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 guide to the sport that one American sports journalist described as 22 guys standing around while one guy tap dances on the ball, this book takes a look at the legends of the sport, from George Best to Romario. by fans, managers and players and a round up of the clubs that have shaped the game. songs, the films, the comics and the memorabilia. There is also a section covering the finest football anecdotes and stories.

This new Rough Guide is devoted to pop music, the tacky, catchy yet enduring music we grew up listening to when we should have been listening to something more profound. We celebrate the hits, the singers, the impresarios and the songs which have made up the soundtrack to our lives. So come along pop pickers, put on your blue suede shoes (or your tartan trousers or puffball skirt, it's your call) and take a stroll down Electric Avenue. Not aarf! Features include: bull; The Stars A celebration of those performers, from Robbie Williams to Andy Williams (and Madonna to Mungo Jerry), who have had us singing along or, in the case of Dean Friedman and Kajagoogoo, left us wondering what the world is coming to.

Think you know all about sport? Think again. The Rough Guide to Cult Sport takes the armchair sports fan on a beguiling world tour exploring the maverick, the bizarre and the deliriously obscure parts of the sporting universe. It recalls the players, games and moments in all sports which have excited the greatest passions from the dawn of the Olympics to the present day. You'll find sections on the top twenty cult sports from baseball to sumo, angling to ultimate frisbee; cult legends, from female grand prix driver Hell� Nice to Mexican wrestling star Mil M�scaras; around the world in 80 sports, from bog snorkelling, bun climbing and ostrich racing to pumpkin throwing; plus all the shocks, conspiracies and scandals that have rocked the world of sport over the years. With all this, plus the strangest sports statistics you'll ever find, The Rough Guide to Cult Sport is the ultimate tribute to the weird and wonderful world of sport.

This guide features a full listing of Amsterdam's bars, brown cafes, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as accommodation to suit any traveller. There are accounts giving insight into well-known sights such as Anne Frank's house and lesser-known attractions, from Indonesian restaurants to Art-Deco hotels. There are critical listings on the best places to stay, from hostels, to houseboats to upmarket hotels. The final section of the guide includes articles on Amsterdam's history, arts and literature.

The Rough Guide to Cult Football is the ultimate companion to the beautiful game. The only football book of its kind, it goes beyond the usual back page material to uncover the most amazing stories and unlikeliest personalities on Planet Football. It reveals the stories behind the mavericks and cult figures that make up the real heroes of the game - from cultured midfielders to jailbirds, drinkers to hard men, local legends to international wanderers. The Rough Guide to Cult Football looks at everything from special clubs - like the New York Cosmos and Berwick Rangers - to managers and football rivalries - from 'El Clásico' to the Faroe Islands derby, via an unusual roll-call of talent that stretches from Ferenc Puskas to Stan Bowles, Eric Cantona to Jose Chilavert and Garrincha to Perry Groves. It also recalls 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.

This book constitutes the first full volume dedicated to an academic analysis of British football as depicted on film. From early single-camera silents to its current multi-screen mediations, the repeated treatment of football in British cinema points to the game’s importance not only in the everyday rhythms of national life but also, and especially, its immutable place in the British imaginary landscape. Through close textual analysis together with production and reception histories, this book explores the ways in which professional footballers, amateur players and supporters (the devoted and the demonized) have been represented on the British screen. As well as addressing the joys and sorrows the game necessarily engenders, British football is shown to function as an accessible structure to explore wider issues such as class, race, gender and even the whole notion of ‘Britishness’.