Across the history of football, a select group of teams have achieved iconic status. Sometimes it's through sheer success. For others, their stature is built by star performers. On occasions, it's because a team has gifted a new way of playing to the world. Most rarely it's because of all three. The Ajax teams that conquered Europe with their enthralling 'totaalvoetbal' are one of those rare cases. Those Dutch artists used the pitch as their canvas, the skills of the players provided a palette of gloriously bright colours and their totaalvoetbal inspired the brushstrokes that delivered masterpieces of football creativity. The Dutch Masters is the entrancing tale of how that iconic white shirt with a broad red band down its centre not only became synonymous with the beautiful game of totaalvoetbal, but also symbolised the success of the club that created a new paradigm of play. It's the story of how Ajax came to dominate the European game as the epitome of footballing perfection.

About the Author

Gary Thacker is an author and journalist who writes for numerous magazines and websites. His work has featured in The Guardian, Sports Network and the Spanish press. He was shortlisted for 'Blogger of the Year' by the FSF in 2017, and has guested on BBC and talkSPORT radio. A member of These Football Times' senior leadership team, he also appears on podcasts and hosts the popular 'Political Football' series. This is his seventh book.

Reviews

"In Dutch Masters, Gary Thacker (who also contributes to talkSPORT) avoids any Double-Dutch and plainly speaks about 'Totaalvoetbal' in respect of who invented it, who implemented it first (Ajax) and who later copied this (then) new brand of stylish football... It's a mighty tome of 400 pages and a brilliant read."

-- Mark Watkins * Dare Radio *

"Gary Thacker's interesting and entertaining book takes us through that era, when Rinus Michels, Johann Cruyff and co. brought 'Totaalvoetbal' to the world... Dutch Masters is a great book."

* Read the League *



Book Information
ISBN 9781801504416
Author Gary Thacker
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint Pitch Publishing Ltd
Publisher Pitch Publishing Ltd