Big Deal!

Richard Sydenham, John Wragg

Description

Big Deal! is crammed with exclusive transfer stories that have never been heard before outside the boardroom. Veteran journalists Richard Sydenham and John Wragg have gained exclusive contributions from an array of star names including Jurgen Klopp, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Claudio Ranieri and the late Gerard Houllier, plus homegrown legends such as Kevin Keegan, David Moyes, Sam Allardyce and Martin O'Neill. You'll get the inside track on some of the most momentous transfers in British football, including the transfers that never quite made it over the line. Kevin Keegan's shock move to Southampton at the height of his fame and Pat Jennings' switch from north London rivals Tottenham to Arsenal are just two examples of transfers that caused a stir, and the managers involved with the moves explain how they made them happen. The transfers that never materialised will surprise many. Learn how Wolves nearly landed Michel Platini before his career exploded with Juventus, and how ambitious Burnley tried desperately to sign a young Harry Kane.

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 05 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801503211
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Richard Sydenham and John Wragg, 2022
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Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
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Print ISBN 9781801502061
eBook ISBN 9781801503211
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Contents
Nothing More Exciting in Football than the Swoop
Me, Managers and the Transfer Market
I never enjoyed transfer deadline day as a manager
1. Micky Adams
by John Wragg
2. Graham Alexander
by Richard Sydenham.
3. Sam Allardyce
by John Wragg
4. Jimmy Armfield
by Richard Sydenham.
5. Len Ashurst
by Richard Sydenham.
6. Ron Atkinson
by Richard Sydenham.
7. John Barnwell
by Richard Sydenham.
8. Dave Bassett
by Richard Sydenham.
9. Billy Bingham
by Richard Sydenham.
10. Tony Book
by Richard Sydenham.
11. Ken Brown
by Richard Sydenham.
12. Steve Bruce
by John Wragg
13. Alan Buckley
by Richard Sydenham.
14. Keith Burkinshaw
by Richard Sydenham.
15. George Burley
by Richard Sydenham.
16. Terry Butcher
by Richard Sydenham.
17. Frank Clark
by Richard Sydenham.
18. Allan Clarke
by Richard Sydenham.
19. Nigel Clough
by John Wragg
20. John Coleman
by Richard Sydenham.
21. Steve Coppell
by Richard Sydenham.
22. Alan Curbishley
by John Wragg
23. Keith Curle
by Richard Sydenham.
24. Tommy Docherty
by Richard Sydenham
25. Alan Durban
by Richard Sydenham.
26. Sean Dyche
by Richard Sydenham.
27. Sven-G ran Eriksson
by John Wragg
28. Roy Evans
by Richard Sydenham.
29. Brian Flynn
by Richard Sydenham.
30. Gerry Francis
by Richard Sydenham.
31. Trevor Francis
by Richard Sydenham.
32. Barry Fry
by Richard Sydenham.
33. Johnny Giles
by Richard Sydenham.
34. Bobby Gould
by Richard Sydenham.
35. Harry Gregg
by Richard Sydenham.
36. Bryan Hamilton
by Richard Sydenham.
37. David Hay
by Richard Sydenham.
38. Kenny Hibbitt
by Richard Sydenham.
39. Glenn Hoddle
by Richard Sydenham.
40. Brian Horton
by John Wragg
41. G rard Houllier
by John Wragg
42. Mark Hughes
by John Wragg
43. Kenny Jackett
by Richard Sydenham.
44. Dave Jones
by John Wragg
45. Joe Jordan
by Richard Sydenham.
46. Kevin Keegan
by Richard Sydenham.
47. J rgen Klopp
by John Wragg
48. Paul Lambert
by Richard Sydenham.
49. Lennie Lawrence
by John Wragg
50. Gordon Lee
by Richard Sydenham.
51. Neil Lennon
by John Wragg
52. Brian Little
by Richard Sydenham.
53. Lou Macari
by Richard Sydenham.
54. Don Mackay
by Richard Sydenham.
55. Malcolm Macdonald
by Richard Sydenham.
56. Mick McCarthy
by John Wragg
57. Steve McClaren
by John Wragg
58. Roy McFarland
by Richard Sydenham.
59. Mark McGhee
by John Wragg
60. John McGovern
by Richard Sydenham.
61. Sammy McIlroy
by Richard Sydenham.
62. Alex McLeish
by Richard Sydenham.
63. Lawrie McMenemy
by Richard Sydenham.
64. Gary Megson
by John Wragg
65. Gordon Milne
by Richard Sydenham.
66. David Moyes
by John Wragg
67. Alan Mullery
by Richard Sydenham.
68. Phil Neal
by Richard Sydenham.
69. John Newman
by Richard Sydenham.
70. Terry Neill
by Richard Sydenham.
71. Chris Nicholl
by Richard Sydenham.
72. David O Leary
by John Wragg
73. Martin O Neill
by John Wragg
74. David Pleat
by Richard Sydenham.
75. Tony Pulis
by John Wragg
76. Claudio Ranieri
by John Wragg
77. Kevin Ratcliffe
by Richard Sydenham.
78. Harry Redknapp
by Richard Sydenham.
79. Peter Reid
by John Wragg
80. Bryan Robson
by Richard Sydenham.
81. Brendan Rodgers
by John Wragg
82. Joe Royle
by Richard Sydenham.
83. John Rudge
by John Wragg
84. Bobby Saxton
by Richard Sydenham.
85. John Sillett
by Richard Sydenham.
86. Dean Smith
by John Wragg
87. Denis Smith
by Richard Sydenham.
88. Graeme Souness
by Richard Sydenham.
89. Gordon Strachan
by John Wragg
90. Dave Stringer
by Richard Sydenham.
91. Gerry Summers
by Richard Sydenham.
92. Brian Talbot
by Richard Sydenham.
93. Stan Ternent
by Richard Sydenham.
94. Colin Todd
by Richard Sydenham.
95. John Toshack
by John Wragg
96. Graham Turner
by Richard Sydenham.
97. Mark Warburton
by Richard Sydenham.
98. Neil Warnock
by John Wragg
99. Howard Wilkinson
by Richard Sydenham.
100. Terry Yorath
by Richard Sydenham.
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Photos
There are so many interesting things about making signings, why you scout that long, why you watch players for so long. And you HAVE to talk to them as well.
I always say, you can have two players, a world-class player and a top player. But if the world-class player is an arsehole and the top player is a great guy then, I take the top player because an arsehole in the group can cause you more problems than you can solve.
The top player, he can easily become a world-class player.
J rgen Klopp
Nothing More Exciting in Football than the Swoop
Introduction by Richard Sydenham
VILLA SWOOP for star striker or whoever was the in-demand player of the day. Those type of headlines on the back page of the Birmingham Evening Mail would be enough to excite me as a youngster for many a day.
Not that my beloved Villa made too many blockbuster signings, but any newcomer was exciting and energising to a young supporter. I well recall the day in March 1986 when we signed two former players, Steve Hunt and Andy Blair. We were fighting against relegation and severely lacking in the midfield area with Steve Hodge and Paul Birch woefully under-supported in that part of the field after Steve McMahon and Dennis Mortimer had left.
Neither Hunt nor Blair were household names, but both made a crucial difference to stave off the drop, albeit for a season anyway. I would have certainly nagged my dad to take me to see their home debuts at Villa Park. Why? Because transfers create a buzz at a football club, and not much has changed in that regard.
In those days it felt like newspaper rumours had enough truth to them to believe. That might be because journalists were able to form closer working relationships with managers then, if not full-on friendships, so managers would look after their trusted journo mates with the latest transfer scoop. Now, in a world of press officers and stage-managed media activity that has created distance between clubs and the media, the transfer stories feel more like an educated stab in the dark. Therefore, we get the clickbait website headlines and loose gossip in the media that is less likely to mean a transfer story will actually happen.
Those frequent speculation headlines are so prevalent because editors know these kinds of stories grab fans attention and subsequently sell newspapers, or generate click-throughs in the modern age we re now in.
When I wrote my previous football book, Ticket to the Moon, Aston Villa: The Rise and Fall of a European Champion , I was able to obtain boardroom minutes. In doing so I gleaned amazing inside knowledge of what the football club were discussing and there was nothing more interesting than the conversations surrounding their transfer targets and players of their own who they were planning to sell. Transfers are always big news and, ultimately, they change teams and the course of history - sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
Why did I choose to create this book? This following sentence taken from a recent headmaster s newsletter at my son s school, prior to Remembrance Sunday, kind of explains it: We are now at that time of the year when it is customary to remember the fallen of all wars, to reflect on our own families stories, and to tell and retell those stories that belong to the communities in which we live. So, while my motivation wasn t about victims of war, it was about telling and the subsequent retelling of how some of the most iconic transfers came about in football history. If we don t find these things out, too many great, untold stories eventually die, untold.
My first interviewee for the book was Alan Durban, in the lounge of a tennis club near Wolverhampton. Many more were on the phone. My chat with Lawrie McMenemy was at the Potter s Heron in Romsey over a four-hour lunch and what a fascinating man he was, which you will understand for yourself when reading his memories - just a natural storyteller.
I wanted to produce this book as a mark of respect to the role of the football manager through the years and the impact of how transfers set the level of a club s ambitions. Look how quickly Blackburn Rovers transformed their aspirations through the wealth of Sir Jack Walker. They followed 26 years outside of the top flight with league finishes of fourth, second and eventually the championship in the next three years. The powerhouse signings of players like Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton and David Batty allowed them to win a Premier League.
Leicester City s shocking Premier League title win in 2015/16 may not have been the result of the kind of investment of some of their wealthier rivals, but the fact they were still able to win the league was a nod to shrewd transfer busine