Seconded, Futebol is a brilliant book.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackholesun
I'm currently reading Garrincha's biography.
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Seconded, Futebol is a brilliant book.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackholesun
I'm currently reading Garrincha's biography.
Why is this thread in the Eircom league section...? :confused:
Have the usually ruthless and efficient mods fallen asleep on this watch.....? :D
Football Against The Enemy by Simon Kuper is an excelent book as is John Foots Calco. My Favourite Year is also quite good, Roddy Doyle writes a piece in it about Ireland during Italia 90. EL Diego , Maradonas autobiography was a pile of pants. Not as "colourfull" as i thought it would be at all, all along the lines of " we played this match... we won.. we played again.. we lost. No menton of drug fulled romps with prostitutes/shooting at journalists/hanging out with gangsters, very disappointing.
Am sure there will be more additions to this thread following the Christmas read-a-thon.
Was mentioned before, but The Damned United really is an excellent read, hard to put down. Only got it yesterday but almost finished now. Better get back to it actually.......
Build A Bonfire, although good luck finding a copy due to its revered status amongst Brighton fans - Tallaght Library has one weirdly. Narrative account of two years spent trying to de-seat the chairman of a club he was resolutely asset stripping.
You can get it on amazon, from £68 though!Quote:
Originally Posted by KianD
If you're looking for something new and a bit different you could try More Than Just A Game by Chuck Korr and Marvin Close. It's the story of the prisoners of Robben Island and the football league they sent up.
As it's a book on the LOI and there aren't many out there it's probably worth a read.Quote:
Originally Posted by CelticTiger
But I found it to be very, very poor, and a real waste of a good premise. It offers no new insights and many of the conclusions drawn are just plain wrong.
Also, it's ridiculously weighted towards Shamrock Rovers and Drumcondra. I remember going through it ages ago, actually maybe in this thread, but a load of teams are very poorly represented, and for a history of domestic football to have no reference to Finn Harps whatever in the index is nothing short of shameful.
Anyway, many many good books mentioned, but I'd add my recommendation to, among others:
Singing The Blues and Blue, White & Dynamite by Brian Kennedy
Only One Red Army by Eamonn Sweeney
Strings Of My Harps by Patsy McGowan
The Miracle Of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss
A Season With Verona by Tim Parks
My Father And Other Working Class Heroes by Gary Imlach
Only The Goalkeeper To Beat by Francis Hodgson
Football Against The Enemy by Simon Kuper
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius Of Dutch Football by David Winner
The Damned United by David Peace
And the autobiogs of Niall Quinn, Paul McGrath (Back From The Brink) and especially Tony Cascarino (Full Time)
Just noticed am a bit light on recent ones there, could do with a few new recommendations! :D
It isn't, and nor does it claim to be, a history of Irish football in the sense that you're suggesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by stann
It's a book about a very specific processfor Irish football - namely its erosion versus competitor overseas leagues. Ignoring a plethora of teams, inclusing Finn Harps, in pursuit of that bigger picture is therefore entirely understandable.
Wasn't suggesting that it's an exhaustive history of Irish football. But it is a history, of sorts. And it does purport to deal with domestic football.
It's subtitled 'The Fall And Fall Of Irish Soccer' after all.
It should have been 'The Fall And Fall Of Two Teams In Dublin'.
This book is quite good - a chapter on football, past and present, on each of about 15 former communist countries.
http://www.walkthechalk.com/extras.php?cid=2&id=15Quote:
Originally Posted by CelticTiger
I tend to avoid football books (and I'm prepared to admit that is just down to my ignorance).
However, this looks promising... similar territory to There's Only One Red Army. Real Football, Real Fans... and gets a very positive review from Hunter Davies. Sorry if it's already been mentioned.
Just started More Than Just A Game- Football Vs Apartheid. It's the story of the football association that was run by the prisoners on Ellis Island in South Africa. Seems good so far.
Left foot forward is a great read and i would recommend it to anyone who has any insterest in football - must have a look for the sequelQuote:
Originally Posted by endabob1
are you sure fever pitch is fiction? i thought it was a sort of autobiographical thing
Apologoes for the bumpage but just wanted to post this link from the Guardian website somewhere:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010...football-books
Quote:
From Arthur Hopcraft to Nick Hornby, the award-winning journalist chooses the books that have improved our understanding of the beautiful game.
Each to their own, I would have Simon Inglis and Brian Glanville on a short list. I flick through that Sandro Solinas book 'Stadio D'Italia'. Mostly for the pictures.Quote:
Originally Posted by thischarmingman
I seen Glanville arguing with Peter Davies on TV in the early nineties. During the programme Glanville the Italian-phile stated "Your pronounciation of Cagliari shows your ignorance of Italian Football."
Only read a couple of Simon Inglis books, I bought the hardback version of The Football Grounds of Europe (1990), hits the mark on a few different football themes.
The book is still in good shape after all these years, most of the pages are stuck together though.
I agree, Simon Inglis' Fottoball ground of Europe is still one of the best book I've ever read, despite some embarassing pure british comments in the text. Definitly out of date but still a very enjoyable reading. Without this book I've probably never published my Stadi d'Italia.
Just finished the book on the LOI, "Who stole our game" by Daire Whelan, a history of incompetence in the FAI and LOI. Quite a depressing read but well researched and thougt provoking.
Inverting The Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson. Without doubt the best book I've read on tactics and probably the best football book I've ever read. His articles in the Guardian are incredible too. He's on another level to the other football journalists in Britain.
Ordered "Outcasts! The lands that FIFA forgot" by Steve Menary on Amazon the other day. Looking forward to getting it.
Cheers guys for all the suggestions.
Ordered me a good couple off Book Depository, and also re-started A Season with Verona.
Read Paddy Agnews, Rise and Fall of Italian football, and it seemed to be that he was more in tune with italian life than football itself in the country, still a lot of things come to light in the book later on, which was nice to finally know.
Bought Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, gets rave reviews, but wasn't my cup of tea.
Fever Pitch was the first fan written book about what it meant to be a fan. It was ground-breaking at the time and really struck a chord. It's probably been superseded at this stage. Like many other 'firsts' they are remembered for being the first rather than the best. I'd put Dunphy's Only a Game? in that category too.
I borrowed Rio Ferdinand's autbiography and started to read it last night. So far I have read the prologue and the first chapter. I shall not be reading any more of it. My God, its awful. Trying to make out he's a real messer...mad. In the prologue he writes about standing in the same loo as the lawyer the FA used in their case against him re the missed drugs test, and he said wrote something along the lines of wanting to put him through a wall....blah blah blah
Any updates? heading away next week and think I need some new reading material.
No current player autobiographies and no hoolie porn.
Haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if it's been mentioned, but I'd recommend "Moving The Goalposts" (subtitled "Footballs Exploitation") by Ed Horton. Fine book with some intelligent things to say on the effect of money on the game and the nature of being a supporter. The passages about supporting lower league teams in England should strike a chord with those who support their local teams in this country.
Paul McGrath's "Back From The Brink" is a brilliant read
I'm reading Football Dynamo by Marc Bennetts at the moment. Very enjoyable so far.
Got it in Hodges Figgis two weeks ago. They had Tor & Brilliant Oranje beside it, I'll be going back for them.
Might as well share my entire book reading history (football wise anyway, I'm not a big reader unfortunately)
Keane:The Autobiography - Poorly written (Ann & Barry style), although it was still pretty obvious it was more Dunphy's language than Keane's. Had heard/read most of the interesting bits already. All in all, disappointing.
Paul McGrath:Back From The Brink - Boring and repetitive, but then again I suppose that sums up the life of an alcoholic, in some aspects at least. Drowned in self pity yet constant reminders not to feel sorry for him, but do really! I was happy when I eventually finished it because I was looking forward to getting stuck into this...
Niall Quinn:Head First - Brilliant read, full of great stories from a nice guy who seems to know how to have a good time.
The Damned United - Really enjoyable. Fiction based on fact, but I have a feeling it's nearer the truth than some people would like to admit.
Think that's my lot!
Yeah imagine feeling sorry for a fella who got dumped as a kid in an orphanage by his mother. One minute she's there and the next she's not. Thought it was a great read myself. Sad but certainly not boring. Agree with you on the other three books. Tony Cascarino's book imo was a super read as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Don't get me wrong KK, I'd have huge sympathy for the guy myself, and did before I opened his book at all. I'd heard great things about it before I read it and I think my expectations may have been too high. His childhood is heart-breaking, of course, as is his addiction, but I just didn't get a real sense of honesty in relation to all the people that he let down. He would say things like "I'm not expecting any sympathy" but I got the impression throughout that's exactly what he was expecting. Maybe I'm being a tad harsh alright. Also, I didn't like the constant quotations from other people saying how great he was, I thought it was a bit lazy and would have preferred to read him telling us in his own words what people were saying about him.Quote:
Originally Posted by KK77
Must check that out alright. Does Jason McAteer have anything written? Can't imagine he would hold back much!Quote:
Originally Posted by KK77
Might have written his name once or twice. Might be about it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Fair point, but we are living in a world where Katie Price writes bestsellers!Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Ahh maybe i was being a bit harsh! Understand what you mean now. McAteer good god could you imagine though i do think he likes to play up this image that he is a complete dope! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Just ordered:
When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone
Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football
Stramash: Tackling Scotland's Towns and Teams
Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football
The Beautiful Game?: Searching for the Soul of Football
A Season With Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusions, National Character and Goals
That lot should keep me busy for the summer
I'm told that Perry groves' book is brilliant, a must read for Arsenal fans or fans who remember the late 80s.
I read a great book recently - nice and short too - called "Playbooks & Checkbooks" by Stefan Szymanski which summarises the economics of team sports in layman's term. Top stuff, although I didn't agree with everything in it.
Read thata few years ago, Very good book, some absolutely crazy stories including a good one involving Krylia Sovetov who Pats played in the Europa League 2 seasons agoQuote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Others I had read are:
Paul McGrath 'Back from the brink'- Again some crazy stories, worth a read
Tor- Good history on German football
Morbo- Another good history but on Spanish football
Calcio- Same as last 2 but with Italian footbal with alot more details
Barca 'A people passion'- Tis good but i feel it drags a bit in the middle
Hand of God- I enjoyed it, although I don't think the Argentines did:)
Forza Italia- Not really a football book like the others, more just about Agnews life in Italy but not the worst
A Season with Verona- Brilliant
Gods Vs Mortals-Absolutely love this book, would recommend it to anyone
Feet of the Chameleon- I knew nothing about African football so gave this a read, very interesting
More than Just a Game- Its about the prisoners on Robben Island during Apartheid
Started reading Giles book but have put it down in favour of Football behind the Iron Curtain, Have a few lined up after that, A Brilliant Orange, The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro and Inverting the Pyramid
One book not to go near is A rabdom History of Football, It was written by that clown Colin Murray, god he is a tool
I'm really, really bored, so I'll bump this..
Not a huge reader by any means, but dabble in the odd football book when there's traveling afoot. Mostly autobiographies, so apologies if they've been mentioned before, but this thread is huge and I've no notion of trawling the whole way through it no matter how bored I may be :D
I got How not to be a football millionaire when it came out, naturally enough being a town fan. Give auld Gillespie a few quid and keep him going. It was far better than I anticipated, well written and very honest, few good stories in there too, especially involving united in his early days, with the class of 92, then with Newcastle and the 'Rape' with Leicester. Good insight into how footballers can and how so many do end up in lots of trouble.
Read I am Zlatan a while back, I found it very tough going for the 1st few chapters, it has an odd first person style, which is far less formal than you come across in most books. It's since come out that it was embellished quite a bit by the writer. Once you get used to the storytelling style it's quite enjoyable. Interesting to see Ibra's views on many events, and get his backstory.
Seen someone else mention Fever Pitch earlier on this page, for what it's worth I enjoyed it. Maybe a bit long, but I found it easy to relate to, given he's mostly writing about going through life with Arsenal being ****. It's better than the film, but the film's probably worth watching if you've dodged it so far, and want to turn your brain off for an hour and a half.
I read a Brian Clough (Auto)Biography?? Years ago now, which came out in the early 2000's at some stage not very long after his death, he possibly died while it was being made for that matter. Chronicled all of his career from player to retirement, lots of amusing quips. he was very bitter about barely playing for or getting his shot at managing England.
Got a book called Faith of Our Fathers 2/3 years ago, I never finished it, so I can't say much, seemed ok, filled with nostalgia and rambling, so I got bored. If anyone wants it, i'll post it to you :)
Pirlo's I think therefore I play is standard enough, if you like him, you'll enjoy it, plenty of funny stories. Big fan of him referring to Christiano Ronaldo as 'the other one' and Fat Ronaldo as 'The Real one'.
Football Cliches is brilliant, not a book in the normal sense, but something every football fan should have a look through at some point. It's essentially a catalog of every football cliche anyone could ever think of, giving amusing examples, diagrams etc.