All White Fever

Description

The scenes at Wellington's Westpac Stadium when the All Whites qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in November were unprecedented in New Zealand. The 'White-out' by the fans helped inspire Ricki Herbert's team to a famous 1-0 win against Bahrain - a result which sent the All Whites to the World Cup for only the second time in history. All White Fever uncovers the story behind one of the greatest achievements in New Zealand sport. Celebrated author John Matheson - the name behind number one bestsellers like Christian Cullen's biography Life on the Run, Eric Rush's Gold Rush and the 2008 tribute to coaching legend Robbie Deans - has produced a book that follows the career paths of some of the key players in this magical football story, paths that culminated on that glorious November night last year. Thanks to countless original interviews and some painstaking research, the author: details the passionless state of the team when Herbert took charge of the team for the first time in 2005 explores how he went about rebuilding the ethos of the side turns back the clock to the giant shadow that was hanging over the current generation of All Whites - the 1982 champion team chronicles how Herbert and then-CEO Graham Seatter planned their assault on South Africa relives the Road to South Africa with a game-by-game account profiles the stars of the campaign including inspirational skipper Ryan Nelsen and goal-scoring hero Rory Fallon provides pen-pics of the men charged with success in South Africa and, along with some All Whites legend, controversially picks New Zealand's greatest ever All Whites side. All White Fever is a must-read for football fans ahead of the Greatest Show on Turf in June.

This is John Matheson's second book in the Celebrity Portraits series, the first being TANA - A Tribute to a Rugby Legend. John has previously penned Rushie, Stacy Jones, Life on the Run, the best selling biography on All Blacks great, Christian Cullen and many more. Throughout his 20 years in journalism he has worked in Auckland, Christchurch, London and San Diego. In New Zealand he has worked for the Auckland Star and Sunday Star, contributed to the New Zealand Herald and the Dominion, and is still the longest serving editor of NZ Rugby World. He is currently an Assistant Editor and Sports Editor at Sunday News.