A Game Of Three Halves

The word ‘unique’ is often wrongly used but, in the case of A Game of THREE Halves, the author’s story is indisputably one of a kind. No other writer has worked on the inside for both Aston Villa and Birmingham City while keeping an eye on local and national footballing affairs for more than seventy years. During that period he met, and sometimes worked with, many of the best-known personalities in world football: from Pele to Cruyyff, Busby to Ferguson, Matthews to Cullis, Wright to Banks, Hill to Coleman, Saunders to Atkinson, Best to Francis, and many more. From war-time football to the present day, across eight decades, football has changed so much that not even the ball, apart from still being spherical, is the same as before. The fight to remove the maximum wage, the initially steady and ultimately explosive growth in pay, the arrival and development of European football, the curse of the hooligan, the introduction of the Premier League. A flavour of these developments can be found in these pages. This is not an anorak’s football history, but a lively collection of real-life anecdotal memories laced with controversial personal comment. The object of the exercise is simply to be a ‘good read’ while hopefully introducing a touch of football and social history. Here can be found such unlikely characters as an armed robber, an exorcist, some terrified sky divers, half a moustache that ‘went missing’, a factual hungover ‘Biggles’ and a shoot-to-kill former iron curtain guard. This is a look at football like no other.

A Game Of Three Halves is the official biography of Kenny Swain. It tells the tale of the man who quit teaching to sign for Chelsea, the glamour club of the 1970s, and then moved on to Aston Villa where - having converted from striker to a full-back role - he played his part in winning the First Division championship and the European Cup. Next, Kenny was signed by Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, and he now paints an evocative personal picture of the most charismatic and controversial manager in English football history. Portsmouth and Crewe were the last clubs to figure in an illustrious career that saw him play more than 100 games for five different clubs. Today, Kenny works in the England set-up, heading up the FA's talent ID programme, and has helped develop players such as Michael Owen, Joe Cole and Danny Welbeck.

Do you know the only English league club not obliged to change their strip in the event of a colour clash? The four Bolton Wanderers players who played for Brazil during the 1966 World Cup? The team which, in 2020, contained five players whose name was the same as the club they played for? How about the only English league club never to have played a game on their home ground? Or, the player who scored with a header from his own cross? You can find the answers, along with over 5,000 other amazing and little known football facts in ‘Denied Promotion By A Tree’, the definitive football fact book that will entertain, inform and be a talking point for football fans of all persuasions. There is no place for the common-place in ‘Denied Promotion By A Tree’. Every current and former English/Welsh and Scottish club is mentioned at least twice. There are multiple entries relating to most clubs, so, plenty of amazing facts about the club(s) which you cover. Discover the only club (British) to have played both legs of a European tie at home. The two team mates who left Port Vale, one to manage Juventus, the other, Real Madrid. The club drawn away from home in 19 successive Scottish FA Cup ties and...the club denied promotion by a tree. Packed with images of football memorabilia relating to the entries, this is a book which captures the spirit of affection and belonging keenly felt by all lovers of football.

‘It’s a funny old game.’ The world’s favourite sport has certainly given us its fair share of strange moments, and this absorbing collection gathers together the best of them, from more than a century of the beautiful game. From Blackburn Rovers’ one-man team to Wilfred Minter’s seven-goal haul in which he still ended up on the losing side, here are goals and gaffes galore drawn from all levels of the footballing world, whether high-profile internationals or the lowest tiers of domestic football. The stories in this book are bizarre, fascinating, hilarious, and, most importantly, true. Revised, redesigned and updated for a new generation of football fanatics, this book is the perfect gift for the soccer obsessive in your life. Word count: 45,000 words

The Victorian Football Miscellany is a quirky and fascinating collection of trivia, facts and anecdotes from football’s earliest years. Delve into an absorbing world of ox-bladder balls, baggy-kneed knickerbockers and outstanding moustaches, and read remarkable tales of the first ever cup final, the invention of the shinpad, the evolution of dribbling, the first own goal and a seemingly-invincible penalty-taking elephant. Other entries cover the foundation of the Football Association, the development of the Laws of the Game and the origins of football’s most popular clubs. Packed with stories, profiles and lists, this is an indispensable guide to the colourful and unusual world of 19th century football.

Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Football explores some of the most bizarre football events throughout history, from its birth during the Industrial Revolution, to the major tournaments of the Beautiful Game in the 21st century. From the player sold for £10 and a box of kippers, to unusual injuries on the pitch, this book gathers some of the most curious moments of footballing history, a game that continues to be both an amazing entertainment spectacle and extraordinarily accessible to people everywhere. Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact date the magic appeared in the FA Cup. Perhaps it was there from the beginning when the very first ball was kicked, or perhaps it first appeared in 1923 – the year the final was first played at Wembley, known then as the Empire Stadium. Just as the Premier and Champions Leagues were battling it out for the top spot, the magic disappeared, much to the fans disappointment. Can the Football Association bring the magic back to the cup, or will they be powerless to act to restore the magic, like old wizards who no longer possess the magic touch?

This fascinating book explores the mathematics involved in all your favourite sports. The Hidden Mathematics of Sport takes a unique and fascinating look at sport by exploring the mathematics behind the action. You'll discover the best tactics for taking a penalty, the pros and cons of being a consistent golfer, the surprising connection between American football and cricket, the quirky history of league tables, the unusual location of England's earliest 'football' matches and how to avoid marathon tennis matches. Whatever your sporting interests, from boxing to figure skating, from rugby to horse racing, you will find plenty to absorb and amuse you in this insightful book. Word count: 35,000 words