Whats the best FOOTBALL book you have ever read ?

[clippedgull]

A book yet to be written;

They did it my way ( Fans liaison ) - Paul Barber

 

[Stat Brother]

 

[Frutos]

I picked this up recently

Before you close the thread and report me, its actually a truly marvelous account by a USA journalist (Chuck Culpepper) who grew bored and weary of the NFL / MLB / NBA. So he flies to England, picks a PL team (at the time P#@*#y), and follows them for a whole season. To hear an american's take on our game is (I think) genuinely fascinating. This chap is a wonderful wordsmith and has a fantastic turn of phrase.

Among the highlights for me is when he goes to Villa Park when they play Birmingham, and he is utterly agog at the chant "cheer up Stevie Bruce, oh what can it mean to a fat geordie bastad and a shit football team". Hearing football fans adapt "Cheer Up Sleepy Jean" to an abusive football chant simply blew his mind. Its nothing to us, but its lovely to see how alien our fans behaviour is to an american.

Massively entertaining read.

I have a book by him called 'Bloody Confused' - not sure if it's the same book under a different title for some reason, but it's bloody funny.

 

[el punal]

The Big Book of Football Champions (1951). Everyone looked like they were in their forties even though some only twenty or so. Spurs beat Newcastle 7-0 at White Hart Lane in front of over 60,000 fans. The Geordies won the FA Cup beating Blackpool. England played a number of Festival of Britain internationals at various venues including Goodison Park and White Hart Lane.

The Albion finished 13th in Division 3 (South) with 43 points, and having scored 71 goals!

 

[aolstudios]

'the Secret Footballer'
All of them...

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

Stamping Grounds: Liechtensteins quest for the World Cup by Charlie Connelly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[redoubtable seagull]

Ones I can recall that I've enjoyed are:
Football against the enemy by Simon Kuper; probably a classic.
Inverting the pyramid by Jonathan Wilson about the history of football tactics
A season with Verona by Tim Parks about the author's travels to away games with a small band of Hellas Verona fans
A life too short, a brilliant book about the sad tale of Robert Enke a German player who committed suicide
I also enjoyed My Father and Other Tales.
Soccernomics and nowhere men were enjoyable reads that I picked up last year.

 

[Gordon Bennett]

'Playground of the Gods' by Ian Stafford.

In 9 months in 1998 he managed to spend a week training with Flamego in Brazil, played squash against Jansher Khan, managed a weeks high altitude training with Moses Kiptanui and Daniel Komen, a week training with the Springboks, a challenge race at Henley and training with the Australian one day cricket team before then appearing as 12th man in a match against New Zealand. If that wasn't gruelling enough the culmination of his adventure was three rounds with Roy Jones!

 

[Arthur]

Great read.

Not sure it counts as a football book but Playing the Moldovan's at Tennis by Tony Hawk (who is from Brighton and I believe an Albion fan) is a great read.

 

[Algernon]

Took a day off work to attend his book signing in WH Smiths Churchill Square.
Best football book? The only football book I've read, I think!

 

[Yes Chef]

'There's a Golden Sky' by Ian Ridley, is excellent.

 

[Easy 10]

'the Secret Footballer'
All of them...

I read the first one, and was totally underwhelmed. No names = no interest for me. It was an elongated equivalent of a generic bullshit Sunsport hack story where "a source revealed that....." blah.

 

[Gwylan]

Bill Bryson - Amongst the Thugs was an interesting account from across the pond too.

I like the idea of Bill Bryson writing a book on football hooligans - a lighthearted look at knives, slashing and footstomping along the quaint backwaters of English football. Sadly, Among the Thugs was by Bill Buford.

A lot of faves have been mentioned already, particularly the Garry Nelson two. I'll mention two more - Arthur Hopcraft's The Football Man and David Peace's Damned Utd - a work of fiction that's probably not too far from the truth.

The one I'd like to read and haven't got round to it yet is How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A.Cup ... maybe this year

 

[AZ Gull]

I thought this was an excellent biography, written by our very own Spencer Vignes:-

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I like the idea of Bill Bryson writing a book on football hooligans - a lighthearted look at knives, slashing and footstomping along the quaint backwaters of English football. Sadly, Among the Thugs was by Bill Buford.

Brilliant!

Some good recommendations on here, have ordered Up Pompey and the 20 Years with Clough one from my local lending library (use them or lose them).

An Irrational Hatred of Luton by Robert Banks (BHA get a mention or two)

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

This is definitely not the best football book I've read but the writer is a splendid chap and would appreciate it very much if you'd all buy it and make him rich. Well, slightly less poor.

http://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/pulp-football

 

[studio150]

The ugly game

The investigation into Qatar buying the world cup.

 

[Ernest]

Dick Tights book for ME

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I like the idea of Bill Bryson writing a book on football hooligans - a lighthearted look at knives, slashing and footstomping along the quaint backwaters of English football. Sadly, Among the Thugs was by Bill Buford.

Bill Bryson's father was a sports writer and I imagine he'd do a great job on football. I know from a mutual friend that he was planning a baseball book.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Both of Nelson's and Steve Claridge's are long time favourite's of mine.

Recently really enjoyed Michael Calvin's Living on the Volcano about life as a manager.