Neil Drysdale – författare

Walter Smith was one of the most respected managers in British football. This insightful biography casts a reflective and analytical eye over his life and career, examining this shrewd professional through the many highs and lows that he has experienced as a player and manager. He enjoyed an illustrious career in management at Rangers, joining the Souness revolution in 1987, winning nine successive league titles, a domestic treble in the 1992-93 season and winning both the Scottish Cup and League Cup three times. In 1998, Smith accepted a position in England with Everton, where he was the manager until 2002, before being reunited with Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2004. In December of that year, Smith was appointed as Scotland manager and his effort subsequently earned him the title of 'Scot of the Year' at the prestigious Glenfiddich 'Spirit of Scotland' awards in 2006. Midway through the qualifying rounds for Euro 2008, however, and with the Scots leading their group, he controversially accepted an offer to return to Ibrox in January 2007. Upon returning to Glasgow, Smith led Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final and triumph in the Scottish Cup in 2008, a domestic League and Cup double in 2009 and another double - this time in the domestic League and League Cup - in 2010. He retired from management in 2011 and died in October 2021.

For the last 130 years, the Borders has produced a long line of international class rugby players, out of all proportion to the area's small population, and has long been considered the heartland of Scottish rugby. Featuring interviews with many of the leading luminaries of Borders rugby, Neil Drysdale uncovers the passion for rugby in the Borders, how players were encouraged to play rugby by their mentors at Hawick, Gala, Melrose, Selkirk, Kelso and elsewhere, and gathers their thoughts on the future of the game in the region. In many ways, this book is a microcosm of Scottish rugby as a whole - the two Grand Slams of 1984 and 1990 were built around men from the South of Scotland, while the failure of the Border Reivers coincided with a dark period for the sport in Scotland - and seeks to discover why so many Lions legends from Jim Telfer and John Rutherford to Roy Laidlaw and Gary Armstrong, emerged to enhance the game without ever forgetting their roots.Including interviews with Doddie Weir, Craig Chalmers, Peter and Michael Dods, John Jeffrey and a host of other great as well as previously unsung heroes from behind the scenes, Southern Comfort reveals the different passions, hunger, humour, comradeship and local rivalries which fuels the region's love for rugby - and tells a story of how the South has risen above adversity to still produce the stars of the future.

Simmy is the explosive autobiography of Scottish football legend Neil Simpson – fearless Aberdeen midfielder and one of Alex Ferguson’s Gothenburg greats. A standout in the Scottish youth set?up, he recalls facing Ruud Gullit and Michel Platini, and earning Scotland caps despite fears his London birth might hinder him. At Aberdeen he became a legend, helping the Dons secure famous victories over Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Hamburg in 1983, three straight Scottish Cup triumphs (1982–84) and league titles in 1984 and 1985. Yet his tackle on Rangers’ Ian Durrant in 1988 saw him vilified, sued for £2m and seeking police protection after his home address appeared in a Rangers magazine. But there were happier times in 2012 when Sir Alex returned to Aberdeen with his Manchester United stars for a testimonial in Neil’s honour; while in 2023 Neil and his team-mates were given the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen. From European glory to the tackle that made him Scottish football’s most polarising figure, Simpson finally breaks his silence in this hard-hitting account of triumphs, controversy and survival.

Davie Cooper was without doubt one of Scotland''s greatestever footballers, a man who excited and entertained crowds across the globe, whether with Rangers or Scotland, or later in his career, as part of Motherwell''s 1991 Scottish Cup-winning side. He relished the big stage and although he unquestionably had the ability to play at any level, he always preferred to stay true to his roots as a local hero in the West of Scotland. Tragically, his life was cut short in 1995 when this larger-thanlife character who had enjoyed an incredible career died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage at the age of just thirty-nine. Now, in Coop, author Neil Drysdale examines the life of this sporting idol and includes exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in football, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Gordon Smith, Craig Brown, Tom Boyd, Bobby Russell and Andy Roxburgh. But it also gives the fans who applauded his talents at Rangers, Motherwell and Clydebank the chance to pay homage to his myriad gifts and to remember his astonishing talents. Engrossing, insightful and entertaining, Coop is the story of a true star and a heartfelt portrait of a man who was taken from us far too soon.