Sir Les: The Autobiography of Les Ferdinand by Les Ferdinand

Sir Les: The Autobiography of Les Ferdinand by Les Ferdinand lands on the shelves of my shop.

Headline, 1997, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs;

From the cover: Sir Les charts the spectacular rise of a young boy from a council estate in west London, through his formative years at Queens Park Rangers, to his status as one of Englands top stars with Tottenham Hotspur.

For the first time, Les Ferdinand speaks in depth about his two turbulent seasons at St James Park. He reveals how the players and management at Newcastle United reacted to the bombshell of losing the Premiership title in 1996 to Manchester United, having at one stage led them by twelve points thanks to a flowing, attacking style that won plaudits from neutrals everywhere. In particular, he considers how the disappointment affected Kevin Keegan, who was to astonish the whole of football when he resigned a few months later. In his place came another legend, Kenny Dalglish, and Ferdinand compares the two mens impact on the club, the Toon Army and on himself. For in late July 1997 he was bought for a club record ±6 million by Tottenham Hotspur, the team he had supported as a boy, where he rejoined his former manager Gerry Francis. Ferdinand talks frankly about that deal and looks forward to his new career in London.

Ferdinand also offers a critical insight into the management of Terry Venables during Euro 96, and looks back to his early playing days at Queens Park Rangers, where he was top scorer in each of his last four seasons and where he remains a hero to the fans. He relives, too, his loan period with Besiktas in Turkey, where he was feted like a god.

But this is much more than just a book about football. Ferdinand discusses how he escaped from the depressing cycle of urban life that trapped some of his peers on the same streets where he grew up. He also considers the pressures and pleasures of life in the public eye. A role model to many, Les Ferdinands story is one of triumph over difficult circumstances, and will be an inspirational read for all his fans.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Pages very gently age-tanned.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 225 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Clive Woodward: The Biography by Alison Kervin

Clive Woodward: The Biography by Alison Kervin lands on the shelves of my shop.

Orion, 2005, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs;

From the cover: Madman or genius? Clive Woodward rocked English rugby when he arrived at Twickenham in 1997 and set about transforming the sport. Heads rolled and millions were spent as the former England centre, with 21 caps and two Lions tours to his name, upset almost everyone he met. His demands were legendary and his confidence boundless. His lateral thinking hovered on the edge of madness inspired by the philosophies of a crazy Brisbane dentist and the macho sales environment of Rank Xerox in the 1980s. No one understood him and few outside Team England trusted him. But he didnt care. Confirmation of his methods came on a rainy night in Sydney in November 2003, when England won the World Cup.

A year later, having been knighted and celebrated across the country, he walked out of English rugby in disgust and began training as a football coach, with the ambition of running the national team. In between, he led the British and Irish Lions on their disastrous tour in the summer of 2005.

In this intimate and revealing portrait, the first comprehensive biography of the man, those closest to Woodward reveal what hes really like. Alison Kervin has talked to his family and childhood friends, those who have worked for him, guided him, coached him and played with him. Featuring interviews with leading psychologists, business associates and his closest friends, as well as players and coaches past and present, this is the study of a winner. It explains what he did, why he did it and how opinions on him changed so much after the World Cup and the Lions tour.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.

Red boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [X] 358 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Biting Back: The Mike Gregory Story by Mike Gregory with Erica Gregory, Steve Manning & Dave Hadfield

Biting Back: The Mike Gregory Story by Mike Gregory with Erica Gregory, Steve Manning & Dave Hadfield lands on the shelves of my shop.

Vertical Editions, 2006, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Colour Photographs;

From the cover: A true Rugby League hero, Mike Gregorys deeds of bravery, courage and valour, despite injuries on the playing fields of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and France gave him the ultimate honour of any sportsman, to captain both club and country.

Playing for Great Britain, Warrington, Salford, Cronulla and Wigan St Patricks, never giving less than 100%, he is respected worldwide by his peers and fans alike for never taking a backward step.

At the end of his superb playing career Mike took the same ethos into coaching and following initial setbacks, he landed his dream job in charge of his home town club Wigan. Battling against a devastating illness resulting from an insect bite whilst undertaking international coaching duties in 2003, he guided the Wigan team to the Challenge Cup Final in 2004 before temporarily standing down to commence treatment in the USA. But on his return found he had to fight with the club to resume his work.

Mike lost that battle for reinstatement but in a high profile legal case, gained recompense from the Wigan club. His path now, proving his doubters wrong and winning this final match against his illness with his loving wife, two young sons and supporters all behind him.

Introduction by: Joe Lydon

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper. Text complete, clean and tight.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 287 pages. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Uncorked! Diary of a Cricket Year by Dominic Cork with David Norrie

Uncorked! Diary of a Cricket Year by Dominic Cork with David Norrie lands on the shelves of my shop.

Richard Cohen, 1996, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Signed by the author on the title page unverified and reflected as such in the lack of premium. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Photographs;

From the cover: NOT SINCE IAN BOTHAM has an England cricketer made such an impact on the international scene as Dominic Cork in the past year. His startling debut at Lords, his rare wicket-taking capabilities, his whole-hearted approach to the game, his theatrical and passionate appealing and his undoubted determination to help England back to the top again have endeared him already to the sporting nation.

After four successive England A tours, Cork had begun to despair of ever making the England Test side. The Derbyshire fast bowler felt that the 1995 summer was make-or-break for him, so he decided to keep a diary of his feelings and performances during that season. As events transpired, this has now become a remarkable record of his meteoric rise to cricket stardom, putting him alongside Brian Lara and Shane Warne as one of the most exciting young cricketers around today.

Cork reveals his. worries and doubts before his sensational entry against the West Indies at Lords where his match-winning 7/43 were the best-ever bowling figures on an England debut. Two Tests later, at Old Trafford, Cork removed Richie Richardson, Junior Murray and Carl Hooper in successive deliveries. Cork explains the background to the first hat-trick by an England bowler for 38 years and why he had no argument with Peter Levers assessment You bowled like a pillock when he returned to the dressing-room.

Cork decided not only to continue this diary during Englands winter tour of South Africa and the World Cup campaign in India and Pakistan, but to make it available for publication to try to give a better understanding of the life, the highs and lows, the rewards and drawbacks of a modern cricket star, home and away and in the middle of a frantic event like the cricket World Cup.

Very Good+ in Very Good Dust Wrapper.

Red boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 216 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

uncorked diary of a cricket year dominic cork with david norrie richard cohen 1860660592

uncorked diary of a cricket year dominic cork with david norrie richard cohen 1860660592 b