Trying to get enough kids to form a decent football team isn?t easy! It?s not just the playing time involved on the weekends; it?s the training sessions after school and at night too. But when the Wildcats reluctantly take on Peta `Gazza? Gascoigne to make up the numbers, they quickly discover that she?s the best player they?ve got. Not only that, she?s got an attractive and apparently unattached?or loosely attached?mum. And Splinters is looking for a new partner for his dad. Everything looks set on and off the field, but Gazza and her mum have been deported back to England for overstaying their visa and suddenly disappeared without a trace. Nothing for it but to fly to England, track them down and persuade them to come back. But where are the Wildcats going to get the money? Nuke gets the bright idea that they can borrow his father?s credit card and book their flights on the internet. And that?s where the real trouble begins!

When Tangles doesn?t turn up to training for a couple of weeks, it looks as though the Wildcats will be facing more recruitment problems. Then Splinters spots Tangles up at the shops wearing a bandanna and a Camp Quality T-shirt and he realises the truth: Tangles is seriously ill. Splinters wants the Wildcats to try for the Guinness Book of Records marathon soccer match in order to raise some money and buy Tangles a special machine from the States that will save his life. But when the English FA decide to hold a competition for a couple of junior soccer teams to play a curtain raiser for the grand reopening of Wembley Stadium, Splinters is ready to abandon Tangles to his fate and put all his energy into that instead.

'This is a fan's eye-view of Paul Gascoigne - and fans, as we know, are expert at reassembling dashed hopes...' In 1987 Ian Hamilton - acclaimed poet, biographer and Tottenham fan - was smitten from afar by the impish skills of Newcastle United's Paul Gascoigne. When 'Gazza' duly signed for Spurs, Hamilton was sure that he and English football had found their new hero. But Gascoigne was destined to be brought low by tragic flaws, and Hamilton was ideally positioned to tell the tale in this, a peerless piece of football literature. 'By the final whistle Hamilton has sketched a compelling figure: reckless, cocky, twitchy, hyperactive and half bonkers... but with flashes of implausible grace that connect with the dreams of his audience.' Independent

Splinters has somehow managed to scoop the jackpot and score the Wildcats a gig playing at the reopening of Wembley Stadium. The team is excited until they realise that they are scheduled to play the cream of English schoolboys. And it?s the Wildcats who are going to get creamed! After years of being humiliated by Australia at cricket, swimming, equestrian, and beach volleyball, the English FA decides that, with the rest of the world watching, it?s time for a bit of colonial payback. But the authorities haven?t counted on the pride that goes with pulling on the green and gold, or in the Wildcats? case, the red and blue.

As the first-time manager of a provinical non-League football team, former England star Paul Gascoigne promised to fulfil their dreams. Then, in the space of just 39 days, both manager and team saw a dramatic reversal of fortune... Gazza was the English football icon of the 1990s. His magnificent midfield play provided some of England's most memorable moments, and he enjoyed a headline-grabbing career with Newcastle United, Tottenham, Lazio, Glasgow Rangers, Middlesborough and Everton. Then it all went terribly wrong. He still made the headlines, but for all the wrong reasons - alcoholism, drugs, wife-beating, personality disorder, run-ins with the law, nervous breakdown. Like his great hero George Best, Gascoigne seemed to have passed a personal point of no return. Then in the autumn of 2005, he was given a chance to rebuild his career with his first job as a football manager. As part of a consortium which bought Kettering Town, Gazza reinvented himself. Appearing to have his personal problems under control, he took charge - full of big ideas about steering the club into the Football League and towards the big time. The people of Kettering were star-struck by the celebrity among them. And yet, within just a few short weeks after Gascoigne was appointed manager, he would be sacked amidst an increasingly bizarre series of allegations, leaving a once hopeful club on its knees. In39 Days of Gazza, author Steve Pitts tells the story of how the disintegration of Gascoigne's managerial role impacted on so many people's lives - not least his own. This is a tragicomedy of English football, on a par with the fictionalised appraoch of The Damned United. Told by a writer who was close enough to factually observe the events, it features revealing contributions from many who were present at the time.

Wild Boys explores the challenge of disengaged youth from a mother's perspective and offers an intimate insight into rarely chronicled aspects of youth work For too long, Helena, a mother of four boys, has allowed her eldest son to call the shots. Even though 17-year-old Joey no longer lives in the family home, she does his washing, cooks his meals, hands over money for his groceries, and spends her nights driving him around town. Into Helena's troubled life comes charismatic youth worker Bernie Shakeshaft. After hearing Bernie speak on the radio about his successful youth welding project, Helena thinks she's found the answer for her son. Joey doesn't want to be involved but, in his place, Helena goes along to the welding shed. Over the next few years, she watches and learns as Bernie, using wisdom gained from Aboriginal elders during his time as a stockman in central Australia, teaches the young men involved to "man up." Through his unique methods, Bernie changes the lives of all those around him, including Helena, who transforms into the Mistress of Tough Love and begins to heal her relationship with her son.

Discover the most memorable moments in football history in this fascinating Ultimate Football Heroes collection! From the invention of the modern sport all the way to the present day, bestselling author and football expert Tom Palmer picks ONE HUNDRED of the most thrilling and significant goals, games, and players from more than 150 years of the Beautiful Game. Featuring Pele's World Cup, Maradona's Hand of God, John Barnes' Maracana magic, and the Lionesses' European Championship triumph, this is an endlessly fascinating treasury of stories for fans of all ages.

Life is complicated. If we can simplify the job of getting things done, the better off we usually are. This is particularly important in managing projects. In this book, Gary (Gazza) tackles the complexity of managing projects by breaking the essential components of Project Management down into practical, simple concepts. Whether you simply have an interest in Project Management or are already managing them, this book has something for you. For most people, we remember things best when they are accompanied by music, or are part of a story. While there is no musical score to this book, there are plenty of project management lessons wrapped in entertaining stories to help the concepts stick. Featuring popular episodes from Gazza's Corner blog and all-new content, this book addresses the four main stages of typical projects: Initiation/Planning, Execution, Closeout and Project Control. What you will find in this book: Learn about the importance of the Project Kickoff - and why you need a Monkey to help you through it. Need to create a new Project Plan? Learn to write it as a story based on lessons learned from a famous author. Writing requirements? Learn how to develop exceptional ones through lessons learned from Ice Cream - and the Spice Girls. Implementing Organizational Change? Learn how to do it successfully by growing a Desert. Learn about the essentials of Risk Management from a pocket umbrella in the heart of the Australian Desert. You can't get there from here: tips on getting things done, in spite of it all. A playful theory on the origin of writing - and why it is so important that we write stuff down. Working with Virtual Teams or Volunteers? Read key lessons on working with both types of teams. And many other topics. From managing hundreds of small, concurrent projects to multi-year, multi-million dollar ventures, Gazza shares his 20+ years of experience and lessons learned to help you along the project management journey.

Dennis Wise is one of the best-loved British footballers in the Premiership. This cheeky London lad was one of the infamous London crazy gang, whose wild pranks hit the headlines but who defied the odds by beating giants Liverpool to take the FA Cup Final in 1988. Since then he has moved to Chelsea where as skipper he has led the team up the Premiership ladder and this year won two cups. But things haven't always gone so smoothly, Dennis nearly went to prison after being falsely accused of attacking a taxi driver and he has had his fair share of battles with managers, including Terry Venebles and Glenn Hoddle. In this autobiography Dennis will tell all about the Crazy Gang days and his time at Chelsea. The book will include inside stories and Wise's own frank views on key football figures such as Vinnie Jones, Glenn Hoddle, Terry Venables and Paul Gascoigne. This paperback edition has an extra chapter covering Chelsea's 2000 cup campaigns and Dennis' revived international career.