VYDcr [Get free] Sir Alf Online [VYDcr.ebook] Sir Alf Pdf Free Leo McKinstry DOC | *audiobook | ebooks | Download PDF | ePub Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook #316993 in eBooks 2010-03-27 2010-04-01File Name: B003E7WJMS | File size: 30.Mb Leo McKinstry : Sir Alf before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Sir Alf: 0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. But this takes you so much further like McKinstry's earlier biography of the Charlton Brothers JACK AND ...By Charlie BartelI thought I knew Alf Ramsey. A post war international for England who played in the infamous 1-0 loss to the USA in the 1950 World Cup; as an innovative manager who took lowly rated Ipswich from the 3rd Division to the 1st Division championship using his withdrawn wingers and twin strikers; to become the only Manager to take England to it's only Word Cup Championship. But this biography takes you so much further like McKinstry's earlier biography of the Charlton Brothers JACK AND BOBBY. If Ramsey did not participate in the book, McKinstry dug really deeply to get to the real story, halos warts and all. Ramsey was a complicated personality with deeply hidden demons, able to make enemies at the tun of a phrase. Please, if you do not know the story of the 1966 World Cup, or even if you do, this book needs to be in your library, well worn!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent BiographyBy David LindsaySir Alf is an enjoyable biography. Ramsey won the World Cup in 1966 and is the only England manager to do so. Bobby Robson who managed Barcelona and England declared that Ramsey was the "greatest British football manager ever." Brian Glanville, who is one of English football's most respected writers, believes that Ramsey has been England's best manager "by a nautical mile."Ramsey was born in London. After army service during WW2, Ramsey became a professional footballer. He enjoyed a successful career with Southampton and Tottenham and won 32 England caps. He became a manager in the 1950s and won the First Division championship (now called the Premier League) in 1962 with Ipswich, a small provincial club. England had reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1962, however, the team at that time was selected by a committee. The English F.A. decided it needed a modern, professional approach. Ramsey was hired, he scrapped wingers and played a 4-1-3-2 formation in 1966. This revolutionized the game.England managers since Ramsey have been reluctant to drop star players, but Ramsey did not care about reputations. England's best player in 1966 was Jimmy Greaves. Greaves is still the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football (357 league goals). McKinstry explains the dropping of Greaves after the quarter-final as a combination of factors: Greaves was not a team player, he did not quite fit the formation Ramsey had in mind. Most importantly, he was not playing well. He was replaced by Geoff Hurst who scored three goals in the final, so Ramsey was vindicated.Ramsey had a poor relationship with the press, but McKinstry shows that Sir Alf had a good relationship with his players. Tough hard-nosed pros like Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles, whom both played in the World Cup final, unashamedly describe their feelings for him. Ball, said: "I loved him to death. He was very, very special in my life." McKinstry's interviewees all confirm that Ramsey was a master of the team talk: precise, accurate and, when necessary, passionate.According to the ELO rankings, Ramsey's England team was ranked number one in the world during the 1966-1970 period. In 1970, England probably had an even better team than 1966. But a bizarre series of events led to the team's elimination against Germany in a quarter-final match that should have been won. Ramsey's favorite goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, who had played in 1966, fell ill on the eve of the quarter-final. Peter Bonetti, a talented but nervous keeper, let in goals Banks would have saved. The author interviews England players who believe that Manchester United's keeper, Alex Stepney, should have been picked. Stepney had won the European Cup with United in 1968 and had considerable big game experience. With England 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go, Ramsey substituted Bobby Charlton, his best player. That was another mistake. After 1970 things went downhill for Ramsey, culminating in a famous game against Poland that prevented the team from qualifying for the 1974 tournament. Poland finished third in the tournament.Ramsey often had a difficult relationship with his employers. The FA leadership is shown to be patronizing, negligent and clueless. The malevolent FA Chairman Sir Harold Thompson, was the driving force behind the sacking of Ramsey in 1973. Sir Harold was a bullying autocrat: "He was a bastard. He treated the staff like sh*t," said one former FA official. Given England's failure to qualify for the World Cup that year, Ramsey's dismissal may have been justified, but the whole episode was handled with brutal insensitivity. Ramsey was kicked out after 11 years of unstinting service and unprecedented success with a meager payout and pension. He was only 54. His treatment was hardly the response of a grateful nation. Worse, his enormous expertise was ignored; he was offered no position within football to help guide the next generation.Ramsey was a true hero, but thanks to the F.A. he became an outcast. Alan Ball said the treatment of Sir Alf was "the most incredible thing that ever happened in English football." After brief management spells with Birmingham City and Greek club Panathinaikos, Ramsey slipped into semi-retirement and died in 1999. The book explains how Alf Ramsey, conquered the football world. Unfortunately, it ends on a sad note.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Sir Alf: A Major reappraisal of the life and Times of England's Greatest Football ManagerBy Barrie J. SaxtonThis is an extremely well researched biography of Alf Ramsey. It gets to the heart of who this man was and how he provided incredible leadership to his teams. It also exposes his weaknesses and in that sense is a very honest protrayal of Sir Alf as a person as well as a manager.As well, it provides insights into many of the England players and what went right and wrong during the World Cup campaigns under Sir Alf's managership. I was amazed by the description of the way in which he was treated by the English FA at the end of his tenure.It is a very well written book full of interesting information and highly recommended read for any soccer fan. Since England’s famous 1966 World Cup victory, Alf Ramsey has been regarded as the greatest of all British football managers. By placing Ramsey in an historical context, award-winning author Leo McKinstry provides a thought- provoking insight into the world of professional football and the fabric of British society over the span of his life.Ramsey’s life is a romantic story of heroism. Often derided by lesser men, he overcame the prejudice against his social background to reach the summit of world football.The son of a council dustman from Essex, Ramsey had been through a tough upbringing. After army service during the war, he became a professional footballer, enjoying a successful career with Southampton and Tottenham and winning 32 England caps.But it was as manager of Ipswich Town, and then the architect for England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, that Ramsey will be most remembered. The tragedy was that his battles with the FA would ultimately lead to his downfall. He was sacked after England failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and was subsequently ostracised by the football establishment. He died a broken man in 1999 in the same modest Ipswich semi he’d lived in for most of his life.Drawing on extensive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues in the game, author Leo McKinstry will help unravel the true character of this fascinating and often complex football legend. 'McKinstry's book is a near masterpiece of biographical investigation’ Daily Mail'Delivers the goods…McKinstry's great merit is his ability to debunk some of the myths surrounding Ramsey' Spectator'An outstanding biography' The Sunday Times‘Magnificent…an eloquent and empathetic book’ Glasgow Herald‘The first truly comprehensive biography of England’s greatest manager’ Irish News'For those interested in just how much our national game has changed and just how shabbily Ramsey was treated by the establishment, it is truly enlightening.' Derby Evening Telegraph'McKinstry never shies away from Ramsay's nastier side, and his mistakes. Without passing judgement, he manages to paint a very well-rounded picture of a man who evoked strong feelings from those who knew him.' Cambrian News‘This summer, football enthusiasts should not dare pack a bucket and spade without taking Leo McKinstry’s commanding biography of England’s first, best and by far most interesting manager.’ The OldieAbout the AuthorLeo McKinstry writes regularly for the Daily Mail, the Sunday Telegraph and the Spectator magazine on a wide range of subjects. Born in Belfast in 1962, he is a graduate of Cambridge University. He has authored several books on current affairs and two major sports biographies, including the critically acclaimed story of the Charlton brothers, Jack and Bobby, which won the WHSmith Sports Book of the Year Award in 2003.