Football Mavericks Book Giveaway

   Nobody's favourite footballer is James Milner and it's not difficult to understand why. Nobody will dispute the converted left-back's work ethic, discipline, tactical awareness and teamwork - he's an astonishing athlete and genuinely world-class at what he does. His only issue is that, if anything, he's too consistent.

   We fans, when watching the beautiful game, relish nothing more than witnessing the travails of what we may refer to as "characters". We love the loose cannons, the players who do the unexpected on and off the pitch. Mercurial talent is all well and good but we love to see a wee dash of eccentricity in the mix too.

   As such, I'm delighted to offer one of the readers of The Totality a chance to win a quartet of biographies each all about the games' most colourful individuals. I've never met your Dad but, as Christmas is right around the corner, I'm pretty sure that these are the type of literary tomes he'd love to find in his stocking this Yuletide. Carry on reading to find out about these football books and how to win them!

   The first of the stories in this maverick collection is that contained in the sensational global bestseller I Am Zlatan; a book often described as one of the greatest, most poignant biographies in the sport's history. The tale of a Swedish immigrant's rise is documented through training ground bust-ups and a journey spanning Europe (via Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain and now the Red Devils) to become a genius stood on top of the world.

   Another Manchester United icon, Roy Keane, teams up with the masterful Roddy Doyle to produce The Second Half - a "masterpiece" the Mail on Sunday describes as "the finest, most incisive deconstruction of football management that the game as ever produced". The combination of the fiery midfielder's anecdotes and Doyle's eloquent structuring and stylisation helps capture Keane's voice in a truly captivating manner.

   The third in this collection turns back the clock with Jonathan Wilson's Nobody Ever Says Thank You. The Sunday Times calls this book on Brian Clough, former Nottingham Forest and Derby manager, "the most comprehensive account we've had this remarkable man so far". Throughout its pages we revisit the highs of his European victories to his brief and doomed spell at Elland Road and become privy to the often unorthodox managerial techniques deployed by the outspoken man often called "Old Big Head".

   Rounding out the collection, we have No Nonsense in hardback  - the beguiling autobiography from midfield firebrand Joey Barton. The ex-Newcastle player details his career and unspools his punk/philosopher character in page-turning fashion. Here is a portrait of an unusual character who fluctuates wildly between explosions of violence and articulate self-awareness at some speed - a football book like no other.



  To enter the competition to win this bundle of books, simply log-in to the Rafflecopter form below with your name and email address - we promise not to share, or pass on, this data to any third parties but will use this information to contact you if your entry is successful. 

   Once logged in, you can enter the competition in up to three ways: 

   The first way to do this is to follow my Twitter account at @KCBFD. You can do this through straight through the Rafflecopter form. 

   A second way to enter is to click on the "Tweet about the competition" option on the Rafflecopter form to enter via a tweeted message.

   Alternatively, or as an addition, please leave the name of your favourite footballer in the comments. Whether its Mario Balotelli, Jason Puncheon or Owen Hargreaves, I'd love to hear your answer.. 

   Once you've done this, you can confirm you've left your answer by using the Rafflecopter form (click the "Leave a Blog Post" option and then select the "I commented" box).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

  The winners are selected at random through Rafflecopter and will be chosen on November 28th and contacted shortly thereafter.

   The prizes will be sent out upon confirmation of your win. There are no cash alternatives and entries can be disqualified at the judge's discretion. Entrants must be 15 or over and have a UK shipping address to enter. Maximum of three entries per person - one comment, one Twitter follow, one blog comment each.

   Good luck to one and all!