{"product_id":"bill-mccracken-the-offside-king-paul-joannou-9781836801696","title":"Bill McCracken, the Offside King","description":"Bill McCracken, the Offside King is the first biography of a football pioneer and Newcastle United legend who forced a fundamental change to the rules of the game.   Written by former Newcastle United official club historian Paul Joannou, this gripping book is a must-read for all Magpies fans and anyone interested in football history or nostalgia.   Brought up in Belfast, Bill was a much-wanted talent at full-back and became a key figure in Newcastle’s great Edwardian line-up. Read how:McCracken was the most talked about player in the years before and after World War One as Newcastle United’s defensive master in a line-up at the very top of the game – his playing career spanned more than 20 yearsHe claimed notoriety for his perfect execution of the offside trap, a tactic which caused uproar on the terraces and was widely copied, earning him the nickname ‘the Offside King’Something of a rebel with a cause, the likeable, yet at times controversial Irishman fought a long-running feud with the Irish FA over paymentsLater he was a respected manager with Hull City, with whom he got within a whisker of the FA Cup final, before taking charge of Gateshead, Millwall and AldershotAfterwards, as a celebrated talent scout, he remained active in the game into his 90sBill’s fascinating career and huge influence on football are explored in detail in this superbly researched biography, published a century on from when ‘McCrackenism’ changed the face of football.","brand":"Pitch Publishing Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50790193234208,"sku":"9781836801696","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0753\/2812\/7264\/files\/9781836801696.jpg?v=1781455996","url":"https:\/\/bookcorner.com\/products\/bill-mccracken-the-offside-king-paul-joannou-9781836801696","provider":"The Book Corner","version":"1.0","type":"link"}