Andy Bollen – författare

In 1983, aged 36, Johan Cruyff, one of the world's most iconic football superstars, guided Ajax to a league and cup double. Out of contract, most people, including the player, expected a valedictory final season and a one-year extension. Inexplicably, Ajax let him go. They grossly underestimated the fierce genius of Johan Cruyff. He signed for bitter rivals Feyenoord, leading them to a league and cup double, silencing his critics and thrilling football fans everywhere. Fierce Genius analyses this incredible season, as he evolves from player to coach. It is a fascinating insight into his professional and private life. Imperious on the park, off it, he dealt with kidnappings and bankruptcy after being defrauded by a conman. Bollen gets inside Cruyff's mind, helping the reader understand the mentality which made him a top player and successful coach. Fierce Genius: Cruyff's Year at Feyenoord is compelling, insightful and poignant. Written with a journalistic tone, by an accomplished comedy writer, this is a warm, affectionate and informative portrait of one of world football's greats.

Ride the Oasis rollercoaster ahead of Live ''25.Oasis were Artful Dodgers from a housing estate who created stadium anthems that connected with millions. They became the band of the people by giving the people what they wanted: rock ''n'' roll.Ahead of the Live ''25 Tour, Definitely Maybe offers a unique take on their story. The euphoric highs, spectacular implosions, chaos, excesses and sibling rivalry. How the Gallagher brothers captured the zeitgeist of the 1990s by embodying the hopes and frustrations of a disillusioned generation.In a rollercoaster ride from their humble beginnings in Manchester through Britpop jousts with Blur and legendary shows at Knebworth, Andy Bollen unveils how their relentless drive, swagger, Irish blood and English heart left an indelible mark on pop history.

A History of European Football in 100 Objects: The Alternative Football Museum reveals the shocking hidden history of European football. In this fantasy football museum, Bollen delves into the archives to uncover idiocy and chaos from across the continent. The exhibits highlight the very worst of the human condition: greed, cheating, match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. Learn about the French captain who joined the Gestapo, the notorious football-mad Stasi boss, Erich Mielke and Gaddafi's son playing in Italy, the 1970s Lazio side that put Wimbledon's Crazy Gang to shame and the Romanian club owner who tried to stop hooliganism with a moat full of crocodiles. Along the way you'll meet Dundalk's one-armed super striker, Austrian legend Matthias Sindelar and the Italian George Best. Bollen again proves the ideal curator: passionate, meticulously informed and funny. His insightful take on the game is compelling and at times poignant. It is an exhibition for every curious football fan.

A History of European Football in 100 Objects: The Alternative Football Museum reveals the shocking hidden history of European football. In this fantasy football museum, Bollen delves into the archives to uncover idiocy and chaos from across the continent. The exhibits highlight the very worst of the human condition: greed, cheating, match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. Learn about the French captain who joined the Gestapo, the notorious football-mad Stasi boss, Erich Mielke and Gaddafi''s son playing in Italy, the 1970s Lazio side that put Wimbledon''s Crazy Gang to shame and the Romanian club owner who tried to stop hooliganism with a moat full of crocodiles. Along the way you''ll meet Dundalk''s one-armed super striker, Austrian legend Matthias Sindelar and the Italian George Best. Bollen again proves the ideal curator: passionate, meticulously informed and funny. His insightful take on the game is compelling and at times poignant. It is an exhibition for every curious football fan.

What makes the number-ten jersey so special? It's merely material and thread - the number only used for administrative purposes. Yet the number ten represents much more than football. Those wearing it carry the weight of expectation for club and country. Andy Bollen forensically examines the world's greatest players - from Puskás to Pelé, Maradona and Messi - and asks, what makes them tick? How did they reach legendary status? He explores how their will to win at all costs comes from their desire to overcome adversity - escape poverty, rejection or horrendous injury. Bollen scrutinises the illustrious players who wore the number-ten shirt, discussing the lives, careers and mindsets of the classic playmakers. Theirs is a unique mentality, a twisted logic and drive. Part brilliance, part elegant brutality, they are required to deliver an artistry, genius and creativity. Their play is elevated to a work of art, then, with great devilment, they are capable of wilfully slashing and destroying it.

Andy Bollen explores the history, tradition and violent nature of football's biggest clashes.In unravelling the history of these infamous feuds, Bollen gets to the crux of each conflict, exploring why the fans dislike each other so vehemently.Football is often a search for political identity, as in Spain's El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, while in Buenos Aires' Superclásico, it's poverty and privilege at the heart of the rivalry between working-class Boca Juniors and bourgeois River Plate.Whether it's the Cairo derby with Al Ahly and Zamalek, the Croatian chaos of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split or Turkey's Intercontinental derby with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, these clashes are a potent mix of fanatical zealot, political rally and crazed ultras preparing for war.Showcasing and detailing football's great games, names and most memorable moments, Bollen has penned an important work on classic derbies and epic rivalries.

‘… an instant classic and a required part of the library of anyone fascinated with the record business.’ – Danny Goldberg, bestselling author of Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt CobainChess Records tested their acquisitions out on people waiting at a nearby bus stop: if the crowd were bopping, they had a hit.Sub Pop rejection letters start with the harsh, yet funny, ‘Dear Loser’.Atlantic Records signed Led Zeppelin on Dusty Springfield’s recommendation.Labelled with Love is an odyssey through your record collection and the world beyond it, from the Jazz Age to punk, the civil rights movement to Thatcherism, the Beatles to Britpop, and Ella Fitzgerald to The Ramones. Long-time music obsessive Andy Bollen tracks popular music through the influential labels that have shaped the last eighty years, chronicling each company with the passion of a fan but the eye of a satirist. This is an informative and revealing look at the leading labels, bands and music that rocked our worlds and shaped our lives.

Ride the Oasis rollercoaster ahead of Live '25.Oasis were Artful Dodgers from a housing estate who created stadium anthems that connected with millions. They became the band of the people by giving the people what they wanted: rock 'n' roll.Ahead of the Live '25 Tour, Definitely Maybe offers a unique take on their story. The euphoric highs, spectacular implosions, chaos, excesses and sibling rivalry. How the Gallagher brothers captured the zeitgeist of the 1990s by embodying the hopes and frustrations of a disillusioned generation.In a rollercoaster ride from their humble beginnings in Manchester through Britpop jousts with Blur and legendary shows at Knebworth, Andy Bollen unveils how their relentless drive, swagger, Irish blood and English heart left an indelible mark on pop history.

Afforded the kind ofaccess a journalist can only dream of, Andy Bollen gives fansanew story focusing on the real Kurt Cobain not the angst-ridden, troubled rock star of folklore, the kind and humorous Kurt the world seldom sawWhen Nirvana first exploded onto the music scene in 1991, few people could have predicted their subsequent global impact, or thatthe band's lead singer Kurt Cobain would betransformed into one of music's most enduring and iconic figures. As drummer for the British group Captain America, one of the two support bands on Nirvana's Nevermind UK tour, Andy Bollen had a ringside seat at the exact moment that Nirvana went massive. Afforded intimate access, Bollen wrote his own personal diary in Nirvana's dressing room, wherehe spoke candidly to Cobain from his fears of losing original fans to his love of the Bay City Rollers. He saw firsthand how Nirvana worked, the relationships that made them tick, and the dynamic that made them one of the great bands.This is a warm, affectionate, funny, and, at times, brutally honest account, written by a guy on the periphery, perfectly positioned to observe. Drawing on thediaries he kept at the time, the book brings to life a pivotal moment in rock history, making it a must-read for Nirvana fans and lovers of iconic rock stories. The author also includes his own photographs which have never been seen before."