The Blizzard - The Football Quarterly: Issue Four

 The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication, put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors, its main aim to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them.

Issue Four Contents

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Barcelona

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* The Inverted Sheepdog, by Graham Hunter—The inside story of how Xavi emerged as the central hub of the world's greatest team

* Corrida of Uncertainty, by David Winner—How the cruelty of tiki-taka resembles bull-fighting

* The Other Rival, Another Way, by Scott Oliver—When the nastiest rivalry in Spain was between Barcelona and Athletic

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Interview

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* Alex Ferguson—The Manchester United manager tells Philippe Auclair about his early start, the importance of continuity and his need to be alone

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London

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* Capital Failings, by Ian Hawkey—Football clubs in democratic capitals tend to underperform and London is no exception

* A Very English Visionary, by Martin Cloake—How the understated radicalism of Arthur Rowe defined Tottenham's style

* South of the River, by Nick Szczepanik—For a spell in the eighties, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Wimbledon challenged the elite

* The Bald Eagle and the Modern Way, by Bob Yule—How Jim Smith brough the 3-5-2 to Queens Park Rangers

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Theory

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* Deschamps-Suaudeau, by Patrick Dessault—Didier Deschamps and Jean-Claude Suaudeau debate the modern vogue for attacking football

* The New Enganche, by Sam Kelly—Javier Pastore talks about his move to Paris Saint-Germain and living up to the playmaking ideal

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Africa

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* Unlikely Hosts, Unlikelier Winners, by Pablo Manriquez and Backpagepix—Images from the 2012 African Cup of Nations

* Victory Song, by Jonathan Wilson—How Zambia's emotional triumph restored the zest to the Cup of Nations

* The Barefoot Pioneers, by Gary Al-Smith—CK Gyamfi explains how a bootless tour to Britain helped shape the game in Ghana

* Ultra Violence, by David Lynch—After the horrors of Port Said, the exact role of ultras in the downfall of Hosny Mubarak remains unclear

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In Appreciation Of

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* Ronaldo in Moscow, by Sheridan Bird—A slalom through the Luzhniki mud confirmed the genius of "O Fenomeno"

* Toussaint on Zidane, by Juliet Jacques—What the World Cup final headbutt meant to the Belgian writer

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Polemics

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* Pelé v Beckham, by Pete Grathoff—Which of the icons had the greater impact on football in the USA?

* The Other Cup, by Brian Phillips—How do you solve a problem like the Europa League?

* Continental Drift, by Rob Langham—Kazakhstan has slipped behind Uzbekistan since it abandoned Asia

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Football Manager

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* The Ballad of Bobby Manager: My Autobiography, by Iain Macintosh—When somebody takes their game of Football Manager just a little too seriously...

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Greatest Games

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* Racing 1 Celtic 0, by Dan Edwards—Intercontinental Cup final play off, Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, 4 November 1967

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Eight Bells

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* Shirt Tales, by Scott Murray—The history behind a selection of iconic kits