Matthew Rhodes – författare

A Fine Line: How the Spireites (Almost) Reached the FA Cup Final is a nostalgic celebration of one of the most extraordinary underdog stories in FA Cup history. It revisits Chesterfield’s remarkable 1996/97 cup run, exploring not only how it unfolded but how it affected both the town and the club at a time when following your team felt very different than today. Drawing on interviews with those who were there – Spireites players, lifelong supporters, sports journalists and one of the most iconic referees in the English game – the book is filled with personal memories and behind-the-scenes insight. A Fine Line is a feel-good chronicle of a classic giant-killing adventure, perfect for Spireites fans and FA Cup romantics alike.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis Germany became Europe’s most influential nation state. This book aims to provide a comparative assessment of how this is reflected in the country’s bilateral security relationships with key global and regional partners. Prepared by an international team of scholars, it will offer unique, in-depth perspectives on the ways these evolving interactions affect the prospects for addressing recent and emerging security challenges.The fact of Germany’s (re-)emergence as Europe’s leading state is now undisputed, even if the implications are not. The post-2008 financial crisis, heightened conflict along Europe’s eastern and southern fringes since 2014, and the populist political wave across the West have all driven stronger German engagement in international affairs. While German policy seeks to exercise “leadership from the middle” via multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union, this entails major adjustments in interactions with other states. Indeed, the future of the security order built on these institutions now hinges on the quality of Germany’s key bilateral ties. With such stakes in mind, this volume offers a comparative assessment of the background, status, and prospects of a selection of the most significant cases. These investigations cover Germany's relationships with the US, Russia, UK, France and China as well as with Poland and the Balkans. The volume concludes that, though active German leadership is more necessary than ever, it remains insufficient for European or broader international security. Germany and its new partners must aim for a balanced model of cooperation that responds to both the internal and external challenges of the early twenty-first century.