JIMMY GREAVES was a great entertainer and a national hero as a footballer, and is held in equal affection as a television pundit and performer. Now Greavsie reveals the footballers and managers who have given him most entertainment and are his biggest heroes. Greavsie has confined his star-studded assembly to players and managers of his lifetime -- dipping fondly back into the days of Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Len Shackleton and coming up to date with in-depth analysis of modern masters like Thierry Henry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. Along the way he nods in the direction of his good pals Bobby Moore, Dave Mackay, Billy Wright and, of course, George Best. Footballing gods of the calibre of Pele, di Stefano, Puskas and Maradona naturally win a place in the personal Greaves Hall of Fame. You may not agree with all his selections, but if you are a true football fan you will agree that this is a book that makes you laugh and grips your attention as you take a look at some of FOOTBALL's GREAT HEROES AND ENTERTAINERS.

The culmination of five years of research, this fascinating book reveals a side of football not explored before and explains why football coaches use astrology to gain a competitive edge. The result of 5 years of research, Football aims for the Stars shows how the constellations can affect planet football; find out why leading continental coaches believe they gain a competitive advantage by using astrology; explore the 12 paths to football success; understand what makes a telepathic partnership and, with examples including England 1966, Liverpool 1979, Manchester United 2007, and Barcelona 2009, see how a 'well balanced' team is built. This pioneering book will be essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in fulfilling their potential either as a player or coach. It will also provide fascinating insights for fans wishing to find out what they have in common with their heroes.

A biography of Len Shackleton, England's most skilful footballer of the 1940/50s

Much of Michael Oriard's education took place outside the schoolroom of his native Spokane, Washington, during "slaughter practices" on high school football fields. He was taught to "punish" and "dominate," to rouse his school spirit with religion, and to "tough it" through injuries, even serious ones. At the age of eighteen he entered Notre Dame and walked onto the football team, where studying hard was never harder. By his senior year, playing for Ara Parseghian's Fighting Irish, he was the starting center and co-captain of the team. After graduating, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and head coach Hank Stram. There he learned what it meant to be "owned." He rediscovered the game as it was played by grown men with families who were still treated like children and who dreaded nothing more than the end of their football careers. And without their fully realizing the consequences, every hard tackle inflicted its injury, some gradually growing into chronic conditions, some suddenly cutting a player's career short and ushering him off the field to be soon forgotten. In this thoughtful narrative, Oriard describes the dreams of glory, the game day anxieties, the brutal training camps and harsh practices, his starry-eyed experience at Notre Dame, and the cold-blooded business of professional football. Told from the inside, the book leaves aside the hype and the pathos of the game to present a direct and honest account of the personal rewards but also the costs players paid to make others rich and entertained. Originally published in 1982, The End of Autumn recounts the experiences of an ordinary player in a bygone era--before ESPN, before the Bowl Championship Series, before free agency and million-dollar salaries for NFL players. In a new afterword, Oriard reflects on the process of writing the book and how the game has changed in the thirty years since his "retirement" from football at the age of twenty-six.

THE 1970S - THE LAST DECADE WHEN EVERY FAN OF EVERY CLUB COULD WISH FOR THE STARS.For supporters of provincial lightweights like Derby County, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, their wishes came true in the seventies when they landed the Division One title. It was the decade of the underdog - when the FA Cup was still football's Holy Grail and teams like Sunderland, Ipswich and Southampton came in from the sticks to produce their own brand of Wembley magic. It is not like that today.It was the decade when every team had its characters: Stan Bowles, Charlie George, Duncan McKenzie, Frank Worthington, Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh. These personalities are gone now, replaced by an influx of anonymous foreign journeymen.This book harks back to a lost era when the game still belonged to the fans; they could identify with the players, recognise their heroes, and believe they all had a shot at glory.It remembers dramatic matches packed with action and controversy; recalls mercurial managers like Shankly, Clough, Revie and the Doc - and asks the question: who was the finest player from football's last great decade?

The author of Baseball's Greatest Insults referees the biting sarcasm and hilarious wisecracks from today's heroes and yesterday's legends of both college and pro football. Players, coaches, sportswriters, and even fans all have their say in this wickedly funny look at the game and its leading personalities. Black-and-white photographs.

Packed with essential facts, loads of trivia and such info as how to get tickets for the latest crop of prime-time shows.