Best football books

Simon Kuper's Ajax, The Dutch, The War. Great book exploring the relationship of Jews to Ajax, football in World War II, and the reality of European resistance to German occupation.

One chapter is devoted to the American Eddy Hamel, who played for Ajax in the 1920s and 1930s. He lost his life at Auschwitz.

 

I'll toss in another vote for "How Football Explains The World...An Unlikely Theory of Globalization." Written by Franklin Foer (not sure if I spelled that perfectly). He's the editor of the New Republic magazine. Nice mixture of soccer, politics and history. It is a short book. Just a light, fun read.

 

I recently finished Manchester United Ruined my Life, by Colin Schindler, a Man City fan. It has a lot of references to his local cricket team, a sport about which I know nothing at all and his passages on it didn't register with me, but his obsession with hating Man United was interesting to me in the sense that they were so overriding a force to him that he didn't even put the name of his own team in his book title!

What I got from the book was to what degree to followers of a team that is not as fashionable in a rivalry (e. g. Fulham as opposed to our blue friends up the road) obsess over their rivals while the fans of their rivals ignore them. I am as guilty of this as anyone, because I frankly dislike everything about how Chelsea does business, and I have since I was introduced to world football. Even before the Mourinho era, the history of their Shed end fans was enough to turn me off them. Except Zola, he's the one redeeming player -- and why couldn't he have played for any other team in England?!? Now, CCCFC fans don't spend their time disliking Fulham, they feel they have bigger fish to fry.

One think that makes me a little sad about Fulham is how many songs and how much time is spent disliking Chelski. Again, I am as guilty of this as any W fan. Sure, they do business in a horses*** fashion and for a team with a galaxy of stars, watching their style of play is a cure for insomnia. I also may be overstating the issue as a large majority of discussion on this board is about the good guys in SW6. Sure it's all good fun. Still, wouldn't that passion be better redirected elsewhere?

 

And for those who prefer a visual aspect to their historical accountings, History of Soccer's 7 Disc Series is a Winner!

I'm only on Disc 2, but so far, so good.

Netflix is a winner too: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/History_of_Soccer/70028354

 

It is out of print, the only places you will find it is on specialist sites:

BookzoneBracknell
5 Flintgrove
Bracknell
United Kingdom
RG12 2JN
Tel.: +44 (0)1344 421 770 / +44 (0)1344 488 825
Email: johnbacon@screaming.net

Show as having a copy at £16 + P&P.

 

I have a copy of Simon Morgans Book here! Tom has finally given it back after 3 years!!

 

There's an excellent one I picked up a couple of weeks ago and am mid-way through, it's called The Damn Utd by David Peace. I found it while browsing through a bookstore and The Times quote on the front was 'Possible the best novel about sport ever written'. It's a fact/fiction based book surrounding Brian Clough's stint at Leeds United in the mid 70's. Well worth reading.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Damned-Utd-Davi ... 0571224261

 

Thanks Steve, I'll give it a try - given my Leeds connection

 

This thread has been dead for a while, but I finished a couple of books so I thought I would report:

Among the Thugs -
I had said this one was next on the list - I finished it some time ago. It was a wonderful read! On the cover one review reads, "A grotesque, horrifying, repellent, and gorgeous book..."

I dont think there is a better description than that. I loved it!

How Soccer Explains the World -
I had already read much of this, but I finally got all the way thru it. I enjoyed it... It was not an entertaining read, but it was interesting and somewhat insightful - if a little far fetched with some of the leaps in logic in an effort to make connection between world events and football (A fact that the author is quick to acknowledge). I would recommend it, but I would say that it is a, 'back of the toilet,' offering that is best taken in short spells.

Up next - I am going to pick up a copy of 'Bloody Confused.'

Hopefully it will be a lighthearted look at modern football... So much of what I have read has shown a focus on the shady side of the ground.

 

Yeah - it was pretty good... Ray Evans - He was in the book - took the Right Back spot for a while due to an injury of ... (Cant remember). Anyway there is an interesting story there about - as you said - the locker room stuff.

Anyway - Mr. Evans lives near me. I have had a couple of interesting conversations with him about the football of that time. I think I created a thread about this a while ago... He played for Fulham as well.

I enjoyed Glory Game tho - I would not say it is dripping with Spurs doctrine, and is also a good read for anyone.

 

I finished this recently (and it is a quick read), and most distracting was the writer. Really what he does is try to connect examples from some of the best known leagues or clubs in the world, not very convincingly. He ends up telling mostly personal tales (sometimes very cathartic for himself) about his trips to places around the world to interview people for his book.

The book starts out good enough, with stories of Red Star Belgrade (the best chapter) and the Old Firm (Rangers really are the wankers you think they are), but quickly falls apart when he invests waaaaaayyyy too much time dealing with his apparently low Jewish self-esteem. It's not that that part was not interesting, just seemed a little too irrelevant to what he was trying to make as his bigger point.

Which his bigger point suffers as well. No way you sum up a countries footy attitudes, social strata, and ways of doing business as explaining those peoples' place in the world in just roughly two paragraphs, which he tries to do at the end of every chapter. I just wished there had been more there.

Worth reading, yes. Really good reading, nope. However, you can substantiate reading it by knowing one set of weeknights will do the trick.

 

I've been looking for a copy of "Bloody Confused" by recommendation from Fox Football Fone-In.

The basic jist is an American journalist becomes jaded with American sports, and heads to England and gets hooked.

 

That's crazy talk!!


Sounds familiar.

 

A good, funny read that any American that falls in love with English football will relate to. That ought to be most anyone that visits this site!

A minor quibble is Culpepper's repeated use of run-on sentences, towards the end of the book is gets distracting, but that's a minor quibble brought to you by my 8th grade English teacher.

 

I bought a copy of it and it's okay... and the guy makes some awful generalizations about America that should have been left out. Not that good, particularly for anybody who follows the EPL seriously.

I didn't really learn anything new from the book.

 

Completely agree with Whitesbhoy assessment of this book. The bits in the beginning about Belgrade and Rangers were the only parts I enjoyed. The rest was disappointing. And the title is misplaced and invites high expectations that the author doesnt live up to.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble boys, but Among the Thugs is absolute tosh, as the British would say.

You honestly think an American professor would just meet up with United's main firm on a train, and then they would take him in as one of their own, and show him the ways? You're having a laugh.

Martin King, a real hooligan, claims none of the United firm he knows, including ones written about, have ever heard of this professor.

Top books on hooliganism are:

Hoolifan- Martin King and Martin Knight
Knowing the Score- Gary Armstrong
Steaming In- Colin Ward
Guvnors- Mickey Francis

 

On Song For Promotion

...as Mike says, an excellent read, and one that brings back memories of fun days, of a time when the players fraternised with the fans and we all felt part of the club.

Regarding getting the book, apart from the suggestions made - you could try e-bay, I saw it once go for under £10.00 - I hope you are lucky...