A warts-and-all assessment of the game's biggest living legend as he approaches retirement, written with unprecedented access to fellow managers, former players, colleagues, and commentators From his combative working class youth in Govan to his role in ushering in the debt-laden Glazer era, Patrick Barclay has spoken to all those who know Alex Ferguson best, revealing him to be a relentless character whose ability to intimidate, control, cajole, and encourage has driven his unparalleled success. Sir Alex Ferguson is without doubt the most controversial and compelling figure in football today, ranking for many as the greatest manager of all time, and certainly the most successful. His reign at Manchester United has seen him win every major footballing honor, and then win them again. It's been more than 10 years since the unforgettable night in Barcelona when Ferguson's embattled players triumphed over Bayern Munich in the dying seconds of the Champions League final. Since then Ferguson has presided over the rise and fall and rise again of José Mourinho, the arrival and departure of the world's best player, Ronaldo, the removal of one English talisman—Beckham—and the irresistible installment of another—Rooney. He 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. It is only now, as Ferguson nears the end of his career, that conclusions can be drawn about this fascinating man—here is the inside story.

Football Bloody Hell!: The Biography of Alex Ferguson

Barclay, Patrick

Biographies & Memoirs

RANDOM HOUSE UK

Britain's most respected sportswriter takes on the greatest football manager of all time. The true biography of Sir Alex Ferguson has yet to be written. Until now. Alex Ferguson is the most fascinating and controversial figure in football today. He is also the most successful. His twenty-five-year tenure of the Manchester United dugout has seen him win everything there is to be won in football, many times over. His reign as manager has led to the rise of Manchester United to become the biggest football club in the world. This book, written by the award-winning and critically acclaimed Patrick Barclay, will fill in the gaps left by Ferguson's own book, Managing My Life. Everyone who bought that book will want Barclay's comprehensive, objective analysis of Ferguson, the good and the bad, and the occasionally ugly and it will also appeal hugely to those outside the Manchester United extended family for whom Ferguson has often acted as a red rag. Having known Ferguson for a quarter of a century, Barclay believes him to be generous-spirited as well as ruthless and relentlessly competitive; in such an almost larger-than-life character, there is room for countless facets. And it is these facets that Barclay seeks to explore and explain. Leaving no stone unturned, Barclay has spoken with everyone who knows Ferguson best; former players, fellow managers, friends and foes. The result is 'Football - Bloody Hell!', the definitive, objective account of this fascinating man.

Alex Ferguson is one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in football today. His 25-year tenure of the Manchester United dugout has seen him win everything there is to be won in football. This book fills in the gaps left by Ferguson's own book 'Managing My Life'.

Football - Bloody Hell!: The Story of Alex Ferguson

Yellow Jersey Press

Herbert Chapman, the boss of the all-conquering Arsenal side of the 1930s, was the father of all soccer managers, arguably the greatest of all time, and certainly the most imaginative. Many of the game's furniture, including floodlights and numbered shirts, were designed by him—even the tradition of a manager leading his team out at the FA Cup Final at Wembley—as were tactics that survive to this day and which can be detected in the great Barcelona team that has dominated European competition in recent years, three quarters of a century after his premature death in 1934. Working mostly for clubs in the north of England, including playing for Worksop, Northampton, Sheffield United, and Notts County, he retired from playing at the age of 29 to become a manager at Northampton. He moved to Leeds in 1912, then left to work in a munitions factory for the duration of the war, leaving under a cloud of scandal, later proved innocent. He managed Huddersfield for a time, where he built a team that was to win three English championship titles in succession. He then left for Arsenal and won three in four years. He died before the third title arrived at Highbury, but no one doubted to whom the credit was due. This book weaves Chapman's life into the times through which he lived, combining the narrative with both soccer playing and social history of the inter-war years, the dramatic era of the general strike, and the Depression of the 1930s. Among those who will testify to his soccer legacy are his successors at Arsenal: George Graham, who made a close study of his life, and Arsene Wenger, who knew of Chapman's special place in the pantheon even before taking over at Highbury.

The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman

Orion Publishing

Mourinho

When Jose Mourinho realised as a teenager that he was never going to be a great player, he decided he was going to become the best coach in the world.  At 42, many would say he's done that - probably including Mourinho, who has called himself the Special One. From translator and assistant to Sir Bobby Robson at Barcelona, to Champions League-winning manager at Porto and on to (potentially) Europe's most successful football club at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho's ascent has been rapid. Backed by Abramovich's billions, Mourinho has weeded out those not fully committed to his methods, has made several astute signings and has improved the game of many Chelsea stars. The result: in his first season, Chelsea won both the Premier League title and the Carling Cup. Patrick Barclay interviewed those closest to Mourinho, including Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, as well as the players, to provide a revealing insight into what has made Mourinho arguably the most successful manager in the world.

ORION PAPERBACKS

The universal traveller: or, a complete account of the most remarkable voyages and travels of eminent men ... Collected from the best authorities, printed or manuscript. By Patrick Barclay, D.D.

History

World

Gale ECCO, Print Editions

orion#

The definitive story of the father of modern football, Herbert Chapman.

The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman: The Story of One of Football's Most Influential Figures

Sir Matt Busby: The Definitive Biography

Sir Matt Busby, the legendary Manchester United manager who saw the team through unprecedented glory, as well as profound tragedy, made the club the global entity it is today. 
As a League footballer before WWII, Busby remained at the forefront of the game for four decades and made an extraordinary contribution to football. Busby's emphasis on youth, local players, and a passing attack game set a template that turned just another north football club into what is now the world’s greatest football brand. In this definitive biography, Patrick Barclay takes a look back at Busby’s phenomenal life and career, including the incredible force of the Busby Babes in the fifties, the tragic Munich air disaster that claimed 23 lives, and Manchester United’s historic victory ten years on – becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Pat Crerand, Nobby Styles and Wilf McGuinness are among the host of witnesses testifying to the qualities that set Sir Matt apart. 
This is the story of the greatest figure in football history and his legacy, which will live on forever.

Ebury Press

Sir Matt Busby, the legendary Manchester United manager who saw the team through unprecedented glory, as well as profound tragedy, made the club the global entity it is today.
As a League footballer before WWII, Busby remained at the forefront of the game for four decades and made an extraordinary contribution to football. Busby's emphasis on youth, local players, and a passing attack game set a template that turned just another north football club into what is now the world’s greatest football brand. In this definitive biography, Patrick Barclay takes a look back at Busby’s phenomenal life and career, including the incredible force of the Busby Babes in the fifties, the tragic Munich air disaster that claimed 23 lives, and Manchester United’s historic victory ten years on becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Pat Crerand, Nobby Styles and Wilf McGuinness are among the host of witnesses testifying to the qualities that set Sir Matt apart.
This is the story of the greatest figure in football history and his legacy, which will live on forever.

Sports & Outdoors

Soccer

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barclay, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Barclay, Patrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barclay, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Football Bloody Hell!: The Biography of Alex Ferguson

Football Bloody Hell!: The Biography of Alex Ferguson

Football - Bloody Hell!: The Story of Alex Ferguson

The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman

Mourinho

The universal traveller: or, a complete account of the most remarkable voyages and travels of eminent men ... Collected from the best authorities, printed or manuscript. By Patrick Barclay, D.D.

Mourinho

The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman: The Story of One of Football's Most Influential Figures

Sir Matt Busby: The Definitive Biography

Sir Matt Busby: The Definitive Biography