Manchester United: 19

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2011

Sir Alex Ferguson is the most controversial and compelling figure in football. For many he ranks as the greatest manager of all time. He is certainly the most successful.

It's been more than ten years since Ferguson's Manchester United triumphed over Bayern Munich in the dying seconds of the Champions League final. Since then he has presided over the rise and fall and rise again of Jos� Mourinho; the arrival and departure of the world's best player, Ronaldo; the removal of one English talisman - Beckham - and the irresistible instalment of another - Rooney. Ferguson has been instrumental in making the Premier League the most successful competition in football, and he has endured while the mountains of cash have turned to valleys of debt.

Throughout, award-winning journalist Patrick Barclay has been pitch-side and spoken to all those who know Ferguson best - fellow managers, former players, colleagues and commentators. The result is Football - Bloody Hell!: the definitive work on the game's greatest living legend.

In 1974 Zaire’s football team were summoned into a room in their West German hotel and told that if they lost to Brazil by more than three goals the following day they would never see their families again. In this astonishing book Jon Spurling has travelled the world to scratch beneath the glossy, confetti-strewn surface of the world’s biggest sporting event to uncover its dark secrets.In this astonishing book Jon Spurling has travelled the world to scratch beneath the glossy, confetti-strewn surface of the world’s biggest sporting event to uncover its dark secrets. What lengths did Argentina's right-wing military junta really go to in order to ensure their national team won the World Cup at home in 1978? Why did Idi Amin instruct Uganda’s footballers to “break the teeth” of their Tanzanian counterparts in a World Cup qualifier? What really happened during the infamous ‘Soccer War’ between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969? Which country’s players were sent to work in a chicken-plucking factory as punishment for a poor result during qualifying in 1994?Part travelogue, part history, Death or Glory is based on more than 100 exclusive interviews with players, supporters, writers and team officials. Its 16 chapters take you on a fascinating journey through sport, politics, conflict and civil strife that ultimately reveals the astonishing power of the world’s greatest sporting event – a power that goes far beyond a few games of football every four years.

As well as the technical brilliance that makes Paul Scholes such a breathtaking player to watch it is the determination and integrity which he demonstrates both on and off the pitch that means he is a fascination to fans of the sport. In an age of overpaid, workaday players, Scholes has become an icon of professionalism and club loyalty, admired by fans everywhere.

Now in this book for the first time Paul Scholes shares his story: from his beginnings at United under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson as part of the 'golden' youth team, to the treble-winning season and twice capturing European Cup glory, the importance of family and friends in keeping his feet on the ground, as well as his many triumphs and tribulations with England.

A is for Apocalypse,
B is for Buried,
C is for Cannibalistic . . .

A stunningly illustrated and hilarious A-to-Z guide that bears witness to the zombie horde as it slowly overruns us. Assemble a motley crew of any survivors you can. Barricade your doors and windows against the relentless shambling masses hungry for your flesh. Grab a hammer, chain saw, clothing iron, or whatever household weapon is at hand . . .

The war has begun!