“Entertaining. . . splendid. . . masterful. Footballers of every nation should be reading this.”—Sunday Times

“Glorious... Lyttleton's book goes into remarkable detail in an attempt to find a solution, to do for England and penalties what Freud wanted to do for the human condition by transforming neurotic misery into normal human unhappiness.”—Sunday Independent

“A wonderful book: extremely well-researched, well-written and international in its scope. Ben Lyttleton has done something very rare in football writing: he has got access to some of the game's leading players and coaches and got them to talk articulately and thoughtfully about a key aspect of their game. Twelve Yards reveals the level of intelligence that exists within professional football:­ a more cerebral zone than many people realize.”

—Simon Kuper, author of Football Against the Enemy and Why England Lose

“A vivid read... Lyttleton appears to have spoken to everybody who's ever taken part in a penalty shoot-out of any significance. As a result, he serves up an almost endless series of terrific set-pieces.”—Reader's Digest

“The stage for some of football’s most dramatic moments, penalty shootouts are a prominent feature of the game’s folklore. In Twelve Yards, Lyttleton offers a comprehensive guide to the history, psychology and statistical complexity of penalties.”—Prozone Sports

“Fascinating insight... highly recommended for fans, coaches and athletes in all sports.”—Sir Clive Woodward, England World Cup-winning coach