Scottish sport books of 2006

IT'S not like us to be disorganised when it comes to Christmas shopping - we got everything sorted out weeks ago and are even now relaxing at home while watching a DVD we bought for our dad but decided to keep for ourselves.

But just in case anyone out there is about to wade into the middle of the multi-body ruck that is the shops on the last Saturday before Christmas, here is a last-gasp guide to some Scottish sports books which would be welcomed in any stocking. Even your granny's surgical one.

There really is something for everyone here. And Ewen and Roughy's Real Football Quiz Book. So have a glance through the list below, then get out there and buy something.

Preferred Lies by Andrew Greig (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 12.99)

An outstanding "journey to the heart of Scottish golf", as the subtitle has it, by one of the best writers in Britain today. Greig reflects on the history of the game and on the people who play it, in the process showing how deeply the sport has seeped into the psyche of Scotland.

Buy it for: Someone you want to impress with your good taste.

Scotland! Scotland! by Dean Hayes (Mercat Press, 14.99)

Subtitled 'the complete who's who of Scotland players since 1946', which sums it up pretty neatly. Chunky paperback is organised by decade and then alphabetically, which gives it a pleasing feel of being more of a continuous narrative than just a reference book.

Buy it for: an obsessive-compulsive cousin.

Fitba Gallimaufry by Adam Scott (Sportsbooks, 9.99)

"Essential and obscure facts from the history of Scottish football", as the subtitle helpfully tells us. A Schott's Miscellany type of guide, it combines vital stats with intriguing extraneous details. Want to know what a 'Clap The Polis Horse' League Cup final is? enquire within.

Buy it for: your obscurantist friend with the fading memory.

Rangers' Treble Kings by Bob MacCallum (Breedon Books, 16.99)

Tribute to the team that won the domestic treble twice in three seasons - 1975-76 and 1977-78. A painstaking account of an under-rated, almost forgotten achievement.

Buy it for: the teddy bear in your life.

The Rangers Football Miscellany by John White (Carlton, 9.99)

Same concept as Fitba Gallimaufry only all about Rangers of course. Can't remember all 86 players who took part in the nine-in-a-row sides? See page 96.

Buy it for: see above.

The Celtic Football Miscellany by John White (Carlton 9.99)

A companion piece to the Rangers one. We can't imagine too many people having both on their bookshelves, but if you're really into Scottish football you really should have a look at the two.

Buy it for: your Celtic-minded sister-in-law or someone similar.

Sharpy: My Story by Graeme Sharp (Mainstream, 16.99)

Long, conventional account of the Everton and Scotland striker's career, bracketed by stuff about his early days and tributes from former team-mates and opponents.

Buy it for: Your pal with an abiding hatred of Liverpool FC.

My Story by Tommy Docherty (Headline 18.99)

The Doc has written autobiographies before, but this is the definitive one. From his Gorbals childhood through his playing and managing decades to his present semi-retired contentment in England, this has got the lot.

Buy it for: Anyone who is into Scottish football. Or Man U. Or just a humorous read.

Oranje and Blue by Arthur Numan (Black & White, 14.99)

In which the lovable David Bowie lookalike looks back on his career. Standard football-biog format, but more endearing and articulate.

Buy it for: your old Dutch.

Helicopter Dreams by Ron Ferguson (Northern Books, 9.99)

The long-awaited sequel to the classic Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil, this is the tale of Cowdenbeath's Third Division championship triumph last season. With a bit of social history and a tribute to manager Mixu Paatelainen thrown in.

Buy it for: a freen' fae Fife.

Ewen and Roughy's Real Football Quiz Book (Birlinn, 9.99)

Includes - well, evokes - such questions as "Is there much more of this?" and "Does my life have a point to it any more?" Nah, as a philosopher said, it's the sort of thing you'll like if you like that sort of thing. Lots of questions, some multiple choice, from the Real Radio presenters, and it's good for a laugh of an evening over a few beers.

Buy it for: Your intellectually challenged younger brother.

Sandy Lyle: To the Fairway Born (Headline 18.99)

Engaging and well-written autobiography from the gentleman golfer who won two majors in the 1980s. Exhaustive detail makes this a compelling read for serious golf enthusiasts.

Buy it for: a serious golf enthusiast, of course.

Believe! From Turmoil to Triumph at Tynecastle by Mark Donaldson with Gary Mackay (Mainstream, 15.99)

The account of last season's ups, downs and sideways twists at Tynecastle under Vladimir Romanov. Shortlisted this week for a national sports book of the year award. Sorts out the hard facts about Hearts from the Jambo mumbo jumbo.

Buy it for: Eamonn Bannon.

Tears in Argentina: Celtic's quest of the World Club Championship by Tom Campbell (Fort, 11.99)

The strange and terrible saga of Celtic's fated trip to South America to take on Racing Club in what became one of the most notorious football matches ever played. Woods has conducted a lot of research recently to ask if the received wisdom about the 1967 event holds true, and the result is a fascinating in-depth read.

Buy it for: Andy Cameron.

Slogging the Slavs: A paranormal cricket tour from the Baltic to the Bosphorus by Angus Bell (Fat Controller Media, 9.99)

In which a young Scot travels the world on the advice of a Canadian psychic, and seeks cricket connections here, there and everywhere. Surreal and splendidly humorous.

Buy it for: a more literate student friend.

Jimmy Delaney: The Stuff of Legend by David W. Potter (Breedon Books, 16.99)

Biography of the only man in world football to have won three different cup-winners' medals in three different countries in three different decades. So it's a bit different, obviously.

Some excellent illustrations add to the interest in a well-written and painstakingly researched account. The clubs in question, incidentally, were Celtic - current player John Kennedy is Delaney's grandson - Manchester United and Derry City. The story centres on the period either side of the Second World War, but also looks at what Delaney did after he retired as a player.

Buy it for: a sepia-tinted grandparent.

The Rough & The Smooth: My Story by Alan Rough (Headline 18.99)

Old Roughy has done quite a bit since his previous autobibby, Rough At The Top, saw the light of day in the late 1980s. This new one, however, inevitably contains much that will be familiar to those who fondly read the earlier tome. "Better than Ewen and Roughy's Real Football Quiz Book" - The Scotsman. You'll see that quote on the paperback.

Buy it for: Ewen Cameron.