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Footy book recommendations

Guest YANKEEBLEEDSMAGPIE

by Guest YANKEEBLEEDSMAGPIE
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OzzieMandias

OzzieMandias

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Harry Pearson's book about football in the north-east, The Far Corner, is a laugh, even though there's next to fuck all about us (he's a smoggie) and he generally tries just a little bit too hard to be funny.

 

He has a good ear, though. One bit stuck with me so much it's become a shared joke with friends, a line that often surfaces in conversation... Pearson is in the "old codger's end" at Feetham's, watching some desperately boring Darlington game, and hears some old fucker complaining loudly about the players' lack of movement:

 

"They're just standing there -- like grapes!"

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Flip

Flip

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Reading a book by Ferran Soriano. Halfway through it. 'The Ball doesn't go in by chance' is the name in english I think. Explains management ideas and strategies in todays football and how they managed to turn Barcelona into a profitable club in the early 2000s. Interesting books and gives you a nice overview of the management/economical stands you have to take to be successful and the different examples in todays football.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Guest Howaythetoon

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The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures

 

Great read, witty and very observant. Especially good if you're an aspiring coach. Always liked Vialli, achieved decent success at Chelsea but seems to have disappeared, perhaps more of a coach than a manager.

 

The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football

 

An exhaustive look at the game from all aspects of it really. I haven't yet finished it.

 

Malcolm Macdonald: An Autobiography

 

The '83 version. Again, from a coaching perspective its is very interesting. He had some very good ideas about the game and players.

 

The Magnificent Obsession: Keegan, Sir John Hall, Newcastle and Sixty Million Pounds

 

A must read for any Toon fan. This books perhaps best portrays that era and KK.

 

Premiership - Lifting The Lid On a National Obsession

 

Its mainly about the business of the Premier League and indeed the game and its a very good read. There is lots of stuff in there about NUFC, Sir John Hall etc. and how we helped sell the new PL as the entertainers etc.  and a few bits on how Shearer was the golden boy of English footy at that time. There is a few lines from someone high up at Sky who says before they had footy they were going bust, as soon as they got the rights to footy though, it was like lots of money being posted through their HQ letter boxes. That same person said Sky would pay whatever it took and that the clubs were stupid because they could demand far more and would eventually get it because without footy, they (Sky) wouldn't exist.

 

Looking at today, Sky pretty much relies on the footy for subscriptions. Their movies.. they can't compete with Love Film etc. while their broadband etc. isn't anything special. Without footy they would struggle massively.

 

This book even though its over a decade old, is very revealing. For years footy was a family ran business/enterprise but Italia 90 changed all that. Something like 30m people watched England lose to Germany and that's when big business got involved and started to take over.

 

And speaking of Italia '90...

 

All Played Out: The Full Story of Italia '90

 

Not the longest of reads but its a great account and insight into football at that time, especially following England at a major tournament, from the media perspective to the fans' perspective. In the book there are rumours that the likes of the sun would pay England supporters to throw some chairs and act all aggressive.

 

The Hughie Gallacher Story

 

Again, another must read. Forget about KK, Shearer et al, this man sums up NUFC best. No player since has captained us to a league title triumph. His life was both amazing and tragic.

 

Today, someone like him would be one of the best in the world. Stan Seymour once said Stanley Matthews had but a mere smattering of Hughie's talent. High praise indeed.

 

I love my history and find the olden day NUFC if you want far more interesting that the current club and for me, Hughie Gallacher stands alone as the best player in our club's history.

 

I have over 100 footy books on my shelves, quite a lot I haven't read, but those mentioned, are without a doubt, in my opinion, either good or great reads.

 

Btw, I'm not too big on autobiographies myself so tend to read books about the game and even individuals from others' perspectives and experiences rather than the players themselves. Although the '83 version of Supermac's book was a good and different read I thought.

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Guest chopey

Guest chopey

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The Secret Footballer is a canny read I still don't know who he is tho and I would love to know who the footballers wife was in the pool in Dubai.

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LooneyToonArmy

LooneyToonArmy

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I second : The Ball Is Round (David Goldblatt)

 

as well as

 

Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life (Alex Bellos)

-tells the story of Brazil, Brazilian football, the Seleção but not just the famous footballers but charts the players that have been sent over to the likes of the Faroe Islands to play their trade of all places

 

 

 

 

 

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Tooj

Tooj

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Currently reading Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life.

 

Finding it a bit dry in part and it's now what I expected, as I think I thought that it was going to be a chronological history of Brazilian football but it's anything but that.

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Raconteur

Raconteur

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Tim Parks - A Season With Verona

 

I loved this - was enthralling

 

Soccer in sun and shadow by Eduardo Galeano is a bit different for a football book, but really good. Couldn't put it down.

 

And this is sublime, like Ben Arfa on the run - it's passionate, poetic, and reminds us of what is beautiful about football.

 

Futebol: A Brazilian Way of Life - Alex Bellos

 

I really liked this one too, although it got a bit stodgy in parts and required some determination to push through to the end...

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Cronky

Cronky

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I've just read Bellamy's book. Not outstanding, but far better than the average footballing memoir.

 

The section on his time at our club is well worth a read.

 

Anything particularly juicy about us?

 

Well, plenty, but nothing that would come as a complete surprise.

 

IIRC he talks about a split between the younger members of the squad, centred around himself and Dyer, and the older members, centred around Shearer. He speaks highly about Shearer's ability as a footballer (before his fitness declined), but paints a picture of him as stand-offish with the younger members of the squad, and a bit of a bully. He also says there was tension between Shearer and Sir Bob, who were almost in competition as twin heroes to the supporters. Bellamy hero-worships Sir Bob, and is rather more sympathetic to Souness than one might expect.

 

That's the gist of it.

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Jack Flash

Jack Flash

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Thanks for this. I'm only about 4 or 5 chapters into it but it's brilliant. Essential reading so far if you're into the youth coaching/scouting side.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Death-Football-Frontline-Proper/dp/1906850267/ref=pd_sim_b_4

 

That's by the same author and looks very good too.

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