Adams writes what it's like playing with the best players in the game, from Gazza to Dennis Bergkamp; and working with some of the most successful managers, including George Graham, Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle and Arsene Wenger. But above all, his story is that of a winner, a man who has brought the intense determination he has shown on the field to his recovery from illnesses off it. Adams recalls openly his descent into alcohol addiction, which at one point saw him jailed for drink-driving. Just as he was finding his feet again after the slow rehabilitation process, problems with his marriage surfaced and soon after Adams found himself heading for a divorce. He talks honestly about that traumatic period in his life and also about the pressures and demands of being a top-class footballer in the modern era.

Addicted

Ridley, Ian

Adams, Tony

Biographies & Memoirs

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

A critical biography of the controversial but highly talented footballer, Eric Cantona, who was suspended from football for almost a year in 1995 for assaulting a supporter during a game. The book chronicles his life and career, gathering testimony from team-mates, coaches and managers.

Cantona: The Red & the Black

Victor Gollancz

The biography of Steve Claridge, as much a story of a Midlands cult hero as a vivid portrait of life in the lower divisions of English football.Away from the glamour and wall-to-wall coverage of the Premiership lies the reality, for the majority of fans and players, of British football. From Claridge's early days with non-league Weymouth, to the Premiership with Leicester, and back to First-Division Portsmouth, TALES FROM THE BOOT CAMPS spans the lows of irregular salary payments and training sessions on dog-fouled carparks at Aldershot, and the highs of the last-minute win in a First Division play-off at Wembley, and on to the Premiership. Controversial, itinerant, but popular wherever he has played, Claridge also talks frankly about his addiction to gambling. Part biography, part autobiography, it is full of insight and dry wit, a unique portrait of British football.

Tales from the Boot Camps

Claridge, Steve

Orion Pub Co

The reality of football in England is a far cry from the hyped and glamorous world of the Premiership. Controversial striker Claridge reveals the truth about grassroots football in the lower divisions of the English league.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE +

From selling fruit and vegetables out of his car trunk after training, to life under lower division eccentrics such as John Beck and Barry Fry, Tales From the Boot Camps was Steve Claridge's hugely entertaining and successful autobiography of life outside the Premiership. Beyond the Boot Camps promises more of the same—the last decade has seen Steve Claridge finally take leave of the Football League (after turning out for half a dozen more clubs), dabble disastrously with management at Weymouth and Millwall, continue to fight his gambling addiction, and become a respected pundit. There's a whole 10 years' worth of frank and hilarious anecdotes to fit into this new volume.

Beyond the Boot Camps

Orion Publishing

From selling fruit and vegetables out of his car trunk after training, to life under lower division eccentrics such as John Beck and Barry Fry, Tales From the Boot Camps was Steve Claridge's hugely entertaining and successful autobiography of life outside the Premiership. Beyond the Boot Camps promises more of the same—the last decade has seen Steve Claridge finally take leave of the Football League (after turning out for half a dozen more clubs), dabble disastrously with management at Weymouth and Millwall, continue to fight his gambling addiction, and become a respected pundit. There's a whole 10 years' worth of frank and hilarious anecdotes to fit into this new volume.

The ultimate book on the joy and pain, the highs and lows of refereeing soccer matches at the highest level Mark Halsey has been officiating games for more than a dozen years and in that time has witnessed just about everything there is to witness on a professional football pitch. This intriguing new book details the pressures exerted on a modern official from the moment he leaves his home or hotel in the morning, through the confrontations with managers and players on the field of play and in tunnels and dressing rooms, to the journey home to watch his mistakes beamed into the living rooms of millions of fans. It also chronicles Halsey's courageous personal battle against cancer and his heartwarming return to the professional ranks. This book is full of unique insights into the daily existence of "the man in the middle," tales of rows and controversies with players and managers, and the story of one of football's unlikeliest friendships with José Mourinho, who described Halsey as the only referee he likes.

The Referee: Surviving Life, Cancer and the Premier League

Halsey, Mark

Headline Book Publishing

With 2011 celebrating the Premier League's 20th anniversary, it's time to take stock of a phenomenon that has changed English football - and English society - forever. Ian Ridley took a long hard look at the game back in the 1980s against a backdrop of recession, strikes and football hooliganism. In this new book he examines just how far the game has come, sucking in players and money from around the globe and providing fame, fortune and hours of pleasure in return. It includes- Interviews with major players such as the chairman of the FA, top-flight managers, and the broker who sold Chelsea to Abramovich. A behind-the-scenes look at clubs such as Fulham and Manchester United, as well as roles within football like refereeing. An exploration of the finances of the game, its changing profile and the growing gap between the Premier League and the rest of the game. As he examines the changes that have occurred over the last twenty years, Ridley seeks to discover if the soul of the game still exists. With his eye for detail, his knack for voices and his incisive intelligence, he has woven together a rich and fascinating story of football's metamorphosis from social outcast to favourite child.

There's a Golden Sky: How Twenty Years of the Premier League has Changed Football Forever

Sports & Outdoors

Hiking & Camping

A&C Black

Shortlisted for the British Sports Book AwardIn its first 20 years the Premier League has moved football from a state of unprecedented crisis against a backdrop of recession, strikes and hooliganism to a global sport of unimaginable riches. To mark this anniversary Ian Ridley takes stock of a phenomenon that has changed English football and English society forever. Taking in the game at all levels and across the country, There's A Golden Sky is a full picture of the game today with all its glitz and glamour, rags and riches.  From Hackney Marshes, clinging on in the shadow of the Olympic park, to the vastness of Old Trafford; from Doncaster Belles women's team to the rebirth of Cornish football in Truro, through to the modern game's relationship with Sky and the big bucks of Abramovich, Ridley takes us on a journey through the English game from grassroots to the topflight.  Ian Ridley took a long hard look at the game back in the early 1990s when it was beset by problems both on and off the pitch and seen as the epitome of all that was wrong with our society. There's a Golden Sky examines just how far the game has come since those dark days, sucking in players and money from around the globe and providing fame, fortune and hours of pleasure in return.

There's a Golden Sky: How Twenty Years of the Premier League Have Changed Football Forever

Bloomsbury Paperbacks

Outer Circle (A Jan Mason Story)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

V Books

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

Books by Ridley, Ian

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

Addicted

Cantona: The Red & the Black

Tales from the Boot Camps

Tales from the Boot Camps

Beyond the Boot Camps

Beyond the Boot Camps

The Referee: Surviving Life, Cancer and the Premier League

There's a Golden Sky: How Twenty Years of the Premier League has Changed Football Forever

There's a Golden Sky: How Twenty Years of the Premier League Have Changed Football Forever

Outer Circle (A Jan Mason Story)