Bill McCracken, the Offside King

Bill McCracken, the Offside King is the first biography of a football pioneer and Newcastle United legend who forced a fundamental change to the rules of the game.

Written by former Newcastle United official club historian Paul Joannou, this gripping book is a must-read for all Magpies fans and anyone interested in football history or nostalgia.

Brought up in Belfast, Bill was a much-wanted talent at full-back and became a key figure in Newcastle’s great Edwardian line-up. Read how:

• McCracken was the most talked about player in the years before and after World War One as Newcastle United’s defensive master in a line-up at the very top of the game – his playing career spanned more than 20 years
• He claimed notoriety for his perfect execution of the offside trap, a tactic which caused uproar on the terraces and was widely copied, earning him the nickname ‘the Offside King’
• Something of a rebel with a cause, the likeable, yet at times controversial Irishman fought a long-running feud with the Irish FA over payments
• Later he was a respected manager with Hull City, with whom he got within a whisker of the FA Cup final, before taking charge of Gateshead, Millwall and Aldershot
• Afterwards, as a celebrated talent scout, he remained active in the game into his 90s

Bill’s fascinating career and huge influence on football are explored in detail in this superbly researched biography, published a century on from when ‘McCrackenism’ changed the face of football.