Perry Groves Football Heroes

Following the success of his autobiography, everyone's favourite cult soccer icon Perry Groves is back, pen in hand, to deliver his latest opus—a collection of the 20 players he has idolized in front of the television, marveled at from the stands, tussled with on the pitch, and drank with in the bar. Pele's in there, so is Bobby Moore, and what all-time player list would be complete without Terry Hurlock? More than just a collection of great players, Perry explains in his own inimitable way exactly why these players made the cut. So, while Pele would make everyone's list for his amazing goal-scoring feats, Perry can't help but admire the Brazilian's drug of choice—Viagra—to guarantee he still keeps scoring despite pushing 70! From Cryuff's turn and 20-a-day habit to Brazilian maestro Ronaldinho, who still manages to be the best player in the world despite being a fixture on the Barcelona party circuit; and from the flamboyant skills, poetry, and kung-fu fighting of Eric Cantona to the va-va-voom of Thierry Henry; Perry has a host of great players from the history of the game—from the 1960s up to the present day—and from all corners of the globe. Packed full of facts and uproarious stories from the man himself, Perry Groves' Football Heroes is guaranteed to have you believing, just for a little while, that We All Live in a Perry Groves World.

Following the success of his autobiography, everyone's favourite cult football icon Perry Groves is back, pen in hand, to deliver his latest opus. "Perry Groves' Football Heroes" is his collection of the twenty players he has idolised in front of the television, marvelled at from the stands, tussled with on the pitch and drank with in the bar. Pele's in there, so is Bobby Moore...and what all-time player list would be complete without Terry Hurlock?More than just a collection of great players, Perry explains in his own inimitable way exactly why these players made the cut. So, while Pele would make everyone's list for his amazing goal-scoring feats, Perry can't help but admire the Brazilian's drug of choice - Viagra - to guarantee he still keeps scoring despite pushing 70!From Cryuff's turn and 20-a-day habit to Brazilian maestro Ronaldinho, who still manages to be the best player in the world despite being a fixture on the Barcelona party circuit; and from the flamboyant skills, poetry and kung-fu fighting of Eric Cantona to the va-va-voom of Thierry Henry, Perry has a host of great players from the history of the game - from the 1960s up to the present day - and from all corners of the globe.Packed full of facts and uproarious stories from the man himself, "Perry Groves' Football Heroes" is guaranteed to have you believing, just for a little while, that We All Live in a Perry Groves World. This is an engaging and hilarious collection of football heroes by a true football hero.

Perry Groves spent over a decade in the footballing spotlight. Sometimes he was at the top, often he was at the bottom and that's half the reasons the fans loved him so much - and still do. This is the most truthful and hilarious book about professional football you will ever read. Perry Groves was the first signing by the legendary Arsenal manager George Graham, and that unmistakable figure with his Tin-Tin haircut and cheeky grin was a player in one of the Gunners' greatest sides. Now, he has decided to tell all about his roller coaster years of booze binges, girl-chasing and gambling sprees. He's a non-stop fund of hilarious anecdotes, recounting top-flight games played with a hangover, 125 mph motorway chases with international stars, visits to a brothel with an England World Cup hero and revealing how one drunken escapade ended with a group of internationals being questioned over an attempted murder charge. This is a unique chance to find out what top-flight footballers really get up to off the field and how they behave when the dressing room door is closed.

The Ultimate Companion to A Beautiful Game This new Rough Guide is the only soccer book of its kind. It uncovers the most amazing stories and the unlikeliest personalities on Planet Football, both past and present, that help to make soccer the greatest show on earth. We reveal the stories behind the mavericks and cult figures who make up the real heroes of the game - from cultured midfielders to jailbirds, drinkers to straight arrows, local legends to international wanderers. The book showcases an amazing and unusual roll-call of talent that stretches from Ferenc Puskas to Stan Bowles, Eric Cantona to Jose Chilavert and Garrincha to Perry Groves. Throughout, we run our eye over the special clubs - from the New York Cosmos to Berwick Rangers and Estudiantes; managers and football rivalries - from 'El Clásico' to the Faroe Islands derby; and recall extraordinary games from 'The Battle of Highbury' to underdog fixtures where the likes of Northern Ireland, Wimbledon, and Dynamo Kiev overcame the might of Spain, Liverpool, and the Nazis. Post-match analyses of football culture, ephemera, science, and some strange statistics, complete this ultimate fiesta of football fun. "Ain't it great to be alive? All you need is the green grass and a ball" -Pele

A new collection of soccer writing by the bestselling author of Fever Pitch. After the phenomenal success of Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby tried to avoid writing about soccer, for fear that he'd be writing about it forever. But occasionally over the years he’s found it impossible to turn down a particularly enticing assignment or, in the case of the 2012-13 Premier League, just unable to resist writing about that most spectacular of seasons. Fortunately for those who love great writing about soccer, all these fugitive pieces are collected in Fan Mail. You can follow the fortunes, as Hornby did, of a hopelessly out-of-their-depth Cambridge United in the old Second Division, discover why Perry Groves was an unlikely hero among Arsenal fans, enjoy Hornby trying to explain the World Cup to Americans, and share with him the pain of watching his national team.

Perry Groves spentnbsp;more thannbsp;a decade in the footballing spotlight. Sometimes he was at the top, often he was at the bottom, and that's half the reasons the fans loved him so much—and still do. This is the most truthful and hilarious book about professional football you will ever read. Perry Groves was the first signing by the legendary Arsenal manager George Graham, and that unmistakeable figure with his Tin-Tin haircut and cheeky grin was a player in one of the Gunners' greatest sides. Now, he has decided to tell all about his rollercoaster years of booze binges, girl-chasing, and gambling sprees. He's a non-stop fund of hilarious anecdotes, recounting top-flight games played with a hangover, 125 mph motorway chases with international stars, visits to a brothel with an England World Cup hero, and revealing how one drunken escapade ended with a group of internationals being questioned over an attempted murder charge. This is a unique chance to find out what top-flight footballers really get up to off the field and how they behave when the dressing room door is closed.

Second Yellow: More Adventures of our Footballing Heroes brings you more funny, fascinating and downright baffling tales gleaned by authors John Smith and Dan Trelfer from their unflagging research of over 240 footballer autobiographies. Together, they have pored through the works of genuine legends, cult heroes and players they can only dimly recall from their 1983 Panini sticker albums to find stories and facts that will delight, shock and confuse - sometimes all at once. There's the chairman who owned a ventriloquist's dummy called Algernon. There's the Liverpool legend who set a team-mate's wife's hair on fire. There's the Arsenal star who confronted some innocent fans with a samurai sword. And there's the Ipswich hero who took on Sylvester Stallone in an arm-wrestling contest - possibly inspiring Stallone's half-forgotten epic Over The Top. This book covers all the bases of the typical footballer's life: love, violence, gambling, horrific injury, banter (it's mostly banter) and, apparently, pigeons.