New LoI book - One Night in Dudelange

[pineapple stu]

[With thanks to dahamsta for permission to plug!]

There's a new LoI book out for those interested. One Night in Dudelange - Adventures in the UEFA Europa League is published by Vision Sports and is the story of UCD's unlikely 2015 European adventure.

With quotes from players, coaches, officials and supporters, this isn't so much a UCD book as celebration of the everyday things which make European games so memorable - blackmailing Russian officials, sneaking into VIP areas, ultras and players bumping into each other in Tescos on matchday and, of course, going on the drink in Coppers afterwards.

It's available on the publisher's website (https://shop.visionsp.co.uk/football/OneNightInDudelange) (price works out at €15 + P&P), in the UCD club shop on matchdays and shortly in the campus bookshop.

Blurb
University College Dublin AFC, a student team from the second tier of Irish football, is a club unlike any senior club elsewhere in Europe. They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals. For those who play for the club, career success is more likely to mean a Government Ministry or a high-ranking CEO position than a move to a Premier League club.

And in 2015, the club embarked on their biggest adventure yet, when they were unexpectedly catapulted into the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League. As a result, the college’s team of Arts students, Actuary Master’s and Theoretical Physics grads went from playing intervarsity competitions to World Cup stars in the space of six months. Scouting opposition on YouTube, arranging matches 3,000 miles away which would never take place, and players who wouldn’t be recognised on their own campus making headlines across Europe in an unforgettable summer – One Night in Dudelange reveals what it’s really like to prepare for and play in the single biggest day in the UEFA calendar.

https://shop.visionsp.co.uk/image/cache/catalog/OneNightInDudelange_Cover_Artwork-400x400.jpg

[EatYerGreens]

Good to see another LOI book on the go.

Were none of the Irish publishers interested, or did you not try them ?

[pineapple stu]

No bites here unfortunately

[Mr A]

Ordered a copy today there. It better be good or the ban hammer will be out sharpish.

[Nesta99]

Shall order a copy this weekend. I'm intrigued by this "They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals". I have never heard anything abou these - any chance of a quick history lesson Stu? It would certainly fit in to the randomness of #TheGreatestLeagueintheWorld!!

[pineapple stu]

Ordered a copy today there. It better be good or the ban hammer will be out sharpish.
Ooh. About that actually. Finn Harps fans may...need a sense of humour, shall we say. :)


Shall order a copy this weekend. I'm intrigued by this "They’ve been world champions, started riots in Sudan and had the Archbishop of Dublin deem it a mortal sin to play for their main rivals". I have never heard anything abou these - any chance of a quick history lesson Stu? It would certainly fit in to the randomness of #TheGreatestLeagueintheWorld!!
Yup. UCD won the World Collegiate Soccer Championships in New Mexico in 1987; the trophy is (or was anyway) on display in the Sports Centre.
You can read more here (https://www.independent.ie/life/family/learning/faith-of-our-fathers-my-fight-to-study-at-trinity-30050030.html), and in fact there's most of the footage from the final too. The only goal is at 1:34:00

There's a brief article on the UCD in Sudan bit here (https://comeheretome.com/2012/03/05/tear-gas-machine-guns-and-ucd-afc/), and the mortal sin bit is playing slightly loose with the truth, but it's an extension of the bishops' (in particular, John Charles McQuaid) decision to deem any Catholic attending or sending their children to attend Trinity to be guilty of a mortal sin. Here's an example (https://www.independent.ie/life/family/learning/faith-of-our-fathers-my-fight-to-study-at-trinity-30050030.html); it was the case up until 1970 amazingly. So given you had to be in Trinity to play for them, then technically the blurb statement becomes true, though it wasn't quite what McQuaid had in mind.

[Mr A]

As a man who wore a wrestling mask to games for 6 years because of a single remark Collie O'Neill made, I think forgiveness, good humour and perspective are exactly what can be expected of me

[pineapple stu]

I'm screwed...

[pineapple stu]

*Looks around*

Not banned.

Presume still in Mr A's reading pile :)

[Mr A]

You're lucky enough, ploughing through a fairly weighty tome and it'll be ages before I get to it!

[kksaints]

Got it last week. Really enjoyable book in particular the behind the scenes view on the UEFA Licencing is a great read.

[pineapple stu]

Features in today's Irish Times section of the Sports Books of the Year (https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/malachy-clerkin-s-sports-books-of-the-year-1.4098222), squeezed in between Pep and the O'Donovan brothers -


A delightful account of UCD’s unlikely Europa League campaign in the summer of 2015. It’s a fun little gem of a book, filled with fatalism and the enjoyably have-a-go attitude of those involved.

Happy out with that! :)

[Nesta99]

Thorougly enjoyed the book Stu! Im sure any LoI fan would enjoy it so give it a go, and put a few bob in a poor students pocket ;p

[Poor Student]

Thorouly enjoyed the book Stu! Im sure any LoI fan would enjoy it so give it a go, and put a few bob in poor students pocket ;p

Too kind.

[Nesta99]

A poor student, not the poor student ;)

[pineapple stu]

Oi, get off my thread! :p

Actually, looking at the Irish Times piece in full, it only nominates three football books (there's 22 sports books in all). There's Sadlier's one, which is getting rave reviews. There's a behind-the-scenes view of Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City project. And there's One Night in Dudelange. That's decent company, I think.

[Nesta99]

Oi, get off my thread! :p

Actually, looking at the Irish Times piece in full, it only nominates three football books (there's 22 sports books in all). There's Sadlier's one, which is getting rave reviews. There's a behind-the-scenes view of Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City project. And there's One Night in Dudelange. That's decent company, I think.

Its is indeed, Congrats!

[osarusan]

Oi, get off my thread! :p

Actually, looking at the Irish Times piece in full, it only nominates three football books (there's 22 sports books in all). There's Sadlier's one, which is getting rave reviews. There's a behind-the-scenes view of Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City project. And there's One Night in Dudelange. That's decent company, I think.

Fair play to you, never thought you had it in you.

[SkStu]

I’m just a little disappointed your names Kevin!

Congrats Pineapple! Good stuff!

[sbgawa]

Fantastic recognition, and deserved too it's an excellent read

[pineapple stu]

Fair play to you, never thought you had it in you.
Ah, that's cos you think you have to be dead to be a good writer. :)

[Ezeikial]

Ah, that's cos you think you have to be dead to be a good writer. :)

Congrats on the book

I've often wondered why humble people are so proud of being humble

[osarusan]

Ah, that's cos you think you have to be dead to be a good writer. :)Now you know how to get me to read it.

[John83]

Now you know how to get me to read it.

It is great sadness that I must announce that Pineapple Stu has faked his own death. Ar dheis Dé do raibh a anam.

[sbgawa]

Crap why didn't I go for the signed copy, could be worth a fortune now :)

[pineapple stu]

Now in Dubray's, or you can win a copy on the LoI twitter page competition (https://twitter.com/SSEAirtricityLg/status/1202977359638470656).

*Returns to being dead...*

[Mr A]

Started this over the weekend. Liking it so far. Looking forward to UCD playing Harps as I have no doubt the esteem and respect in which we are held at UCD will shine boldly through.

[sbgawa]

Started this over the weekend. Liking it so far. Looking forward to UCD playing Harps as I have no doubt the esteem and respect in which we are held at UCD will shine boldly though.

Em ....................

[Nesta99]

Harps fans really were resigned to relegation!

[nigel-harps1954]

Does it really need to be explained that he's on about the book description of Harps games against UCD that season?

[Mr A]

Hahaha, got the the Harps bit after a mid book break to read some other stuff. UCD's ongoing resentment at us not playing them on their own terms continues to delight and amuse. It's a fun book though, well worth a read.

[pineapple stu]

I will admit to at least partially writing those paragraphs with the explicit intention of winding you up. :)

[forza]

Picked up a copy last night, looking forward to the read!

[Mr A]

I will admit to at least partially writing those paragraphs with the explicit intention of winding you up. :)

LOL. I fecking love this league.

[geysir]

I like the intl postage rates, £3.70 from the storage shelf to Ireland to Iceland to Greenland to Turkministan but to the UK, 2nd class standard is £3.90. First class UK postage is a few pence cheaper than intl. postage to Kangwan-do, North Korea.

Congratulations on the book, I didn't think UCD or ex UCD students had a sense of humour but maybe there are a few exceptions.

[pineapple stu]

Made the Irish Independent's top 3 football books of the year (https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/the-best-sport-books-of-the-year-that-will-make-a-perfect-stocking-filler-this-christmas-38805063.html?token=1722756487) as well.


A thoroughly enjoyable tale of a most unlikely adventure [...] The story sings with the giddy optimism of underdogs who could scarcely believe their luck"

This is fun. :)

[Martinho II]

Made the Irish Independent's top 3 football books of the year (https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/the-best-sport-books-of-the-year-that-will-make-a-perfect-stocking-filler-this-christmas-38805063.html?token=1722756487) as well.



This is fun. :)

congrats pineapple!

[GerByrne]

Just finished the book. Have to say, it's absolutely superb. Great work Pineapple Stu..

[pineapple stu]

A very pleasant bump! :p

[Dave77]

Read it over Christmas, really enjoyed it. One thing I love about LOI books/articles is the access to players management. You can always tell people gladly gave their time to help author.

[pineapple stu]

Reviewed in the current issue of When Saturday Comes -


As the game becomes ever more corporatised, homogenised, and artificially boosted, it's reassuring that a certain sub-genre of football publishing stubbornly refuses to die. We'll call it minnowcore, for want of a better team - the celebration of teams who aren't even household names in their own homes. Now, to the likes of Charlie Connelly's Stamping Grounds and James Montague's Thirty-One Nil, can be added this charming little tale of how a team of Irish students somehow fought their way into the second round of the Europa League.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I've read both of those books they compare them to, and they're both great, so that's a genuinely ringing endorsement.

Minnowcore is a good name for it.

[pineapple stu]

They're actually the two books I likened it to myself when contacting publishers. (Montague's publishers, Bloomsbury, asked for more info before deciding it wasn't quite commercial enough for them)

But yep, it's a better review than a simple "It's excellent" alright.

[D24Saint]

If I ever write my LOI memoirs I call it six nights in Esch-sur-Alzettet, Luxembourg is the most boring country on the planet. Must give this book a look.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Just finished it there. Really good read, would recommend it to any football fan. I never really knew how badly Dudelange's players reacted at the end of the tie.