Ben Thornley

Who was the standout player when the Class of '92 won the FA Youth Cup? David Beckham? Paul Scholes? Ryan Giggs? Think again. Ben Thornley's Tackled: The Class of '92 Star Who Never Got to Graduate is the compelling autobiography of a teenager who had the world at his feet, only for one tackle to shatter his knee - and his dreams of playing for Manchester United. A supremely gifted winger with pace to burn, he played in every round of that Youth Cup run and finished as top scorer. It wasn't long before Alex Ferguson, keen to unleash this prodigious talent, gave him his first-team debut - but just six weeks later came the moment that would change the path of Ben's career, and life, forever. This tale is not only told from Ben's perspective but also with exclusive insights from those who witnessed him in action first hand. They include family and school friends, as well as Ferguson, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Gary Neville and many more. This is the Class of '92 as you've never heard it before - from a player who was a class apart.

Brian Horton is one of the most respected managers in English football. As a player, manager and assistant, he took part in over 2,000 games - in Britain only Sir Alex Ferguson can claim more. Horton's career started in the World Cup summer of 1966 and ended over half a century later. His playing career began unceremoniously when Port Vale bought him from non-league Hednesford for the price of a pint of shandy. But later, as Brighton captain, he became a club legend, skippering the Seagulls from the Third to the First Division. He continued this success at Luton and Hull, before managing the Yorkshire side. Horton further distinguished himself as boss at Oxford and then Manchester City, keeping the Citizens in the Premier League for two thrilling seasons. Spells at Huddersfield, Brighton, Port Vale and Macclesfield followed before Brian was catapulted back to the Premier League at Hull City as assistant manager to Phil Brown. He continued to work with Brown at Preston, Southend and Swindon until his retirement in 2018.

Part two of a recollection of more than fifty years of watching professional sport across Britain and Europe. The memories in this volume cover hundreds of games of Football, Rugby League, Cricket and Ice Hockey.

Part two of a recollection of more than fifty years of watching professional sport across Britain and Europe. The memories in this volume cover hundreds of games of Football, Rugby League, Cricket and Ice Hockey.

A generation of people around the world, from Boston to Bangkok, from New York to New Delhi, are making everyday choices in ways that defy traditional logic. They are judging where and how their clothes were made, not just how they fit. They are thinking global but buying local. They are spending their money and their time, forming loyalties, casting votes and even enjoying entertainment based increasingly upon their desire to make a positive impact on others and the world around them. This new generation believes they can and must make the world better, and they expect business and government to get with the program. The implications of the Conscience Economy are not "soft." Ignore it, and your consumer or voter base will rebel, using a host of free tools and cheap connectivity to spread their rejection to peers around the world in real time. Leverage it, and Conscience Culture is a wellspring of financial upside. The Conscience Economy is the must-read guide to this unprecedented shift in human motivation and behavior. Author Steven Overman, Chief Marketing Officer for Kodak, provides context, inspiration and some basic tools to help readers reframe how they evolve and grow whatever it is they lead--whether it's a community, a business, a product, or a marketing campaign. From the boardroom to the startup loft, from the State Department to the pulsing marketplaces of the developing world, The Conscience Economy will help international leaders, influencers, investors and decision-makers to manage, innovate and thrive in a new world where "doing good" matters as much as "doing well."

This second edition of Welcome to GoodCo updates the author's critically acclaimed analysis of how the tools of business are being (and ought to be) used to help tackle the great problems of both the planet and of local communities. In exploring the increasingly politically relevant issue of 'responsible capitalism' - and its variations - he asks what it means, where it came from, why politicians are so timid around the issue and what exactly are the obstacles this crusade will have to face. He argues that business doing good has to be supported by a business case, as that is what makes it sustainable, but that huge benefits can be reaped. As 60 of the world's top 100 economies are corporates, not countries, businesses that are not helping to create solutions become part of the problem. Added topics in the 2015 edition include: the growth of social value in the commissioning of services and what business can learn from this; the Social Progress Index as an alternative to GDP; and the role for greater corporate citizenship as a way of enhancing employee engagement, with all the benefits that this can bring to a company. It updates the stories and data which made the first edition so readable. In a world in which businesses of all sizes frequently find some of their practices at odds with the basic principles of their customer or citizen promise, Welcome to GoodCo offers a realistic, commercially hard-nosed approach to reframing business in society.

Robbie Savage could have been just another Manchester United reject. Instead, he used the Old Trafford scrapheap as a springboard to become one of the most instantly recognisable footballers in the Premier League, despite being told by Sir Alex Ferguson he was not good enough to stay in the class of '92 alongside David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville. For the last 16 years, Savage has carved out a reputation as a hard man and wind-up merchant with an unerring ability to grab a headline. From deliberately getting Tottenham's Justin Edinburgh sent off in a Wembley Cup final to the 'Jobbiegate' row with referee Graham Poll and the bust-ups with John Toshack, Rio Ferdinand, Graeme Souness and Paul Jewell, the list is endless. Yet numerous footballing legends will testify to the skill of the midfielder, who has starred for Crewe, Leicester, Birmingham, Blackburn and Derby and won 39 international caps for Wales. Behind the long blond hair, the Armani tattoo and the flamboyant cars, Savage has always been the heartbeat of his team. Savage! provides a unique insight into the extraordinary life of an elite sportsman, a colourful character and loving family man. Love him or loathe him, Robbie Savage's story is a remarkable one.

Alex Ferguson, once king of Scottish football, gave up the easy life in Aberdeen to follow in the famous footsteps of Sir Matt Busby. Others had flickered and then faded in the shadow cast by the legendary Busby but Ferguson couldn’t resist the call. ‘Football is a strange obsession. Winning is a drug and when I got the invitation to manage Manchester United I simply could not resist,’ he says. For nearly six years he has chased the end of the rainbow and spent millions of pounds to bring the coveted championship to Old Trafford for the first time in 25 years. Now he feels it is time to tell the inside story of the best-supported club in Britain and his struggle to fulfil the title dream of thousands of supporters. He found the famous club in disarray and he admits he came close to the sack himself. ‘No manager is prepared for the job at Old Trafford. The legend is huge. It’s different from any other club with its traditions and expectations. It took me three or four years to understand the particular politics and demands. Only through success can a manager get control of his destiny.’ Ferguson fought his battles and won the trophies which slowly but surely see him now established as a manager who has laid the old ghosts to rest and created a new vision. Winning the FA cup in 1990 bought him valuable time, and success in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup, beating Barcelona in a memorable final in Rotterdam, gave him the right platform for the most convincing championship challenge since the days of Busby. After seven years at Aberdeen, Ferguson wrote A Light in the North, an account of how he broke the Glasgow stranglehold on Scottish football. Now comes the sequel of how he conquered English football at the helm of their greatest club.