Latest Issue

DOWNLOAD > the latest edition of Man and Ball digital magazine.  

New Issues are released around the 20th of each month -- the latest is August's ISSUE TWO: LIVING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GAME >

We've Moved!

The domain transfer's complete, so if you find yourself here for some reason, just click this link to enjoy our FLASH NEW SITE >

We're Moving

Panic not, devoted fans.  We're moving to a new host for a flash new website, but you'll still be able to find us at www.manandball.com.  Check back in a few days' time to see the new look Man and Ball -- and because we want to engage with our readers we're even giving you the chance to get some of your artwork on the site.  Just send your image of me (Nigel, you know, the god?  The guy who invented this game?) to manandball@mail.com and our editors will do the rest.  Only if it's decent, mind.

Read Online

Thanks to the amazing technological developments since the last century, you lucky humans are now able to choose how you read my rag: download it to your hard drive to read at your leisure, or access it online at Scribd.com.

Visit the DOWNLOAD > page to make your choice now.  And it's still all completely free.  I'm too good to you people.

Issue Two Now FREE

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

■ Issue Two is now FREE to DOWNLOAD > 

■ There's also the opportunity to DONATE >


*Sigh*

Give the humans one small task and, lo and behold, they mess it right up.

I asked my two editors, Jude Ellery and Martin Palazzotto, to design and distribute this digital rag so you lot could read about my continued struggles to right the world, as well as some interesting little features by some of the best bloggers around.

So, what do they do? The boneheads only went and started charging for the damn thing, which meant only a few of you read the last one, compared the the hundreds who had the pleasure of thumbing their virual way through Issue One. To put it mildly, I wasn't a happy god, so when I got hold of the two of them I -- well, let's just say I made them see sense. Now, Issue Two, and every issue for the foreseeable future, is completely free of charge. Just folllow the link at the top there to download your very own copy of Man and Ball: Living On Both Sides Of The Game. And tell a friend, yeah? Those tweet buttons aren't there for decoration.

Oh, and before I go back to my glass of malbec, a quick note of congratulation to Hamish's Scottish bairns, who triumphed in the Homeless World Cup the other day. That's what this Game's all about.

Homeless World Cup Final

The PARIS 2011 HOMELESS WORLD CUP > final was won today by Scotland, who claimed their second trophy after beating Mexico 4-3.  Jude tells me the tournament began in 2003 and has gone from strength to strength; this year 48 teams competed in the men's competition, and 16 in the women's.  Co-founder, Mel Young -- a bit of a Bob Geldof sans needless cussing and out of tune singing -- said of his inspirational project:

Believe that we can end homelessness.  Believe that we can end poverty and create a confident, healthy world.  We create a framework, use our imagination, and believe we can create a change.  Believe in the spirit of the international tournament, the magic that happens to unite, to inspire, to transform.

My writers reckon they can patch together an article on the tournament that'll do it justice -- look for their attempts in the September Issue.  And please, if you can afford it, make a donation at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE >

Features

Check out the FEATURES > page at the top there for bonus material from 'editors' Jude Ellery and Martin Palazzotto.  It should keep you mildly entertained while waiting for the next Issue of Man and Ball to be released -- which is around the 20th of each month.  Alternatively, it'll send you into a deep state of catatonia that will keep you out of action till the next instalment arrives.

Kindling

For those of you lucky devils with a Kindle, I've been told be an unreliable source that Man and Ball views quite well on such a device.  Apparently you need to rotate it to landscape and increase the zoom to 150%. Alternatively, email the PDF to your Kindle with 'convert' in the subject field and you won't need to do this -- though you'll completely muck our editor's beautifully crafted layout.  It took him hours, he reckons.

Nigel's World

The worryingly obsessive will have noticed a new tab up there, in between 'Contributors' and 'Features'. It's cunningly entitled NIGEL'S WORLD and it lives up to its name, providing a mini-bio for every character appearing in my adventures. Don't know what I'm talking about?  Then download the latest issue to educate, entertain and inform yourself -- and for god's sake, switch off that television set.

Contributors

CONTRIBUTORS > page now updated to include the newly appointed Poet Laureate, Guest Illustrator and Guest Writers for ISSUE TWO >

You can see what these humans have to say for themselves by clicking their names to view their twitter accounts -- though why you'd want to do such a thing is beyond me.

Issue Two: Living On Both Sides Of The Game

■ Issue Two is FREE to DOWNLOAD > 

■ There's also the opportunity to DONATE >

Living On Both Sides Of The Game -- examines the football world's current love affair with finesse and almost complete rejection of force. Introducing and concluding the theme is a Faustian epic concerning a league of higher -- and lower -- powers, featuring some contemporary faces. 

As well, you'll find essays questioning the definition of beautiful and pointing the finger at the original corrupters; a wee discussion of the Argentine game taking place in a Buenos Aires cantina; and a feminine perspective on the state of the game. 

Then there's the second instalment of the Chairman Diaries, the continuing adventures of Nigel... and, oh yes, one of our editors selling his immortal soul... all of it framed by the verse of our newly appointed bard.

Issue One: Let Sleeping Gods Lie

■ Issue One is FREE to DOWNLOAD > 

■ There's also the opportunity to DONATE >

The god has risen. He is not happy. What have the mortals done to his beloved Game? Asleep for a century, the whole place has gone to hell in a hand basket. This shall not stand.

To keep tabs on Nigel's progress and enjoy the collected works of some of the best writers the internet has to offer, bookmark this page.

Issue One: Let Sleeping Gods Lie introduces Nigel and features stories on German football since reunification, African Arsenal fans, an unsung Dutch legend and seven other intriguing articles.