As a long-suffering Leeds fan, this account of how Marcelo Bielsa turned the club's fortunes around and brought them back to the Premier League was always going to get full marks from me!

Phil pulls back the curtain on Bielsa’s innovative tactical methods, his unconventional yet highly productive relationship with owner Andrea Radrizzani and Director of Football Victor Orta, his intensely loyal backroom team and the extraordinary cultural impact Bielsa has had on the city of Leeds - from murals and songs to cult fanbases in the provinces of Argentina. Some startling revelations such as Ashley Barnes not being signed because Luke Varney who was already at Leeds was rated on Football Manager or Massimo Cellino dismissing the catering staff and leaving nobody to replace the milk in the fridge at the training ground. In And it was Beautiful, The Athletic’s Phil Hay chronicles Leeds United’s glorious first season back in the top flight – which saw them finish ninth – after a chaotic sixteen-year absence. An excellent book that details the rise of Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, as well as giving an in-depth look at the owner Radrizzini and his right-hand man, Victor Orta (Director of Football). With his unique tactical approach, strict diet and body fat controls and a gruelling training schedule - including his infamous 'murderball' sessions - Bielsa has shaped a gang of Championship misfits and journeymen into a team that plays breathtakingly relentless attacking football and is more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the game's established heavyweights.

This is a must-read for any Leeds fan, but equally, there's enough here to keep any football fan entertained. UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2021/22 SEASON THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERThe behind-the-scenes story of the Marcelo Bielsa revolution at Leeds United and their first season back in the Premier League after sixteen years of hurt. Phil Hay grew up in Penicuik in Scotland and left to study journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1998. If you are a Leeds United supporter then this book is a must read, full of information and reliving good and bad times.

FEATURING FRESH PERSONAL INSIGHT FROM MARCELO BIELSA When Marcelo Bielsa was appointed head coach of Leeds United in the summer of 2018, the club had just finished 13th in the Championship - their 15th consecutive season outside the top flight - and were defined as much by their excesses and disasters off the pitch as their lack of success on it. His parting gift was to embrace the crowds of adoring fans who turned up to say thank you as he left the club's training ground for the final time. The recap of the Premier League season was interesting as we are told of some of the ways in which a football team runs behind the scenes. Perhaps only Revie comes close to Bielsa for his determination and commitment to the club, and that was in the days when managers and players were far more likely to stay with the same club. Anyone who loves football at it's most exciting and entertaining will want to read how this was achieved.Ralph Ineson, the most well-known of modern British Leeds’ fans, does an excellent job of narrating. Phil pulls back the curtain on Bielsa’s innovative tactical methods, his unconventional yet highly productive relationship with owner Andrea Radrizzani and Director of Football Victor Orta, his intensely loyal backroom team and the extraordinary cultural impact Bielsa has had on the city of Leeds – from murals and songs to cult fanbases in the provinces of Argentina. It's about emotional connections, and how Bielsa's ideas moved Leeds United from a team going nowhere to a team that had re-engaged a whole community and started what might be a path to success.

In any case a great read to fully understand what Bielsa game to Leeds and I know fully understand what Bielsa widow is! By weaving in stories of crises from the club’s purgatory in the English Football League, he presents a comprehensive and compelling portrait of an enigmatic manager whose values are the antithesis of everything that has previously gone wrong at Leeds during the dark days of Ken Bates, Massimo Cellino and GFH.Phil pulls back the curtain on the hallmarks that now define the Marcelo Bielsa era, from his gruelling training schedule—including his infamous 'murderball' sessions—to innovative tactical methods that elevated Championship regulars into Premier League stars.

Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. The chapters interweave details of each month of the 20-21 Premier League campaign with the stories of the past, exploring what went wrong (everything) and how Bielsa brought the joy back. The one thing I will say is there wasn't much in here that I wasn't already aware of, but that is a minor point and I'd rather it that way around than things included which are not verified, which I know Phil Hay would never do anyway. This story of how the team were raised up from Championship also-rans to Premiership leading lights is one for the ages, and I would recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in the game.Sometimes the football results in high goals for and against which was entertaining to football fans but drew criticism from pundits. Phil pulls back the curtain on Bielsa's innovative tactical methods, his unconventional yet highly productive relationship with owner Andrea Radrizzani and Director of Football Victor Orta, his intensely loyal backroom team and the extraordinary cultural impact Bielsa has had on the city of Leeds - from murals and songs to cult fanbases in the provinces of Argentina. Finally got around to finishing this just as Leeds have been relegated from Premier league and pretty much dismantled what Bielsa had built.