{"product_id":"thou-shall-not-pass-the-anatomy-of-football-s-centre-half-nominated-for-the-sunday-times-sports-book-awards-2022","title":"Thou Shall Not Pass: The Anatomy of Football’s Centre-Half - Nominated for THE SUNDAY TIMES Sports Book Awards 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Superbly insightful' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eFourFourTwo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Hugely enjoyable.' \u003c\/b\u003eHenry Winter, Chief Football writer, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A brilliant read.' \u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eJamie Carragher\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'About time we got some recognition! A great read.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eMark Lawrenson\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'One of my favourite football writers and a keen observer of the game who never fails to entertain.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatrick Barclay\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eComplex, overlooked and misunderstood, football's centre-halves rarely take centre-stage. Leo Moynihan's long overdue celebration of this much-maligned position explores the unique mindset and last-ditch, bone-crunching tackles of the traditionally bruising hard man, hell-bent on destroying glory.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFootball is often romanticised as 'The Beautiful Game'. If that's true, then the game's centre-half might be considered the unsightly pimple on the end of its otherwise perfectly formed nose. The stopper is the last line of defence, the big man with small ideas, the lump who lumps it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThou Shall Not Pass\u003c\/i\u003e (from a command England captain Terry Butcher shouted before every match) celebrates the football position where brutal characters are loved for their hard-hitting tackles and bruising mentality, and yet laughed at for their apparent lack of skill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCovering the long and illustrious history of the centre-half, \u003ci\u003eThou Shall Not Pass t\u003c\/i\u003eakes the reader into the muddy penalty area frequented by our protagonists, into their domain. The places they head the ball, the places where they tackle, the places in which they will stop at nothing to stop a forward. What makes a defender approach the game the way they do? What makes them different from those whose sole purpose is flair?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing exclusive interviews – including those with Virgil van Dijk, Jamie Carragher, Terry Butcher, Mark Lawrenson, Darren Moore, Steph Houghton, Tony Adams, Frank Leboeuf and Dion Dublin – and packed with rich and highly entertaining anecdotes, the book explores all aspects of the position and investigates the mentality of those who ply their trade there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sports \u0026amp; Recreation, Soccer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bloomsbury USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781472972910\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.16","offer_id":47916035178673,"sku":"SB-1472972910-C3","price":1.16,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1472972910.jpg?v=1789683206","url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/thou-shall-not-pass-the-anatomy-of-football-s-centre-half-nominated-for-the-sunday-times-sports-book-awards-2022","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}