even to the players and fans who revered him.             Chuck Noll did not need a dramatic public profile to be the catalyst for one of the greatest transformations in sports history. In the nearly four decades before he was hired, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the least successful team in professional football, never winning so much as a division title. After Noll’s arrival, his quiet but steely leadership quickly remolded the team into the most accomplished in the history of professional football.  And what he built endured well beyond his time with the Steelers – who have remained one of America’s great NFL teams, accumulating a total of six Super Bowls, eight AFC championships, and dozens of division titles and playoff berths.             In this penetrating biography, based on deep research and hundreds of interviews, Michael MacCambridge takes the measure of the man, painting an intimate portrait of one of the most important figures in American football history. He traces Noll’s journey from a Depression-era childhood in Cleveland, where he first played the game in a fully integrated neighborhood league led by an African-American coach and then seriously pursued the sport through high school and college.  Eventually, Noll played both defensive and offensive positions professionally for the Browns, before discovering that his true calling was coaching.  MacCambridge reveals that Noll secretly struggled with and overcame epilepsy to build the career that earned him his place as “the Emperor” of Pittsburgh during the Steelers’ dynastic run in the 1970s, while in his final years, he battled Alzheimer’s in the shelter of his caring and protective family.             Noll’s impact went well beyond one football team. When he arrived, the city of steel was facing a deep crisis, as the dramatic decline of Pittsburgh’s lifeblood industry traumatized an entire generation. “Losing,” Noll said on his first day on the job, “has nothing to do with geography.” Through his calm, confident leadership of the Steelers and the success they achieved, the people of Pittsburgh came to believe that winning was possible, and their recovery of confidence owed a lot to the Steeler’s new coach. The famous urban renaissance that followed can only be understood by grasping what Noll and his team meant to the people of the city. The man Pittsburghers could never fully know helped them see themselves better.             Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work tells the story of a private man in a very public job. It explores the family ties that built his character, the challenges that defined his course, and the love story that shaped his life. By understanding the man himself, we can at last clearly see Noll’s profound influence on the city, players, coaches, and game he loved. They are all, in a real sense, heirs to the football team Chuck Noll built.

Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre


Jeff Pearlman - 2016
    This peerless quarterback guided the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls and one championship win, shattering countless NFL records along the way.Gunslinger tells Brett Favre’s story for the first time, drawing on more than five hundred interviews, including many from the people closest to Favre. Jeff Pearlman charts an unparalleled journey from his rough rural childhood and lackluster high school football career to landing the last scholarship at Southern Mississippi to a car accident that nearly took his life. Favre clawed back, getting drafted into the NFL by the Atlanta Falcons, then finding his way to Green Bay, where he restored the Packers to greatness and inspired a fan base as passionate as any in the game. Yet he struggled with demons: addiction, infidelity, the loss of his father, and a fraught, painfully prolonged exit from the game he loved, a game he couldn’t bear to leave.Grand, gritty, and revelatory, Gunslinger is a big sports biography of the highest order, a fascinating portrait of the man with the rocket arm whose life has been one of triumph, of fame, of tragedy, of embarrassment, and—ultimately—of redemption.

Jamie Vardy: My Story


Jamie Vardy - 2016
    Rejected as a teenager by his boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, Jamie thought his chances had gone. But from playing pub football and earning £30 a week at Stocksbridge Park Steels while working in a factory, his impressive performances and hard work saw him rise again. After successful spells at Halifax Town and then Fleetwood Town, he finally moved to Championship team Leicester City. They gained their dream promotion to the Premier League and after surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth, came the fairy-tale season where a team arose together and everything clicked. Vardy's incredible 22 goals, including setting the record as the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches, helped Leicester City beat odds of 5000-1 to become Champions. Defying all expectations it is simply one of the greatest sporting stories of all time. “Even now there are moments when I shake my head at the madness of it all – going from the factory floor and playing Sunday morning pub football with my mates, to scoring for my country against the World Cup winners in Berlin. It's the stuff of dreams. It hasn't always been an easy journey, some doubted that I was capable, and at times I was probably guilty of not helping myself, but nobody can question my passion for football or my commitment once I set foot on the pitch. There is so much that people don’t know and I look forward to sharing all of that and more in what I hope will be an entertaining and inspiring story.” Jamie Vardy

Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football's Lost Genius


Oliver Kay - 2016
    For one thing, he was blessed with extraordinary talent. Those who played alongside and watched him in the Manchester United youth team in the early 1990s insist he was as good as Ryan Giggs - possibly even better. Giggs, who played on the opposite wing, says he is inclined to agree.Doherty was also an eccentric - by football standards, at least. When his colleagues went to Old Trafford to watch the first team on Saturday afternoons, he preferred to take the bus into Manchester to go busking. He wore second-hand clothes, worshipped Bob Dylan, read about theology and French existentialism and wrote songs and poems. One team-mate says "it was like having Bob Dylan in a No 7 shirt".On his 17th birthday, Doherty was offered a five-year contract - unprecedented for a United youngster at that time - and told by Alex Ferguson that he was destined for stardom. But what followed over the next decade is a tale so mysterious, so shocking, so unusual, so amusing but ultimately so tragic, that you are left wondering how on earth it has been untold for so long.The stories of Doherty's contemporaries, that group of Manchester United youngsters who became known as the "Class of '92", are well known. Giggs ended up as the most decorated player in United's history; David Beckham became the most recognisable footballer on the planet; Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and others are household names. The story you don't know is about the player who, having had the world at his feet, died the day before his 27th birthday following an accident in a canal in Holland.

The Winter Reunion


Rhonda McKnight - 2016
    Humiliated, Tamar Johnson changed her name and disappeared behind the embarrassing video that captured her losing her virginity on prom night. But who was the guy? NFL Running Back Stephen Pierce is football’s darling. He’s spent his entire career doing community service work with at-risk kids, and endeared fans as a devoted Christian, even claiming celibacy. It’s time for his high school reunion. Stephen is determined to get his EX, Tamar, to come out of hiding, even going as far as posting their prom picture on Instagram in hopes that she would accept the challenge to show up. Tamar isn’t interested in the reunion, but her boss is. She writes for a small magazine. Stephen Pierce is a BIG story. With reunion activity in full swing, the tension between Tamar and Stephen reaches an unbearable level. Before it’s over will the world find out who the real Stephen Pierce is? And will Tamar survive spending time with the only man who’s ever had her heart?

The Illustrated History of Football


David Squires - 2016
    Welcome to the inimitable work of illustrator David Squires.Football and comics. Once a hearty Saturday combination to match cartoons and cereal, in recent years they’ve drifted apart. Thankfully for us, Squires is here to change all that.In The Illustrated History of Football, his first book, Squires relives some of football’s most glorious moments and meets its greatest figures. In a sport full of handsome paycheques and corporate sponsors, he also casts a critical eye over corrupt backroom workings and helps pierce football’s overblown balloon.Funny, good-looking and preternaturally astute, this book is everything Sepp Blatter wishes he could be.

From Darkness to Dynasty: The First 40 Years of the New England Patriots


Jerry Thornton - 2016
    From their humble beginnings as a team bought with rainy-day money by a man who had no idea what he was doing to the fateful season that saw them win their first Super Bowl, Jerry Thornton shares the wild, humiliating, unbelievable, and wonderful stories that comprised the first forty years of what would ultimately become the most dominant franchise in NFL history. Witty, hilarious, and brutally honest, From Darkness to Dynasty returns to the thrilling, perilous days of yesteryear—a welcome corrective for those who hate the Patriots and a useful reminder for those who love them that all glory is fleeting.

The Bottom Corner: A Season with the Dreamers of Non-League Football


Nige Tassell - 2016
    In these days of oligarch owners, superstar managers and players on sky-high wages, the tide is turning against the big teams as fans search for football with a soul. Enter non-league football – the heartland of the beautiful game.Nige Tassell spends a season among the characters who inhabit this world. The raffle-ticket seller who wants her ashes scattered in the centre-circle. The envelope salesman who discovered a future England international. The ex-pros still playing with undiluted passion on Sunday mornings. One thing unites them: they are all dreamers.Tassell ventures all over the footballing map, from the giantkillers of Salford City to hungover cloggers on Hackney Marshes, interviewing obsessive groundhoppers, record-smashing goalscorers, dictatorial managers, ukulele-strumming fans and the captain of the Filipino national team. He makes extended stopovers at both new boys Tranmere Rovers looking for a speedy return to the Football League and the inhabitants of the ‘bottom corner’ Bishop Sutton, who are just trying to get eleven men on a pitch.Hope and ambition. Triumph and tragedy. Faith and despair. All human life is here in the win-or-sink drama of non-league football.

Playing Through the Whistle: Steel, Football, and an American Town


S.L. Price - 2016
    Aliquippa was a beacon and a melting pot, pulling in thousands of families from Europe and the Jim Crow south. The J&L mill, though dirty and dangerous, offered a chance at a better life. It produced the steel that built American cities and won World War II and even became something of a workers’ paradise. But then, in the 1980’s, the steel industry cratered. The mill closed. Crime rose and crack hit big.But another industry grew in Aliquippa. The town didn’t just make steel; it made elite football players, from Mike Ditka to Ty Law to Darrelle Revis. Pro football was born in Western Pennsylvania, and few places churned out talent like Aliquippa. Despite its troubles—maybe even because of them—Aliquippa became legendary for producing football greatness. A masterpiece of narrative journalism, Playing Through the Whistle tells the remarkable story of Aliquippa and through it, the larger history of American industry, sports, and life. Like football, it will make you marvel, wince, cry, and cheer.

Ronaldo: Rise Of The Legend. The incredible story of one of the best soccer players in the world.


Roy Brandon - 2016
    On an almost daily basis we see hear his name on the news, see his face on any number of TV commercials, and marvel at the magic show he puts on every weekend when he takes to the field. He is a celebrity whose image and influence affect our popular culture and a soccer star that has been compared with some of the world´s best athletes. But Cristiano was not always the popular, mega-celebrity, soccer superstar that he is today. The success that he enjoys has come from years of hard work and sacrifice that have helped him overcome many obstacles and difficulties in his pathIn this book, we´re going to take a look at the life of Cristiano, beginning at the time he was rising star whose career was threatened by a strange heart condition, right up until his third Ballon D´or recognition. We will also follow Cristiano off of the field to see his impact on popular culture and his life beyond soccer.

Barça: The Illustrated History of FC Barcelona


Guillem Balagué - 2016
    It is not just that the team has won everything there is to win, it is that they do it with a style rarely seen in the world of soccer. They have excited fans not just in Catalonia, but all around the globe, making household names of Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Romario, Maradona, Cruyff, and many more over more than a century of soccer excellence. This book traces the club's history from its formation in 1899, the trials and tribulations of growth, the battle to emerge from the shadow—politically and sportingly—of Madrid, the blossoming of the club in the 1970s, European glory in the 1980s and 1990s, and now this juggernaut of soccer that brushes aside all-comers. Features on the legends of Barcelona give deeper insight into the clubs key players and the lively, informative text is brought to life by dramatic action images.

The Wenger Revolution: Twenty Years of Arsenal


Amy Lawrence - 2016
    In the subsequent twenty years as manager he has transformed the club. English football's longest serving manager has overseen a period of radical change. His experience spans across the spectrum from complex challenges to historic success.The Wenger Revolution chronicles this fascinating era through the combination of distinctive photographs taken from the inner sanctum, and words from Amy Lawrence.This is a stunning photographic journey, based on the images captured by official club photographer Stuart MacFarlane, who has had exclusive access for many years. Publication coincides with the twentieth anniversary of Wenger's arrival in England.The Arsenal he joined bears little resemblance to what the club looks like as we approach 2016. A total renovation in terms of training, stadium, style, economics and a global audience has taken place under Wenger's instruction.His successes illustrate what a sensation he created in English football. He is regarded as a guru of new football methods, getting a club with a traditional English culture to give up drinking, modernize diet, embrace new training methods, and play with a panache that ripped up the stereotype of Boring Arsenal. The Wenger Revolution is worth commemorating, and this book will do so in style.

Ring of Fire: Liverpool into the 21st century: The Players' Stories


Simon Hughes - 2016
    With a foreword by Steven Gerrard, this is the third edition in a bestselling series based on revealing interviews with former players, coaches and managers.For Liverpool FC, entry into the 21st century began with modernisation and trophies under manager Gérard Houllier and development was then underpinned by improbable Champions League glory under Rafael Benítez. Yet that is only half of the story. The decade ended with the club being on the verge of administration after the shambolic reign of American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.In Ring of Fire, Hughes’ interviewees – including Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso and Michael Owen – take you through Melwood’s training ground gates and into the inner sanctum, the Liverpool dressing room. Each person delivers fascinating insights into the minds of the players, coaches and boardroom members as they talk frankly about exhilarating highs and excruciating lows, from winning cups in Cardiff and Istanbul to the political infighting that undermined a succession of managerial reigns.Ring of Fire tells the real stories: those never told before by the key players who lived through it all.

Blitzed: A Football Romance (The Alpha Ballers Book 3)


Lucy Snow - 2016
    That goes doubly so when you’re a pro football player and her father owns the team. But what do you do if she can’t stay away? Hudson Asher Mackenzie Mayfield is smart, interesting and the hottest girl I've ever seen. She's also the daughter of my team’s owner and a front office executive. And she's entirely off limits. For both reasons. The trouble is, she won’t leave me alone. And I can’t stay away from her either, not after I’ve saved her from something horrible. But how can we get together when we work together? The rule says I'm not supposed to date anyone at work. I'm definitely not supposed to undress Mackenzie with my eyes and with my hands every time she looks at me. All I want is to help my team win a championship. But in the meantime, I’m in danger of losing my heart to Mackenzie Mayfield. Mackenzie Mayfield Hudson Asher’s been on my father’s team for a decade. He’s a hulking beast of a man who destroys his opponents on the field. All I can think of when I see him are the naughty things I want him to do to me. After saving me from something terrible, I try and return the favor, but something is holding us both back from each other. I just hope I can find out what it is in time. Blitzed is book 3 of the Alpha Ballers series, but can be read standalone. It is 62,000 words long and contains an HEA with no cliffhanger. *This is not a football heavy story, but unlike other football romances, there is an attempt to get the facts correct, so if you're not into sports, don't worry! It's medium on the sports and heavy on the steam!*

A Legacy Unrivaled: The Story of John Gagliardi


Boz Bostrom - 2016
    His innovative and unconventional approach to coaching— including not allowing tackling during practices— not only helped the team win nearly five hundred games and four national championships, but placed Gagliardi as an inspiring leader, mentor, and father figure to hundreds of student- athletes over his sixty years as a head coach. Gagliardi continues this role as teacher and mentor through his “Theory of Coaching Football” course at Saint John’s, which is one of the most popular classes on campus every year. A Legacy Unrivaled explores the man, his football philosophy, his life lessons, his sense of humor, and his connections to others through a very personal journey by author and former player Boz Bostrom. Including recollections from former Johnnies, the book offers a firsthand look at how Gagliardi’s high expectations for his students and his focus on making the person rather than the player made him so successful on the gridiron. Boz Bostrom, a graduate of Saint John’s University, played football for four years under Coach John Gagliardi, earning academic All-America honors his senior year. Boz has been close, personal friends with Gagliardi for more than a decade. He is currently an associate professor of accounting and finance at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Lou Holtz spent thirty-three seasons as a college football head coach and ranks among the top ten in wins for Division I coaches. He won a national championship with Notre Dame following an undefeated season in 1988. Holtz is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and currently works as a college football television analyst

When Football Came Home: England, the English and Euro 96


Michael Gibbons - 2016
    In the space of a month the England team went from staggering out of a Hong Kong nightclub in disgrace to within a stud's width of reaching the final at Wembley. It was a summer that nobody really wanted to end - and certainly not as it did, losing against Germany on penalties. With a spirit of togetherness, Terry Venables and his players captured the hearts of the nation in a way not seen since Italia 90 - but Euro 96 had an extra edge. Played on home soil, it took place at an extraordinary time in British history. New Labour were poised to end a generation of Tory rule and Cool Britannia was on the rise, as a comatose culture had been revived and Britpop provided the soundtrack to it all. That communal spirit of June 1996 is recaptured in these pages. It wasn't all euphoria - during that month there were riots on the streets of the UK, accusations of spying, race rows and even a terrorist attack during the tournament. Every single aspect is brought back to life for the first time here - the fraught and often controversial build-up, the tournament in full and the lasting impact it had on English football and the nation.

Bayern: Creating a Global Superclub


Uli Hesse - 2016
    They are the most passionately supported club in Germany and the most hated. There is no doubt that they are the most successful. Winners of twenty-four domestic titles since the late-1960s, they have stood at the pinnacle of European football for almost their entire existence. German football is in the spotlight like never before and Bayern are at the forefront. While Germany have become World Champions, Bayern have been to the Champion’s League final for three of the last six years, collecting their fifth winners medal along the way and revolutionising the way they play. And they’ve done it all without billionaire tycoon owners, record transfer deals, eye-watering debts or charging supporters an arm and a leg for tickets. Through interviews with the key protagonists, Uli Hesse tells the story of this unique club. From early run-ins with the Nazis to being dubbed FC Hollywood for their egocentric stars in the 1990s up to the sensational undercover appointment of the best coach in the world, Pep Guardiola, Hesse opens the doors on Bavaria’s superpower and takes you inside Bayern Munich.

Striking Chords


Kristen Kehoe - 2016
    The number one player on his college soccer team, Felipe holds all the records for scoring, on the field and off. Until the girl he falls for turns out to be taken, and he realizes he’s nothing more than a nightly stand-in.As his personal life crashes, so does his game, and Felipe finds himself straining to get back not only his identity, but the sport that gave him everything. And then he meets India Cole: the stranger who kisses him and brings him back to life.It’s a kiss the redirects his attention from a girl he doesn’t want to want, to a girl he isn’t sure he should want, with her curtain of silky black hair, her quick smile, and her bright green eyes that are just a little haunted.India didn’t mean to kiss Felipe, it was simply one of those impulsive moments that her mother was always warning her about. Too late, she realizes why. Kissing Felipe was spur of the moment, but all the repercussions afterwards are permanent: like the way she can’t stop thinking of him, wanting him, believing in him. Ahem, kissing him.But life isn’t so easy, and karma is never so nice. Secrets are kept, decisions are made, and hearts that are broken must learn to heal before these lovers can be together.

His Christmas Package


Bella Love-Wins - 2016
    As a tight end, I rise to the occasion just like the best of them...and then some. I have a reputation with the hot little college chicks, and my package does too. There's just one problem. Holly Snow. She's the rebellious firecracker of a wildcat, living it up in her senior year, and now she's fixing to find out firsthand if all the rumors are true. Oh, and she's the daughter of my head coach. Holly shows up at a party a few days before thanksgiving, and one thing leads to another. Next thing I know, we're way too close. I know better than to look in her direction. I don't even like the holidays. Dating her is as dangerous as it gets for me, on and off the football field. But hell, I live for danger. Holly Snow I'm wild and mouthy, but I have my head in the game. I worked hard, put in my time, and waited until senior year of college to let loose. My future is set. At least I thought so until I got dirty with Carver Johnson, the arrogant jock with the filthy mouth. His touch alone ignites my skin and leaves me breathless...never mind that the rumors are not just true, they're understated. Daddy still thinks I'm a good girl. Boy, is he wrong. It's going to take a holiday miracle to keep a scandalous secret under wraps. *Author's notes. - His Christmas Package is a full-length, standalone holiday story with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger. This story is light on football and heavy on steamy romance. - Lance Jones Tattoo Model, image photography by SC-Photo (Shelton Cole)

Welcome to Neverland: Part 1


Jaye Cox - 2016
    Everything I wanted didn’t seem to matter anymore and, all I knew was I wanted to leave Jonte’s legacy and this is where he planned to do that. Everything started out great; my roommate became my best friend, I was in a top sorority and my boyfriend was quarterback. Secrets, lies and betrayal made me end up feeling like everything I had set out wanting, no longer mattered. Pace was what I wanted; Camden is who I ended up with. My head told me one thing and my heart another. **** Pace-I came to Neverland to have fun and to prove a point to myself. Everything was on track until I met her, she changed the way I saw the world; her innocence is pure, she has a heart of gold, so what’s the problem? Love, that’s the whole problem. I couldn’t give her what she wanted. I didn’t want to hurt her. In the end, I've done just that without even trying. I wasn’t worth the heartache. Camden always had everything I wanted, and this time I just gave it to him. Love was never something I wanted; now she is everything I need, but is it too late. Was everything that happened too much for her to forgive? *****This is not a fantasy read, I would class it as college romance******

Comeback: The Fall and Rise of Geelong


James Button - 2016
    One football club. One struggle for greatnessJames Button fell in love with the Geelong Football Club as a boy. It was a family affair. But as the years wore on and the defeats mounted, one nagging question became louder and louder: would his team ever win a premiership again?Comeback tells the Geelong story - how a town unloved by the big city up the road turned to football to show it was as good as anyone.It paints the characters - two Gary Abletts, 'Polly' Farmer, Bob Davis, 'Bomber'Thompson, Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood and many others - who helped to make Geelong a byword for excitement, and it explains how a bunch of talented but flashy individuals ended years of despair by finding the magic ingredient that makes a great team. More than a book about sport, Comeback shows how the history of a town and the spirit of a place can be funnelled through the fortunes of a football club

A Life in Football: My Autobiography


Ian Wright - 2016
    From Sunday morning football directly to Crystal Palace; from 'boring, boring Arsenal' to inside the Wenger Revolution; from Saturday afternoons on the pitch to Saturday evenings on primetime television; from a week in prison to inspiring youth offenders, Ian will reveal all about his extraordinary life and career.Ian will also frankly discuss how retirement affects footballers, why George Graham deserves a statue, social media, why music matters, breaking Arsenal's goal-scoring record, racism, the unadulterated joy of playing alongside Dennis Bergkamp and, of course, what he thinks of Tottenham. Not a standard footballer's autobiography, Ian Wright's memoir is a thoughtful and gripping insight into a Highbury Hero and one of the greatest sports stars of recent years.

The Solomon Brothers: The Complete Series


Leslie North - 2016
     Wireless Star quarterback Marcus Kingston lives and breathes football. He’s trusted his abilities and instincts to get him this far, but an injury last season nearly ended his career. When his coaches want him to wear biofeedback technology to analyze his game, Marcus can either agree to participate, or be benched—permanently. Clare Wynifred, the scientist behind the project knows nothing about sports, and she quickly gets under his skin. She never imagined her wearable tech being used to improve someone’s game, but its success with the team could get her a military contract. Clare may be too late to save her brother, but her technology could save the lives of countless soldiers. She just has to make it work with the stubborn quarterback… Celi-bet NBA star Chase Holbrook’s reputation with women is as legendary as his court stats. But his best scores have always come when he's focused on his jump shot, not on the ladies. With a teammate putting up close competition for the offensive record, Chase needs to prove that he was worth every penny of his high-dollar trade. To be the top-scoring player, Chase accepts a team bet to steer clear of women. The team mascot Willow “Bolt” Bend has always been one of the guys. So it’s no surprise when she’s asked to help ensure the integrity of the bet. Willow doesn’t want to get involved, but her hesitation is sidelined by her desire to learn if Chase is as shallow as she thinks. The perky cheerleader has always gotten under Chase’s skin, but with the celi-bet well underway, Willow’s starting to get to Chase in ways no one expected. As the spark between them begins to ignite, the bet keeping them apart may just be the thing that pulls them together. Fearless MMA fighter Henry Lorenz relies on discipline as much as strength to get through life. With his former mentor’s boxing gym now in his hands, Henry is busy training a new generation—including the troubled teen who reminds him of his own past. Despite the spirited Guidance counselor Maggie Kavanaugh’s attempts to intervene, Henry won’t stop grooming the kid for success. The counselor is as stubborn as she is beautiful, but perhaps he can prove to her that there’s more to fighting than knowing how to throw a punch. While Henry is trying to right old wrongs, Maggie is determined to shape the future. But as their attraction grows, a dark moment from Henry’s past threatens to come between them.

Big Blue Wrecking Crew: Smashmouth Football, a Little Bit of Crazy, and the '86 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants


Jerry Barca - 2016
    Big Blue Wrecking Crew is the no-holds-barred story of the team that created Giant Football, the pound-you-into-submission, quarterback-crushing defense, coupled with a powerful ball control offense that resulted in a 1986 Superbowl Championship—the first in team history. In a gripping narrative of the season that changed the course of a franchise, author Jerry Barca takes readers on a wild journey filled with improbable characters. Linebacker Lawrence Taylor partied with the same level of recklessness and violence he put forth when he donned his jersey. Bill Parcells motivated his team in an unrelenting Jersey Guy way, and quiet defensive genius Bill Belichick would go on to greatness.Based on years of research and hundreds of interviews, Barca chronicles the Giants’ rise out of rock bottom to their status as a premiere NFL franchise. From behind-the-scenes personnel discussions of general manager George Young to the meeting rooms with Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, Big Blue Wrecking Crew is filled with the riveting exploits of unforgettable players. It is an unfiltered look at how enormous egos came together to win a championship, playing hard and partying equally as hard along the way.

Football Outsiders Almanac 2016: The Essential Guide to the 2016 NFL and College Football Seasons


Aaron SchatzBrian Fremeau - 2016
    Includes comprehensive coverage of all 32 NFL teams, analysis of offseason personnel changes, over 500 KUBIAK fantasy football projections, and breakdowns of the top 50 college football teams for 2016. With numerous statistical measures that go far beyond standard NFL stats, Football Outsiders Almanac 2016 gives NFL fans the kind of sabermetric-like statistical analysis that revolutionized the fan's understanding of baseball. It's also written with a knowing dry wit that gets under the skin of America's most popular spectator sport.Groundbreaking team and player DVOA ratings that correct for situation and opponent to reveal which offenses and defenses are truly superior, and which players really help win games. Exclusive data from our partners at ESPN Stats & Info and Sports Info Solutions, unavailable in standard NFL stats, tells you which quarterbacks benefit the most from yards after catch or play best under pressure; which teams most often blitz or run specific offensive formations; and which defensive backs stop the other team's passing game, measured by pass coverage on every single play rather than just tackles. Detailed information on each team's performance in 2015 by offensive and defensive personnel package. Detailed individual stats for offensive linemen and defensive players. Extensive coverage of all 32 teams with week-by-week stats from the 2015 season, five-year performance trends, and analysis of off-season personnel changes. Exclusive 2016 predictions that give the odds on each team as a Super Bowl contender ... or a contender for the top pick in the 2016 draft. 2016 fantasy football projections for more than 500 skill position players based on the KUBIAK forecasting system. Breakdowns on the top 50 college football teams and full win-loss projections for all 128 Division I-A (FBS) teams."A book that any self-respecting NFL fan needs to purchase." -- Bill Simmons, The Ringer.com"Football Outsiders has now built a system that has some serious traction behind it. I personally find it fascinating." -- John Schneider, General Manager, Seattle Seahawks"Exhausting, enlightening, surprising in many cases, and an absolute must-read if you like the NFL. -- Peter King, TheMMQB.com"It's important for you, the working football fan, to know more about football than other football fans. The Football Outsiders Almanac will give you all the background knowledge you need to make your football-watching companions feel uninformed and inadequate." -- Drew Magary, Deadspin.com"Football is a nearly impossible game for even its most devout practitioners to understand. Football Outsiders is the best way I know to make it make sense." -- Will Leitch, New York Magazine/SportsonEarth.com

Mister: The Men Who Gave The World The Game


Rory Smith - 2016
    From its late-Victorian flowering in the mill towns of the northwest of England, football spread around the world with great speed. It was helped on its way by a series of missionaries who showed the rest of the planet the simple joys of the game. Even now, in many countries, the colloquial word for a football manager is not 'coach' or 'boss' but 'mister', as that is how the early teachers were known, because they had come from the home of the sport to help it develop in new territories.       In Rory Smith's stunning new book Mister, he looks at the stories of these pioneers of the game, men who left this country to take football across the globe. Sometimes, they had been spurned in their own land, as coaching was often frowned upon in England in those days, when players were starved of the ball during the week to make them hungry for it on matchday. So it was that the inspirations behind the 'Mighty Magyars' of the 1950s, the Dutch of the 1970s or top clubs such as Barcelona came from these shores.       England, without realising it, fired the very revolution that would remove its crown, changing football's history, thanks to a handful of men who sowed the seeds of the inversion of football's natural order. This is the story of the men who taught the world to play and shaped its destiny. This is the story of the Misters.

Infamous


Arabella Abbing - 2016
     April: My boss is the publicist for the hottest quarterback in the NFL. As a lowly intern, I’ve never met Jared Moore -- but as a rabid football fan, believe me, I know all about him. And now my boss is off on her honeymoon … and I’ve been given the job of babysitting Jared. If I keep him out of the limelight for the next two weeks, I’ll graduate to a full-time paying job. If I break the no fraternization policy and sleep with him, I’ll be fired. Did I mention he’s the sexiest thing on two legs? But I’ve got my priorities straight. My career is more important than screwing around with an infamous manwhore. I’m not worried. Really. I’m not. Jared: I can’t help it if women find me irresistible. Heisman Trophy winner, star NFL quarterback, sex god … what’s not to like? April Scott's the latest in a long line of interns. They've all given it up for me, but she just gets pissy. No matter how much she wants me -- and I know she does -- she keeps saying no. She finally admits that it’s me or her job. Well, I’m not enough of a liar to promise more than I’m willing to give. But I do know how to keep a secret. Simple, right? Works like a charm. Until the results of our little escapade get too visible to hide ... Infamous is a full-length, standalone romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger. No bonus book, either … just plenty of steamy bad-boy action. Readers 18+ only.

Tunnel of Love: Football, Fighting & Failure: Newcastle United After The Entertainers


Martin Hardy - 2016
     They would break the transfer world record by signing the England captain Alan Shearer, ahead of rivals Manchester United, for £15 million from Blackburn Rovers and had the talismanic figure of Kevin Keegan as their manager. It was expected a golden period to match the start of the 1900s would follow, when Newcastle had been champions of England three times and had reached five FA Cup finals. Instead, by the start of 1997, Keegan had left following a boardroom row. Sir Bobby Robson had accepted and then turned down the chance to replace Keegan as manager and Newcastle had turned to Kenny Dalglish to maintain their assault as a genuine, emerging force in European football. Dalglish himself would be sacked within 18 months and Newcastle would embark on a breathless and reckless period in their history. Tunnel of Love reflects the dramatic highs and gut wrenching lows that covered the 13 year period which followed the failed agony of falling so close to becoming champions of England in 1996, when Keegan's Entertainers were in their pomp. It takes in unforgettable nights at St James' Park - the beating of Barcelona, the apparent taming of Manchester United and the breathtaking tribute to Shearer - for 10 years' service that saw him become the club's all-time leading goalscorer. Yet by its close Newcastle are fighting for their Premier League lives as they head to Villa Park on the final day of the 2008/09 season. Tunnel of Love takes you back on the rollercoaster that got them there.

Beyond Borders


Aleksandar Duric - 2016
    Against all odds, he made an unlikely appearance at the 1992 Olympic Games whilst the fires of the Bosnian War raged in his homeland, a war that had tragic consequences for the Duric family.A nomadic career in football followed, before Duric finally found his feet – and his home – in Singapore. It was in this Southeast Asian nation that Duric truly made his name, becoming an all-conquering force in Singapore’s top domestic league and going on to represent the Singapore national team more than 50 times.Told in a refreshingly frank and honest manner, Beyond Borders is far more than a footballer’s memoir. Duric’s tale of tragedy and triumph, adversity and adventure, is as surprising as it is inspiring.

Two Tribes: Liverpool, Everton and a City on the Brink


Tony Evans - 2016
    Pumped with pride and passion, the two best teams in Europe are about to engage in a gladiatorial battle in front of 100,000 fanatical supporters. But this is not just another match, another cup final. On this warm day in May, the future of English football – and a city’s reputation – is on the line. A year before this momentous Cup Final, Liverpool fans had been involved in the Heysel disaster. Thirty-nine people had died in the decaying stadium – a tragedy which cast a long, dark shadow over the sport. English clubs were banned from Continental competition, and football reached its lowest point. Tony Evans’s Two Tribes recalls the tumultuous 1985/86 season and the titanic struggle for supremacy between the two great Merseyside clubs. Set against a backdrop of social and political turmoil, it reveals the full impact of Thatcher’s policies, the vibrant northwest music scene and the burgeoning anti-establishment vibe on the streets and on the terraces. Giving voice to players, managers, politicians and musicians, Two Tribes follows the remarkable twists and turns of a season and how Merseysiders took over London for one unforgettable day with deafening chants of ‘Merseyside! Merseyside!’ ringing around Wembley Stadium. Ultimately, this is the story of Liverpool’s renaissance and Everton’s private agony, masked by a show of solidarity and communal spirit on the day, and how a season which began in shame ended in pride.

Horns Up: Inside the Greatest College Football Dynasty


Jeff Kolpack - 2016
    When you think of the greatest college football programs in the modern era, those schools come immediately to mind. But none of them did what North Dakota State did from 2011-15 and that is to win five straight national championships, in NDSU's case at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly known as Division I-AA). In fact, nobody at any level of college football has ever won five straight. The Bison did it with a unique toughness, including farm kids from the Midwest who were used to working 18-hour days before taking one step on the Fargo, N.D., campus. They did it with a work ethic and an unusual devotion and love to their hard-driving strength and conditioning coach. It didn't come without some hard knocks. The Bison went 3-8 in 2009, one year after becoming fully eligible for Division I athletics after making the transition from Division II. They lost their head coach during the 2013 title run, a change that was met with resistance and tension within the coaching staff that filtered down to the players. From 2011-15, Alabama won 62 games, Florida State 58, Oregon 57 and Clemson and Ohio State 56 each. North Dakota State, with its collection of lightly-regarded players primarily from the states of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, won 71. Since moving to Division I, NDSU went 8-3 against bigger FBS schools with wins against the likes of Minnesota (twice), Kansas State, Iowa State and Colorado State. They had some stars, like in 2011 when a quarterback from Bismarck Century with a few scholarship offers decided to stay in-state and attend NDSU. Four years later, Carson Wentz was the second overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Draft. The national media paid attention. ESPN's "College GameDay" came to Fargo two straight years and the network developed a love affair with the city. "Horns Up" is a story of a football program that came out of nowhere. It's a story nobody could have predicted.

Culture Defeats Strategy: 7 Lessons on Leadership From A Texas High School Football Coach


Randy A. Jackson - 2016
    Coaches, teachers and managers have all sung the praises of this 'culture manifesto'. Coach Jackson takes you into his program and shows you how he creates one of the top cultures in the country. He uses stories from his experiences that will bring home his message of program building and leadership development. A must-read anyone wanting to create a championship culture or become an impactful leader.

Fill The Stadium


K.M. Daughters - 2016
    A contemporary novel focuses on a tenderhearted football star who helps out an emotionally wounded single mother.

Belichick and Brady: Two Men, the Patriots, and How They Revolutionized Football


Michael Holley - 2016
     No head coach-quarterback pair has been more successful in NFL history than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. They have won four Super Bowls, six AFC championships, and thirteen division titles. And now Holley takes us inside their relationship, dissecting how these men and their team came to dominate football. Belichick, a genius as a defensive coordinator, had been a five-year flop as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Upon his controversial arrival in Foxboro, though, he quickly began to remake the team at every level--scouts, coaches, and players. His bold, calculated approach had fans up in arms, sportswriters questioning his intelligence, and players wondering how long they would last on the team. Meanwhile, buried down in the 2000 NFL draft, the 199th overall pick was a skinny kid from the University of Michigan named Tom Brady who many scouts thought would never succeed at a professional level. The lowest of the four quarterbacks on the team's depth chart, he appeard to be just one of the guys. Like Belichick, though, he lived for football, and he knew the playbook as well as Drew Bledsoe, the franchise quarterback. And when Bledsoe was injured in 2001, Brady took the job and vowed to never give it back. The handsome Brady became a star, wearing hand-tailored suits, appearing in movies and on magazine covers, and marrying a supermodel. Belichick, with his trademark cut-off hoodies, was the opposite of a fashion plate. Together, the odd couple somehow rose above controversies and tragedies. Draft picks were lost, suspensions given, lawsuits filed. As their legends have grown, so have their critics, with some of those critics operating from NFL headquarters. Despite that, with Belichick's deft and brilliant strategy in the draft year in year out and Brady's exacting decision-making on the field, the Patriots cultivated an atmosphere of success and won a stunning 75 percent of their games together. Respected and reviled, Belichick and Brady have set the bar high for excellence in a league designed for parity. They have rarely been understood. Until now. Based on dozens of interviews with former and current players, coaches, and executives, Belichick and Brady is an eye-opening look at the minds, motives, and wild ambitions of two men who have left an indelible mark on the game of football.

Philadelphia Eagles


Larry Mack - 2016
    Their first Super Bowl win in 1977 was under the direction of John Madden, one of the NFLs most famed icons. The Madden NFL video game series is named after him! Learn how the Oakland Raiders beat out their competition in this engaging title.

The View from the O-Line: Football According to NFL Offensive Linemen and an Uncommon Coach


Howard Mudd - 2016
    These are the men who make up the offensive line.Howard Mudd spent more than forty years in the NFL, first as a player and later as a coach. His narrative anchors this work while more than twenty contributors: current and former NFL players—including Nick Mangold, Jeff Saturday, Frank Winters, and Jackie Slater—executives, and officials, add their richly told stories that chronicle the biases faced and overcome by those in this intricate and underestimated position, weaving together an admirable new image of the men playing the sport for reasons beyond simple glory. Clever in craft and modest in spirit, these unheralded players wield the power to make or break a game.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Game Plan


T.J. Penn - 2016
    Is a new relationship strong enough to stand against his team owner’s schemes?When running from her dark past, Bailey Mills finds herself at the wrong place at the right time setting off a chain of events that could reveal everything.Robert Shelton, a star quarterback joins a team in hopes of saving them from a losing streak, only to find the owner has other plans, plans that include his failure.Will falling in love with a pretty waitress set him up to lose more than just the season?

Spirit of '58


Evan Marshall - 2016
    The heroic story of this uniquely blessed squad of players, led by the peerless Danny Blanchflower, takes in the Munich Air Disaster, a fight against Sabbath Observers within the IFA who tried to stop them going to the tournament in Sweden, and a violent win-or-bust struggle against Italy to qualify. And yet it has almost been forgotten.Spirit of '58 tells the story of how Northern Irish football came of age under the management of Peter Doherty, and the team's journey from also-rans to being two games away from the World Cup final of 1958. Including interviews with all the surviving players, the book finally tells the full story of Northern Ireland's greatest ever team. A gripping rollercoaster of a story that will thrill football and sports fans.

Home and Away: Round Britain in Search of Non-League Football Nirvana


Dave Roberts - 2016
    Perennial underachievers Bromley, in the vertigo-inducing fifth tier of English football? It was the greatest achievement in the club's 130-year history and, by extraordinary coincidence, Dave had decided to spend the next 12 months in the UK, after an absence of 35 years, deciding whether he and his wife Liz could live there. And what better way to explore modern day Blighty than by following a roadmap based on the fixtures in the Vanarama National League? It was like the ultimate package holiday; well, for Dave at least.Home and Away takes Dave - and occasionally Liz too - the length and breadth of the land on a journey of discovery, with Bromley games thrown in. So from the White Cliffs of Dover and the English Riviera (Torquay) through the timeless charm of the Cotswolds (Forest Green, Cheltenham) to towns steeped in history (Lincoln, Chester), faded seaside resorts (Southport, Barrow) and fallen giants of the game (Grimsby, Wrexham, Tranmere - OK, pushing it there), the season unfolds, and the ultimate 'home or away' decision approaches.Against the odds, the season also proves not to be full of the endless disappointments football fans are conditioned to expect. Unfancied Bromley are on a mission, they have a man called Moses up front, and the promised land of the Football League might not be beyond their capabilities...

Crimson Catch


S.M. Donaldson - 2016
    Collin Atwood is a sophomore at Everly High School and the all-American boy in an all-American family. It's his first year on the varsity team and the pressure is on, from his dad and the town. For the first time in over twenty years his hometown could be in line for a state championship title and he’s their ticket to get there. That is if he can get his grades up enough to play. Enter the daughter of the last guy that held the town's hopes and dreams of state titles, who turned into a drunk after he blew it all. Paired up with Joelle Prescott as his tutor, these two are far from being in the same social circle. She's an honor student and a badass on the drum line. In her family full of athletes, she feels invisible. Which is good sometimes...makes it easier to keep her secrets. Will he keep her secrets? Will she help him make the grade? WARNING: This book is a Mature YA book. It is intended for people 15+, it is not suitable for those younger.

Di Stéfano


Ian Hawkey - 2016
    There he became football’s first global icon, nicknamed the striking ‘Blond Arrow’ for his powerful stamina, tactical versatility and precision goal scoring. He would lead Madrid as a team whose playing style others learnt from, whose stylishness was envied and whose widespread appreciation elsewhere help portray Franco’s otherwise isolated and right-wing Spain in a more flattering light.By the time he retired, Di Stefano has changed Spain as a nation, culturally and politically, and his rebellious pioneering career set new benchmarks for his sport in the epoch of perhaps football’s greatest transformation. This is his complete story, including candid and exclusive interviews highlighting his journey from humble beginnings to emerging as one of the first global sport superstars that we so commonly see today.

The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa


Jed C. Davies - 2016
    Davies is a product of three and a half years of research, interviews over coffee tables, bus journeys through foreign countries and the development of an idea. The idea has been a simple one: to theorise and understand the philosophy of one of the most influential football coaches in the history of the game: Marcelo BielsaFrom over 50 training sessions, theory on rotations and movement to the languages of the game and the #1-3-3-1-3 formation, Davies has explored many of the themes that merge into one to form the Argentine’s football thinking. The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa delivers best in its attempt to celebrate football played between lines: between the opposition midfield and defensive lines. Between enemy linesIn the eighteen chapters of Davies’ book, no page is without the theme of placing value upon a pass and tackling the war in that exists football philosophy, among those who prioritise possession and those who prioritise positioning. The infamous seven lines of play are given context within a specific playing style of ‘vertical football’This book has been written for football coaches and those wishing to develop a greater understanding of the game on a tactical level, providing a framework to analyse the game through, but most of all this book has been written to act as a reference of the game. For this reason, examples given in the book are diverse, from The Chile National Team and Athletic Bilbao to Juanma Lillo’s Millonarios and Gary Speed’s Wales coming together to form The Philosophy of Football

Crunching Numbers: An Inside Look At The Salary Cap And Negotiating Player Contracts


Jason Fitzgerald - 2016
    It explores how the National Football League (NFL) operates and continues to define success. Crunching Numbers goes into great detail to explain key concepts from the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) such as signing bonuses, dead money, free agency, salary guarantees, franchise tags, forfeitures, grievances, and many more. By using practical case player examples to illustrate the concepts within the CBA, readers will learn how to calculate a player’s salary cap number and the ways in which teams manipulate those numbers to work within the NFL rules. In addition, the book will explore ways to benchmark contracts and the roles contract negotiators play in today’s NFL. Whether you are a student with aspirations of working in an NFL front office, a sports agent, a sports writer or just an avid fan, Crunching Numbers will help you better understand the intricacies of the NFL’s player’s contracts, the salary cap, and salary cap management. For more information, please check out book website CrunchingNumbersBook.com

The New York Giants Story


Larry Mack - 2016
    The combination of high-interest subject matter and light text is intended for students in grades 3 through 7"--

1000 Football Clubs: Teams, Stadiums, and Legends of the Beautiful Game


Jean-Damien Lesay - 2016
    This superbly illustrated volume is the fan’s most comprehensive insight into 1,000 football clubs (a.k.a., soccer teams), both professional and collegiate, from every continent, illustrating each club’s history and what it means to support their team. Included are key details from both men’s and women’s leagues, such as team colors, shirt designs, coats of arms, mottos, club songs, stadium details, legendary players, impactful coaches, the most memorable victories (and defeats)—in short, this is the ultimate trivia guide for any fan passionate about the "Beautiful Game." For the die-hard supporter, a football club goes beyond just rooting for the home team. Each football club is a culture unto itself with fans comprising an extended family of shared memory, glorious victories, and camaraderie. Full of engaging stories behind team traditions and statistics detailing important achievements, players, and events, 1000 Football Clubs is a must-read for any football fan and a most useful survey for anyone who needs to understand the sport considered the world’s favorite and whose popularity continues to grow exponentially in North America.

Game of My Life San Diego Chargers: Memorable Stories of Chargers Football


Jay Paris - 2016
    In Game of My Life San Diego Chargers, fans can immerse themselves in all the greatest moments in Chargers history. Die-hard Chargers fan and award-winning sports writer Jay Paris expertly chronicles all of the greatest Charger moments, including the team’s thirteen playoff appearances, their heart-breaking loss in the 1995 Super Bowl, and their glory runs in the mid-2000s.Chargers fans can experience all the glory of their favorite team with first-hand interviews from over a dozen legendary players, including LaDainian Tomlinson, Dan Fouts, Ron Mix, Burt Grossman, Phillip Rivers, and Nick Hardwick. Each former great shares his most memorable game as a Charger, from the pregame jitters to the on-field glory, to the postgame locker room celebration. Game of My Life San Diego Chargers is the perfect gift for Chargers fans!Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

In It to Win It


Ella Jade - 2016
    Welcoming the break from her ex-fiancé, she takes comfort in the much needed alone time, but her sexy new neighbor, Jed Silver, has her rethinking the single life. She’s shocked when she discovers that he’s the newest member of the Kingston Crushers and the town's latest obsession. As baseball fever overtakes the town these two heat up the sheets, making for one explosive summer, until Frankie's past catches up with her. JAB by A.K. Layton Sabrina Alenin is a self-assured young woman who has a clear plan for her future. As a YouTube blogger who is gaining momentum, she needs the right type of man to help her create her own empire. A wealthy, older man who likes hot blondes. Mixed martial arts fighter Silvio Almeida doesn’t fit the bill, no matter how infuriatingly irresistible she finds him. In training for an upcoming fight, women aren't on Silvio's radar. But their paths keeps crossing, and in the end they will both have to discover if the best future is the one unplanned. SOCCER MUM by Lisa Knight When Maggie's son joins a soccer team she hopes it will be an opportunity to meet new people and move forward. A broken marriage and returning home to live with her parents wasn't quite how she'd envisioned her thirties. Agreeing to play soccer herself as part of the parents' team, Maggie requires a little extra coaching. Leo is happy to assist, and Maggie becomes captivated by the former professional player. But as her ex-husband pressures her to re-kindle their relationship, Maggie's guilt reaches overdrive. How can she consider a future with Leo when there's a chance of putting her family back together? SECOND TIME AROUND by Olivia Starke Kelly has dedicated her life to caring for the horses at her off-track Thoroughbred rescue. When she's forced to sell part of her land to cover expenses, she's shocked by who buys it—her high school sweetheart, Dustin. Seeing him brings back memories of the most painful time of her life. Not only had she lost the man she thought she would spend forever with, she also lost her twin brother. And for years she held Dustin responsible for his death. Kelly and Dustin start to rekindle the love they once shared, but that may come to screeching halt when she learns his secret. A secret that could drive her away forever. ALL YOU WANTED by Lisa Huffman Football superstar Wade McKinney is crushed when he's cut from the team. In order to make a comeback, he needs to focus on becoming the best player he can be. Leaving town for a fresh start, he takes a job as a sports reporter at a TV station. With no room in his life for anything else, Wade denies his attraction to co-anchor Rebecca Ryan. Wade only sees a future in football and Rebecca, who is busy trying to help her family deal with a tragedy, doesn’t have time for a relationship. But when fate steps in, Wade and Rebecca just might find something they weren't looking for in each other. LOVE IN VICTORY LANE by CJ Bower Racing is all Catalina has ever wanted to do. She's spent years climbing the ranks and paying her dues. Now she has finally made it to the highest level in NASCAR and is on the eve of starting her rookie season. Her new crew chief, Chad, is incredible. He’s just the guy to help her reach her goal. However, she hits a speed bump when the sizzling chemistry between them carries over to their personal lives, which could damage both of their careers.

Christmas Blitz


Amy L. Gale - 2016
    After forfeiting her college scholarship to law school to be at her mother's side, she obtained her real estate license and took a position at Trust Reality. Nick Shaw is on the path to victory. As a high school football hero turned rookie star wide receiver of the newest NFL team, the Iowa Talons, success is all he knows. But sometimes there's things fame and money can't buy. When Nick returns to Hilldale, he puts an offer on a lakeside mansion up for sale by Trust Reality and turns Holly's life upside down. Can she stay on track and resist Nick's charm or will she be blitzed by Hilldale's football hero this Christmas?

Hook Up


Bella Love-Wins - 2016
    The NFL has ranked me in the top 50 overall potential draftees. I have to keep working hard to make it there. I drove home to El Paso, Texas to see my folks for a week before the start of senior year and Fall camp out in Baton Rouge. While I was back home, one of my crew threw a party for me at the Raging Bull Saloon. That's when I first met Josephine. She was a sweet little curvy redhead with a mouth wanting to be tamed. Oh, the things I could do with all those curves. We had one scorcher of a hookup in the men's restroom. Then we went our separate ways... until I saw her again beside her junkyard jalopy, broken down at the side of the highway. Who knew a random hookup could end up taking us places. Josephine (Jo) Quinn I was leaving El Paso. I had no one left alive in these parts who gave a crap about me, and no reason at all to stay. After a talk with my only sister in New Orleans, I decided to pack it up and get the hell out. The night before leaving it all behind, I took a detour at the Raging Bull Saloon to let off some steam. That's when I met a big strong football player with arms that picked me up as though I was light as a feather...which I ain't. We had one hell of a restroom hookup. Then I went home and got my stuff together. I just didn't figure on my old, piece of crap Frankencar giving up the ghost on the side of the interstate. And I sure as hell didn't plan on what came next with cornerback Chris. *Author's note. Hook Up is a full length, standalone sports romance story with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger. This story is light on football and heavy on steamy romance.

1966: The 50th Anniversary


Clive Batty - 2016
    This beautiful coffee table book - presented in a souvenir real cloth slipcase with gold foil lettering - will contain previously unseen photography, items of memorabilia including the players' shirts and medals and the match ball and unseen documents from the FA's own archive at Wembley Stadium. It will also will include the memories of the key protagonists in the story - from the players and manager to celebrities who were in the crowd, supporters, commentators and journalists.

Fight for Old DC: George Preston Marshall, the Integration of the Washington Redskins, and the Rise of a New NFL


Andrew O'Toole - 2016
    But it was off the field that Marshall made his lasting impact. An innovator, he achieved many “firsts” in professional football. His team was the first to telecast all its games, have its own fight song and a halftime show, and assemble its own marching band and cheerleading squad. He viewed football as an entertainment business and accordingly made changes to increase scoring and improve the fan experience. But along with innovation, there was controversy. Marshall was a proud son of the South, and as the fifties came to a close, his team remained the only franchise in the three major league sports to not have a single black player. Marshall came under pressure from Congress and the NFL and its president, Pete Rozelle, as league expansion and new television contract possibilities forced the issue on the reluctant owner. Outside forces finally pushed Marshall to trade for Bobby Mitchell, the team’s first black player, in 1962. With the story of Marshall’s holdout as the backdrop, Fight for Old DC chronicles these pivotal years when the NFL began its ascent to the top of the nation’s sporting interest.

The Lost Super Bowls: 1961 to 1965 - A Fictional Scrapbook


Tom Danyluk - 2016
    It's fantasy football wrapped in a history lesson, the buildup and recap of five "World Championship" games – from 1961 to 1965 – that were never played. Only the names are real…legendary figures, like Lombardi and Stram, Alworth and Adderley, Ditka and Kemp. Venues like Green Bay’s City Field, the Dallas Cotton Bowl and Pasadena’s Rose Bowl. It's the winter of 1961. Joe Foss, commissioner of the wobbly American Football League, issues the first of his many telegrams and missives to the rival NFL, requesting that the two leagues create an annual "World Championship Football Game." Foss’ gang is struggling and needs a boost. The NFL, however, led by Pete Rozelle, scoffs at the invitation, thus triggering a war between the leagues that would carry deep into the spring of 1966. A merger was finally announced that June. The first Super Bowl game - Kansas City versus Green Bay - wouldn't be played until January of '67. But what if, by some shocking stroke of prescience, the NFL had agreed to Foss' initial proposal? Simply put, football’s Super Bowl era would have begun five years earlier - in January, 1962. There'd be five more title games now cemented in the record books. There'd be five more of those fine Sabol highlight reels in the archives of NFL Films. There'd be five more chapters of pro football history that author Tom Danyluk calls The Lost Super Bowls. “Everything you can imagine is real,” says the artist, and The Lost Super Bowls presents football history in that very way, a time machine back to those early AFL-NFL battles that never were. It’s George Blanda and the Houston Oilers trying to bomb their way past the ’61 Packers, Vince Lombardi’s first champion. It’s Sid Gillman unleashing his lightning bolt strikes on the Monsters of the Midway. It’s the mighty Jim Brown slamming horns with Sestak and Saimes and the rugged Bills’ defense of 1964. It’s the sports pages of The Lost Super Bowls. Sit back and read all about it!

Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo - 2017 Updated Edition


Luca Caioli - 2016
    Now Luca Caioli, author of biographies of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar, asks: 'Who is the greatest of them all?' Comparing their contrasting styles, stories, records and awards, he gives you everything you need to decide who comes out on top. With exclusive insights from their friends, families, teammates and managers, Caioli presents a unique insight into what makes a modern player not just successful, but truly great.

5 League Titles and a Packet of Crisps: My Autobiography


Stevie Nicol - 2016
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The Athletic Brain: How Neuroscience is Revolutionising Sport and Can Help You Perform Better


Amit Katwala - 2016
    The minds of elite athletes can pull off feats of anticipation and co-ordination that amateurs would find impossible. The athletic brain has been trained through hours and hours of practice - years of sweat and toil. But what if there were a shortcut to training your brain?Cognitive training tools offer the tantalising possibility of breaking the '10,000-hour rule'. Top-level athletes and teams are increasingly tapping into new knowledge of the brain to develop tools and techniques that can offer a shortcut to sporting success, or push the boundaries of performance beyond its current limits. Increasingly, these tools are becoming available to the ordinary amateur, revolutionising the ways in which anyone can improve their skills.Based on interviews with top athletes and the scientists working at the cutting edge of our knowledge, Amit Katwala provides a fascinating insight into the possibilities that are becoming open to us all. He takes us to see how Borussia Dortmund's 'Footbonaut' and touchscreen-based games in the NFL have been achieving excellent results. As with bestsellers such as The Chimp Paradoxand Bounce, by the end of this book, readers will look at sporting performance in a new light, and be able to apply these insights to their own lives.

At Arm's Length


Amber Nation - 2016
    The spotlight that endlessly followed him due to his fame, was his downfall, especially when he failed to keep his anger in check. Due to his lack of control and explosive bouts of rage, he rightfully earned the nickname, “The Beast.” And with the results of his rogue actions, he heard the one word no professional athlete ever wanted to hear. Suspension.After what was supposed to be a mandatory time-out to straighten out his ways, he finds himself at the mercy of a beautiful Innkeeper while stuck at a Bed & Breakfast in the backwoods of Colorado.Dutiful:-conscientiously or obediently fulfilling one’s duty.-motivated by duty rather than desire or enthusiasm-Marlee TateOnce upon a time, Marlee Tate devoted her life to a prestigious PR firm, taking an active role in following her hopes and aspirations. But with one phone call from her family, she was ready to toss her dreams aside without hesitation to be the daughter she felt she needed to be. Now, she’s back at home, forced to work at her family’s livelihood, Tate Manor.During what was considered to be the worst snowstorm in Colorado history, the treacherous weather sent the abrupt but intriguing stranger crashing into her doorstep.What will happen when two guarded souls collide together after being hidden away from the outside world? When half-truths come to light and hearts are meaninglessly tossed aside? Will they arise from their stubborn stupor or continue to keep each other at arm’s length?

Crunching Numbers: An Inside Look At The Salary Cap And Negotiating Player Contracts


Jason Fitzgerald - 2016
    Crunching Numbers: An Inside Look at the Salary Cap and Negotiating Player Contracts is the perfect book for any NFL fan to broaden their understanding of the rules and decision making processes general managers face each day, as they construct their team.Crunching Numbers goes into great detail to explain how the money works. Key concepts from the NFL CBA such as signing bonuses, dead money, free agency, salary guarantees, franchise tags, termination pay, minimum salary benefit, bonus forfeitures, grievances, and many more will be looked at closely. By using practical case player examples to illustrate the concepts within the CBA, readers will learn how to calculate a player's salary cap number and the ways in which teams manipulate those numbers to work within the NFL rules. In addition, Crunching Numbers explores ways to benchmark contracts and the roles team contract negotiators play in today's NFL.Whether you are a student with aspirations of working in an NFL front office, a sports agent, a sports writer or just an avid fan, Crunching Numbers will help you better understand the intricacies of the NFL's player's contracts, the salary cap, and salary cap management.For more information, please visit www.CrunchingNumbersBook.com.Praise for Crunching Numbers"Crunching Numbers fills the void that has existed for years when it comes to understanding NFL contracts and the rules regarding the salary cap." - Paraag Marathe, Executive VP of Football Operations, San Francisco 49ers"A must read for all who want to learn about NFL contracts and the salary cap." - Jason LaCanfora, CBS Sports"I've been covering the NFL since the 90's and consider Jason and Vijay to be indispensable resources for all things relating to the salary cap. Their extensive knowledge of the CBA shines through in this collaboration." - Mike Sando, ESPN Senior Writer and Pro Football Hall of Fame Selector"Crunching Numbers is a welcome addition to the sports management education literature. Fitzgerald and Natarajan's work provides and inside view far more credible than anecdotal commentaries, uncovering the accounting and strategy behind the NFL salary cap." - Dr. Kristi Sweeney, Assistant Professor, University of North FloridaAbout the AuthorsJason Fitzgerald is the founder of the website OverTheCap.com, which focuses on contract analytics and bench marking contracts. Jason is considered a salary cap expert and has been hired as a consultant by NFL teams and sports agencies to conduct contract analytic projects. His work has been cited by numerous print and digital media including Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, the New York Times, Boston Globe, and the Seattle Times to name a few. Jason has been a contributing writer for the Sporting News.Vijay Natarajan works in the athlete representation field overseeing the day to day operations for the NFL clients of KLASS Sports, LLC. Vijay performs statistical analysis and focuses numerous studies on expected contract trends. He is an expert at sports collective bargaining agreements, salary cap analysis, and player contract negotiations. Vijay has also worked closely on NBA player contract negotiations and is well versed in NBA contract analytics.

Justin’s Season


S.M. Sawyer - 2016
    The fulfillment of his destiny is prompted by Providence and the serendipitous deeds of those who are a part of his new life, as their intertwined lives are likewise impacted. Though his rapid evolvement and acceptance of his homosexuality is countered by setbacks, Justin perseveres and eventually triumphs as fate, he believes, has led him back to the sports arena to recapture past glories.In a stunning finale, however, he learns his destiny is not what he had envisioned. His calling has been thrust upon him by circumstances beyond his control. Can Justin embrace it and become the man he was always meant to be?This is a work of literary/genre fiction.

Class of 92: Out of Our League


Gary Neville - 2016
    Class of 92: Out of Their League, however, opens a dramatic new chapter in the story of former Manchester United greats Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, as they take on a new role in each of their lives: owners of semi-professional club Salford City FC.An enthralling, in-depth account of Salford's first two years under new ownership, Class of 92: Out of Their League combines first-hand accounts from Gary, Phil, Paul, Ryan and Nicky as they try to turn round the club's fortunes, along with a wider story of tremendous athletic and human drama. Featuring colourful characters like managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, star players, club chairman Karen Baird, lifelong fans, and more, this is a story told with real authenticity and grit. Accompanying the second series of the hugely popular BBC series, Class of 92: Out of Their League is both a testament to the best of modern football and a brilliant reminder, in an era when fans are threatening walkouts over rising ticket prices, of what football is really all about.

Changing the Game: Football in Australia Through My Eyes


Ange Postecoglou - 2016
    In this book, he shows us the game through his eyes, from the changing room to the boardroom, to reveal how Australia must boldly reimagine its place in the world. From his playing days with South Melbourne in the 1980s to coaching the Socceroos to victory in the 2015 Asian Cup, Ange Postecoglou's uncompromising commitment to success has coincided with the incredible rise of football in this country.He won the old National Soccer League as a player and a coach. Now that Australian football is reaching new heights, Ange is again at the forefront: he's won back-to-back A-League titles, led the Brisbane Roar to the longest unbeaten run in any code, and the national team to the winner's podium. He's a man with strong opinions about how to play and lead.Ange's story is one of fostering a culture of success, and turning history - or precedent - on its head. He candidly relays key moments and meetings in his life, reflecting on how these have shaped his beliefs and practices, and gives frank views on where the current game is going right and wrong. What's revealed is a bold and impassioned account of the game he loves.

Basketball and Football


George Thomas Clark - 2016
    We also peer into the minds of legends LeBron James, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and numerous others.On the gridiron Clark reveals the talent and tragedy of Donald Rogers, an All American at UCLA and a star for the Cleveland Browns, the challenges of attending a Seahawks game in Seattle, the thoughts of brilliant but tormented Bill Walsh, the glory and horror of O.J. Simpson, major college football players being exploited by the NCAA and university bureaucrats, the rise and fall of the USC Trojans, issues of alcoholism, substance abuse, and domestic violence, and more.Half the stories are straight nonfiction and others are satirical pieces guided by the unwavering hand of an inspired storyteller.

College Spankings: Three Tales of College Punishment and Humiliation


Lola Delorey - 2016
    Handsome, arrogant and full of himself, he routinely disrespects his alpha roommate, Joe, hiding his attraction to him. What will his roommate do when he finds Chris in a compromising situation? And what will happen when Chris finds himself enjoying his time over Joe's knee? Either way, they're in for a steamy night, that might change them both.Over the Desk: Spanked and Taken by His College ProfessorChuck has gotten into trouble in class one too many times- And this time, Prof. Johnson isn’t standing for it. The bad boy soon finds himself on the end of a very humiliated punishment, but things take a turn for the worse as he discovers things about himself he never expected. Will the young college student lose himself? Or will Chuck discover his hidden desires instead? Either way, he will finally learn something in class today- although bent over a desk instead of seated at one.Locker Room Secrets: Humiliated and Punished by His Coach and TeammatesChad has been irritating his college football coach for a long time now, and when he messes up the team’s performance at a big game, the older man decides it has been enough. The jock soon finds himself at the end of a highly humiliation punishment in front of the team’s star players, who soon whip out a surprise that Chad simply can’t take his eyes off. Will Chad ever overcome this public humiliation? What will happen when he finds himself deeply enjoying it? One thing is clear: the locker room will never be the same again for this naughty boy.

Vain Games of No Value?: A Social History of Association Football in Britain During its First Long Century


Terry Morris - 2016
    Yet by the time that the Football Association celebrated its centenary year in 1963, no serious academic analysis had been undertaken of the sport and of the various channels by which it had developed in different parts of the country. By the time that historians began to tackle that task, its complexity and diversity were such that it could only be undertaken in installments. Studies emerged that focused upon individual clubs and specific regions or which were limited to narrow time scales. No work examined the long century from the 1860s to the 1970s in full.This book analyses the growth of British football in all its aspects—the developments of the football crowd, the status of the professional player, women’s football, the difficult survival of amateurism, to mention but a few. It also highlights the factors that contributed to diverse developmental paths in different parts of the country. The author has used the widest range of source materials to achieve a broader overview of the game’s history than has previously been attempted.

Arsenal: The Long Sleep 1953-1970: A view from the terrace


John Sowman - 2016
    It follows the fortunes and misfortunes of it's players, managers and club officials during that trophy-wise barren era. Poignant, often funny, and occasionally sad, it faithfully records how the on and off the field events were interpreted by the club's loyal, long suffering fans, one of whom was the author. It also recalls a time when professional footballers in England were inextricably tied by contract to their club and not allowed to earn more than the statutory maximum wage, as decreed by the governing football bodies. Alone, one man dared to challenge that so-called single 'soccer slavery' and went on a personal 141 days strike against his club Newcastle United. Future England international George Eastham's ultimate triumph in the High Court was to change forever the rights and unfettered fortunes that his modern counterparts enjoy. The Long Sleep concludes with that triumphant night at Highbury on 28th April 1970 when seventeen years of failure were swept away dramatically to usher in a new successful period in the history of this famous and traditional club.

Deliberate Soccer Practice: 50 Defending Football Exercises to Improve Decision-Making


Ray Power - 2016
    We are told that even large academies neglect it, as it is not 'technical' enough. Based on the concept of Deliberate Practice, and extensive recent research into talent development, this book shows the coach how to organize and deliver effective exercises that teach players how to defend in all situations. With sound principles and an easy-to-understand approach, this book will help you teach your players to defend effectively by absorbing them physically and mentally in the challenges of defending.Aimed at football coaches of all levels, but with a particular emphasis on coaches who work with youth players, 50 Defending Football Exercises to Improve Decision-Making is comprised of 10 Individual Defending Practices, 10 Small Group Practices, 10 Position-Specific Practices, 14 Single-Sided Games, and 6 Scenario-Based Practices. They are carefully designed to be adaptable to suit the needs of the players you work with; to challenge them and give them decisions to make. The sessions look to make soccer complex and realistically difficult – no passing in queues from one cone to the next with no interference. Crucially, the exercises offer a means to accelerate player development effectively and enjoyably.

The Red One - The Inside Story of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United


Harry Harris - 2016
    All the world's top managers are here and none will be bigger or more headline-grabbing than the dynamic duo in Manchester where Jose v Pep contest will reverberate around the world and back again. the Red One tells the story of Mourinho's signing at Old Trafford all the background, all the reaction, fall out and what really spilled over between him and Guardiola in Spain. Just how good is Mourinho? How were his previous relationships with Guardiola and Zlatan Ibrahimovi? These, and many more questions, are answered together with an in-depth look at Jose's pre-season rebuilding exercise at united including the new signings and plans for the existing squad. Ideal For: Manchester United fans, looking for the ins and outs of the teams decisions and answers for some of the most asked questions.

Touchdown


Red Passion Publishing - 2016
    30 Bonus Stories Included! OVER 340,000 WORDS OF 4 SPICY HOT AMERICAN FOOTBALL ROMANCE PLUS 30 SUPER STEAMY BONUS STORIES WHICH ARE GUARANTEED TO ENTERTAIN AND GET YOUR HEART PUMPING FOR SURE! When you get this collection, you will also get 30 STEAMY HOT romance short stories ABSOLUTELY FREE! This is our way to say a big "THANK YOU" to our readers for downloading this box set.Today only, you can get this special box set for just $4.99 (85% off regular price).This collection includes:- In the League of His Own- The End Zone- Off The Field- Keeping House++ For a limited time only, Get 30 STEAMY Bonus Stories Inside! ++ READ FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED! Scroll up and click the orange buy now button to start reading TODAY...WARNING: This book contains mature content with **BURNING HOT** scenes, intended for 18+ readers only!

Canes vs. Gators: Inside the Legendary Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators Football Rivalry


Marty Strasen - 2016
    Gators beat writer Pat Dooley described the vitriolic rivalry to the author simply as “vile.”History would prove that to be true. In Canes vs. Gators, coaches Urban Meyer, Howard Schnellenberger, Steve Spurrier, Larry Coker, and Ron Zook and several former notable players on both sides of the rivalry, along with key media members for both schools, offer their unique commentary on the intensity of the rivalry. For example, Schnellenberger recalled with anger that after his staff and team were pelted with frozen oranges in 1980, he kicked an extra meaningless field goal in a blowout victory . . . and he wished he’d called on his punter to take the ball and launch it into the Florida student section!Author Marty Strasen, who covered both schools for over a decade, brings to life the greatest moments of this historic rivalry. This book is the perfect gift for Florida college football fans!Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

The Invention of the Beautiful Game: Football and the Making of Modern Brazil


Gregg Bocketti - 2016
    Instead, football can be understood as an invention of early twentieth century middle-class and wealthy Brazilians who called themselves “sportsmen” and nationalists, and used the sport as part of their larger campaigns to shape and reshape the nation.  In this cross-cutting cultural history, Gregg Bocketti traces the origins of football in Brazil from its elitist, Eurocentric identity as “foot-ball” at the end of the nineteenth century to its subsequent mythologization as the specifically Brazilian “futebol,” o jogo bonito (the beautiful game). Bocketti examines the popular depictions of the sport as having evolved from a white elite pastime to an integral part of Brazil’s national identity known for its passion and creativity, and concludes that these mythologized narratives have obscured many of the complexities and the continuities of the history of football and of Brazil. Mining a rich trove of sources, including contemporary sports journalism, archives of Brazilian soccer clubs, and British ministry records, and looking in detail at soccer’s effect on all parts of Brazilian society, Bocketti shows how important the sport is to an understanding of Brazilian nationalism and nation building in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Out of the Game


Peggy Bird - 2016
    Sydney Nelson locks horns with Isiac “Mac” Maguire, defensive coordinator for the San Francisco Outlaws. Her plan of treatment for an injured player doesn’t meet with his approval. She wins but has she made an enemy of the man local reporters call a cross between Denzel and Channing and who Sydney finds intriguing in spite of their disagreement? Mac Maguire is totally focused on his team. He warns women he dates that he doesn’t do serious and he doesn’t stay overnight. And he never hooks up with someone he works with. Then the beautiful Dr. Nelson goes toe-to-toe with him over Cole Taylor’s dislocated shoulder. She doesn’t crumble in the face of his intimidation tactics and seems to care as much about his players’ health and safety as he does. Could he break his rules for her? If they can get over their initial meeting, Mac and Sydney might have a chance to connect off the field and find a happily-ever-after that’ll make both of them winners.

Barca Inedito


Manuel Tomás - 2016
    Bara, through over 116 years and a story drawn from records and internal documents unknown to the general public, seasoned with moments and memories of people who have helped build this huge Sacred Family of Barcelona's Soccer Club.

Skin in the Game: Two-Book Set


Christine Bell - 2016
    A bunch of cocky, lying cheaters who think they’re god’s gift to women, just like my dear old dad. I’ve managed to avoid them my whole college career until now >.< I just got assigned to be wide receiver Callum Samskevitch’s physical therapist. Now I have to see him. Every. Single. Day. Which would be fine…if he wasn’t so dang sexy… Cal Football is all I’ve got, so when Coach saddles me with some frumpy PT student with a chip on her shoulder, all I can think is doom. I don’t have time for this. Not now. Not when my dreams are on the verge of being crushed. All that should matter right now is ball. So why can’t I stop imagining what Bee Mitchell is hiding beneath those baggy sweatshirts? 
 Hustle A man in a room full of boys… Ty Maxwell is a twenty-three year old college freshman with a chip on his shoulder, and more secrets than the CIA. In a word? Trouble. So why can’t I stop staring at those dark, tortured eyes and wondering what those hands would feel like on my body? Ty No sex. No friends. Just football. Straight off a bloody tour in Iraq, I’m battling night terrors while my peers squabble over beer pong. If it wasn’t for my NFL dreams, I wouldn’t be here at all. But when I sign up for an easy “A” Drama class, I take my eye off the ball, totally distracted by Teacher’s Assistant, Flora Vasquez. She’s like a ray of sunlight in the darkness that is my life… a darkness that will consume her if I get too close.

Blitzed


Desiree Holt - 2016
    He may be a ladies man but he’s always stayed out of trouble…until trouble finds him and he becomes everyone’s scandal sheet target. Amy Lavalle is a star writer for Today doing articles on high profile people. She was a hot commodity in the business…until the magazine got a new owner and he wanted her to toss out her scruples. For both of them, the best thing is to head out of town to someplace no one will find them. What a coincidence they end up in side by side cottages at a seaside Florida town. Neither is looking for a hookup but they didn’t count on the mind-blowing electricity crackling between them. And they only know each other’s first names! When a sprained ankle has them setting up housekeeping together, the flame burns even hotter. Until Brody’s agent arrives for a visit, spots Amy as a reporter, and is convinced she hunted Brady down for a story. Will Brady and Amy find a way to get past this and hold onto each other?

Dallas


Sam Moussavi - 2016
    But when the starting quarterback goes down with a knee injury, things change for Bobby. He is thrust into the starting role, and the hopes of Trinity High School rest on his shoulders. Will the spotlight be too bright for him to handle? Dallas is from Texas Fridays, an EPIC Press series.

Mavericks, Money, and Men: The AFL, Black Players, and the Evolution of Modern Football


Charles Ross - 2016
    He also recounts how the success of the AFL forced a merger with the NFL in 1969, which arguably facilitated the evolution of modern professional football.Ross shows how the league, originally created as a challenge to the dominance of the NFL, pressured for and ultimately accelerated the racial integration of pro football and also allowed the sport to adapt to how African Americans were themselves changing the game.

The Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston's Iconic Astrodome


Robert C. Trumpbour - 2016
    It was a Texas-sized vision of the future, an unthinkable feat of engineering with premium luxury suites, theater-style seating, and the first animated scoreboard. Yet there were memorable problems such as outfielders’ inability to see fly balls and failed attempts to grow natural grass—which ultimately led to the development of Astroturf. The Astrodome nonetheless changed the way people viewed sports, putting casual fans at the forefront of a user-experience approach that soon became the standard in all American sports.  The Eighth Wonder of the World tears back the facade and details the Astrodome’s role in transforming Houston as a city while also chronicling the building’s pivotal fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its preservation.

The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football's Most Important Decade


Joe Zagorski - 2016
    This book examines each year of the NFL's pivotal decade in detail, covering the great names, great rivalries and great games, as well as the key changes in both strategy and rules. Along the way, the author explains how pro football developed into a near-religious American tradition.

Hollywood's Team: Grit, Glamour, and the 1950s Los Angeles Rams


Jim Hock - 2016
    Louis, the Rams are back in their longtime home. Some call their return to Los Angeles a relocation, but it’s more the restoration of a city landmark.Hollywood’s Team follows the Rams of the 1950s. They were glamorous, glitzy, and most of all, they were exciting. Like the city itself, the Rams were comprised of both big stars and everyday workhorses like John Hock, father of the author—a quiet, humble, and stout offensive guard.They were the first major professional sports team west of the Mississippi River, the first to integrate, even before Jackie Robinson, the first team to reach a million fans, and the first team with a TV contract. The Rams of the 1950s were, in so many ways, the first modern sports franchise.Their roster is a who’s who of the NFL Hall Fame. Names such as quarterback Norm “The Dutchman” Van Brocklin, wide receiver Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, Bob Waterfield, Tom Fears, defensive back Dick “Night Train” Lane, and linebacker Les Richter. Other notables from the era include a wunderkind public relations man named Pete Rozelle who would go on to become the boy commissioner of the NFL at age thirty-three. Head coach Sid Gillman was an architect of the modern passing game. Owner Dan Reeves was a genius in business, but troubled by alcohol. Heck, even the iconic comedian Bob Hope was a partial owner of the Rams at the time.The Rams were Hollywood’s team. This is their story.

Cardinal and Gold: The Oral History of USC Trojans Football


Steve Delsohn - 2016
    Over the years, USC has been surrounded by controversy, even as it won 11 national titles and produced six Heisman winners and numerous future NFL stars. This book will tell the story of the program at its best and worst, with a special focus on the past 40 years, starting with the "Tailback U" dynasty years of the 1970s--when the school won three championships in less than a decade--right up through the modern era in which iconic figures such as Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush had tremendous success and went on to NFL glory, but left tremendous controversy in their wake.

Soccer Smarts for Kids: 60 Skills, Strategies, and Secrets


Andrew Latham - 2016
    As a youth soccer coach for more than twenty years, Coach Andrew Latham sets kids up for success in Soccer Smarts for Kids with his no-fluff, easy-to-understand strategies and cover-to-cover tips—from goal setting and staying fit to pre-game prep and mental motivation. Coach Latham preps young players to be their best by sharing soccer secrets, exercises, and tricks for kids to develop their skills on the field, with: Basic to advanced techniques so kids can move at their own pace Player profiles highlighting six superstar soccer players (including Lionel Messi and Alex Morgan) Playbook essentials featuring color photos and custom diagrams Need-to-know terms to crack the code of fundamental soccer definitions Soccer fans will improve their game, play smarter, and have more fun with Soccer Smarts for Kids.

OptaJoe's Football Yearbook 2016: That thing you thought? Think the opposite.


Duncan Alexander - 2016
    A world where received wisdom and the law of the hunch reign supreme. But football is becoming more intelligent. The history books may say that Leicester City winning the premier league ‘defied logic’, but if you looked more closely, they were always going to win . . . From distances run to pass success rate, shots on target to corners won, counter-attacks to tackles made, Opta, the world’s leading sports data company, records everything. But what does it all mean? And how can it add to our love of the game? From the author and statistician behind the popular OptaJoe Twitter account, what follows is a hugely entertaining and insightful guide to football in 2016, analysing data from the world's greatest teams, players, leagues and tournaments. Stats can never tell us everything, but combining cutting-edge analysis with wry humour, this book debunks countless myths peddled by pundits, managers, and even players. The ideas that follow are both surprising and satisfying, but may also leave you with the feeling that ‘yes, that’s what I was thinking all along’.

The Man in the Middle


Howard Webb - 2016
    Webb's first game as a match official came when he was just 18 and his father's verdict was blunt: 'Useless - he doesn't know his arse from his elbow.' It wasn't the last time his performance would come under fire. But Webb progressed through the ranks, and his natural calm authority made a good impression on players and administrators alike, and soon he was being offered the top matches and the toughest fixtures. The policeman went on to take charge of some of the most important games, including the 2009 FA Cup final, the 2010 Champions League final and - the biggest of the lot - the 2010 World Cup final. Now, in this superb and frank memoir, Howard Webb reveals what it is like to be at the heart of the action in modern-day football where every decision can be unpicked by television cameras. He explains how he learned to handle some of the game's superstars. Refereeing is a hard business, but Webb shows just why he enjoyed it so much and provides fascinating insights into how he dealt with the most challenging situations. With his unique perspective, and the characteristic honesty and humour he has displayed as a pundit on BT Sport, Webb has written a book that reveals the game - and the man himself - in a new light. 'Genuinely fascinating insight into the difficulties of officiating in the modern game, and Webb's frankness and self-deprecation are to be commended' When Saturday Comes

Touch her Down


A.C. Wentwood - 2016
    Recruiters from multiple teams are eyeing him up, but it’s Carrie Deluca, the recruiter for the Seahawks, that he only wants to commit to. The two like each other immediately, but as they develop feelings for one another, Carrie has to constantly remind Jackson that the fame lifestyle rarely allows monogamous relationships. Jackson tries to keep his attitude about sex fast and loose like he's advised, but he soon realizes that if he wants to truly be happy, then he has to find a way to be in an exclusive relationship with his beautiful recruiter. When an estranged lover brings an unexpected twist, Jackson has a lot of decisions to make. Can Jackson score the winning relationship with his recruiter or will he fumble it away on the sidelines? WARNING: Some bonuses contain mature themes and language and are intended for 18+ readers only.

Fall for You


Melissa Rose - 2016
    But when a handsome football player ends up smack dab in the middle of a high-profile case, will Lilly follow the evidence, or trust her heart... Scroll up the page and download your copy now! This is a bad boy romance filled with mature contents and flaming HOT love scenes, intended for 18+ readers only! Want to Hear About New Releases? Copy and paste this link in your browser: http://eepurl.com/b9m_CL

Scoring Big


Talisa White - 2016
    Nevertheless, people adored him, not only because he was wealthy and handsome, but because he was an awesome player. Women groveled before him for attention, including Bella Dixon, an avid fan, who worshiped the ground he tread on. But Barry was oblivious to all the attention, until he met Lucy Allen. Barry started to learn how to love passionately with all his heart. But was Lucy the love of his life? He came to know soon enough after his life was turned upside down. At that point, Barry’s life intersected with Lucy’s and Bella’s creating an imbroglio that seemed impossible to untangle. Download your copy today! Warning! This book contains hot n' steamy sex scenes and is intended for mature audiences only. 18+

Sacked by the Rookie


Lexi Ward - 2016
     He was everything she hated and she was everything he ever wanted. It wasn’t until Emma saw a crack in Jordan’s mask that she realized there might be more to the man than what was on the outside. Confused about the feelings growing inside of her and with no idea how to put them into words, Emma is at a crossroads. Jordan, on the other hand, knows exactly how he feels about Emma…but will his attitude and reputation ruin any shot he might have had? AUTHORS NOTE: This is an 8,000 word stand alone story with a HEA - no cliff hangers! Story contains mature themes and language and is intended for readers 18+ only. ++THIS BOOK INCLUDES 4 GREAT BONUS STORIES FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY++

Game of My Life Indianapolis Colts: Memorable Stories of Colts Football


Mike Chappell - 2016
    Readers will relish tales of Colts’ glory through first-hand interviews with beloved players including Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Adam Vinatieri, Edgerrin James, and Marshall Faulk.Within these pages, Colts expert Mike Chappell will take readers through the early years in Indiana, the major 2007 Super Bowl win under Manning, and their continued success with quarterback Andrew Luck. Over thirty years of Colt experience is represented here, making it a must have for every true fan.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Crossing the Goal: A Saint Goes Marching On


Danny Abramowicz - 2016
    In the late 60s and early 70s, Danny Abramowicz was the toast of New Orleans, but as his Catholic faith faded into the background he felt alone and helpless against the temptations and expectations of fame. And so one day he called out that simple prayer: Lord, please help me! This book is about the answer to that prayer. Danny Abramowicz gives an inside view of his life in the NFL alongside the reinvigoration of his Catholic Faith and the development of a prayerful relationship with Jesus Christ. Join him on his journey from "cultural Catholic" to EWTN television host and evangelizer of Catholic men across the country.

Blood Bowl: Death Zone, Season One


Games Workshop - 2016
    

How to Win at 5-a-Side: Take Your Team to the Next Level


Nick Ascroft - 2016
    Written with authority, passion and a sense of fun, How to Win at 5-a-side covers all of the game's essential skills, including goalkeeping, defending, marking and shooting, as well as other less conventional ­but still important components, such as maintaining team moral, buttering up the referee and wasting time when your team is ahead. Illustrated throughout with photographs and diagrams to show real-game situations and featuring exclusive contributions from former professional footballers and coaches, How to Win at 5-a-side is all you need to take your team to the next level.