Books published by Pitch Publishing Ltd

The Top Ten of Everything Chelsea revisits the club's long and colourful past in dozens of ranked lists, including the most inspirational skippers, the greatest London derby wins and the most popular terrace chants. Fun, informative, witty and thought-provoking, the book is guaranteed to spark lively debate among Blues fans everywhere.

The 2020/21 football calendar was like no other. The first full Premier League season played during a global pandemic saw the schedule shortened with games played seemingly every day between September and May. The stadiums were empty, revenues fell and coaches had to adapt as players tested positive for Covid-19, but the beautiful game carried on. Football in a Pandemic takes an in-depth look at the tactics and strategies used during this unique season, whether a side was competing at the very summit, clinging to survival or somewhere in between. From high pressing, to low-block defending, patient build-up play and quick-fire counter attacking, UEFA A-licensed coach Sam Hudson puts the game plans under the microscope, highlighting the many intricacies and micro-tactics used by some of football's finest coaching minds.

Never Surrender: The Life of Douglas Jardine is the enthralling story of England's most controversial cricket captain, forever associated with bodyline bowling on MCC's tour to Australia in 1932/33. Despite his privileged upbringing and amateur status, Jardine's steely personality and win-at-all-costs ethos was more akin to the professional game. Confronted with the run-making genius of Australia's Don Bradman in 1932/33, Jardine resorted to a form of intimidatory bowling that helped England regain the Ashes, but his tactics shocked Australia and brought relations between the two countries to the point of collapse. To restore harmony, Jardine was disowned by the MCC cricket establishment and shunned thereafter, but now - in a more modern, competitive age - his reputation has undergone a rehabilitation, not least in Australia. Drawing on fresh material, award-winning cricket author Mark Peel reappraises an outstanding leader whose care for those he valued knew no bounds.

How much do you really know about world soccer? Put your knowledge to the test with this bumper book of brainteaser quizzes and fascinating facts, beautifully illustrated by one of the world's leading sports artists. From Ardiles to Zidane, from Aguero to Zlatan, this book provides hours of highly dippable fun and entertainment.

How much do you really know about Newcastle United? Put your Magpies knowledge to the test with this bumper book of brainteaser quizzes and fascinating facts, beautifully illustrated by one of the world's leading sports artists. It's packed with trivia on all the great Newcastle sides, providing hours of highly dippable fun and entertainment.

How much do you really know about Tottenham Hotspur? Put your knowledge to the test with this bumper book of brainteaser quizzes and fascinating facts, beautifully illustrated by one of the world's leading sports artists. It's packed with trivia on all the great Spurs sides, providing hours of highly dippable fun and entertainment.

How much do you really know about West Ham United? Put your Hammers knowledge to the test with this bumper book of brainteaser quizzes and fascinating facts, beautifully illustrated by one of the world's leading sports artists. It's packed with trivia on all the great West Ham sides, providing hours of highly dippable fun and entertainment.

Programmes! Programmes! Football and Life from Wartime to Lockdown is a fascinating archaeological dig through a collection of 2,000 programmes. From air raids to noodle partners, it unearths 'golden boys' and obscurities, great goals, villains, cartoons, stadiums and lots more. The kaleidoscope rotates to show how the game and our times changed.

My Seventy Years of Spurs is veteran sportswriter Norman Giller's unique story of Tottenham Hotspur over the seven decades he has followed the Lilywhites. Norman saw the legendary 'push and run' side lift the league title in 1950/51, then as a press-box reporter he chronicled Tottenham's historic league and FA Cup double in 1960/61. He has been an eyewitness to all their triumphs and tribulations right up to the surreal 2020/21 season. Join him on a trip down White Hart memory lane in the company of each of the 21 managers who have been in charge during his 70 years as a supporter and reporter - from Arthur Rowe in the 1950s to the current master of the new Lane, Jose Mourinho. The book is introduced by Steve Perryman, captain of back-to-back FA Cup-winning Tottenham teams, who holds the club appearances record. My Seventy Years of Spurs provides an intimate and informative insight into the club from a renowned sportswriter who truly knows his Spurs.

Bob Bond takes us on a nostalgic journey through football history, from the first FA Cup Final played at Wembley Stadium through to the modern era. This captivating collection of match cartoons is sure to delight parents and grandparents with a yearning for days of yore, but it will also fascinate younger fans who were raised in the digital age.

Panenka's pearl of a penalty in Belgrade, van Basten's volley of a lifetime in Munich, Gazza's agonising near-miss at Wembley: over its six decades, the UEFA European Championship has thrown up many of the most memorable stories in football lore. Now it gets the history it deserves. Euro Summits is the first full retelling of the tournament, from its tentative beginnings in the late 1950s to its elephantine expansion in the mid-2010s. Taking in the USSR's early success, the grim violence of 1968, France's cavalier feats on home soil in 1984, the sensational triumphs of no-hopers Denmark and Greece, Spain's modern-day dominance, all the way up to Portugal's shock victory in 2016, it's a panoramic portrait of an event that captures a whole continent's imagination every four years. Dramatic, detailed and teeming with compelling personalities like Michel Platini, Gunter Netzer, Hristo Stoichkov, Zinedine Zidane, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the complete story of a footballing event second only to the World Cup.

In 1976, young Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Graham Tutt had the world at his feet. Then in an instant his dreams were shattered by a career-ending collision seen by millions on TV. What happened next has never been told before. Persistent double vision scuppered a comeback attempt, leading to hurt, depression and bitterness. Moving to South Africa, Tutt witnessed the horrors of apartheid while playing in the country's first mixed league. After surviving some hair-raising experiences, he settled in America and played professional soccer, ran soccer camps for thousands of young people and was inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame. He also found love and contentment along with forgiveness after tracking down a figure from his distant past. Never Give Up: The Graham 'Buster' Tutt Story is both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-achingly sad. It speaks not just to athletes but to anyone who has suffered a major setback in their life.

An Ode to Four Four Two examines how coaches in Europe, and particularly England, settled on the 4-4-2 formation to build iconic teams which would dominate both domestically and in Europe. Some of the biggest clubs in world football used the system to devastating effect; while smaller clubs employed the formation to outperform expectations.

The Fix: How the First Champions League Was Won and Why We All Lost is an engrossing examination of the 1992/93 UEFA Champions League - from humble beginnings on a Faroese hillside to its ultimate conclusion in a French courtroom. The Fix considers the economic and political forces that created the Champions League and what was sacrificed for it.

No Breaks: A Lost Season in British Speedway is a story of survival. Once Britain's second most popular sport, speedway has been banished to industrial estates and forgotten by the mainstream media. There was fresh optimism ahead of 2020, until the coronavirus crisis stopped the season in its tracks. This is the story of speedway's tumultuous year.

Watch the Throne: The Tactics Behind the Premier League's European Champions, 1999-2019 offers an in-depth look into the tactics that took Premier League clubs to Champions League glory. English sides overcame their continental rivals to win the competition five times in 20 years - this book details how.

A Deeper Shade of Blue recounts how Chelsea Football Club went from being the cup kings of London to a struggling mid-table Second Division side. It tells of the fall, the rise and then the fall of Eddie McCreadie's Blue and White Army - a golden opportunity that was spurned by the club's owners.

Do They Play Cricket in Ireland? is the inside story of a rollercoaster ride that took the Boys in Green from rank amateurs to playing Test matches, and dismissing England for 85. Every stage of the journey is charted by a writer who was at the heart of the action: instrumental in Ed Joyce joining Middlesex and the tactician who helped Ireland win their first global tournament. Read about stunning victories over Pakistan, England and the West Indies, Eoin Morgan's debut at Eton, an annoying redhead's spiky spats with Brian Lara, Kevin Pietersen and the Namibian farming community, the fastest century in World Cup history, a cricket-loving former IRA commander and a six-hitting sheep strangler. As friend and confidant to many of the players and coaches who took Ireland to the top table of world cricket, David Townsend is uniquely placed to tell this remarkable story. Written in diary format, in a chatty, humorous style, the book is part travelogue as it follows the team through more than 20 countries and across five continents.

The Boleyn's Farewell is the definitive account of one of West Ham's greatest and most historic nights. By speaking to players, fans and others who were there, Danny Lewis relives the club's glorious farewell performance after 112 years at its spiritual home. While the Boleyn no longer stands, memories of the stadium and its swansong will endure.

The Secret Cricketer first picked up a cricket bat as a toddler and became a county junior. He secured a professional contract and has been at the coalface of the English county game ever since. This fast-paced, insider's account lifts the lid on modern cricket to reveal what life is really like for an English professional in the 21st century. How do players cope when they can't take a wicket or score a run and their livelihood is on the line? What makes a good coach and how many are there (hint - not many)? Is there still an old-school hierarchy in dressing rooms or a bullying culture? What's the secret to a winning dressing room, and what's it like to be in one when morale hits rock bottom? How much do county players earn? And what's it like to walk out at Lord's to play in a major final? With unique first-hand insight into the fast-evolving modern game, the book answers all these questions and more. It's brimming with untold stories - some that will make you laugh and others that will shock you.

Record Breakers: The Tactics Behind Liverpool and Manchester City's Title Triumphs and Record Points Totals lifts the lid on Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola's tactical systems and strategies. From 'inverted full-backs' to 'false 9s' via 'free 8s', discover how City and Liverpool's tactics reflect modern football's evolution.

Football's Braveheart is the riveting life story of Dave Mackay, the fearless, skilled, heroic and barrel-chested left-half who was an icon for Spurs, Hearts, Derby and Scotland. Off the field, Dave was a humble, fair-minded, sociable man. On it, he was an out-and-out winner, a warrior and inspiration with consummate ball skills and intelligence. The heartbeat of Spurs' double-winning side of 1961, he came back after two broken legs to add to a glittering trophy collection started at Hearts. After his playing career, Mackay distinguished himself as a title-winning manager with Derby County. A legends' legend, he was lauded by George Best as the hardest and bravest opponent he ever faced. Fabled managers Bill Nicholson (Spurs) and Brian Clough (Derby) hailed him as their best signing, and other admirers included Jimmy Greaves, Denis Law and Sir Alex Ferguson. Author Mike Donovan has gained exclusive, first-hand insights from those who knew Mackay best to bring you the definitive story of a man who made an indelible mark on football.

Come On You Blues is a fascinating first-hand account of Shrewsbury Town's first ever campaign in Division Two in 1979/80, as seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old fan. It vividly evokes the excitement of following a small team defying the odds in the second tier as they battle footballing giants, fierce local rivals and up-and-coming sides.