Game changers: inside English football: from the boardroom to the bootroom..

Alan Curbishley has spent a lifetime in football both as a fan, player and manager. In his forty years, he has seen the game he loves change beyond all recognition. The money, the media, the celebrity culture, the agents – when Curbishley began his playing career in 1975, no one could have foreseen a future in which television rights sold for £10 billion. Through incredible access to the biggest names in the game, he takes a look at the modern game in all its guises, from the chairmen and chief executives at the very top to managers and players and all the way to the fans and ground staff. On the way, we hear from an eclectic and colourful cast of characters and some true legends of the sport, old and new: Arsène Wenger, Stevie Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Harry Redknapp, Harry Kane. This is a truly unique football book, written by one of the most respected and well-connected men in the sport. Never before has such an array of talent been collected within the pages of one book – it will spark discussion, enliven arguments and throw fire onto the debate: as the game changes, does it change for the better? From a true insider, a wide-ranging look at the game, finances, and behind-the-scenes happenings of soccer at its highest level, in the country that created the game and continues to influence the worlds soccer culture. Alan Curbishley has spent a lifetime in football both as a fan, player and manager. In this book he uses his knowledge of the sport and his personal contacts to go behind the scenes and give the reader an insight into English football and the people at the core of the game who make it tick.The book will go beyond the normal headlines to inform and enlighten fans using Alans own experiences and those of the people he meets. This is a soccer book, written by a highly respected football man, talking to the football people who really matter from Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, and Harry Redknapp to John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to name a few.This will be an overarching look at the English game from all perspectives: the managers, coaches, and players; the agents and the machinations in the boardrooms and at the governing body, the FA; and in the back rooms with the trainers, sports psychologists, and the people to manage the lockerroom.The style of the book will be conversational with Alan essentially chatting to some of the biggest names in Football, as well as some names that might not be so well known, but who nevertheless play an in important role in the sport.This will be a true insiders account of the beautiful game and where it all stands in its place of birth. "Alan Curbishley has spent a lifetime in football both as a fan, player and manager. In his forty years, he has seen the game he loves change beyond all recognition. The money, the media, the celebrity culture, the agents -- when Curbishley began his playing career in 1975, no one could have foreseen a future in which television rights sold for £10 billion. Through incredible access to the biggest names in the game, he takes a look at the modern game in all its guises, from the chairmen and chief executives at the very top to managers and players and all the way to the fans and ground staff. On the way, we hear from an eclectic and colourful cast of characters and some true legends of the sport, old and new: Arsène Wenger, Stevie Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Harry Redknapp, Harry Kane. A truly unique [soccer] book, written by one of the most respected and well-connected men in the sport. Never before has such an array of talent been collected within the pages of one book -- it will spark discussion, enliven arguments and throw fire onto the debate: as the game changes, does it change for the better?"--Publisher's description. Alan Curbishley has spent a lifetime in football both as a fan, player and manager. In his forty years, he has seen the game he loves change beyond all recognition. The money, the media, the celebrity culture, the agents - when Curbishley began his playing career in 1975, no one could have foreseen a future in which television rights sold for GBP10 billion. Through incredible access to the biggest names in the game, he takes a look at the modern game in all its guises, from the chairmen and chief executives at the very top to managers and players and all the way to the fans and ground staff. On the way, we hear from an eclectic and colourful cast of characters and some true legends of the sport, old and new: Arsene Wenger, Stevie Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Harry Redknapp, Harry Kane. A truly unique football book, written by one of the most respected and well-connected men in the sport. Never before has such an array of talent been collected within the pages of one book - it will spark discussion, enliven arguments and throw fire onto the debate: as the game changes, does it change for the better?