The Mixer, Michael Cox
The Mixer, Michael Cox
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Mixer

Author: Michael Cox

Narrator: Colin Mace

Unabridged: 17 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 06/01/2017


Synopsis

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.

About Michael Cox

Michael Cox is the author of The Meaning of Night, which was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa First Novel Award. He is also the biographer of the ghost-story writer and scholar M. R. James and coeditor of a number of Oxford anthologies of short fiction, including The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories. Michael lives in rural Northamptonshire, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bernard on October 20, 2017

Oh god, what a joyous, near-pornographic treat for football nerds. The Mixer really is just 400 pages about things like the difference between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, and why inverted wingers can lead to midfield congestion. By rights, this book should be quite boring. Cox makes it interesting by spinning......more

Goodreads review by Joe on February 19, 2018

"The Mixer" is billed as a tactical history of the English Premier League explaining - across 25 years in 25 chapters - how English football evolved from being traditionally backward and inward-looking to become the most international and tactically-advanced league in the world. It takes 1992 as it'......more

Goodreads review by LuckyLuke on January 09, 2019

Dla fanów piłki nożnej - niesamowicie interesująca i wnikliwa analiza jednej z najlepszych lig świata. Dla całej reszty - gwarancja szybkiego zaśnięcia przy czytaniu o roli wahadłowych w systemie z trójką obrońców. W każdym razie godna polecenia ;)......more

Goodreads review by Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer on November 23, 2017

Michael Cox is the author of the football tactics website Zonal Marking [URL not allowed] and a freelance football journalist, particularly featured in the Guardian. [URL not allowed] This book is effectively a tactical history of the UK Premier League, based presumabl......more

Goodreads review by Seth on November 25, 2021

Backpass law change in 1992 and the effect it had on playing out from the back. Goalkeepers having to adapt and become proficient with their feet. Big Sam and misconceptions about his methods behind the scenes because of the style of on the pitch football he championed. Juninho's time at borough and t......more


Quotes

‘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, ‘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 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.’ – ‘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’ – ‘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