The Rough Diamonds are a close knit team. Kev McGovern, their captain, makes sure they work hard and play hard. Kev is stunned when he discovers that Dave has to cope with epilepsy. When he suffers a major attack, the victory the Rough Diamonds are so desperate to win, hangs in the balance.

An action packed complete collection of the eight book Total Football series from bestselling writer Alan Gibbons. This collection contains the following stories: 1. Some You Win . . . 2. Under Pressure 3. Divided We Fall 4. Injury Time 5. Last Man Standing 6. Power Play 7. Twin Strikers 8. Final Countdown

You've never seen football formations and tactic explored like they are in Total Football ever before. A must-have for football experts! A goalkeeper, two defenders and eight attackers – it’s no surprise that in the 1950s under this popular formation scores like 9-3 were common. So what changed? Total Football tells the evolution of football tactics: from the birth of Total Football in the Netherlands to the dominance of tiki taka in Spain and Brazil, each chapter explores an iconic tactic. Innovative graphics alongside expert text guide you through the manager decisions that developed new formations, the pure talent of players that defined each playing style and the matches that propelled the winning tactic to legendary status. Sanjeev Shetty explores how each tactic works, how they came to dominate and how opponents worked to find a way to beat them. From Pele to Messi, Cruyff to Mourinho, Total Football explores the tactics that made the legends, giving you a new understanding of how the beautiful game is played.

Football in Fiction represents the most comprehensive historical mapping and analysis of novels related to association football (soccer). It offers a theoretically informed field guide, a scholarly cartography of football fiction’s uncertain – and until now – only partially explored terrain. Combining an extensive search for texts with up-to-date academic research, journals, surveys, catalogues, and reviews the book demonstrates a topographic perspective of the field – one that captures and establishes its breadth, depth, and distinctive identity. The book uses and adapts two distinct reading models of abstraction, in conjunction with closer textual analyses. Together they assist in realising a set of demonstrable conventions, outline a taxonomy of fictive types, establish the genre’s current state of play, and advance the football novel as a form with its own literary history and traditions. This book is a valuable resource for those studying and researching in the areas of the social and cultural aspects of football, sports fiction, sports writing, creative writing, and literary and genre studies. Furthermore, related industry professionals will find this a fascinating read, particularly football writers, fans of the sport, and those interested in sports history and cultural phenomena.

In-season management of (American) football injuries presents a unique set of problems and considerations. Trying to safely return players to play is of great concern from Pop Warner up to the NFL, and managing injuries during the season with the plan of operative repair in the off-season is also a unique concern with these athletes. Management during the season to allow return to play, while minimizing the risks of further injury, is of utmost importance. This unique book will focus on the management of football injuries during the season and on the sidelines. It will focus on both operative and non-operative treatments that allow safe return to play, utilizing not only the latest scientific literature supporting in-season decisions, but also the experiences of the authors, who have spent many years treating these athletes. Divided into sections on orthopedic and medical considerations, the first part is organized anatomically to present the breadth of injury and treatment strategies available, from injuries to the shoulder and elbow, to ACL/MCL/PCL tears and sprains, to tendinopathies and sports hernia, among many other conditions. The second section covers diverse medical topics germane to football, including heat and cardiac issues, traumatic brain injury, mental health and infectious disease considerations, pain management, and the expanding role of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in non-operative treatment. Presenting the most recent clinical evidence alongside time-tested management techniques, Football Injuries will be a valuable addition to the practices of orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine specialists, sideline medics and athletic trainers, and primary care physicians treating these athletes.

Sports are a lot of fun. There's nothing like getting outside with a group of friends and throwing the ball around or playing a game of basketball, soccer, or baseball. But with all the fun, there are a lot of things to keep in mind to keep everyone safe.