Try free for 30 days

  • The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines

  • By: Michael Cox
  • Narrated by: Colin Mace
  • Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (90 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines cover art

The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines

By: Michael Cox
Narrated by: Colin Mace
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.33

Buy Now for $27.33

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

An absolutely essential book for every modern football fan, about the development of Premier League tactics, published to coincide with 25 years of the competition.

Back in 1992, English football was stuck in the dark ages, emerging from a five-year ban from European competition. The game was physical, bruising and attritional, based on strength over speed, aggression over finesse. It was the era of the midfield general, reducers, big men up front and getting it in the mixer; 4-4-2 was the order of the day. Few teams experimented tactically.

And then, almost overnight, it all changed. The creation of the Premier League coincided with one of the most seismic rule changes in football history: the abolition of the back-pass. Suddenly defenders had no get-out-of-jail-free card, goalkeepers had to be able to field and play the ball and the pace of the game quickened immeasurably. Tactics evolved dramatically, helped by an increased foreign influence.

The Mixer is the first book to delve deep into the tactical story of the Premier League and take a long view of how the game has developed over the last quarter century. From Ferguson's directness to Keegan's relentlessly attacking Newcastle outfit to Mourinho's cagey, reactive Chelsea, all the way to Ranieri's counterattacking champions, The Mixer is one of the most entertaining, rich and knowledgeable football books ever written.

©2017 Michael Cox (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Intelligently written. Impressively researched. Fascinatingly addictive. Michael Cox is like a cartographer, remapping the landscape of the Premier League so we see the contours of it afresh. That's some feat." (Duncan Hamilton, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year)
"Michael Cox provides brilliant tactical context to our favourite moments of Premier League nostalgia. The Mixer is as entertaining as a Wanchope dribble, with the authority of a Shearer finish and the panache of a Cantona celebration. And you may even learn to love Tony Pulis a little bit.' (Ben Lyttleton, author of Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty)
"This is more than the impeccably researched and authoritative account of the English game's tactical evolution over the last quarter of a century you'd expect from a master of the genre. It is also packed with anecdotes and stories - some familiar, others far less so, a number of them hilarious - which give it flesh and ensure this book will be revisited many times, not just by those looking for imaginative and sometimes profound analysis, but by any football fan who enjoys a good tale well told." (Philippe Auclair, author of Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King)

More from the same

What listeners say about The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Vik
  • 03-11-2017

Fantastic Book

This was a wonderful book. A different look into the history of the Premier League. It was a pleasure to know how things panned out in the previous years from a tactical way. The rise and downfall of teams.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Premier League History Lesson

Being of an age that missed most of the premier league & lower viewing options in Australia, I've always loved football coming from my Geordie roots, it was great to understand how the game evolved overtime.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

PUT IT IN YOUR BOOKSHELF!

This book was incredible, absolutely everything you could ever want to know about the Premier League and the tactics that kept us enthralled with it, I loved it, the Narration was some of the best I've ever heard, I have ordered this book to re-read it in the flesh, I can't recommend it enough if you love Football and Tactics. Cheers for a brilliant time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best sports book I've ever listened to.

This book is amazing for casual fans or fanatics! Runs through a whole history of the league, the tactics and the most influential players and coaches. Will be relistening again at a later stage!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent book for all football fans!

I had heard a lot of good things about this book and sometimes, you worry that the hype will deliver very little in terms of quality.

This book is one of the best football reads you will be able to lay your hands on any time soon.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb discussion of the Premier League’s Evolution

Come for the excellent analysis of the Premier League’s great teams, players, coaches and tactical development.

Stay for the unintended hilarity of impersonated foreign accents.

Must listen for anyone with a passing interest in the Premier League.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book to understand football strategy changes

I loved this book and his it went through the changes bought in by players and coaches throughout the premier league. Great for any fan or aspiring coach.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.