British Football

Immediate Action is a no-holds-barred account of an extraordinary life, from the day Andy McNab was found in a carrier bag on the steps of Guy's Hospital to the day he went to fight in the Gulf War. As a delinquent youth he kicked against society. As a young soldier he waged war against the IRA...

A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common. Until their mutual best friends pass away and they’re appointed co-guardians of the trusting couple’s precocious toddler, Mira. Liam is committed only to professional football. Relationship-wise, he’s even better at defense. Still wrestling with a tough childhood, he’s not cut out to be a father. Why his late best buddy believed in him, Liam has no idea.

“Football, food, fashion and wizards collide in Pratchett’s affectionate satire on the foibles of sports and sports fans. . . .The prose crackles with wit and charm. . . . At its heart, this is an intelligent, cheeky love letter to football, its fans and the unifying power of sports.”...

Abby: I have one job. That’s it, just one: Babysit the bad-boy soccer hero for a week, so that he doesn’t embarrass the entire country before his knighthood ceremony. Everything goes according to plan until I somehow end up in his bed and on the cover of every tabloid in England, my heart shattered in a million pieces and my job in jeopardy. Brilliant, Abby. Rory: What reason do I have to believe that this curvy blonde is any different from every other woman I’ve met? Sure, she’s smart and beautiful and funny and amazing in bed and… did I mention those luscious curves? Right, I am...

Are You Sure She’s The Tour Guide? The Irrelevant One Saga – Book Four Lockdown was supposed to be dull. Instead, John Berwick books a “socially distanced historical experience” with a company called H.E.L.L. Tours. That should have been the first warning. Their tour guide, Nina, is calm. Too calm. The coach driver has horns (subtle at first). And the itinerary includes: Vikings with poor sportsmanship A Civil War siege Victorian riots The Goose Fair (twice) A European Cup final that absolutely did not need streaking Somewhere between dodgems, dungeon cells, and a mildly ...

The life and adventures of Thomas Cochrane, a young man who rose from midshipman to admiral, are so extraordinary that, to paraphrase Patrick O’Brian, one has to suspend disbelief. In fact, O’Brian admitted to using Cochrane as the model for his character Jack Aubrey. Second only to Nelson...

Arsenal is special. Its multicultural fandom reflects a changing city and a unique relationship with Black British popular culture. Thanks to its decades of fielding iconic Black players on the pitch and the storied and diverse histories of its terraces, Arsenal has emerged as a powerful symbol...

Soccer has been America's Sport of the Future since 1972. Propelled by the rise of the World Cup, Premier League, the glory of the United States Women's National Team, Lionel Messi's DemiGod-esque talent and repeat exposure to Cristiano Ronaldo's preening abs, that Future has finally arrived...

A Telegraph Best Book of 2025. A News Statesman Book of the Year 2025. ‘David Goldblatt is possibly the best football historian there has ever been’. Dominic Sandbrook ‘David Goldblatt is the greatest British sportswriter of the 21st century … Injury Time is an absolute classic.’ James...

It's 1979 and Sammy Rafferty is on the run. From the past. From the police. And, perhaps more importantly, from some rather unfriendly criminal types. He thinks his football dreams are over, but that might not be the case. He's run to Burntbridge Lye. A place where dreams don't always die. Sammy “the butcher” Rafferty has long since kissed his playing days goodbye. Never kicking a competitive ball again was a hard pill to swallow and he’s not ready for his managerial career to come to an untimely end. The thought of forever being shut out of football makes his heart sink and feet itch...

If you’re a man of a certain age you’ll know there comes a point in life when getting a sports car and over-analysing your contribution to society sounds like a really good idea. With a good job in sales and marketing and a nice house in Manchester that he shared with his wife and kids, John...

100 Years of Leeds United tells the story of a one-club city and its unique relationship with its football team. Since its foundation in 1919, Leeds United Football Club has seen more ups and downs than most, rising to global fame through an inimitable and uncompromising style in the 70s, clinching the last Division One title prior to the Premier League's inauguration in 1992, before a spectacular fall from grace at the start of the 21st century. United remains one of the best supported, and most divisive, clubs in football, with supporters’ clubs dotted across the globe.

She's met her match. But will the winner take all or lose everything? Marcee Ackerman's dream job as head soccer coach at Pemberton Prep is turning into a nightmare. Her new boss has given her an ultimatum win the state championship or say goodbye to her job and her girls forever. To make...

To understand the differences between British and American culture, you must understand that the two countries have everything in common except the language itself. The line has been blurred in the technological age, as we see US English words crop up increasingly in the UK. However, the bulk of the British English language has stayed true to its original form. Across the entirety of the British Isles, the language shifts, and changes to suit the current town or city of the occupant.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Battle of the Atlantic, written and read by Jonathan Dimbleby. The Battle of the Atlantic was - though often overlooked - crucial to victory in the Second World War. If the German U-boats had prevailed, the maritime artery...

Man Booker Prize-winner Howard Jacobson brings his singular brilliance to this modern re-imagining of one of Shakespeare’s most unforgettable characters: Shylock Winter, a cemetery, Shylock. In this provocative and profound interpretation of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is juxtaposed...

Brought to you by Penguin. We often read history as the biographies of ‘great men’ who shaped the world. But are leaders, whichever field they are in, really that influential? Should CEOs be given large bonuses when a company performs well? Why, when a political leader is assassinated, is...

"Narrators Ben Bailey Smith and Lou Marie Kerr expertly intertwine multiple first-person points of view in this gritty debut audiobook...Listeners unfamiliar with the dialects — Irish, Jamaican, and British among them — will be especially buoyed by the power of the performances." —...

How do we define patriotism in a diverse society? What divides us and what brings us together? Why do we feel uncomfortable celebrating our country’s history? How to be a Patriot offers a new way of understanding our collective identity in a country wracked by division and brimming with...

A funny, fascinating and personal look at 100 years of history in the BBC archives Historian Greg Jenner uses a random date generator to visit somewhere in the BBC's vast archives of remarkable sound clips from the last 100 years. Using that clip as a jumping-off point to explore what has...