FROM GOALS TO THE DUGOUT

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint – they do all the great Got, Not Gots and retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising sports book publishers and remains a beacon of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect" commissioning of boxing material stands as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining and clever ideas. They work out what the aficianado would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most. Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Bent Arms & Dodgy Wickets, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books. They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands around the world to get into triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't and realise that interest in football extends beyond the Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious, seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with, contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it, using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football, channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

26 Jul

FROM GOALS TO THE DUGOUT

This is Bobby Brown’s remarkable life in and out of football, highlighting his debut as Scottish manager in the famous Wembley win over world champions England in 1967.

The book charts his progress from schoolboy playing for Queens Park to Scottish international goalkeeper in wartime and after, drawing on countless original interviews and fascinating press cuttings gleaned from Brown’s own scrapbook. His Fleet Air Arm service is recounted, as is his honours-laden Rangers career, including his part in the first ever ‘Treble’, in 1949, as part of the club’s fabled ‘Iron Curtain’ defence. As a PE teacher, Brown was a part-timer in a full-time team, and he reveals the pressures that created.

His first managerial job at St Johnstone preceded being national manager, whose ‘highs and lows’ are recalled along with insights into many of the Scottish game’s leading figures. In 1971 Bobby left football to be a successful restaurateur and businessman. His non-football interests are covered including the outdoors, the church and family life – along with his delight at induction to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

Read Bobby Brown: A Life in Football, From Goals to the Dugout and you will discover:

How ‘Wee Bobby’ first played in goals with men from his village in rural Stirlingshire
The lesson he was taught, and never forgot, debuting for Queens Park against Celtic as a schoolboy
That Bobby is the oldest living Scottish international, aged 94 – and the last amateur ever to play for Scotland
The training he undertook as a Fairey Swordfish pilot with the Fleet Air Arm during WW2
How tears ran down his face during the anthem prior to Scotland v. England 1946, thinking of those lost in the war
The initial difficulties Bobby had to overcome when Bill Struth signed him for Rangers
How his wartime international captain Matt Busby tried to sign him for Manchester United
Why Alex Ferguson never forgave Bobby for his signing-on fee when manager of St Johnstone!
How he dealt on and off the pitch with Alf Ramsey, Tommy Lawton, Jock Stein, Ron Greenwood, Bill Nicholson and many other football greats

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Bobby Brown.