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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 contains 22 articles in 10 different sections:

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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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