Sportsbiografier

America held little promise during the 1930's, when the Great Depression vice gripped the country and a boy named Thomas Errol Wasdin was born into the hardscrabble farmland of Waldo, Florida. Wasdin was only months old when his mother died of blood poisoning. Soon afterward, he and his sister were sent to live with their Uncle and Aunt, who raised them with old-fashioned values rooted in discipline and hard work. These became character traits that served Wasdin well - later at the University of Florida and eventually throughout his life. And what a life it has been; rich and varied, and not without heartache and an ongoing, debilitating battle with Trigeminal Neuralgia, which the medical profession chillingly refers to as the Suicide Disease. It is a life that saw Wasdin shape the lives of poor children from literally and proverbially the wrong side of the tracks in Jacksonville, Florida; children who later became attorneys, administrators, sports stars, politicians, educators, husbands, wives, parents and productive citizens. It is a life that saw Wasdin forge friendships with two men he achieved enormous success with - Joe Williams and Rick Stottler. With Williams, Wasdin reached the pinnacle of coaching in college basketball, taking Jacksonville University to the 1970 NCAA Championship Game against the most powerful program in college sports history - John Wooden's UCLA Bruins. The account of that season, and especially that game, captures the controversy and excitement that surrounded it. Wasdin then moved from an assistant coach to a successful tenure as JU's head coach. It is a life that saw Wasdin leave coaching to join Stottler in business and development, shaping both lives and a stretch of area along the East Coast of Florida that with his help came to be known as the Space Coast. It is a life lived in full, and a life story worth reading.

Sid Gillman, unlike so many of his coaching colleagues, never wrote a book about himself. He never published his own ideas about the game and why he thought passing the ball in an age where most quarterbacks handed off to running backs was the key to his success. In more than four decades of coaching, nobody thought it necessary to tell the definitive Sid Gillman story. Until now.Gillman was a true innovator. The kind of football genius that goes overlooked by today's average fan, but who will never be forgotten by the coaches he directly - and indirectly - impacted. The modern-day offenses that emphasize spreading the field with receivers, running backs and tight ends? That was Gillman's idea. The idea that the long pass could stretch a defense? That was Gillman's baby as well. What NFL fans watch today in ever-increasing numbers (and the high-flying offenses those fans love) can be directly traced back to the Midwestern coach who was a forerunner to the West Coast offense.Gillman wasn't a perfect man. He had plenty of warts, and he made plenty of enemies. But he also made a major impact on the game, comparable to how Vince Lombardi, Paul Brown and Woody Hayes left a timeless impression. Josh Katzowitz tells you how Gillman was just as important as any coach who came before him or afterward.This is not simply a biography of an innovator. It details exactly how and why the NFL football you watch today is the image of what Gillman believed was possible. It's why football luminaries like Al Davis, Bill Walsh and Chuck Noll cite Gillman as one of the most important influences on their careers and lives. It's why if you watched the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, you could see the scope of Gillman's reach. In order to truly understand the reason why football offenses are so exciting today, learning about Gillman is absolutely essential. Katzowitz takes you on that journey.

';Fred Trueman was the first superstar of the game. He was a flamboyant, larger-than-life character' Ian Botham. Fred Trueman was so much more than a cricketing legend. ';The greatest living Yorkshireman' according to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, he couldn't help excelling at everything he did, whether it was as a hostile fast bowler for Yorkshire and England, and the first man to take 300 Test wickets in a career, or as a fearlessly outspoken radio summariser for Test Match Special. He was famous for regularly spluttering that ';I don't know what's going off out there', as well as for the level of swearing he managed to incorporate into everyday speech. Beloved of cricket crowds who filled grounds to witness his belligerent way of playing the game, and nothing but trouble to the cricket authorities, ';Fiery Fred' was the epitome of a full-blooded Englishman. But as Chris Waters reveals in this first full biography, behind the charismatic, exuberant mask lay a far less self-assured man terrified even that his new dog wouldn't like him - and whose version of his bucolic upbringing bore no relation to the gritty and impoverished South Yorkshire mining community where he actually grew up. Drawing on dozens of new interviews with his Yorkshire colleagues, family and friends, this life of Fred Trueman will surprise and even shock, but also confirm the status of an English folk hero.

Former NFL MVP Player Randall Cunningham knows that God can do miraculous things in our lives-not in spite of our pain but because of it. Weaving together his remarkable story as a Pro Bowl quarterback with the principles of contented living that he's discovered, Cunningham-who is now a mentor and a pastor-comes alongside you to coach you through your own struggles. These truths will give you the courage to let go of the bad choices, career losses, and failed relationships that keep you from going forward. Not only is there hope, but as you lay down your pain, you will find surprising peace and empowerment. Lay It Down will help you move beyond whatever is keeping you from being the person God created you to be.

The Rocky Road is the autobiography of Eamon Dunphy - the man the Guardian called 'the most entertaining, blindingly brilliant pundit of all time'.For more than thirty years, no commentator on Irish sport, politics and culture has been the object of so much love, hatred and fascination as Eamon Dunphy. Now, in The Rocky Road - one of the most hotly anticipated Irish autobiographies of recent times - Dunphy takes us behind the scenes of a passionate life - from childhood poverty in Dublin to the Football League to the forefront of journalism and debate in Ireland.'An absolute cracker ... provocative, endlessly entertaining, occasionally over the top but brimming with passion and heart. A memoir worthy of the life and times it describes.' Irish Times'Outstanding ... To paraphrase the great man himself, it's not a good book, it's a great book' Irish Independent'Absorbing and heartfelt' Sunday Business Post'Excellent ... a exceptionally engaging read' Irish Mail on Sunday'A cut above the typical 4-4-2 sporting autobiography ... full of delicious anecdotes' Sunday Times'It's a testament to his succinctly brutalist skill as a writer that The Rocky Road remains fascinating even in its most wrong-headed moments' Sunday Business Post'Warm, passionate, angry and funny' Irish Daily Mail'Doesn't pull any punches' Hot Press 'A compelling memoir' Irish Examiner

Johnny Sexton - the man who pulled the strings for the Lions - gives an intimate insight into the rugby life in Becoming a Lion.With three Heineken Cups and one British and Irish Lions tour victory under his belt, Johnny Sexton is by some distance the leading fly-half in the northern hemisphere. Over the course of the Lions' first victorious Test series in sixteen years, Sexton was the man pulling the strings. His try in the third test was the decisive blow, and his joyous celebrations after scoring were echoed in homes across Britain and Ireland. Becoming a Lion is an intimate portrait of life at the highest levels of the professional game - at Leinster, with Ireland, and on tour with the Lions.'Bracing and fascinating in equal measure' Malachy Clerkin, Irish Times'Riveting ... Opens a remarkable window into the stresses, hurts and insecurities of a professional life in rugby' Vincent Hogan, Irish Independent'Captures all the jagged edges that make Sexton one of Irish sport's most compelling characters' Sunday Times'Sets a great benchmark for sports autobiographies, given that it is so honest' Matt Cooper, Today FM'Engrossing' Rugby World Ireland'If you crave an insight into the life of a professional rugby player ... Becoming a Lion is a must' Donal Lenihan, Irish Examiner 'Intensely revealing' Irish Daily Mail

Geordan Murphy does not come from the leafy suburbs of south Dublin or the rugby hotbeds of Limerick or Cork. As a teenager he played Gaelic football for Kildare minors. But his greatest love, and his true genius, was for rugby. Now nearing the end of a career that has seen him win over seventy Ireland caps - a number that a great many supporters and pundits believe should be considerably higher - and attain the captaincy of the top English club, Leicester, Geordan Murphy tells his own story for the first time.'A delightful read ... brilliant' Rugby World'Bright, breezy, entertaining and revealing' Gerry Thornley, Irish Times'An open, honest and entertaining book' RTE Guide

From a referee who officiated more championship fights than any other, this thrilling account provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of professional boxing and into the lives and careers of the greatest boxers of all time. Blow-by-blow accounts--featuring such greats as Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and George Foreman--are peppered with grit and telling details and also feature a professional's analysis of what went right for the winners, and wrong for the losers. With intriguing anecdotes drawn from a career lasting more than 50 years--including giving Sugar Ray Leonard a pep-talk moments before a bout--this autobiography is a must-have for any fan of the sweet science.

Bill Yoast is the real-life hero of Remember the Titans, the hit movie that chronicled the struggles of black and white high school football athletes to create a championship season in 1972 Virginia. A World War II veteran, Yoast helped to mold the lives of hundreds of men and women through his inspirational coaching style. Yoast offers his personal recollections from that now-immortalized season as well as the coaching philosophy he developed in over 30 years of his career.

Fast bowler, six-hitter, popular hero, one of the lads, king of the jungle - Andrew Flintoff is all of those things.Second Innings, is his searingly honest yet uplifting autobiography, Flintoff reveals unseen, surprising sides to his career and personality.The restless need to push and challenge himself that led him to take up professional boxing. The complex and troubled relationship with discipline, alcohol and authority during his exhilarating cricket career. The search for an authentic voice as a player, free from the blandness and conformity of modern professionalism. Is Flintoff the last of his kind, in any sport?Through all his highs and lows, triumphs and reversals, this book reveals a central tension. There is 'Fred' - performer, extrovert, centre of attention. Then there is 'Andrew' - reflective, withdrawn and uncertain. Two people contained in one extraordinary life. And sometimes, inevitably, keeping the two in balance proves too much.We are taken backstage, seeing the mischief and adventure that has defined Andrew Flintoff's story. Above all, we observe the enduring power of fun, friendship and loyalty - the pillars of Flintoff's career. At ease with his faults as well as his gifts, Andrew Flintoff has sought one thing, even more than success: to be himself.If you enjoyed Do You Know What?, you'll enjoy this memoir of Freddie's sporting career.

This is cricket icon, Sachin Tendulkar's life story in his own words - his journey from a small boy with dreams to becoming a cricket god. His amazing story has now been turned into a major film, A Billion Dreams, in which he stars. The greatest run-scorer in the history of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013 after an astonishing 24 years at the top. The most celebrated Indian cricketer of all time, he received the Bharat Ratna Award - India's highest civilian honour - on the day of his retirement. Now Sachin Tendulkar tells his own remarkable story - from his first Test cap at the age of 16 to his 100th international century and the emotional final farewell that brought his country to a standstill. When a boisterous Mumbai youngster's excess energies were channelled into cricket, the result was record-breaking schoolboy batting exploits that launched the career of a cricketing phenomenon. Before long Sachin Tendulkar was the cornerstone of India's batting line-up, his every move watched by a cricket-mad nation's devoted followers. Never has a cricketer been burdened with so many expectations; never has a cricketer performed at such a high level for so long and with such style - scoring more runs and making more centuries than any other player, in both Tests and one-day games. And perhaps only one cricketer could have brought together a shocked nation by defiantly scoring a Test century shortly after terrorist attacks rocked Mumbai. His many achievements with India include winning the World Cup and topping the world Test rankings. Yet he has also known his fair share of frustration and failure - from injuries and early World Cup exits to stinging criticism from the press, especially during his unhappy tenure as captain. Despite his celebrity status, Sachin Tendulkar has always remained a very private man, devoted to his family and his country. Now, for the first time, he provides a fascinating insight into his personal life and gives a frank and revealing account of a sporting life like no other.

Irish national hero, a Celtic great and their most-capped player, Patrick 'Packie' Bonner is a goalkeeping legend.He was Jock Stein's last signing for the club when he left his native Donegal for the city of Glasgow in 1978, where Packie evolved from being a shy, homesick teenager into a confident, world-class talent and first-choice goalkeeper. Billy McNeill handed him a debut on St Patrick's Day in 1979, and Packie went on to provide the last line of defence a record 641 times for the club. A seasoned Irish internationalist, Packie was a vital component in the most-celebrated Irish national squad ever, playing in a golden era under the tutelage of the inimitable Jack Charlton.In The Last Line, Packie shares stories from his incredible career, including his greatest moment in front of a global audience during the Italia '90 World Cup tournament when he became the penalty shoot-out hero of the nation by saving a spot-kick that took the Irish to the quarter-finals stage in their very first World Cup adventure.It was an iconic moment that would change his life forever not least because, whilst in Italy, he, along with his teammates, had an audience with another goalkeeper, Pope John Paul II.Throughout his 80 cap international career, he competed against the very best in the world. Men such as Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Gheorghe Hagi, Roberto Baggio and Gary Lineker came to know the name Packie Bonner. Equally, in his glittering Celtic career that included the winning of four Scottish League titles, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup, Packie Bonner played alongside some great Celtic names like Tommy Burns, Paul McStay, and Murdo Macleod.Along the way, Packie had to endure a career-threatening back injury, as well as the devastation of a routine save going wrong and costing a goal on the world stage against Holland in 1994, ultimately leading to elimination from the World Cup in America. More than just the telling of trophies, titles and triumphs, this is the story of a Celtic legend and a true great of Irish International football.

Ben Cohen s dad didn t know anything about the sport his young son had taken up, but he was happy to drive him to practice, and was soon helping out at the club. When his business went bankrupt money was tight, but Ben s hard working parents inspired their son to put his all into rugby.Then, when Ben was 20, his father intervened in a fight in the nightclub where he worked. He was viciously beaten and one month later he died in hospital. Ben was doing an England press conference at the time, and it was down to coach Clive Woodward to deliver the devastating news. But the ordeal was far from over. The inquest lasted five months before the funeral could be held, and it was a year before the family were in court, facing Peter s assailants.Ben put all of the anger and pain from his father s death into his rugby. Fast and powerful on the wing, he was soon the best in the world in his position and a cornerstone of the England team, culminating in the legendary World Cup win in Sydney in 2003. And yet he always felt like an outsider. Most people didn t know that Ben is clinically deaf. His sixth sense for the game got him through on the pitch, but off it his poor hearing was often taken for arrogance.This is an inspirational story of passion and pain; of the highs of achieving your goals, and the grief of losing something you can never get back.

YES! YES! YES! Daniel Bryan is the real deal. Everyone s favorite underdog, he s proven to the world and to all of WWE that looks can be deceiving. Just ask everyone who s ever underestimated him right before he went out and whipped the WWE Universe into a frenzy.This is Bryan s behind-the-scenes story told for the first time ever from his beginnings as a child wanting to wrestle to his ten years on the circuit before finally making it in WWE. When his "e;YES!"e; chant becomes a full-fledged movement, his career skyrockets. This book chronicles all the hard work, values, influences, unique life choices and more leading to his watershed week at WrestleMania 30. You won t want to miss it. Yes! We re sure about this.

When Carl Froch defeated George Groves in their Wembley Stadium re-match in front of 80,000 fans, it went down as the biggest fight in British boxing history, cementing Carl s place as our greatest boxer a pure warrior who has never accepted the easy way.Carl grew up a tough kid on a Nottingham estate, where boxing helped to keep him out of trouble. His incredible natural ability soon led to a world amateur medal before he turned pro and embarked on a long journey with his mentor and corner man Rob McCracken. Carl s career has always been defined by taking on the odds with blisteringly tough fights. He was never scared to fight in someone else s backyard and always faced the hardest opponents to prove himself Jean Pascal, Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward, Lucien Bute and his incredible last round knock-out of Jermain Taylor. But of course he will always be remembered for his showdowns with the great Dane Mikkel Kessler and then George Groves, avenging his initial points defeat by Kessler and finishing Groves for a second time with one of the greatest punches in British boxing history.Froch was first a local and now a national hero and here he tells the story of how he fought his way through sheer guts and determination to the summit of the boxing world.PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS THE COBRA - NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED

So who is Louis van Gaal? An inflexible ex-PE teacher who only knows how to act like a dictator or a footballing visionary that has made him one of the greatest ever European managers? Wherever he has gone, Van Gaal has been accused of being a domineering disciplinarian and a control freak. He is certainly, by his own admission, a man who leaves nothing to chance. A disciple in the 1970s of Rinus Michels Total Football philosophy, he is a fascinating contradiction an ultra-individualist utterly devoted to the collective effort. He believes in the team over the individual, in always having a plan and a team prepared to follow it. Van Gaal led the young Ajax team he moulded to Champions League glory in 1995, went on to win titles across Europe with Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich and served two stints as national coach of Holland. It is a career that has never been short on colour and drama from fallouts with players to rants at the media wherever he has managed. Dutch football commentator Maarten Meijer s has written the definitive biography of van Gaal both the man and his methods. It offers the best psychological insight so far from his earliest roots to his greatest triumphs into the man given the task of returning the glory days to Manchester United.**New chapter on Louis van Gaal's first season with Manchester United**

Sean Conway was stuck in a life dead end of his own making when he heard about a round the world cycling race. He was immediately inspired but it was a huge undertaking and he d hardly been on a bike in years. Could he really cycle all the way round the world, solo and unsupported?Six months later, after completing a punishing training schedule and packing up everything he owned into boxes, Sean was in Greenwich Park on the start line of the adventure of a lifetime. Soon he was way ahead of schedule, averaging 180 miles per day, and on course to break the round the world cycling record. But then disaster struck, and Sean was forced to confront the possibility that he may not be able to complete the race...In the course of his 16,000-mile journey, Sean travelled the famous pan-American highway across the Atacama Desert, outran tornados, relied on fellow travellers to ferry water across the Australian outback, and inadvertently joined a cycle club in Mumbai. He learnt things about himself he didn t know and rediscovered a spirit of adventure that changed everything. This is a book about an amazing and sometimes incredibly difficult journey, but it s also a book about never giving up when there s an opportunity to follow your dreams.

Steve Davis was just a rookie from Plumstead, south London, learning how to play from an old book his snooker-obsessed father had given him, when an encounter with Barry Hearn changed his life forever. With his backing, Steve began touring the country in a clapped-out car as an amateur. Challenging established professionals and winning titles, supported by his loyal following the Romford Roar, it wasn t long before he progressed to the world s stage.By the eighties, Steve had helped transform a previously shady sport into a national obsession. He and a cast of legends such as Ray Reardon, Dennis Taylor and Alex Higgins, with other young guns like Jimmy White, were doing silent battle in front of huge audiences. Tens of millions of viewers would witness the nail-biting conclusions of his world championship finals; this was snooker s golden era.The man behind the boring tag has always been the sport s smartest and sharpest man. With his cool, obsessive approach, Steve rewrote the rule book and became untouchably the best player in the world and the best paid sportsman in the country. Interesting lays it all bare: what it was like to win in those pressure-cooker situations; how to cope at the top, when everyone wants you to lose; and how you deal with the moment when a man comes along who is finally better than you. This is a memoir that closely evokes the smoke-filled atmosphere of those arenas, the intrigue behind the scenes and the personal psychology and sacrifice that is required to stay at the top of such an exacting sport.

'A brilliant take on the modern game - Robbie tells it like it is' Rio FerdinandRobbie Savage is one of Britain's most recognisable football pundits. Incisive, forthright and bold, Savage never holds back where the beautiful game is concerned.No Premier League footballer has ever divided opinion quite like Robbie Savage. Mr Marmite, as he was often known (among other things), rampaged his way through almost 350 games in the Premier League and along the way picked up more yellow cards than Gary Lineker has crisps and more enemies than Joey Barton and Neil Warnock put together.In his explosive new book, I'll Tell You What..., Savage lifts the lid on all aspects of the modern game. Managers, players, the Premiership, the European game, the FA Cup, kids' football, and pushy football parents are just a few of the topics that Savage takes on in his inimitable provocative style.Robbie tells us why:* Brian Clough, not Sir Alex Ferguson, is the best Manager the world has ever known * As a player, he would have complimented any one of Jose Mourinho's teams * Vanity should not be confused with 'Good Grooming' * You simply can't knock on Mark Hughes' door and invite him for a game of golf - even if he invites you * Drinking wine does not win you football matches Coaching badges are ridiculous * He could never become a manager. Or could he? * Football is easy * Good manners should come before diamond earrings * The League Cup has the edge over the FA CupRobbie Savage's straight-talking common sense is only the start of it. I'll Tell You What is a modern-day guide to life, and should be read by anyone who has an interest in anything at all, especially football. Few may actually agree with him, but everyone listens.

If there s an adventure to be had, it s likely that David Hempleman-Adams has been there first. Ranking alongside Ranulph Fiennes and Chris Bonnington in the pantheon of British explorers, he is the first person in history to achieve what is termed the Adventurers Grand Slam, by reaching the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents. The question Hempleman-Adams is most often asked is, simply: what drives him on? Why risk frostbite pulling a sledge to the North Pole? Why experience the Death Zone on Everest? Why fly in the tiny basket of a precarious balloon across the Atlantic? Is it simply the case that he likes to push himself to the limits, or is there something more to it? No Such Thing as Failure answers these questions and more, uncovering what drives arguably the world's greatest adventurer.

In nearly 25 years as a sports journalist for the Independent, Daily Telegraph, and The Sunday Times, Martin Johnson has covered sporting events all over the world, including cricket and tennis in Australia, golf in America, Formula One in Kuala Lumpur, boxing in Cairo, petanque in Gran Canaria, beach volleyball in Brazil, Olympics in Sydney, football in China, and rugby in South Africa. Sounds like a nice job? You must be joking. Get the true story from sports journalism s equivalent of Victor Meldrew. Ever tried to get a phone call out of Nagpur? Make contact with the office from Norfolk Island? Trudged several miles up a Japanese mountain to watch Britain s No 1 woman skier plough straight through the first gate? Attempted to write a semi-coherent report after a night out with Ian Botham? Nearly frozen to death at a cricket match in New Zealand? Been hi-jacked in Moscow by a drunken Russian? It s hell out there, says Martin, who makes out his case for a life of hardship, deprivation, and a breathless dedication to duty in the face of overwhelming odds. Frankly, however, we still think it reads more like the Life of Riley.

Having spent 10 years scaling the lower echelons of the sport, the time has come for one of Britain's least successful athletes to reveal all about how he got involved in all this nonsense in the first place. Marvel as he reveals: His sporting history - how being last pick at school football in the 1970s set him on course for a lifetime of being rubbish at team games. How he took up triathlons in the first place (for a bet, and the cow who made it with him never paid up). How he overcame a crippling lack of talent and a chorus of complete indifference from his family to complete 10 Ironmans, all outside the top 500 finishers. The many triathlon adventures he has experienced over the past 10 years (cow pats, Ironmans, incontinence, driving bans, broken bones, public nudity, spending entire redundancy payments on a new bike, Belgian portaloos, German knocking shops, sunburnt arse cheeks, channel swimming, fights with chavs, obsessions with weather and the nutritional value of Jaffa Cakes, 3 hour marathons, chronic dehydration and so on). The many and varied idiots he's got to know as a result of taking up the sport (aka his mates). The typical training (hell) he goes through to take part in a race given he has absolutely no ability whatsoever. How triathlons ultimately caused him to sell his Mercedes, give away his expensive suit, chuck in his job in the City and become, as his father put it, a "e;god-damned hippy"e; (A cycle path designer who owns a camper van).

When Cyrille Regis became one of the first black players to be selected for the full England team, he was sent a package in the mail. Inside it was a silver bullet and a note that read: You ll get one of these through your knees if you step on our Wembley turf. In the 1978/79 football season Regis' club West Bromwich Albion, an unglamorous and little publicised club from the West Midlands, became the first British football team to field three black players: Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson. They did so against the backdrop of the most divisive and poisonous racial tension in the UK s history a time when the National Front movement was at its most virulent. This book will tell the story of a defining and groundbreaking chapter in the history of British football and the country as a whole. The story is one about sport but also as much one about social change.

As the eldest daughter of a prolific letter writer, Jane Torday received hundreds of letters from her father over the years. From irreverent advice and hilarious family anecdotes to moments of great poignancy, Roger Mortimer s missives are a touching and witty portrait of his life and relationships over the years.Dearest Jane begins with Roger s time as a young army officer in Egypt, and then as a POW in the Second World War, where his sense of humour endured despite the conditions. Jane accompanies her father s letters with her own memories and anecdotes, as we meet familiar characters such as Nidnod, Lupin and Lumpy, and learn more about the extended family, friends and pets who leap from the pages of his letters. This is an arresting and extraordinary record, not only of Roger Mortimer s life but also of the history of an entire family between 1960 and 1991. Sparkling with the dry wit for which Mortimer s letters are famous, and accompanied by an affectionate personal portrait, this book will delight both old and new readers.

Martin O'Neill is one of the most brilliant, successful and intriguing of the new manager/coaches to emerge from British football.Alex Montgomery's acclaimed biography brings O'Neill's story right up to date with an account of his first few months in charge at Aston Villa and deals with every aspect of his life and remarkable career from the early days as a player in Northern Ireland to his joining the tyrannical Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest.From non-league Grantham Town via Shepshed Dynamo and Wycombe Wanderers, to Norwich City, Leicester City and Celtic, where he broke the Rangers monopoly of Scottish football, to respected BBC pundit and a new role at Aston Villa, the book chronicles O'Neill's managerial triumphs. Montgomery offers a rare insight into the beliefs, lifestyle and ambitions of this private and complex football man.

Following the success of A Delicious Slice of Johnners, Barry Johnston has edited another delightful anthology based on three of his father s most popular books, Brian Johnston s Guide to Cricket, Chatterboxes and It s Been a Piece of Cake.

For millions of people around the world, Peter Alliss is the 'voice of golf'. In a long and distinguished career as a player and then broadcaster, he has become synonymous with the sport. Now fully updated with brand new material, this is his fascinating personal tribute to the fine players and wonderful characters who have stimulated his love affair with the game of golf for more than half a century.Featuring stars of yesteryear such as Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tony Jacklin; charismatic crowd-pleasers like Lee Trevino and Seve Ballesteros; modern legends Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie; and the pioneering women who have moved the ladies' game to new heights, this is a highly entertaining collection and a must for all golf fans.

Seve is the most extrovert player Europe has ever produced. Playboy good looks along with a magnetism that attracted non-golfers to the game made him the biggest drawing card Europe has ever had. He emerged on the world scene with typical lan, hitting one of the most outrageous shots ever seen at the 1976 Open Championship. Three years later he became the youngest Open Champion of the modern era when he won the first of his five major championships. Ballesteros started Europe's domination of the Majors throughout the 80s and 90s, paving the way for Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Jose Maria Olazabal. His play in the Ryder Cup, fuelled by an intense dislike for Americans, helped restore Europe's pride in the event. Driven byBasque pride and with a fiery Latin temperament, Seve has often let his heartrule his head.Seve is the remarkable story of one of the game's most fascinating characters.

In Tommy Gemmell: Lion Heart he sheds light on his career - from his earliest days of growing up in Lanarkshire, to his award-winning decade at Celtic, and through his work as a player and manager at Dundee and Albion Rovers. Always honest, Tommy Gemmell is not afraid to look back at Celtic's dominance in the 60s and offers his trademark forthright views on Celtic's progress and the game today.

Fatima Whitbread had the worst possible start in life. Abandoned as a baby, she spent much of her childhood in and out of children's homes. A brief, disastrous stay with her birth mother saw her raped by her mother's drunken boyfriend - while her mother held a knife to her throat to 'quieten her down'. Fatima was only twelve at the time. Athletics was her saviour: local athletics coach Margaret Whitbread took the young Fatima under her wing, eventually adopting her. Fatima competed in three Olympics, winning bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. In 1986 she set a world record, and the following year in Rome became world champion and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But then Fatima faded from the public eye, leaving many to wonder where she had gone. After the cheering stopped, Fatima faced prejudice, penury, scandal and heartbreak. Survivor describes how she defeated all her demons to rise triumphantly from the ashes once again, this time as queen of the jungle. Almost 13 million people watched her on I'm a Celebrity, and after surviving 20 days in the Australian heat, she has millions of new fans eager to know more about Fatima the woman: the forthright, focused, slightly bossy, charismatic single mum who knows how to transform even the most devastating experiences into lessons in life. This is the unforgettable story of a true champion, who triumphed against the worst hardships imaginable.