Football Book Recommendations

[hans kraay fan club]

I'm reading the AJax one Starry recommends, at the moment and personally I think its dull.

'Dynamo' is my favourite ever book. Please get that - it is remarkable.

 

[Zed Seagull]

A Season with Verona by Tim Parks
(Travel+Football=winning combination)

Tremendous book.

 

[fire&skill]

Fantastic selection. Dynamo and Trautmann books look like musts. It must be the war.

 

[The Modfather]

There was an ovel out a few years back called The Ripple Effect by Dominic Holland.

It is about a struggling footbal club taken over my a dodgy chairman who plans to run down the club and sell the ground to property developers, and the supporters subsequent fight to save there club.

Sound familiar?

Apparantly is was inspired by our fight against Archer

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

If you love stats, economics and football, you'll love Why England Lose

 

[Addick]

fever pitch by nick hornby is just great!

 

[tube train]

though its a bit old now, sir bobby robsons is the best ive read...covers so much well worth a look

also enjoyed neil warnocks auto which might surprise a few people but a really good read

 

[drew]

Broken Dreams by Tom Bower. An insight into the 'integrity' of some premiership managers!!!!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Broken Dreams by Tom Bower. An insight into the 'integrity' of some premiership managers!!!!

Harry Redknapp's favourite book!

 

[wolfie]

Stanley Matthews - The Way it was. Excellent picture of another age.

 

[Austrian Gull]

These are all a few years old but still worth a read:

Harry Pearson - The Far Corner. A season spent watching games in the North-East, ranging from Premier League to local league. Frequently hilarious one of my favourite writers.

Phil Ball - Morbo. Story of Spanish football.

Tony Cascarino's football autobiography. Having heard Cascarino on TalkSport, you'd barely believe he was capable of such a well-written and fascinating story. Truth is, he had a very good ghostwriter.

 

[Norman Potting]

The Gary Imlach book is excellent.

Someone just bought me a book about Stoke, 'and she laughed no more' can anyone else say if its any good.

Seconded and thirded for Gary Imlach's book - it is a good book, period. It just happens to feature football and, as one of the reviews on it suggests, should be compulsory reading for all current players.

 

[tonymgc]

I'd say Addicted by Tony Adams & i really liked We don't know what we're doing here by Adrian Chiles

 

[fire&skill]

Seconded and thirded for Gary Imlach's book - it is a good book, period. It just happens to feature football and, as one of the reviews on it suggests, should be compulsory reading for all current players.

The bit about the '59 Cup Final programme notes asking the players what they planned to do when they hung up their boots. Lots of replies about going into joinery and becoming electricians; not much about starting academies or managing. And the picture of his Dad FINALLY wearing his cap. Heartwarming and breaking in equal measure.

 

[Smith DID score]

I would recommend this one, not just because it was written by an Albion legend, but it is also a good read:

and also the sequel "Left foot in the Grave" primarily about the year when Nelse was a coach at Torquay - had a young player called Charlie Oatway in the squad, wonder if he went on to do any good?

 

[Skaville]

Can i nominate Kenny Dalglish's autobiography as the worst football book ever written?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

It would be interesting to know how many 'autobiographies' of the various footballers have been sold. There must be some sort of figure floating about.

The latest I can find is way back in 2006...

Review: 5 football autobiographies | Books | The Observer

These are the latest sales figures, courtesy of The Bookseller, for our quintet: Gerrard 76,459; Rooney 36,973; Lampard 26,662; Ferdinand 7,651; Cole: 3,128.

theBookseller.com | Daily News and Comment for the book business is a great website, by the way.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

The one he did before, She Stood There Laughing, was good, a great account of what it's like to follow a team/club who are essentially a bit crap. I didn't know he'd done another one, it might be interesting if he can bring that lower league sensibility to the more ridiculous aspects of the Premiership.

Thanks for that I have just ordered a second hand copy from amazon of this one as well and will read it first.

I enjoyed the Gary Nelson ones and the Verona one as well. I got bought this one for Christmas and its small text and a bit complex but really enjoyable, its about the History of footbal tactics, and starts with everyone chasing a pigs bladder to the modern day of one up front and a packed midfield, covers Scotlands influnence to Uruguay, Hungary,Italy, Brazil, Holland, Germany and England on the game. Very insightful and eye openeing about tactics and systems.

Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathon Wilson

 

[Aristotle]

If you're after a 'comprehensive history of football' type book, this is the best:

The Ball is Round, by David Goldblatt

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ball-Round-Global-History-Football/dp/0141015829/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274347330&sr=8-1

 

[Normal Rob]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one...

The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro

is the right answer - perfect holiday fodder. Very funny, exciting, intruiging and emotional.