Thou Shall Not Pass - by Leo Moynihan (Paperback)

About the Book

Football's centre-backs rarely take centre-stage. This overdue celebration explores the unique mindset and last-ditch tackles of soccer's defensive hard men, hell-bent on destroying glory.

Book Synopsis

NOMINATED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2022

'Superbly insightful' FourFourTwo

'Hugely enjoyable.' Henry Winter, Chief Football writer, The Times

'A brilliant read.' Jamie Carragher

Complex, overlooked and misunderstood, football's centre-halves rarely take centre-stage. Leo Moynihan's long overdue celebration of this much-maligned position explores the unique mindset and last-ditch, bone-crunching tackles of the traditionally bruising hard man, hell-bent on destroying glory.

Football is often romanticised as 'The Beautiful Game'. If that's true, then the game's centre-half might be considered the unsightly pimple on the end of its otherwise perfectly formed nose. The stopper is the last line of defence, the big man with small ideas, the lump who lumps it.

Thou Shall Not Pass (a command England captain Terry Butcher shouted before every match) celebrates the football position where brutal characters are loved for their hard-hitting tackles and bruising mentality, and yet laughed at for their apparent lack of skill.

Covering the long and illustrious history of the centre-half, Thou Shall Not Pass takes the reader into the muddy penalty area frequented by our protagonists, into their domain. The places they head the ball, the places where they tackle, the places in which they will stop at nothing to stop a forward. What makes a defender approach the game the way they do? What makes them different from those whose sole purpose is flair?

Featuring exclusive interviews - including those with Virgil van Dijk, Jamie Carragher, Terry Butcher, Mark Lawrenson, Steph Houghton, Tony Adams, Frank Leboeuf and Dion Dublin - and packed with rich and highly entertaining anecdotes, the book explores all aspects of the position and investigates the mentality of those who ply their trade there.

Review Quotes

"A rich topic and so sharply written... " --When Saturday Comes

"A beautifully written new appreciation of the centre-half." --Ian Herbert

"Football's centre-halves have always been fascinating and ever-changing characters within the game. Moynihan brings these players alive in this hugely enjoyable book." --Henry Winter, The Times

"A brilliant read. Moynihan's book took me right back to my playing days!" --Jamie Carragher

"I loved being part of Moynihan's book on us misunderstood centre-halves. About time we got some recognition! A great read." --Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool centre-half

"An entertaining tour of the esoteric world of centre-backs" --Paul Hayward

"Superbly insightful" --FourFourTwo

"Leo Moynihan is one of my favourite football writers and a keen observer of the game who never fails to entertain. The subject of centre-halves has me looking forward to his next effort and as one brought up on watching Dundee and the great Ian Ure, I have always been fascinated by this fundamental and ever evolving position." --Patrick Barclay (Evening Standard)

"I take my hat off to Moynihan for writing this book!" --Dion Dublin

"Having played with Bobby Moore, the greatest centre-half of all-time, I was fascinated to read Leo Moynihan's book and I wasn't disappointed." --Harry Redknapp, former West Ham and Tottenham manager

"As a centre half I used to shout to all my defensive teammates 'Thou shall not pass' - it was our battle cry - and Leo Moynihan's brilliant book of the same name is a must for all lovers of the game." --Terry Butcher

"Being Welsh I grew up on tales of John Charles at centre-forward but also at centre half; the greatest header of the ball who ever lived. I love Moynihan's writing and his new book is a brilliant exploration of this always intriguing position." --Jonny Owen, filmmaker and TalkSPORT presenter

"At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson knew the importance of centre-halves and I thrived on trying to get the better of them. Leo Moynihan's writing is always enjoyable and his exciting new book on the old enemy is highly recommended." --Andrew Cole

"An enjoyable read which includes interviews with many well-known centre-backs and plenty of entertaining anecdotes" --Late Tackle

"An enjoyable look at the art of great defending" --Bristol Post

About the Author

Leo Moynihan has been a sportswriter for 20 years. He has written for The Times, Four Four Two, the Sunday Telegraph, Shortlist, Evening Standard and Esquire, among others. He has written several books on football, including a ghosting project with David Beckham, a biography of Gordon Strachan which earned him a nomination for Best New Writer in the British Sports Book awards