Sportsbiografier

What is it like to get so close to your dream that you can almost touch it, only to have it torn cruelly away? Anthony Potts knows the answer. He sacrificed everything in an all-consuming pursuit of his dream to become a professional footballer. It was a dream, like many others, seeded in childhood. He was born with some natural talent, but things did not come easy for him. Nevertheless, he persevered and the hard work paid off. He was part of the Tottenham side that won the 1990 FA Youth Cup, and he earned a place in the England youth team. Later, he was a member of Tottenham's first Premier League squad alongside Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker - but he never got to play for the first team in a competitive match. In this tell-all book, Anthony shares the inside story of his time at Spurs, including his friendship with Gazza. It is a story that rarely gets told - the story of a failed footballer. Anthony sacrificed everything in pursuit of his dream. Was it worth it? You be the judge.

Pironi: The Champion that Never Was relates the remarkable story of motor racing's forgotten man, ex-Ferrari F1 driver and offshore powerboat racer, Didier Pironi. The book charts an incredible journey which took the young Parisian to the heights of triumph and the depths of despair. Before he joined the legendary Ferrari stable, Pironi was already a Formula Renault, Le Mans and grand prix winner. By 1982, the time had surely come for the enigmatic Frenchman to become his country's first Formula 1 world champion. He was to come tantalisingly close to achieving that lifetime ambition, ahead in the world championship and in pole position for the German Grand Prix - before crashing so disastrously in practice. Over the next five years he fought a long and painful battle to return to the cockpit to reclaim the title that had eluded him that grim morning. It was not to be. Thereafter Didier turned his attention to offshore powerboating where his remarkable life would come to a shattering end in the icy waters of the English Channel.

Ned Boulting's highly anticipated follow up to How I Won the Yellow Jumper

A biography of the Yorkshire and England cricketer Brian Close, one of the game's greatest characters.

Standing Free is the funny, emotional, at times downright bizarre but always enthralling autobiography of 1980s and 90s Aberdeen FC hero Theo ten Caat. Theo's time at Aberdeen was certainly eventful. All is revealed in this no-punches-pulled chronicle of his career, both in Scotland and Holland, told in Theo's own words.

Derek Underwood was one of Kent and England's finest-ever slow bowlers. In this first-ever biography of Underwood, Mark Peel assesses the qualities that made him such a formidable bowler, the reasons behind his signing for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket and the England rebel tour of South Africa in 1982, plus much more.

The remarkable story of a man who eclipsed his own greatness to revolutionise rugby coaching. In the 1950s and 1960s one man dominated rugby coaching like no other: Roy Francis. He led teams to championships and Wembley finals, revolutionised the art of coaching, and inspired his players to incredible achievements. But even more amazingly for the time, he was a Black man. As the illegitimate child of a mixed-race couple who gave him up for adoption, his story recounts his upbringing in a Black family living in the Welsh coalfields, a childhood shaped by memories of the 1919 Welsh race riots and, foremost, his gift for rugby. Aged just seventeen, Roy went on to play professionally for Wigan, and despite facing racism, became the first Black player to play for the British Lions in either rugby code. Roy Francis became Hull rugby league club coach in 1950 where he introduced video-analysis, sports psychology and personalised training - revolutionary methods which turned a mediocre team into championship winners. His crowning glory came as his team triumphed in the famous 1968 'Watersplash' Wembley Cup Final, before heading down under in 1969 as North Sydney rugby league club coach. Through archives, family members' accounts and former players' memories, Roy Francis tells the story of a family's journey from slavery to sporting success, and of a remarkable man who eclipsed his own playing greatness by revolutionising coaching.

Mad Dog is the riotous, adventurous and moving story of Mickey Lewis, one of English football's most combative midfielders and then one of the game's most inspirational coaches. Drawing on more than 100 hours of interviews, this is an exploration of what Lewis's legacy can teach us about leadership, life and the game we love.

The compelling story of former footballer, coach, manager and director John Sainty. John had begun working on his autobiography with football writer Neil Vacher before his sudden death in 2023. Determined to do John's story justice, Neil brought this labour of love to fruition with the help of John's former colleagues.

A frank account of what it takes to reach the top from one of hurling's all-time greats.

Twenty-five years ago, Tiger Woods achieved the greatest feat in golf history: the 'Tiger Slam'. Now, for the first time, the award-winning author of Tommy's Honor delivers a riveting account of Tiger at his most brilliant - dominating the game in a way we will never see again.In 1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters by the largest margin in history, becoming the first Black player to win a major championship. Four years later, the world watches with breathless anticipation as he returns to Augusta National, aiming for a milestone no other golfer has ever achieved: four professional Grand Slam triumphs in a row.In The Tiger Slam, Kevin Cook delivers a gripping, inside-the-ropes account of an astonishing streak of victories. Readers will hear from many of golf's biggest names-Tiger's caddie, his coach, his opponents, his idols and others, all offering fresh insight into the electrifying highs of his triumphs and the obstacles on and off the course that threatened his relentless pursuit of perfection.The Tiger Slam is the epitome of greatness in sport, a feat as exhilarating today as it was twenty-five years ago. Kevin Cook invites us to close our eyes and see a young champion at the peak of his powers: unmatched raw strength, single-minded focus, strategic genius, and utter fearlessness. The Tiger Slam takes readers behind the scenes in the thrilling months when Tiger Woods took an ancient game to new heights.

From Paris Olympics star and legendary gymnast Simone Biles’s longtime coach, an insider’s look at the making of a championWith a Foreword by Simone BilesThe Balance is coach Aimee Boorman’s inside account of the growth of a transcendent athlete and the tumultuous events—from the dictatorial coaching of Bela and Martha Karolyi to the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar—that upended the lives of many girls, including Biles. Simone Biles is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s won six all-around world championships and nine Olympic medals (six gold). Five gymnastics moves are named after her, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the youngest recipient ever), and at an age when most elite gymnasts have retired, Biles is not just still competing—she’s dominating. She’s soaring in Paris this summer, bringing home more Olympic gold. She’s having so much fun that LA 2028 is not out of the question. But when coach Aimee Borman met her at a gym in Texas, Simone was just a seven-year-old kid. An exceptionally athletically gifted one, to be sure, but not yet great. That would take time, care, love, and balance. Boorman helped shape Biles, both pushing her and holding her back, protecting both her mental and physical health. “She’s like a second mom to me,” writes Biles, and Boorman was the National Team coach in 2016, where the US—and Biles—took home all-around gold.The Balance combines unprecedented insider perspective on a legend, newsworthy details on gymnastics history, and compelling lessons on coaching, leadership, and development.

'Kimber is a 22nd-century cricket writer' The GuardianColourful cricket history meets expert analysis in this richly researched exploration of the art of batting. Most batters are trying to do their best, yet the top players are creating art. It is physically impossible to face an 80mph delivery and track it with your eyes, yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they predict where it will go. They can see into the future. This book is about the batters who see what mortals don't. Javed Miandad purposefully made errors to manipulate the field, Sachin Tendulkar dug up a pitch to take on Warne, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was peppered by tennis balls on the beach until he created his bastardised technique and Joe Root's great play against spin is a confluence of three random events. Others, such as Smith, Pietersen and Richards, carried on the work of a man 100 years before their time, and Ranji changed cricket with a bucket. Their methods and stories are different, but their currency is the same: runs. Through interviews with cricketing greats such as David 'Bumble' Lloyd, Graeme Swann and Rob Key, this book shows you the science, skill and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time, and, ultimately, how these players conquered leather with willow.

They don't make footballers - and football autobiographies - like this anymore. The brutally honest, riotously entertaining story of the much-loved Everton legend and iconic Premier League bad boy.Praised by Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the greatest and most passionate players to ever play the game, Duncan Ferguson, or Big Dunc as he is known, is larger than life in every sense. Measuring a towering 6 feet 4 inches in height, from the moment the striker emerged in British football in the 1990s, he was front and back page news. On the pitch, fans loved Duncan for his roguish charm, his thrilling goals and his total commitment in every game. Fighting tooth and nail, he was a born leader and took no prisoners. Like his rival Roy Keane, he played close to the limit, and often crossed it. Such as the time he was sentenced to 3 months in Glasgow's toughest prison for headbutting an opponent - the first and only time a footballer has ever gone to jail for a crime committed on a football pitch. In BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography, Duncan reveals, for the first time, the full story: the truth about his experiences in prison, his partying with African princes and Liverpool gangsters, his fighting with burglars, his making and losing a fortune, and how he turned his life around through his beloved Everton F.C.. In the process, the book sheds light on one of football's most charismatic but notorious and enigmatic hardmen. Duncan is now a coach and manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.. He is a pillar of the community in Merseyside, giving back to stricken children who share a similar tough upbringing to his own. Duncan's book takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of humour, drama and redemption. Buckle up.

No Place for a Girl is the little-known but hugely inspirational story of pioneering woman jockey Karen Wiltshire's fight for acceptance in the male-dominated world of 1970s horseracing. Her obsession brought the reward she craved as she became the first female professional jockey to win a Flat race, beating her male counterparts.

Cato Zahl Pedersen, ekspedisjonsfarer og eventyrer samt paraidrettens mangeårige medaljesanker og frontfigur, viser hva som er mulig å oppnå med rett motivasjonsnøkkel.I Værekraft deler han sine tanker om hva livets opp- og nedturer har lært ham. Han kaster et tilbakeskuende blikk på avgjørende hendelser og møter med mennesker som har bidratt til å stake ut veien for ham. Men han er først og fremst opptatt av å knytte sine erfaringer opp mot lærdom med verdi for andre, enten man er funksjonsfrisk eller ikke. Etter hver av bokens ni hovedkapitler følger en sekvens som belyser tematikken i kapittelet. Det handler blant annet om selvledelse, mestringstro, ansvarliggjøring, mental styrke, utholdenhet og fleksibelt mindset.«Nøkkelen til mestring ligger hos den enkelte,» sier Cato, «vi er alle vår egen begrensning og vår mulighet». I Værekraft deler han erfaringsbaserte og tidsaktuelle råd, teknikker og metoder med alle som vil leve et liv med opplevelse av mestring.Tankevekkende og gripende om livet som tok en annen vending enn det 14-åringen som fikk 17 000 volt gjennom kroppen overhodet kunne ha forestilt seg.Nils Harald Sødal skriver velformulert og lettlest - rett og slett medrivende!]]>

Karen Dobres never expected to for football - let alone help revolutionise it. In Bitch Invasion, Karen shares her hilarious and heartfelt journey from someone who 'always zoned out when bloody football was on the telly' to becoming a Director at Lewes FC - the first football club in the world to pay its women and men players equally.In 1994, Karen could barely sit through a match at Wembley. Fast forward to 2023, and she's leading multi-million-pound deals for the women's team of her local club. How does a trained counsellor and former catwalk model end up navigating the male-dominated world of football? And how did she turn her 'imposter syndrome' into a tool for change?With bisexual pirates, vegan snacks, and even a designated breastfeeding area, Lewes FC is no ordinary football club. It's a pioneering force for equity, inclusion, and innovation. Through Karen's witty, self-deprecating storytelling, Bitch Invasion gives readers an insider's view of the quirky yet revolutionary culture at Lewes FC. From organising Suffragette flash mobs to introducing Prosecco on tap at the stadium, Karen brings to life her experiences at this fan-owned, debt-free, gender-equal club where everyone - from local supporters to Hollywood stars - helps shape the future of the game.From 2017, when women's football was still fighting for recognition, to the present day, Bitch Invasion is the story of how one woman helped lead the charge for gender equality, challenging football's entrenched hegemony, not just for one club, but across the UK.