Born close to what is now the training base for all England teams, St George’s Park, Bryan Gibson has written and edited many serious books, but Football’s Tallest Tales is his first surreal account. It is based on his youthful ambition to become an elite soccer player before being asked ‘What would you do if you weren’t a footballer?’ He became a lawyer. In a book of tall tales informed by decades of watching The Beautiful Game, he invites readers to peek into his mythical football world, including the time he represented England against the USSR. The illustrator John Cooper is an artist and stand-up comedian. His images include those for Good Moaning France: Officer Crabtree's French Phrose Book, TV advertisements, posters and cartoons.

• Kick Off; 10 minutes; Tall Tale No.1 - Stanley Accrington; 15 minutes; Tall Tale No.2 - Superfan; 30 minutes; Tall Tale No.3 - Old Soss; 43 minutes; Tall Tale No.4 - The Goalkeepers’ Convention; 45 minutes; Tall Tale No.5 - Pundit Wars; 65 minutes; 80 minutes — Cricket Break; Tall Tale No.6 - The Trip That Changed Football; 82 minutes 37 seconds; Tall Tale No.7 - Strange Games; 90 minutes; Tall Tale No.8 - Dragon Grease; Stoppage time; Tall Tale No.9 - Cup Finals; Extra time; Squeaky bum time.

‘The runaway best-seller that upped and ran away’– Radio Water Bottle; ‘If you want to know how footballs came to be round not square this book contains all you need to know’– Anon; ‘Ground breaking’– Groundsman’s Weekly; ‘A perfect cure for football fever’– Society of the Wet Sponge.