Mammoth Books
3 total works
An all-encompassing, chronological guide to football's World Cup, one of the world's few truly international events, in good time for the June 2014 kick-off in Rio de Janeiro. From its beginnings in 1930 to the modern all-singing, all-dancing self-styled `greatest show on Earth', every tournament is covered with features on major stars and great games, as well as stories about some less celebrated names and quirky stats and intriguing essays.
Holt's focus is very much on what takes place on the field, rather than how football is a mirror for economic corruption, or how a nation's style of play represents a profound statement about its people, or how a passion for football can lift underpaid, socially marginalised people out of poverty.
From the best World Cups, in 1958 and 1970, to the worst, in 1962 and 2010, he looks behind the facts and the technical observations to the stories: the mysterious sins of omission; critical injuries to key players; and coaching U-turns.
He explains how England's World Cup achievements under Sven-Goeran Eriksson, far from being a national disgrace, were actually quite impressive, and looks at why Alf Ramsey didn't take Bobby Charlton off in 1970, but this is no parochial, jingoistic account.
The book also asks why Brazil did not contribute in 1966, despite having won the previous two tournaments and going on to win the next one? Why the greatest players of their day did not always shine at the World Cup - George Best and Alfredo Di Stefano, for example, never even made it to the Finals. Why did Johann Cruyff not go to the 1978 World Cup? And why did one of Germany's greatest players never play in the World Cup?
There are lots of tables, some filled with obvious, but necessary information, but others with more quirky observations. Alongside accounts of epic games, there are also brief biographies of all the great heroes of the World Cup.
A comprehensive category killer, with over 6,000 varied questions on every topic imaginable - as well as some you might not imagine.
The 400 quizzes are a mixture of general knowledge and specialist rounds all aimed at the popular pub or society quiz market on science and technology; nature and the universe; human geography; history; life as we know it; arts and culture; sports and games; popular culture; celebrities and trivia. The questions are up-to-date, interesting and, unlike much of the competition, accurate.
A truly mammoth football quiz book covering over twenty years of the Premier League and the entire history of the beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) game. All the major international tournaments are covered, as well as the full history of the domestic game, both recent and historical - even grandad can show off!
Nick Holt has compiled a satisfyingly hefty and wonderfully challenging collection of 3,000 questions, arranged in quizzes of varying difficulty and subject matter covering the games that mattered, the personalities, the controversies, the goals and the glory.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
It wasn't until 2007 that a South American player scored a Premier League hat-trick; who scored three in a 5-3 derby win over Wigan Athletic in December that year?
There have been some noticeably bad-tempered Merseyside derbies in the Premier League era; which Everton player saw red at Goodison Park in December 2005, and again in October, 2007?
Which two uncapped overseas players were the captains of Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively for the 2004-05 season?
Germany 1, England 5: Who let in five goals for the only time in his international career?
Italia 90: Who was the unlikely scorer of the game's only goal when England beat Egypt 1-0 in a group match of bewildering tedium?
Italia 90: Defeat by which country in their opening match cost Scotland a chance of progressing past the group stage for the first time?