{"title":"Rory Smith","description":"\u003cp\u003eRory Smith offers a compelling exploration of football culture and analysis, blending insightful commentary with a passion for the sport. His works, such as \u003cem\u003eClassic Football Shirts\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eExpected Goals\u003c\/em\u003e, delve into both the history and the evolving tactical landscape of the beautiful game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thoughtful perspectives that uncover the stories behind football’s iconic moments and the numbers driving modern performance. Smith’s writing engages fans who appreciate a deeper understanding of football’s many dimensions.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"expected-goals","title":"Expected Goals","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFootball has always measured success by what you win, but only in the last twenty years have clubs started to think about how you win. Data has now suffused almost every aspect of how football is played, coached, scouted and consumed. But it’s not the algorithms or new metrics that have made this change, it’s the people behind them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of modern football’s great data revolution and the group of curious, entrepreneurial personalities who zealously believed in its potential to transform the game. Central to this cast is Chris Anderson, an academic with no experience in football, who saw data as an opportunity to fundamentally change a sport that did not think it could be changed. His aim: to infiltrate the strange, insular world of professional football by establishing a club whose entire DNA could be built around data.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExpected Goals\u003c\/em\u003e charts his remarkable journey into the heart of the modern game and reveals how clubs across the world, from Liverpool to Leipzig and Brentford to Bayern Munich, began to see how data could help them unearth new players, define radical tactics and plot their path to glory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45685971845356,"sku":"9780008484071","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780008484071.jpg?v=1725459154"},{"product_id":"classic-football-shirts-by-rory-smith-9781529957457","title":"Classic Football Shirts","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe definitive collection of every single significant football shirt, highly illustrated with hundreds of shirts, from the most prominent football shirt archive and retailer in the world, \u003cem\u003eClassic Football Shirts\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a love letter to football shirts and fan culture, told through the world's most sought-after kits. From greatest hits to modern classics, this book includes all of the most iconic shirts from the archive of \u003cem\u003eClassic Football Shirts\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFeaturing hundreds of match-worn shirts from clubs around the world, from the early career of Ronaldo to the heights of Beckham at Manchester United, alongside shirts from iconic football moments, including Maradona's infamous hand-of-God match, Pele and Zidane's world cup victories, the style and flair of Italia '90 and Messi's record-breaking season at Barcelona.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn essays by sports journalist Rory Smith, \u003cem\u003eClassic Football Shirts\u003c\/em\u003e delves into the identity, history and fashion of football shirts, illustrated with hundreds of shirts from national teams, beloved clubs, World Cups, Champions League finals and footballing legends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePainstakingly researched and collected by the team at \u003cem\u003eClassic Football Shirts\u003c\/em\u003e over twenty years, in this book they have unlocked their vault, telling the story of football through its most iconic kits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47602874188012,"sku":"9781529957457","price":95.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781529957457-classic-football-shirts.jpg?v=1778048835"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/rory-smith.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}