Downloaded over ten million times a year the Football Ramble podcast has established itself as the essential, independent voice of football punditry. The weekly podcast has resonated with supporters around the world and their sold-out live shows have been a massive hit. This book is a collaboration from all four presenters and will tackle the real issues from fans you won’t see or hear on Sky Sports, or anywhere else for that matter. From the weird and wonderful, from the Alan Pardew to the Kevin Keegan, the Ramble has it covered. Putting all aspects of the game under the microscope, this book is a timely reminder of why we just can’t take our minds off football.

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Issue Eight Contents ------------ Cyprus ------------ * The Wrong Side of the Border, by Jacob Steinberg—After decades of stalemate, Northern Cypriot football may be about to come in from the cold * The Hangover of War, by Cyrus Philbrick—Almost four decades after the Turkish invasion, the shadow of conflict hangs over the Nicosia derby -------------- Interview -------------- * Sepp Blatter, by Philippe Auclair—The president of fifa admits he may stand for re-election in 2015 and reveals his concerns over the Qatar World Cup ------------ Theory ------------ * Mourinho's Cult of Personality, by Roy Henderson—How the Real Madrid manager's charismatic authority fosters loyalty * The Lawnmower and the Teapot, by Iain Macintosh—Barry Fry discusses how to motivate players and how the world of management has changed * The Bicycle Thief, by Lars Sivertsen—Zlatan Ibrahimovic has always been an individual—it's how he fits in ------------ Fans ------------ * But You Can't Change..., by Mike Calvin—How a Watford supporter ended up being converted into a Millwall fan * In the Shadow of the Goldfish, by Gary Hartley—Having lived the dream, Leeds have slowly drifted into a protracted doze * Paying the Price, by Craig Anderson—Rangers' administration and relegation were about far more than a club that couldn't pay its debts ---------------------------------- In Appreciation of... ---------------------------------- * Franco Baresi, by Sheridan Bird—How the great libero staged a remarkable recovery from a knee injury to play in the 1994 World Cup final * Brian Glanville, by Philippe Auclair—The doyen of English football writing discusses the forefathers of modern sports journalism * Ireland's Pioneers, by David Owen—This year marks the centenary of Ireland's first victory over England ------------ Africa ------------ * Eat Them Like Bread, by Jonathan Wilson—Nigeria ended their 19-year wait for a third Cup of Nations but a familiar sense of chaos remains * After the Circus, by Luke Alfred—What was the legacy of the World Cup for South Africa * The Great Administrator, by Tom Dunmore—How Ydnekatchew Tessema led the fight to have African football taken seriously * Bamako Twilight, by Stuart Roy Clarke—Away from the war, football goes on in the Malian capital ---------------- Polemics ---------------- * In Praise of Football, by Alex Keble—For all the commercialisation and scandal, football remains the purest and most demotic of cultural modes * Financial Fair Play?, by Steve Menary—How Champions League revenues can devastate competition in Europe's smaller leagues ------------ Fiction ------------ * The Limping God, part 3, by David Ashton—His football career ended by injury, John Brodie's life is going nowhere until he is sucked into the world of crime -------------------------- Greatest Games -------------------------- * Boca Juniors 2 Real Madrid 1, by Rupert Fryer—Toyota Intercontinental Cup final, National Stadium, Tokyo, 28 November 2000 -------------------- Eight Bells -------------------- * Football on TV, by Scott Murray—Key moments in the history of televising the game

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them. Issue Six Contents --------------- Portugal --------------- * The Curse of the Golden Whistle, by Ben Shave—How corruption and inefficiency have squandered the legacy of Euro 2004 * The Flight of the Eagles, by Luis Catarino—In the early sixties Benfica rose to topple Real Madrid, only to be cursed by Béla Guttmann * The Pretenders, by Andy Brassell—Only two sides outside 'Os Tres Grandes' have won the Portuguese title. For both a repeat seems unlikely * The Dragons' Cap, by Vitor Sobral—Porto's rise in the late seventies was inspired by the innovative coaching of José Maria Pedroto --------------- Interview --------------- * Antonin Panenka — The Czechoslovakia great discusses how his famous dinked penalty came about and the impact it's had --------------- Euro 2012 --------------- * The Essential Backdrop, by Jonathan Wilson—Euro 2012 raised major questions about the nature of fandom and what comprises a tournament * The First Twitter Tournament, by Barney Ronay—In Euro 2012, newspapers were very rarely the first with the news as social media came into its own --------------- Theory --------------- * Directing the Pianists, by Philippe Auclair—Brendan Rodgers discusses the importance of possession football and what he's learned from José Mourinho * Ivan the Reasonable, by Antonis Oikonomidis—Ivan Jovanovic explains his philosophy and how he hopes to build on Apoel's success last season * The Rise of the Technocrats, by Tim Vickery—How attitudes to the dictatorship shape Brazil's change of approach in the seventies * The Second Coming, by Federico Farcomeni—Zdenek Zeman talks about attacking, romance and his challenge after returning to Roma this season --------------------- Photo Essay --------------------- * River's Return, by Anibal Greco—Images of River Plate's battle to win promotion from the purgatory of Nacional B --------------- The Lost --------------- * The Paper Tiger, by David Bartram—How politics and society have stood in the way of a Chinese boom * The Coach on the Couch, by Iain Macintosh—Is being addicted to Football Manager a medical condition? * The Far Corner, by James Young—How football in the north-east of Brazil struggles to keep up with the giants of the south --------------- Polemics --------------- * Care for the Community, by Gabriele Marcotti—Could a radical rejig of television schedules help create a greater bond between clubs and their fans? * Location, Location, Location, by Tom Dart—Which is more important? How it looks or where a stadium is? --------------- Fiction --------------- * The Limping God, by David Ashton—His football career ended by injury, John Brodie's life is going nowhere until he is sucked into the world of crime --------------------------- Greatest Games --------------------------- * Spain 1-0 Ireland, by Dermot Corrigan—World Cup qualifying play-off, Parc des Princes, Paris, 10 November 1965 ----------------- Eight Balls ----------------- * Classic Footballs, by Sheridan Bird—A selection of the best footballs through the ages