Bøker av Dave Tomlinson

The story of Leeds United in the 1970s when the club reached its peak under Manager Don Revie as arguably the best team in Europe although dogged by controversy, before its decline under a sequence of managers following Revie.

The Man with the Plan: Howard Wilkinson's Leeds United is the story of a builder of football clubs who did the ultimate. Within four years, Wilkinson turned Second Division also-rans into English champions. He's still the last Englishman to win the title. This book provides a fascinating insight into his methods and how he did it.

There will never be another story like that of Leeds United Football Club in the 1960s.Post-war industrial England, a dirty hinterland in the North and Midlands where the skyline was punctuated by grimy old stacks and evil-looking factories. It was a simpler time, but also less informed; if you said 'Prosecco', 'Paparazzi' and 'Literati' to even the worldly-wise gentlemen of the press, after the sneer, you might have got a guess that you were discussing three greasy inhabitants of some mysterious Italian club's forward line. The world of the working man was all pie, peas and mash suppers, fish'n'chips, warm ale and a packet of Woodbines.There will never be another story like that of Leeds United Football Club in the 1960s. Out of grime and obscurity came Don Revie and Harry Reynolds, two self-made northerners and their handcrafted club, and this is their story, from their perspective.Revie's Leeds were like Marmite, loved by the faithful, reviled by the rest, forever branded Dirty Leeds for their uncompromising approach. Within five years, Leeds had been champions once, runners-up twice, FA Cup finalists once, semi-finalists twice and raised the League and Fairs Cups but are characterised as the ultimate example of serial bottlers.The partnership of Revie and Reynolds was made in heaven. Revie couldn't have succeeded at another club or without Reynolds - they transformed a dreary football club into an industrial giant, but never forgot the little people.In November 2015, the Daily Mirror claimed that Leeds were the most sung about football club by fans of opposing teams. They reckoned there were 117 anti-Leeds chants, a massive 67 chants more than those against second-placed Liverpool. United have achieved little of genuine footballing note since their Champions League odyssey in 2001 and have been without senior silverware since the championship in 1992, the last year before the coming of the FA Premier League.And yet, a bitter hatred of Dirty Leeds 'and all they stand for' percolates through supporters of all other clubs. Even future 'saviour' Ken Bates, chairman of Chelsea when United fans damaged a scoreboard at Stamford Bridge in 1984, had the bug, promising, 'I shall not rest until Leeds United are kicked out of the Football League. Their fans are the scum of the Earth, absolute animals and a disgrace. I will do everything in my power to make this happen.'Those words were trotted out in later years by United's own fans, expressing their 'We're Leeds and we don't care' declarations of siege mentality. 'All Leeds aren't we?' and 'we've had our ups and downs' are regular rallying choruses for the unloved faithful.So exactly why are Leeds United so universally reviled by rival football fans the length and breadth of the country?The story of Revie, Reynolds and Dirty Leeds is truly unique.

The story of Leeds United from 1980 to 2000 when the club crashed and burned and then rose from the ashes to become the last First Division champions, before approaching the Millennium full of expectations for their dynamic young team.

The last twenty years have been tortuous for supporters of Leeds United Football Club. In 2001 they were in the final four of the Champions League; within six years they were condemned to the third tier of English football for the first time. A financial implosion brought a record GBP50 million loss in 2003, United 'enduring the nightmare' rather than 'living the dream'. After a dismal period of ownership by a local consortium brought the sale of the Elland Road stadium, Leeds were twice 'rescued' from financial collapse by the controversial Ken Bates. Amidst this turmoil, Leeds beat Manchester United in a legendary FA Cup clash at Old Trafford in 2010 and won an emotion-soaked promotion from League One. The summer of 2012 was dominated by rumours as a bank from the Middle East courted Bates, but the empty promises ran into the sand and GFH sold out to Massimo Cellino, an egocentric and eccentric Italian corn magnate. His near-the-knuckle business dealings pitched Leeds into more disputes with the Football League as Cellino went through managers like a hot knife through butter. When the Italian sold to Andrea Radrizzani in 2017, Leeds finally had stable leadership and the recruitment of the feted Marcelo Bielsa a year later brought Leeds to new playing heights. Engulfed by the 'Spygate' dispute with Frank Lampard's Derby County, United missed out on promotion by a whisker in 2019 but finally achieved the promotion they so dearly coveted the following season despite nearly being derailed by the pandemic. Bielsa's men took the Premier League by storm with their effervescent football and now look forward to a bright future. Beginning in 2000 as football's finances started to boom, this book tells the tale of how Leeds United tried to capitalise on the financial gravy train and almost perished in the process but retained the loyal and passionate support through thick and thin of one of the most committed fan bases in Europe.

A guide to faith for doubters, sceptics and baffled believers - from the bestselling author of How to be a bad Christian

Leeds United AFC was formed in 1919 following the disbanding of Leeds City FC by the Football League. The team took over the Elland Road stadium and have won three First Division League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. The club also won two Inter-Cities Fairs cups. The majority of the honours were won under the management of Don Revie in the golden age of the 1960s and '70s. In Leeds United: A History, author Dave Tomlinson relates the complete and definitive history of the club from foundation to the present day. He reveals the voices of the people involved with the club, including supporters, players and former players, owners, administrators and local writers, to describe the club's history within its social context, how changes have affected the club and how developments in football itself have made an indelible impact upon both the football club and the wider community. This is a must-have for any fan of the 'Mighty Whites'.

Spiritual intelligence - 'how to live well and die happy' - from the author of How to be a bad Christian.

In the course of his work as a vicar, Dave Tomlinson meets lots of people who describe themselves as 'not good enough' to be a Christian, thinking that faith involves going to church a lot, or believing in a list of strange things, or following certain rules. But being a Christian isn't about any of that - and actually, following Jesus is a lot easier, and more fun, than most people think...In this handbook to Christianity for people who describe themselves as spiritual but not necessarily religious, Dave sketches out some key practices for how to be a 'bad' Christian, including how to talk to God without worrying about prayer, how to read the Bible without turning off your brain, and how to think with your soul rather than trying to follow rules. With beautiful illustrations from artist Rob Pepper, this is an accessible, light-hearted book, but one with a powerful invitation: to be the person you've always wanted to be, following a God you've always hoped is on your side.