Best football books

I have been told 'Fever Pitch' is a must read for football fans. Anyone else have a recommendation for the newly addicted?

 

I liked The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro better. It's written by Joe McGinnis, and it is about a small city in a forlorn part of Italy that saw their village team rise throughout the pub team ranks all the way up to Serie B, back in 1993. I believe they still are the smallest team to participate in Serie B ever.

McGinnis is an excellent writer with a passion for the game that is almost crazy, but then again, aren't we all as footy fans. The characters that are on this team are worth reading the book, and there are a number of funny stories. One is 2 pages into the book, and it tells of a huge AC Milan fan hwo just was acquitted from a crime that he would have spent 20 years in the clink for, meets McGinnis, an American calcio fan, and tells all his friends about his new friend before he tells them of his acquittal.Some on this board may disagree, but I definitely place this book above Fever Pitch.

 

I really enjoyed reading the last published biography on Bear Bryant. Yes, that was a joke.

 

Steve and Don, thanks. I will be making a trip to the library to see if I can rustle these titles up. All three sound like great books.

COYW!!!

I'm still fired up about the game today.

 

Fever pitch was pretty good. Arsenal tho... ugh!

I really liked The Glory Game.

Beautiful Orange has been a little dull.

Blood and Guts at the World Cup was actually pretty good. It was a quick read and provided some eye opening hints as to the current state of affairs at FIFA and the World Cup.

 

Oh - if you can get, "How Football Explains the World" and not the soccer version you will be happier because they just did a word replace with soccer for Football and there are times that the swap did not come out well - and for me it was very distracting.

 

Fowler... He was one of the first stars of the Prem and his career had its fair share of turmoil. Interesting read and I'd recommend it to any football fan. Stay away from Gerrard's autobiography. Was overhyped.

 

Any Fulham fan has to read the book "On Song for Promotion" by former Captain and Fulham legend Simon Morgan. Many Fulham faans, especially us yanks, weren't avidly supporting the team in 1997 (or even heard of them for that matter) and the book highlights Simons journey with Fulham from the lowest of league positions all the way to the Premier League.

A remarkable story for Simon but also helped educate me of the Fulham I missed out on during those years.

 

Its a pretty good one. A lot about Italy in general there as well. I find when looking to learn about somewhere reading something like this is a much more useful than say Frances Mayes gabbing on and on and on. I share my last name with the author as well.

 

The last one I read was "Among The Thugs" by Bll Buford. It details an American journalist first hand account of British hooligans in the 80's and 90's. It enjoyed the hell out of it.

 

Thats the next one on my list as well. Glad to hear it is a good one.

 

Excellent read.

 

If you care to read about football hooligans from the 70's and 80's. Bill Buford has written an amazing book detailing his time with Manc hooligans, nationalist front members and italian ultras.

Worth a read if the topic interests you.

 

Mike, any idea where we can find that book? i've tried amazon and can't find it.

 

dtwondough...

Found the book on the Amazon UK link. Here it is: On Song For Promotion (Hardcover)
by Simon Morgan

Only one left. So as the Sugarhill Gang would say, "Jump On It".

 

tried to jump, but can't deliver to me. oh well.

 

i was going to say this book as well.

 

please give us a nice write up for the front page of FUSA when you are done. :banana: