Sportsbiografier

The compelling story of former footballer, coach, manager and director John Sainty. John had begun working on his autobiography with football writer Neil Vacher before his sudden death in 2023. Determined to do John's story justice, Neil brought this labour of love to fruition with the help of John's former colleagues.

A frank account of what it takes to reach the top from one of hurling's all-time greats.

In The Immortals of English Cricket, Bill Ricquier tells the cricketing life stories of eleven of England's greatest (male) cricketers. Ricquier selects his Immortal English team from players who didn't just dominate, they changed the game with their sheer will.Those portrayed include: Jack Hobbs, the highest run-scorer in the history of first-class cricket; Ian Botham, who was the most famous sportsman in the country in the 1980s; and James Anderson, England's leading Test wicket taker. Selected also is Wilfred Rhodes, the legendary slow left arm bowler who made almost 40,000 first-class runs and took over 4,000 first-class wickets, and the extraordinary Fred Trueman, described as the "e;finest bloody fast bowler that ever drew breath."e;The Immortals of English Cricket will inspire discussion, debate and controversy but indisputably represents a team of remarkable skill and character, one to proudly represent the Crown and Three Lions on any Elysian field.

Twenty-five years ago, Tiger Woods achieved the greatest feat in golf history: the 'Tiger Slam'. Now, for the first time, the award-winning author of Tommy's Honor delivers a riveting account of Tiger at his most brilliant - dominating the game in a way we will never see again.In 1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters by the largest margin in history, becoming the first Black player to win a major championship. Four years later, the world watches with breathless anticipation as he returns to Augusta National, aiming for a milestone no other golfer has ever achieved: four professional Grand Slam triumphs in a row.In The Tiger Slam, Kevin Cook delivers a gripping, inside-the-ropes account of an astonishing streak of victories. Readers will hear from many of golf's biggest names-Tiger's caddie, his coach, his opponents, his idols and others, all offering fresh insight into the electrifying highs of his triumphs and the obstacles on and off the course that threatened his relentless pursuit of perfection.The Tiger Slam is the epitome of greatness in sport, a feat as exhilarating today as it was twenty-five years ago. Kevin Cook invites us to close our eyes and see a young champion at the peak of his powers: unmatched raw strength, single-minded focus, strategic genius, and utter fearlessness. The Tiger Slam takes readers behind the scenes in the thrilling months when Tiger Woods took an ancient game to new heights.

A first to market biography of Arne Slot, the 'outstanding' new Liverpool FC head coachArne Slot has been tasked with a role at the helm of one of the most prestigious clubs in the game- Liverpool FC. Having showcased his ability to compete at the top tier of Dutch football, he brings his tactical acumen and characteristically aggressive, high pressing football from the Eredivisie to the Premier League. Slot delivered remarkable performances at more than one club in the Netherlands and garnered a reputation for consistently exceeding expectations. Under his innovative leadership, AZ Alkmaar finished second in the league - and that only on goal difference - when the season was abandoned in 2020 due to Covid. In 2021, Slot took the reins at Feyenoord and led them to their first league title in six years. In four short years, he cemented his status as one of the most promising managerial talents in Europe. Maarten Meijer's biography delves into Arne Slot's roots, from the tiny village of Bergentheim in the Netherlands, to the formidable task of following in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp, his iconic predecessor at Liverpool FC. With confidence borne from a career of success and a complete faith in the football he wants to play, Slot is ready to make his mark at Anfield and continue the legacy of excellence.

From Paris Olympics star and legendary gymnast Simone Biles’s longtime coach, an insider’s look at the making of a championWith a Foreword by Simone BilesThe Balance is coach Aimee Boorman’s inside account of the growth of a transcendent athlete and the tumultuous events—from the dictatorial coaching of Bela and Martha Karolyi to the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar—that upended the lives of many girls, including Biles. Simone Biles is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s won six all-around world championships and nine Olympic medals (six gold). Five gymnastics moves are named after her, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the youngest recipient ever), and at an age when most elite gymnasts have retired, Biles is not just still competing—she’s dominating. She’s soaring in Paris this summer, bringing home more Olympic gold. She’s having so much fun that LA 2028 is not out of the question. But when coach Aimee Borman met her at a gym in Texas, Simone was just a seven-year-old kid. An exceptionally athletically gifted one, to be sure, but not yet great. That would take time, care, love, and balance. Boorman helped shape Biles, both pushing her and holding her back, protecting both her mental and physical health. “She’s like a second mom to me,” writes Biles, and Boorman was the National Team coach in 2016, where the US—and Biles—took home all-around gold.The Balance combines unprecedented insider perspective on a legend, newsworthy details on gymnastics history, and compelling lessons on coaching, leadership, and development.

'Kimber is a 22nd-century cricket writer' The GuardianColourful cricket history meets expert analysis in this richly researched exploration of the art of batting. Most batters are trying to do their best, yet the top players are creating art. It is physically impossible to face an 80mph delivery and track it with your eyes, yet the greatest batters do more than just watch the ball, they predict where it will go. They can see into the future. This book is about the batters who see what mortals don't. Javed Miandad purposefully made errors to manipulate the field, Sachin Tendulkar dug up a pitch to take on Warne, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was peppered by tennis balls on the beach until he created his bastardised technique and Joe Root's great play against spin is a confluence of three random events. Others, such as Smith, Pietersen and Richards, carried on the work of a man 100 years before their time, and Ranji changed cricket with a bucket. Their methods and stories are different, but their currency is the same: runs. Through interviews with cricketing greats such as David 'Bumble' Lloyd, Graeme Swann and Rob Key, this book shows you the science, skill and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time, and, ultimately, how these players conquered leather with willow.

They don't make footballers - and football autobiographies - like this anymore. The brutally honest, riotously entertaining story of the much-loved Everton legend and iconic Premier League bad boy.Praised by Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the greatest and most passionate players to ever play the game, Duncan Ferguson, or Big Dunc as he is known, is larger than life in every sense. Measuring a towering 6 feet 4 inches in height, from the moment the striker emerged in British football in the 1990s, he was front and back page news. On the pitch, fans loved Duncan for his roguish charm, his thrilling goals and his total commitment in every game. Fighting tooth and nail, he was a born leader and took no prisoners. Like his rival Roy Keane, he played close to the limit, and often crossed it. Such as the time he was sentenced to 3 months in Glasgow's toughest prison for headbutting an opponent - the first and only time a footballer has ever gone to jail for a crime committed on a football pitch. In BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography, Duncan reveals, for the first time, the full story: the truth about his experiences in prison, his partying with African princes and Liverpool gangsters, his fighting with burglars, his making and losing a fortune, and how he turned his life around through his beloved Everton F.C.. In the process, the book sheds light on one of football's most charismatic but notorious and enigmatic hardmen. Duncan is now a coach and manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.. He is a pillar of the community in Merseyside, giving back to stricken children who share a similar tough upbringing to his own. Duncan's book takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of humour, drama and redemption. Buckle up.

No Place for a Girl is the little-known but hugely inspirational story of pioneering woman jockey Karen Wiltshire's fight for acceptance in the male-dominated world of 1970s horseracing. Her obsession brought the reward she craved as she became the first female professional jockey to win a Flat race, beating her male counterparts.

An adventurer, firefighter, and jiu-jitsu practitioner embarks on a journey of a lifetime—a 1,000 mile voyage through the Canadian sub-arctic—after recovering from a life-threatening illness.

The rise and fall of one of America’s first Black sports celebrities

Mitch 'Blood' Green hadmore things going for him to make big money in boxing than nearly any fighterin history. A six-foot-six, 225-pound heavyweight with a chiseled physique anda traffic-stopping look, Green had street credibility for days--he was the gang leaderof the Black Spades--and four New York Golden Gloves heavyweight titles. But his penchant formayhem, drugs, and chaos, while keeping him in the news, torpedoed his pro boxingcareer. He lost a high-profile decision to Mike Tyson at Madison Square Garden, got into a tabloid-grabbing late-night street fight with Tyson at anafter-hours boutique in Harlem, and then disappeared. Until Charles Farrellfound him. In The Legend of Mitch "Blood" Green and Other Boxing Essays, Farrell captures life in the boxingbusiness from its deepest interior, and offers additional portraits of charactersas wide-ranging as Donald Trump, Floyd Patterson, Bert Cooper, Charley Burley, PeterMcNeeley, and Muhammad Ali. Trenchant, fearless, and often flat-out funny, there has neverbeen a boxing book like this, and there will never be another.

Read this collection of illegal hunting and fishing stories, which prove that life as a game warden is surprisingly dangerous and thrilling.Two conservation officers attempt to chase down a motorboat in their canoe. A married couple illegally catches more than 60,000 crappies over a 12-year span. A duo of poachers run over Tom Chapin’s motorbike—and nearly kill him in the process. As a Minnesota game warden for 29 years, Tom investigated hundreds of harrowing and exhilarating cases. In Poachers Caught!, he shares 36 of his most memorable ones with you.Throughout his career, Tom meticulously wrote daily reports and was a stickler for taking photographs to enhance his records. So the stories recounted here are as realistic and factual as possible. From the vividly detailed capture of illegal night hunters to the deconstruction of major fish poaching operations, Poachers Caught! allows you to experience each riveting encounter as if you were there.The tales of true crime are action-packed, shocking, and wildly entertaining. They appeal to anyone with an interest in hunting, fishing, and law enforcement, as well as anyone who’s concerned about the protection of our natural resources. Tom’s writing serves as a tool for educating people about poaching and for promoting ethics in nature. It also yields a heightened appreciation for the wildlife officers who protect out fish and wildlife resources.Tom says, “I always believed a game warden’s job should focus on this one concern: providing an equal playing field for all who purchase a hunting or fishing license.”

Played Up Pompey Four contains fresh interviews with 23 individuals whose immense contributions left an indelible mark on a truly special football club. The fourth in the Played Up Pompey series, this book explores the Blues careers of those whose outstanding performances established them as household names and heroes among the Fratton faithful.