Showing results by publisher "QUEST from W. F. Howes Ltd" in Sports

Far away from the bright lights of international rugby, there is another version of the game played by ordinary blokes of all shapes, sizes and degrees of physical ability. Steven Gauge was the last person anyone would expect to find on a rugby field, being somewhat shorter than average, bespectacled and decidedly “unsporty”. But as a gentleman of a certain age when strange life choices are sometimes made, Steven chose to pick up a rugby ball and run with it.

As the woman who trained the great Best Mate to win three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups, no one could be better qualified than Henrietta Knight to discover what makes today's top jumps trainers succeed. From eccentric, outspoken Yorkshireman Mick Easterby to elegant, aristocratic Venetia Williams; from Irish wizard Willie Mullins to perfectionist champion trainer Paul Nicholls and young pretender Dan Skelton, here is a dazzling cast of extraordinary characters, all with their quirks and foibles but with one single-minded ambition - finding first-class horses and training them.  

From being the most dominant club in Scottish football history, Rangers FC was sold to Craig Whyte in 2011...for £1. Although touted as Rangers’ saviour, he was soon hung out to dry as the fall guy for Rangers’ misery as the unthinkable happened. The club was plunged into liquidation and the club suffered the indignity of demotion to the lowest echelon of Scottish football. The demise of Rangers saw Whyte’s reputation eviscerated on the pages of every newspaper, his name vilified on radio shows, TV programmes and blogs. In 2012, he was arrested and accused of fraud. 

A richly detailed biography of English footballing icon Terry Venables, telling the story of his playing career, managerial successes (and failures) and fascinatinglife away from the pitch. Released to mark the 30th anniversary of Euro 96, the tournament when Venables managed England and very...

In a footballing career spanning 21 years, Tony Gale played over 720 games on almost every league pitch across the four divisions. He is one of only 16 players in the UK to have played over 300 games for two teams and one of a handful to be part of a Premier League winning side. As a pundit he's commentated on over 3,000 live games for the likes of Sky and Capital Gold, covering virtually every major football competition in his inimitable light hearted manner.

In a world where online scrutiny is more intense than ever, Elise’s story massively transcends sport. Having been bullied while growing up in Scotland, Christie first felt the full weight of online public opinion following three separate disqualifications at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Death threats followed amid a torrent of online hate whereby she was accused of having caused a rival South Korean medal hopeful to crash. Christie, aged just 24, retreated into a period of mental health support to assist her through extremely traumatic times.

My Hidden Race is the story of Olympic medalist Anyika Onuora, who stood on the podium at every major championship in athletics. This book won't go into detail about the technicalities of her sport or the beauty of the Olympic spirit however. In the era of the Black Lives Matter and Me Too, this is an unflinching testimony of what it takes to pursue your dreams as a Black British woman against all odds. This three-time Olympian will lift the lid on the reality of life as a black female athlete in Britain in a way that nobody else has done before her.

Paul Davis's story takes us on a journey through almost 50 years at the very top in football: a leading player's take on an extraordinary and memorable period in Arsenal's history, during which the club and football changed radically and forever around him.

To achieve an Olympic gold is impressive; to be part of a couple doing this in the same sport is rare; to do it 10 times between you is unprecedented. Britain's most successful female and male Olympians give us the inside track on becoming a champion. Hear their take on how they became the best in the world while finding in each other the perfect partner. 

Meulensteen's story begins in a provincial region of Holland; a student of the game, René explains how he fought through red tape and bureaucracy to establish himself as a coach with principles he firmly believed in, and how those visionary methods saw him land a remarkable position at the world's biggest club, overseeing the technical development of their most precious department—the youth system.

Alongside Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, nobody in the long history of Manchester United is as important as Jimmy Murphy. As legendary Manchester United manager Busby lay in an oxygen tent in his hospital bed, recovering from the horror of the Munich plane crash, he clutched the friend of his close friend and faithful right-hand-man Murphy. Murphy stepped into Busby’s shoes and answered United’s call in their hour of need. More than that, he provided the spark which would see a phoenix spectacularly rise from the flames.

Nobody does offbeat like Ian Holloway–known to one and all in football as ‘Ollie’. He has been dubbed as ‘inspirational’ by those who played for him, a ‘genius’ by those who owned the clubs he managed and made huge profits for, and a loveable rogue by football fans in general. Now, he turns that wisdom, passion for the game–and occasional feistiness–into a reflection of football that only he could provide.

A Love Letter to Football is the story of how the beautiful game, from the litter-strewn pitches of the grassroots to packed stadiums at the top of the sport, can help carry us through our darkest days.

Football attracts people from all walks of life—but very few can match the story of Paul Montgomery, the flamboyant Geordie who went from running a floating nightclub to spotting some of the greatest British footballing talent of the last 40 years. In Rough Diamond, Paul Montgomery lifts the lid on his incredible career change, the highs and lows of his footballing journey to the top of the sport and how he still loves the game that has given him so much.

My Story in Black and White is the fascinating story of Newcastle United's head physio, Derek Wright, and his time at the club from the early 1980s to 2022. Growing up on a tough council estate in a County Durham mining town, Derek's footballing ability was discovered by Arsenal, who signed him as an apprentice at 16. Injury ended his playing career but he remained in football, becoming the youngest physio in the Football League at Malcolm Macdonald's Fulham.