David Tossell – författare

It is a special footballer who wins the World Cup as a 21-year-old and ends a two-decade career as one of the most revered players in the history of four clubs. Former England captain Alan Ball was such a man: prodigy at Blackpool, youngest hero of 1966, Championship winner at Everton, British-record signing for the second time at Arsenal and veteran schemer for Southampton - not to mention footwear trend-setter. And all after being told he was too small to succeed in the game.Yet his years as a flat-cap wearing manager consisted mostly of relegation and promotion battles, some successful and some not, and plenty of frustration as he fought to produce winners in his own image and emulate the feats of his playing days. His life already touched tragically by the car crash that killed his father and the loss of his beloved wife Lesley to cancer, Ball died, aged only 61, after suffering a heart attack during a garden blaze.A decade on from his death, and drawing on interviews with family, friends and colleagues including Jimmy Armfield, Sir Geoff Hurst, George Cohen, Gordon Banks, Joe Royle, Mick Channon, Lawrie McMenemy, Francis Lee, George Graham, Frank McLintock, Matthew Le Tissier and many more, Alan Ball: The Man in White Boots is the definitive study of one of English football's most enduring figures.

Malcolm Allison is one of the most controversial figures of the last half-century of English football. Leader of the famed 'West Ham Academy', his playing career was cut short by the loss of a lung to tuberculosis. Disillusioned, he became a professional gambler before acknowledging that football was his calling. After humble beginnings as a coach, he began a celebrated partnership with Joe Mercer, turning Manchester City into one of the most stylish teams English football has produced.Along with the trophies came the birth of Big Mal, the larger-than-life personality who helped revolutionise televised football. He became instantly recognisable for his cigar and Fedora, and equally notorious for a string of affairs with beautiful women. As the dark side of Big Mal took over, he was banned for life from the touchlines, became embroiled in a series of boardroom battles and spent time in police cells and rehabilitation clinics fighting the effects of alcoholism. Yet despite the often-destructive effect of his Big Mal persona, Malcolm Allison retains his status as one of the most incisive minds to have graced the game. This book tells both sides of the story, tracing the life and times of one of the most charismatic characters in British sport.

A coach transported to the field in a hearse as he played dead. An English manager taken at gunpoint to an Argentinian jail after trying to sign that country's World Cup captain. The hero of 1966 who talked his team out of going on strike on the eve of a title decider. All are part of the British professionals' story of life in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970s and early '80s, when star turn and unsung journeyman alike had the chance to play alongside Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Eusebio in the greatest galaxy of world stars ever assembled in one league. Playing for Uncle Sam recalls the British players and coaches who were part of an organisation that changed the face of football with its shoot-outs, offside rule and wacky marketing methods.It began with Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers spending a bizarre summer posing as the Cleveland Stokers and Los Angeles Wolves in 1967. The late '70s saw the NASL, run by a former Welsh international, reach its peak, drawing crowds of 70,000 and featuring names like Banks, Moore, Hurst and Ball. Rodney Marsh pitched his tent in America by declaring famously that English football had become a grey game, while George Best used the NASL as an escape from the fishbowl of his life in Britain. Typically, the pair delighted and exasperated teammates and coaches in equal measure. Through approximately 60 interviews with members of the British contingent who accepted the offer of the Yankee dollar, Playing for Uncle Sam recalls one of the most fascinating episodes in football history: the remarkable rise and chaotic collapse of the NASL.

In the summer of 1970, England was buzzing about the new football season. More than 30 million television viewers had watched the previous year's FA Cup final and the brilliant Brazilians had dazzled audiences during the Mexico World Cup. The new age of televised highlights meant that football's profile had never been greater, generating a new celebrity status for footballers and catapulting them into the limelight like never before.The 1970-71 season did not disappoint as Arsenal achieved the first Double of football's televised era amid controversy and drama. The Football League and FA Cup were won at the end of a campaign that included a street fight in Rome, the emergence of new young stars and unrest and unhappiness among some of the older players. Seventy-One Guns includes extensive interviews with the Arsenal players and coaches and, through their memories, ancedote and opinions, recreates the drama of that memorable season. Looking beyond Highbury's Marble Hall, the book also recounts some of the events that made 1970-71 a historic time in English football in general, including: the rise of Leeds under Don Revie; the demise of Manchester United and the problems of George Best; football's attempt to clamp down on the hard men; and troubled times for Alf Ramsey's England in the wake of the Mexico World Cup. Seventy-One Guns is a must for all Arsenal fans and all those who fondly recall the days of mutton-chop sideburns, white boots and mud-heap pitches.

Tommy ‘The Doc’ Docherty was a combative Scotland international wing-half who became a brilliant but erratic manager. His 1960s Chelsea team was a glorious reflection of his colourful personality, and a decade later he reinvented his relegated Manchester United side as a vibrant attacking force.He was also, however, a hostage to his own decision-making, costing Chelsea a shot at the First Division title when he banned eight players for breaking their curfew. Most famously, he was fired by United after FA Cup glory because he’d fallen in love with the physiotherapist’s wife. He was a much-travelled manager, and ‘I’ve had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus’ was among the well-worn one-liners that created the image of ‘The Doc’ as football’s stand-up comedian. But in Tommy Doc, David Tossell looks beyond the wisecracks, interviewing Docherty himself, as well as former players and colleagues, to examine a remarkable career and reveal the personal heartaches behind the laughter.

The year 2015 was a historic one for the England women''s cricket team, their first full year as professional players and with every ball of their Ashes series live on television and radio. As the dramatic events of the summer unfolded, David Tossell was given exclusive access to follow at close quarters, from freezing training mornings in the dead of winter to the dressing room and team meetings in the heat of battle against Australia. Under the guidance of a coach who cared deeply about their performance and welfare, a diverse group of girls came together in the pursuit of international glory and personal achievement, united by a remarkable love for each other and a passion for their profession. As The Girls of Summer reveals, they would need every piece of resilience and resolve those bonds could offer. With a foreword by England captain Charlotte Edwards.

Tony Greig is remembered as the colourful captain who led cricket into its biggest crisis of the last century. An all-rounder who mixed boldness with belligerence, he was the first South African to skipper England, restoring national pride with victory in India after poundings at the hands of Australia and the West Indies. A controversial and charismatic competitor whose "make them grovel" comment about the West Indies signalled trouble, he later lost the captaincy for recruiting players for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. More than three decades later, now a leading television commentator, Greig has never been fully absolved. Featuring many new interviews, including with Greig himself, the book asks whether cricket history judges the accomplished all-rounder fairly, or is coloured by off-field controversies. Tony Greig offers a compelling portrait of a fascinating cricketing era - and was shortlisted for Best Cricket Book at the 2012 British Sports Book Awards.

Derek Dougan was no ordinary footballer. A flamboyant Northern Irish goalscorer, his unwillingness to accept injustice and mismanagement won him as many enemies as friends. Shortly after being asked to collaborate on a new autobiography, a project undone by Dougan's sudden death, David Tossell set out to retrace his life through a series of over 70 interviews. The result is a definitive account of a contradictory icon with a unique place in the evolution of modern British football. Dougan demanded a transfer on the eve of an FA Cup final, quoted Voltaire and fell out with various clubs. As chairman of the PFA, he fought for freedom of contract; as a club executive, he introduced shirt sponsorship; and 'The Doog' saved Wolves from extinction. In Sunshine Or In Shadow reveals the darkness and light of Derek Dougan, the drive and demons that kept him fighting to the very end.

Jimmy Greaves remains the greatest goalscorer in English football history, with a record of 357 top-flight goals that may never be surpassed. Teenage sensation at Chelsea and England debutant at 19, he became - after an unhappy spell at AC Milan - a legend at Tottenham Hotspur. But despite 44 international goals in 57 games, his England career was defined by the heartbreak of missing the 1966 World Cup Final. A shock move to West Ham brought an acrimonious end to his Spurs days and, a year later, he retired from the game, aged only 31. What followed was a desperate descent into alcoholism, followed by a remarkable battle to win back his family and self-esteem. Reinventing himself as a popular TV personality, his instincts in front of camera proved as natural as those in front of goal. Having taken his final drink in 1978, Greaves has remained sober from that day. Drawing on interviews with family, friends, colleagues and opponents, Natural: The Jimmy Greaves Story is the definitive biography of one of England's most loved footballers.

All Crazee Now is the story of English football and its footballers in the 1970s, a decade that saw the start of the move from the 'old-fashioned' game towards the modern Premier League era; a transition that accelerated throughout the decade. Much of what we recognise in today's game is rooted in the seventies - including diverse ethnicity and multi-nationalism in club teams; the rise of commercialism; the cult of the manager; the end of the player-next-door; and the demand for victory ahead of individualism. The beginning of the decade remains the period in English football that supporters felt more connected than anytime previous or since. By the time the Thatcherite 1980s were dawning, the way had been paved for a rapid evolution towards 21st-century football. More than just a chronicle of trophy winners, star players and personalities, it offers a study of the tactical, philosophical, social, cultural, economic and political landscape that shaped football throughout a turbulent period for a nation and its favourite sport.

Don Howe is one of English football's great coaches, with an unrivalled record at international and club level. As right-hand man to three England managers, he helped his country to the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 semi-finals. He helped to steer them through the 1982 World Cup unbeaten and to the quarter-finals four years later. Howe masterminded the 1970/71 double at Arsenal, where two spells as coach also brought European and further FA Cup glory. He was also an integral part of one of the greatest Wembley upsets when he helped Wimbledon's 'Crazy Gang' to victory over the mighty Liverpool in 1988. As a player at West Bromwich Albion, Howe won 24 international caps, but as a manager he failed to achieve the success he craved. Yet over a three-decade period, he won acclaim from many of England's finest players as a genius of the coaching profession. Through interviews with players, colleagues, friends and family, this book examines the triumphs and challenges of Don Howe's career and assesses his contribution to English football.

Don Howe is one of English football''s great coaches, with an unrivalled record at international and club level. As right-hand man to three England managers, he helped his country to the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 semi-finals. He helped to steer them through the 1982 World Cup unbeaten and to the quarter-finals four years later. Howe masterminded the 1970/71 double at Arsenal, where two spells as coach also brought European and further FA Cup glory. He was also an integral part of one of the greatest Wembley upsets when he helped Wimbledon''s ''Crazy Gang'' to victory over the mighty Liverpool in 1988. As a player at West Bromwich Albion, Howe won 24 international caps, but as a manager he failed to achieve the success he craved. Yet over a three-decade period, he won acclaim from many of England''s finest players as a genius of the coaching profession. Through interviews with players, colleagues, friends and family, this book examines the triumphs and challenges of Don Howe''s career and assesses his contribution to English football.

Fascinating story of Garry Sobers, the greatest cricketer of his generation, who rose from poverty in Barbados to become West Indies captain and receive a knighthood. Yet his life was not without drama and controversy – both personal and political.By acclaimed cricket writer David Tossell, whose work has been shortlisted seven times in the British Sports Book Awards and three times for MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year.Maestro offers a full and impartial study of Sir Garfield Sobers, including his feats and his flaws, and celebrates perhaps the greatest talent ever seen on a cricket field. This compelling book:Traces his boyhood in Barbados, where he grew up in poverty after the wartime death of his father at sea, when Garry was only fourShows how Sobers developed from a left-arm spinner into the game’s premier all-rounder, and recalls his greatest achievements, including his Test-best innings of 365, his six sixes in an over for Nottinghamshire, triumphant tours of England in 1963 and 1966 and his great success in Australia, including smashing an unforgettable 254 against a rampant Dennis LilleeExplores the significance of Sobers’s appointment as West Indies captain, which was as important culturally as that of Frank Worrell, his nation’s first black captainLooks at the impact of the tragic car crash that killed Garry’s friend Collie Smith and could have cost Sobers his own life or libertyDissects the political storm Sobers ignited by playing in Rhodesia, splitting the Caribbean community and creating a diplomatic incident between governments, almost costing him the West Indies captaincyAssesses his eight years as West Indies captain and looks at whether his infamous ill-fated declaration in Trinidad was bad luck, a bold gamble gone wrong or an indication that he was not cut out for the roleStudies the lifestyle that set Sobers apart from many of his colleagues: the all-night drinking and gambling that rarely prevented him from performing great feats on the fieldA must-read for all cricket-lovers, Maestro uses new and historical testimony from those who shared the field with Sobers to bring us a 3D picture of this great player.

Joe Bugner was the only boxer to take both Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier the distance, and he did it twice to Ali. Bugner faced the very best in a golden era of heavyweights and was British and European champion. He should have been one of the country’s most admired sportsmen. Yet he was cursed by his controversial points win over national hero Henry Cooper, and felt he was eventually hounded out of the country he had entered as a six-year-old refugee from Hungary. By the time he became the oldest man to win a version of the world heavyweight crown at 48, he was fighting from the other side of the world as ‘Aussie Joe’, his achievement met with indifference or even ridicule. Yet the reaction to his death in September 2025 revealed a respect and affection in Britain that would have surprised him. The Bugner Identity is the first major book on this most contentious of British champions. It explores his extraordinary life, his fractured bond with his adopted homeland, and whether history has judged Joe Bugner unfairly.

In the 1970s, an age long before World Cups, rugby union to the British public meant Bill McLaren, rude songs and, most of all, Wales. Between 1969 and 1979, the men in red shirts won or shared eight Five Nations Championships, including three Grand Slams and six Triple Crowns. But the mere facts resonate less than the enduring images of the precision of Gareth Edwards, the sublime touch of Barry John, the sidesteps of Gerald Davies and Phil Bennett, the courage of J.P.R. Williams, and the forward power of the Pontypool Front Row and 'Merv the Swerve' Davies.To the land of their fathers, these Welsh heroes represented pride and conquest at a time when the decline of the province's traditional coal and steel industries was sending thousands to the dole queue and threatening the fabric of local communities. Yet the achievements of those players transcended their homeland and extended beyond mere rugby fans. With the help of comedian Max Boyce, the culture of Welsh rugby and valley life permeated Britain's living rooms at the height of prime time, reinforcing the sporting brilliance that lit up winter Saturday afternoons.In Nobody Beats Us, David Tossell, who spent the '70s as a schoolboy scrum-half trying to perfect the Gareth Edwards reverse pass, interviews many of the key figures of a golden age of Welsh rugby and vividly recreates an unforgettable sporting era.

In the 1970s, an age long before World Cups, rugby union to the British public meant Bill McLaren, rude songs and, most of all, Wales. Between 1969 and 1979, the men in red shirts won or shared eight Five Nations Championships, including three Grand Slams and six Triple Crowns. But the mere facts resonate less than the enduring images of the precision of Gareth Edwards, the sublime touch of Barry John, the sidesteps of Gerald Davies and Phil Bennett, the courage of J.P.R. Williams, and the forward power of the Pontypool Front Row and 'Merv the Swerve' Davies.To the land of their fathers, these Welsh heroes represented pride and conquest at a time when the decline of the province's traditional coal and steel industries was sending thousands to the dole queue and threatening the fabric of local communities. Yet the achievements of those players transcended their homeland and extended beyond mere rugby fans. With the help of comedian Max Boyce, the culture of Welsh rugby and valley life permeated Britain's living rooms at the height of prime time, reinforcing the sporting brilliance that lit up winter Saturday afternoons.In Nobody Beats Us, David Tossell, who spent the '70s as a schoolboy scrum-half trying to perfect the Gareth Edwards reverse pass, interviews many of the key figures of a golden age of Welsh rugby and vividly recreates an unforgettable sporting era.

The 1953 FA Cup Final between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers had everything: seven goals, a dramatic comeback and, in Stanley Matthews, a fairytale hero. Sixty years on, this legendary game has come to represent a golden age—the year when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and a British expedition conquered Everest. The Great English Final looks at the cultural importance of the match as Britain broke free from post-war austerity, with pre-Coronation television sales taking the Cup Final into more homes than ever before. In 1953, Britain clung to the old-fashioned values epitomized by Matthews while bracing itself for a new consumer-driven age under its young monarch. Football was on the threshold of similar change. Five months later, the England team would be torn apart by Hungary and the national game would never be the same again. Yet the 1953 FA Cup Final would live forever.

One Day At A Time uses selected matches from the past 60 years to tell the story of limited-overs cricket. One-day cricket arrived as a formalised part of the calendar in 1963 with the launch of the Gillette Cup in England. The development of the limited-overs game is at the heart of the sport’s evolution, from the introduction of multi-national competition to the 21st-century phenomenon of franchise-based 20-over leagues. ‘One-day internationals’ found their way into the sport’s lexicon from 1971 and the first men’s World Cup was staged in 1975, while India’s surprise success in the 1983 edition was responsible for changing the landscape of the world’s most cricket-mad country and the global game’s balance of power.The need for an even more abbreviated version of the sport saw Twenty20 cricket introduced in England in 2003. Once again, it was Indian success on the world stage that sparked a game-changing revolution that resulted in the Indian Premier League and a year-round series of franchise-led competitions in all parts of the world.The matches featured in One Day At A Time include the first Lord’s final; the ‘underarm’ outrage in Australia; extraordinary innings by Richards, Tendulkar and Gayle; tales of match-fixing; the greatest day in the women’s game; and, of course, England’s elusive first 50-over triumph.

As the 1975edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack put it, “Never in the ninety-eight years of Test cricket have batsmenbeen so grievously bruised and battered by ferocious, hostile short-pitched balls as were those led conscientiouslyby Mike Denness.” Led by tearaway speedsters Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, the Australian bowling attackterrorised the tourists during the six-match series – by the end of the first Test, two English batsmen had sufferedbroken bones. There was plenty more suffering to follow as the Aussies blitzed their way to a 4-1 victory.When Bob Dylan released his album Blood on the Tracks a few days after the Ashes had been surrendered itcould have been timed deliberately to provide a future author with a book title that reflected events in Australia.Instead of songs reflecting a “bleak fatalistic view of love”, as one reviewer described it, the album might havebeen expected to deliver stories of broken bones and frightening near misses. For that was the narrative of thedoomed attempt by the England team to retain the urn in the face of a barrage of some of the most intimidatingfast bowling ever witnessed.Nearly 50 years after Dylan’s generosity, David Tossell’s book offers a gripping and forensic account of thisuniquely frightening and wince-inducing Australian summer and the indelible mark it left on cricket.