Waking the Giant
- Author Gregg Evans and Matt Maher, Foreword by Tyrone Mings
- Narrator Daryl Foster
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date 28 August 2025
- Run Time 10 hours and 16 minutes
- Format x-book®
- Genre Association football (Soccer), Biography: sport, History of sport, Management: leadership and motivation, Social and cultural history.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Standard price shown. Sign in for personalised pricing.
Send as a gift Get in the xigxag appFlexible Pricing & Rewards For Listening
At xigxag, the more you read, the less you pay* on select audiobook and x-book® titles, as in the table below. Pricing updates automatically in the app and resets one year after your first purchase. And you can always find a selection of brilliant titles available for only £3.99.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price per title
- £7.99
- £6.99
- £5.99
- £4.99
- £3.99
*Only the full price titles you buy count toward your personal pricing tier. Full price titles don’t include Listen for Less or other books bought with a voucher or discount code.
Listen to a sample
What to expect
The inside story of one football club's astonishing revival
Featuring exclusive interviews with Jack Grealish, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, along with many other key figures
In early July 2018, Aston Villa were staring into the abyss.
Locked in a cash crisis triggered by defeat in the Championship play-off final, one of English football’s most historic and successful clubs stood on the brink of financial catastrophe.
Yet less than six years later, Villa were celebrating qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Waking The Giant takes you inside one of the most extraordinary revival acts in modern football, from the last-minute takeover by billionaire duo Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens which saved the club, through the promotion and equally remarkable Premier League survival inspired by boyhood supporter Dean Smith, right up to the present day and their return to the European elite under Unai Emery.
It is a tale of triumph plucked from the jaws of despair, several times over, with Villa frequently defying the odds to keep climbing and reclaim their place at English football’s top table.
From club record runs to great escapes from relegation and British record transfers, this is a rollercoaster ride not to be missed.
Featuring exclusive interviews with:
- Jack Grealish
- John McGinn
- Ollie Watkins
- Tyrone Mings
- Ezri Konsa
- Albert Adomah
- Damian Vidagany, Director of Football Operations
- Jesus Garcia Pitarch, former sporting director
- Dean Smith, former manager
- Keith Wyness, former CEO
And dozens of other off-the-record conversations with key figures, managers, coaches, players and staff.
Critics Review
To come…
nAbout xigxag and the x-book®
Discover the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed to simplify finding, purchasing, and enjoying your favourite books in audio format. Our flexible pricing model makes bestselling audiobooks affordable, offering the best audiobook deals without the need for a subscription. You can also give the perfect gift with our convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.
A core differentiator of xigxag is our groundbreaking listen-and-read x-book® technology, which delivers a truly immersive digital book experience. This unique innovation seamlessly combines the audiobook, text, and images into a brilliant, integrated format, complete with exclusive audiobook features and a next-generation digital reading experience. Our growing x-book selection is easily discoverable by looking for the distinctive purple x-book® ribbon, or by simply filtering your search by ‘x-book’.
Beyond our technology, xigxag is committed to sustainability and ethical practices, ensuring a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we stand as a leader in audiobook innovation and a compelling alternative to big tech. Our commitment extends to delivering extraordinary customer service, provided by our friendly UK support team.
Effortlessly search audiobooks, gain insights from honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. You can download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere, guaranteeing the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Experience the future of audiobooks today.