Rob Smyth: 8 books

Jumpers For Goalposts is a fascinating reflection on the history of British soccer, which examines why the charm, innocence, and good humor has disappeared from today's game, compared to the golden days of yesteryear. Smyth considers everything from the huge wage bills, to players' lack of loyalty...

Classic World Cup clashes brought to life and re-evaluated by two of the writers of the popular Guardian minute-by-minute football blog. Watching each match in real time and reacting to the twists and turns of the action, Murray and Smyth bring you the real stories of the matches as they happened,...

From the early days of Test cricket to the immortalized handshake offered by Andrew Flintoff to Brett Lee in the Ashes series 2005, cricket has a history of extraordinary moments that embody everything that sets the game apart from any other. The Spirit of Cricket remembers some of the outstanding...

From the celebrated mock obituary following England's first-ever defeat by Australia on home soil in 1882, to the on-pitch insults (or 'sledges') of today, ashes cricket has spawned nearly as many memorable quotes as it has balls bowled and runs scored. Gentlemen and Sledgers charts the ebb...

The Denmark side of the 1980s was one of the last truly iconic international football teams. Although they did not win a trophy, they claimed something much more important and enduring: glory, and in industrial quantities. They were a bewitching fusion of futuristic attacking football, effortless...

The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United in the late 1990s and early 2000s was the greatest in English football history. It is the only time two teams have completely dominated the league for a decade. It was a mixture of the epic and the pathetic, with glorious football, hateful confrontations...

1980s Rio de Janeiro. There’s only one king in this city and he’s got the mullet, swagger and fake ID to prove it. Introducing Carlos Henrique Raposo, known to all as KAISER. This guy’s got more front than Copacabana beach. He’s the most loveable of rogues with the most...

Robin Smith was one of England’s most popular cricketers of the 1990s. The Judge, as he was known to all, took on some of the most dangerous fast bowlers of all time with a skill and fearlessness that ensured hero status. His savage square cut drew roars of approval from fans all around the world,...