The acclaimed author of On Royalty explores the mysteries of English identity in this “witty, argumentative book bursting with good things” (The Daily Telegraph). A Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller Being English used to be easy. As the dominant culture in a country that dominated an empire that dominated the world, they had little need to examine themselves and ask who they were. But something has happened over the past century. A new self-confidence seems to have taken hold in Wales and Scotland, while others try to forge a new relationship with Europe. What exactly sets the English apart from their British compatriots? Is there such a thing as an English race? Renowned journalist and bestselling author Jeremy Paxman traces the invention of Englishness to its current crisis and concludes that, for all their characteristic gloom about themselves, the English may have developed a form of nationalism for the twenty-first century. “Paxman’s irrepressibly witty bit of Anglo scholarship offers stirring insights.” —Vanity Fair

"Excellent" –The Times "Kevin's immense knowledge shines on every page." – Gary Lineker "A football book by a fan for the fans. A treasure trove." – Alan Davies "An entertaining romp through the back alleys and glamour parks of English football." – FourFourTwo Partly autobiographical, partly polemical, but mostly funny, Who Are Ya? is a snapshot of modern football, exploring the history of all 92 English Football League clubs. During his time as a broadcaster, Kevin Day has spoken to thousands of football players, managers and most importantly fans from across the generations. He spent thousands of hours crossing the country on trains, planes, automobiles, coaches – and once a donkey called Lightning – watching football at all levels. This book is the result of that: a tale of being chased down a railway line at Cardiff, a story of meeting George Best, an account of a lady getting her first Hull City tattoo at the age of 80! Crisply funny and with a host of celebrity football fan contributors – including Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, Alfie Boe, Eddie Izzard, Gabby Logan, and Romesh Ranganathan – Who Are Ya? celebrates the joys and miseries of being a football supporter.

In a world where so many books by and about footballers are little more than bland PR exercises, Full Time breaks the mould decisively. Stripping away the facade of what we think life must be like for an international football star, Paul Kimmage reveals a different story when it comes to Irish footballer Tony Cascarino. Scarred by his childhood, haunted by indiscretion and troubled by a secret from his past, Cascarino is struggling to find answers as he speeds towards the most terrifying juncture in sport: the end. As Cascarino opens up about his fears,crippling loss of confidence and sexual indiscretion, no wonder TheTimes voted it one of the Top Ten football books of all time, and Eamon Dunply said of it: 'If it were fiction this book could win the Booker Prize.'

From the award-winning author of NO HUNGER IN PARADISE Outside the global spotlight, footballers don't drive Aston Martins or pose for underwear ads. This is war. This is life. This is football. Michael Calvin turned up for the first day of pre-season training at Millwall FC. 333 days later, he sat among the subs at Wembley. Over the course of a season, he witnessed the intimate everyday life of a football club far from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, and the unique characters that come together every day on the field. These are dedicated, hard-working family men, close to their roots, 'playing for the people who hate their jobs, who'd love our lives.' Forget about the over-hyped circus of the Premier League. This is the beautiful game in all its raucous glory: essential reading for anyone whom football is a way of life.

When it comes to football chants, British fans surely must be top of the league. Throughout the country every weekend, football stadiums ring with the sound of hundred of thousands of supporters singing the praises of their favourite players, rubbishing the opposition, having a go at the ref and waxing lyrical about past legends. Chants can spring from deep-rooted rivalries or simply from the fact that a player has a funny name. Plundering the pop charts for tunes to set their ditties too, fans have come up with hundreds of hilarious, moving, clever and often downright scandalous songs...all brought together here! From close-to-the-knuckle terrace favourites to brilliantly witty off-the-cuff chants and the classics heard in nearly every stadium in the land, Shall We Sing a Song For You? is the perfect collection of the good, the bad and the downright offensive.

THE 1970S - THE LAST DECADE WHEN EVERY FAN OF EVERY CLUB COULD WISH FOR THE STARS.For supporters of provincial lightweights like Derby County, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, their wishes came true in the seventies when they landed the Division One title. It was the decade of the underdog - when the FA Cup was still football's Holy Grail and teams like Sunderland, Ipswich and Southampton came in from the sticks to produce their own brand of Wembley magic. It is not like that today.It was the decade when every team had its characters: Stan Bowles, Charlie George, Duncan McKenzie, Frank Worthington, Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh. These personalities are gone now, replaced by an influx of anonymous foreign journeymen.This book harks back to a lost era when the game still belonged to the fans; they could identify with the players, recognise their heroes, and believe they all had a shot at glory.It remembers dramatic matches packed with action and controversy; recalls mercurial managers like Shankly, Clough, Revie and the Doc - and asks the question: who was the finest player from football's last great decade?