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The Mixer
- The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
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The Mixer
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Summary
An absolutely essential book for every modern football fan, about the development of Premier League tactics, published to coincide with 25 years of the competition.
Back in 1992, English football was stuck in the dark ages, emerging from a five-year ban from European competition. The game was physical, bruising and attritional, based on strength over speed, aggression over finesse. It was the era of the midfield general, reducers, big men up front and getting it in the mixer; 4-4-2 was the order of the day. Few teams experimented tactically.
And then, almost overnight, it all changed. The creation of the Premier League coincided with one of the most seismic rule changes in football history: the abolition of the back-pass. Suddenly defenders had no-get-out-of-jail-free card, goalkeepers had to be able to field and play the ball and the pace of the game quickened immeasurably. Tactics evolved dramatically, helped by an increased foreign influence.
The Mixer is the first book to delve deep into the tactical story of the Premier League, and take a long view of how the game has developed over the last quarter century. From Ferguson’s directness to Keegan’s relentlessly attacking Newcastle outfit, to Mourinho’s cagey, reactive Chelsea, all the way to Ranieri’s counter-attacking champions, The Mixer is one of the most entertaining, rich and knowledgeable football books ever written.
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Critic reviews
‘A compelling examination of the evolution of tactics in the Premier League. A fine read, and a powerful reminder of how much has changed.’ – Matthew Syed, The Times
‘Thanks to his meticulous research and his focus on strategy, Mr Cox finds a fresh perspective on a story that football fans will think they already knew’ – The Economist
‘The Mixer, by Michael Cox is a very unusual football writer in that he specialises in the game as it’s actually played, rather than the gossip or folklore around it. The Mixer is a tactical history of the English Premier League, with telling anecdotes on every page. It’s deeply informed and a pleasure to read.’ – Financial Times
‘If you’re in mourning that the footie season is over, this is for you. Delving deep into the beautiful game, it’s a look back at how the sport has changed over the years. Nostalgia will hit as you’ll remember iconic matches, too’ – The Sun
‘Intelligently written. Impressively researched. Fascinatingly addictive. Michael Cox is like a cartographer, remapping the landscape of the Premier League so we see the contours of it afresh. That’s some feat.’ – Duncan Hamilton, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
‘Michael Cox provides brilliant tactical context to our favourite moments of Premier League nostalgia. The Mixer is as entertaining as a Wanchope dribble, with the authority of a Shearer finish and the panache of a Cantona celebration. And you may even learn to love Tony Pulis a little bit.’ – Ben Lyttleton, author of Twelve Yards: The Art & Psychology of the Perfect Penalty
What listeners say about The Mixer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- GP
- 08-07-17
very Good
The book is well written and insightful although he is clearly not a lover of Manchester City.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mr
- 10-08-17
tactics
being a football coach i am always looking for more knowledge on the sport this book was probably the best for tactics and info and I have listened to at least 15 books from players and managers.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Airotsa06
- 16-03-19
Well put together
Good piece of work - narrator does really well all the way through - couple of tricky accents there. Balanced for the most part and a top briefing - for a relatively new fan - into the detail of the history of Premiership Football.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen Pettigrew
- 15-04-20
Highly Recommend
Excellent read, lots of detail and hugely enjoyable. I see what others are complaining about with the accents but I didn't mind them too much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. M. Smith
- 16-02-22
Very interesting book - interesting accents
Book was exceptionally interesting and well thought out. The way of framing each period or season around an individual or a team was clever, and the early chapters concerning Manchester United were in particular very illuminating as someone who grew up in the era of their dominance and has developed a retrospective appreciation for Alex Fergusons brilliance. I would question some of the validity of the topics - Newcastle’s entertainers for example - but most key milestones were thoughtfully handled
As has been said elsewhere the narrator’s accents occasionally grated. His Roy Keane and Arsene Wenger were passable for example, but anyone Dutch was laughably bad. I don’t think it was really necessary but did add an element of entertainment, trying to guess who said the quote before the narrator told you based just on his accent
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hedgehog
- 27-06-17
One of the best books about football ever
The book is really good because it manages to capture all the elements of football success. Books about football tactics can just lapse into being about as exciting as a drum solo - great for afficionados but mind-numbing for others. Michael Cox though, while showing that tactics are important, weaves them wonderfully into a narrative ground in reality. The events, peronalities and luck are all there in the mix with tactics.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joe Brookes
- 01-08-19
outstanding book
I have never learnt so much about anything as this book has taught me about football. a must buy for any football fan looking for a history lesson an a brief and easy guide to understand modern football tactics featuring your favourite Premier League players of the last 25 years.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Oye
- 18-08-17
Excellent review of Premier League history
This was very informative and quite humorous. Really enjoyed listening to it. Fans of several teams, especially Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool will learn a lot about their teams' tactics over the last 25 years.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Giles E.
- 19-01-21
Not bad at all
It’s interesting enough, a snapshot of tactical development from the premier league. Not the encyclopaedia of the inverted pyramid but perhaps better dip in for the topic .
But... I really struggle with the accents and impressions of every quoted voice. I don’t need a faux Italian accent for a quote from Zola !
Otherwise well read and good speaking voice but the jumps in accent weren’t really needed..
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- christian
- 30-04-18
well read
the voices were excellent and gave the listen a great feel. a talented reader who I would listen to again no matter what the story.
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