Football Books
Now for a curve ball based on some of the responses I've seen. What is THE best football book you've read? Be it fact or fiction? I've seen some great suggestions on the previous post & I've added those to my personal list, but from the whole variety of stuff in the chat room & comments it made me realise that posts like those could end with loads of us reading great stuff we'd otherwise miss out on, as we all know we have knowledgeable regulars from around the globe!
The first/main aim of this blog was Yahoo Fantasy Football, but I've realised in the past few months it could now go further than that given the huge following, & I encourage that. So...
My favourite football book is 'The Fix' by Declan Hill - I won't reveal too much but I will say I think every football fan should read it to realise what has/could/will happen with our game. Genius, but scary stuff for any fan of the game as it is (or as we think it is...)
So there you go - best football book, what's yours?
Cheers,
AM
25 comments:
An oldie. The Soccer Tribe. Desmond Morris
It's a super long (and at times dry) read but "The Ball is Round" by David Goldblatt gets my vote....fascinating tome about the evolution of the beautiful game over time in different countries/regions of the globe, putting differing styles/traditions in the context of cultural and political events.
You stole my book! haha but im currently reading the fix right now and it is fantastic. Soccernomics is also sensational.
Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson, a history and dissection of tactics, some fascinating stuff.
Soccernomics - And not just because of how much they compliment Arsene Wenger (im a gooner)
"how soccer explains the world" was pretty good.
Wallace & Gromit: the bootiful game’ by Ian Rimmer
When Wallace inherits a failing football club, he uses all his inventive skills to set it on the road to cup glory. But then the club falls foul of a pair of dastardly property developers who want the team's ground for themselves!
I write for a living, and publishers/agents/PR folks send me lots of books as a result. Reading more than I should is an occupational hazard, I guess. With that said, here are some football books I've liked:
Soccernomics - you may not agree with everything but it will make you think.
Football Against the Enemy ('Soccer' Against... in the US) - heavy on politics/worldview, but does show that football is more than just a sport.
Beckham Experiment - I don't have a strong opinion about Beckham, but I did enjoy the behind the scenes look at his early days in LA.
Damned United - liked it. (Liked the movie too.)
Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism - probably for a US reader only, but a good explanation of why American soccer lags behind the NFL, NBA, MLB in terms of popularity, influence, etc.
Soccer: Modern Tactics (Zauli) - I didn't grow up playing soccer, started watching as an adult... so tactics are often beyond me. The most poorly-translated book I've ever read, but I still learned enough to make me sound intelligent at parties.
Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer - not released yet, probably for US readers only. The author covers soccer for USA Today, so he has lots of anecdotes and behind the scenes info to add to a good overview of the development of MLS. If you live outside the US you could probably care less, but a good book for US soccer fans.
Haven't read The Fix, looking forward to it. Feel free to share not only your favorites but other books that are good. Lots of UK releases aren't publicized in the US, for example, so it's hard for us to stumble on them - we can use your help.
Jeff
@ Jeff
I loved "the movie "Damned United" too (btw its leeds, not manchester united)
Since I am currently reading "The Ball is Round" The only football (Soccer) book I have completed is: "The Match of Their Lives" which is about the US 1-0 upset over England in the 1950 World Cup. I made sure to finish it before June 12 and I plan on watching the movie "The Miracle Match" again, on June 11th (and I hope Bob Bradley does the same with the US National Team).
haha judging by the amount of comments, many users here dont read much it seems. Any good footy movies to recommend anyone?
I remember reading some books as kid, about a kid perhaps called Nick(?)- who supported a fictional team called albion and played on the wing in an amateur team.
Can anyone remember what they were called?
movie wise i like all the goal movies and damned united (brian clough is hilarious)
book wise i've obly read david beckham's biography. i liked it but probably boring unless one likes him.
btw AM, what happened to time off for the summer? :) your gf must be happy :)
on a side note, my private group chose to play the official premier league fantasy game next season, could someone tell me how strategies should differ from yahoo? anything to keep in mind to get the edge, since we are all new players to the official fantasy :)
cheers, ferdinand.
@Ferdinand - Read with fanatism the Fantasy Football Scout and you'll do just fine...!!! (fantasyfootballscout.co.uk). And, you'll get many informations in here too, in terms of: who is a must, which team will crush the opponent, injuries, suspensions and thorough team news...!!!
About the books - Really, reading books about football never crossed my mind. Not because I don't like reading or God forbid, don't like reading about football, but...it JUST never ocurred to me...!!! Silly me, right!
Cheers
i like the goal movies and the damned united.
thank you fidan!
so are you playing both or just one of them? :)
ferdinand
@ferdinand
I also play both, but the official game is really disappointing; mainly because there's only 1 transfer allowed each week (points deducted for more) plus awild card week. Harder to score points too. I spend 1% sorting that team then 99% on the Yahoo team.
On the plus side it's updated pretty instantaneously, you have subs and needto choose acaptain who scores double points.
Also try fantasyfootballcheat.co.uk.
Sorry to be off topic, AM
Just finished reading The Ball is Round. There were interesting parts, but other parts were a bit dry and tough to get through.
I'm currently reading Fever Pitch.
Soccernomics is next before the cup starts.
-lfcinpa
I also started, but haven't finished, a book called
"Fitba Daft: A story of total soccer addiction in Scotland and America" pretty good so far
Can't believe there's only one shout for "Fever Pitch" so far...by far theee best footie book out there. Nick Hornby is such a talented author.
for all of you people sick of the fabregas story, which i am not. i think that right now i have hit that limit with the mourinho stories. he is probably the most despised coach in all of football, ranking just ahead of alex ferguson from manure.
I highly recommend "My Father and Other Working Class Football Heroes" by Gary Imlach (2005). Fascinating story about what it was like to play in the 50s and 60s before the Premier League and huge salaries, especially with the absolute control the clubs had over their players. Beautifully written.
"How Soccer Explains the World" by Franklin Foer, & "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford were very eye opening.
-banned in dc
Brillant Orange, about the Dutch National team deserves a shout.
I second A Brillian Orange. That is a fantastic book. As is Among the Thugs, and The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro is pretty awesome too.
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