Whats the best FOOTBALL book you have ever read ?

[Easy 10]

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.

 

[Buzzer]

Left Foot Forward by Garry Nelson.

 

[Austrian Gull]

Cascarino's autobiography with Paul Kimmage.

 

[Prince Monolulu]

 

[Paris]

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

build a bonfire

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I really enjoyed "All played Out" by Pete Davies.

It's the story of Italia 90 - from the players and fans point of view, and how English football changed during that World Cup.

I was there in Italy during the Summer of 1990, and the book brought back many memories. What a brilliant World Cup that was.

 

[Easy 10]

I've read that too. You're right, its brilliant.

 

[Easy 10]

I really enjoyed "All played Out" by Pete Davies.

It's the story of Italia 90 - from the players and fans point of view, and how English football changed during that World Cup.

I was there in Italy during the Summer of 1990, and the book brought back many memories. What a brilliant World Cup that was.

Yup, thats in my collection too, I've read that a couple of times and its superb. From the fans view, the journalists view, the access he had to the players, the manager, the stuffed shirts at FA at the time. Possibly one of the best football books ever written.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

The Far Corner by Harry Pearson, all about football in the North East, and Tales From The Boot Camps by Steve Claridge and Ian Ridley. Plus Football Grounds of Britain by Simon Inglis.

 

[atfc village]

Outcasts The Lands That FIFA Forgot by Steve Menary. A book about lesser Football teams including The Falklands ,Northern Cyprus ,Greenland and many more.

 

[BensGrandad]

Broken Dreams by Tom Bowyer it is about the fiddles and back handerts for managers and none of them have sued him

 

[Moshe Gariani]

"Goalkeepers Are Different" by Brian Glanville.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Bert Trout Man

 

[trueblue]

"All Played Out' may well be top of the list but a long time since I picked it up. 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' was excellent plus Gary Imlach's one about his Dad "My Father and Other Working Class Heroes'. Like the Cloughie one mentioned too and currently enjoying Pep: Confidential. Of the ones about players, Cascarino's certainly stood out. Basically, the best ones are about more than football.

 

[wellquickwoody]

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.

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

 

[savanah]

The glory game by Hunter Davies was the first football book I read and still one of the best.Steve Gerrards was pretty good too.

 

[scooter1]

There is a Ruud Gullit book out about watching the game from a footballer, and mangers perspective. Having talked to a few knowledgable footballers, it's quite apparent that they see the game very differently to most of us. I think this will be an interesting read

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' is a good call but Dynamo by Andy Duggan is probably the best out there about the Dynamo Kiev team during the Nazi occupation in World War 2.

 

[Mackenzie]

I enjoyed both of Garry Nelson's books.