Footie Books

[Karlos]

As today (3rd March 2005) is World Book Day I thought i'd get a thread going on your favourite footie books.

For me two stand out as compelling reads -

Tony Adams - Addicted

David Winner - Briiliant Orange, the neurotic genius of dutch football


there's been plenty more that I've enjoyed but those two particulary.

for more info on world book day visit http://www.worldbookday.com/ireland/

[stojkovic]

As today (3rd March 2005) is World Book Day I thought i'd get a thread going on your favourite footie books.

For me two stand out as compelling reads -

Tony Adams - Addicted

David Winner - Briiliant Orange, the neurotic genius of dutch football


there's been plenty more that I've enjoyed but those two particulary.

for more info on world book day visit http://www.worldbookday.com/ireland/

Reading the second one at the moment, its excellent also -

AJAX - THE DUTCH, THE WAR

Is also an excellent insight into the Dutch mentality.

[$Leon$]

niall quinn's autobiography and the gaffers by paul howard

are my 2 fav's.
the gaffers is about the irish team that went to the last world cup

[drinkfeckarse]

Keane's autobiography was class, I have Quinn's one too which isn't bad but I felt he talked about Keane through half of it!

One of the best I've read is "Football against the enemy" by Simon Kuper. Fantastic insight into world football and some insight into the biggest club derby games too.

[stojkovic]

Keane's autobiography was class, I have Quinn's one too which isn't bad but I felt he talked about Keane through half of it!

One of the best I've read is "Football against the enemy" by Simon Kuper. Fantastic insight into world football and some insight into the biggest club derby games too.

Yes. He also wrote the one I mentioned earlier - AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR.

[drinkfeckarse]

Yes. He also wrote the one I mentioned earlier - AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR.

I thought that sounded familiar alright, will have to get round to reading it then.

[Junior]

David Winner - Briiliant Orange, the neurotic genius of dutch football[/B]

A Great read - Would thoroughly recommend it for anyone looking for something a bit different from a footie book.

Cascarino's was decent enough for a biography

Celtic Minded is a decent read on what it means to be a Celtic supporter in Scotland. Lots of different contributions from professors, former players, fans etc..

[ColinR]

roy keane and the football civil war - excellent and very funny read if you are the keane camp (one to avoid if your anti-roy)

[Bluebeard]

I don't read too many football books any more, but I did love A Season with Verona by Tim Parks when I was wandering Italy last Summer. Very enjoyable someone else following a club facing relegation - an experience I am hoping that I won't be facing again

[green army]

i've read a few good football books. a season with verona is very good. probably the best one i read.
barca a peoples passion is another good one.
football against the enemy. (learnt alot about dinamo kiev and african attitude to football.)
i bought miracle of castel del sangio??(spelling) but i havent read it yet.

[A face]

While on this topic .... what goes eircom League related books have people read ??

[tetsujin1979]

Can't think of the name, but the author travelled to all the ibggest derbies in the world - Old Firm, Liverpool, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Istanbul - to see which really is the best derby. Cracking book.

[pete]

While on this topic .... what goes eircom League related books have people read ??

One that most people would probably mention is
There's Only One Red Army - Eamonn Sweeney

Very unique to League of Ireland. Might be dated now but passage about Milltown "performance" can still make me laugh.

[gustavo]

great thing about the book is that you dont really have to know anything about football , most irish males can relate to it.

[Éanna]

One that most people would probably mention is
There's Only One Red Army - Eamonn Sweeney

Very unique to League of Ireland. Might be dated now but passage about Milltown "performance" can still make me laugh.

absolutely excellent read.

Also good are Barca: A People's passion, and Morbo.

[Poor Student]

One of the best I've read is "Football against the enemy" by Simon Kuper. Fantastic insight into world football and some insight into the biggest club derby games too.

It's alright. Certainly well worth a read but drags on a bit and he kind of loses coherency in the points he is trying to make in general in a wider context. If I recall correctly his two major points were that politics and football are inexorably linked and that the style of play of a national team or clubs league reflects a nation's character on a deep level. He doesn't really tie these lines of argument together well. None the less it is not a worthless stab and the book has merit. It is also an interesting read as it was written in about 1992 shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall. It gives you a good feel of how football has changed and a bit about post Soviet pre EU life in the Eastern bloc.

[green army]

Can't think of the name, but the author travelled to all the ibggest derbies in the world - Old Firm, Liverpool, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Istanbul - to see which really is the best derby. Cracking book.

i read a book like that. is it the one where the author and his mate go to prague to watch sparta and slavia prague. he missed the game by a day, only realised it when he saw pictures in the paper and ended up going to a less glamorous game between the bottom two teams.it was a crap game.

[Macy]

i bought miracle of castel del sangio??(spelling) but i havent read it yet.

Couldn't finish that book - hated the author too much from about chapter 2.

Got "The Boss" last year, and have Fergie's Autobiography. Both excellent, and with the two you get a good rounded image off him.

Quinn's autobiography - well written (by Humpries obv), but still didn't warm to him.

Keane book is okay, bit short if you consider his career.

My personal favourite football book is "A Strange Kind Of Glory", Dunphy's biog of Sir Matt Busby. I'd recommend it to all but the most ABU-ist.

[Macy]

Enjoyed Bufrod's 'Among the Thugs' 15 years back when books about hooliganism were rare, now there all over the place and frankly most are absolutely terrible and can only appeal to the semi-literate.

Would've put that at older, but maybe not. Wasn't overly impressed tbh - another clueless yank, imo obviously.

[Rovers Fellow!]

Enjoyed Football against the enemy by Simon Kuper,

Derby Days by Dougie And Eddie Brimson, Some of it is about hooliganism but some there alot about how rivalry affects, family, friends, people at work etc and theres some very funny stories.

Gazza's Autobiography is actually a great read, very funny although I always hated him.

Scoring, an experts view by FranK Mcavennie is another very good autobiography. Some great stories, Some terrible stuff written about him in some of the brit rag tabloids, which he puts right in the book, think I believe him considering the rubbish papers that made him out to be some big drug dealer.

Miracle of Castel Di Sangro, great stuff.

Havent read the one red army about Sligo Rovers but heard its great read, must get my hands on it