Recommended Football Books
Discussion
Clearly this may be a bad question to ask on a site populated by powerfully built company director types who doubtless all played Rugger...BUT, just in case any of the footy fans on the forum see this... 
Have any of you any recommendations for good books about football? Decent biogs, or books generally. For example, Broken Dreams by Tom Bower about the politics and machinations of the FA and managers generally is really interesting, I thought, as was Pete Davies' All Played Out about Italia '90. Quite enjoyed Stuart Pearce's and Graeme Le Saux's autobiogs a lot although the latter did moan a lot.
So any recommendations? Recent or old (not averse to old stuff - I've just found a book by Tommy Lawton from the 1950s!). I'm a Liverpool supporter and have quite a few LFC related books (feel free to include those in suggestions though) but will read any really.
Have any of you any recommendations for good books about football? Decent biogs, or books generally. For example, Broken Dreams by Tom Bower about the politics and machinations of the FA and managers generally is really interesting, I thought, as was Pete Davies' All Played Out about Italia '90. Quite enjoyed Stuart Pearce's and Graeme Le Saux's autobiogs a lot although the latter did moan a lot.
So any recommendations? Recent or old (not averse to old stuff - I've just found a book by Tommy Lawton from the 1950s!). I'm a Liverpool supporter and have quite a few LFC related books (feel free to include those in suggestions though) but will read any really.
All good suggestions, ta - keep 'em coming!
The Damned Utd was a good read - different style of writing but it worked really well. There's another book related to that called "We Are The Damned United" by Phil Rostron which tells the same story with contributions from the players - so a bit more factual. Fascinating to read them both.
The Damned Utd was a good read - different style of writing but it worked really well. There's another book related to that called "We Are The Damned United" by Phil Rostron which tells the same story with contributions from the players - so a bit more factual. Fascinating to read them both.
Turquoise said:
The only football book I've read is An Epic Swindle about LFC and it made me so angry that I think it's best I don't know about the incompetence behind the scenes of the club I love.
Ta for putting that in there. Yeah I read it too - I honestly found it fascinating and it answered so many "wtf is going on?" questions from that time. Finance bores me to death but its a great breakdown of just what the hell was going on. Never again, hopefully.
unrepentant said:
I was a youngster on the terraces at Elm Park in the 70's and Robin was the best player I ever saw! Such wasted talent, he should have played for England and his self destruction was a tragedy. I bought the book when it first came out, one of the writers was the bass player in Oasis. They were supposed to be making a movie based on it?
Yeah they were - last I can find on that was dated May last year when they named the actor playing him. Nothing since. The other writer of the book, Paolo Hewitt, wrote the script.TwigtheWonderkid said:
Left Foot In The Grave - Garry Nelson
Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby.
I also really enjoyed "We Don't Know What We're Doing" by Adrian Childs.
The Garry Nelson is excellent - I must pick up a copy of that. I borrowed it years ago from the library. I have Fever Pitch. Interesting recommendation on Childs - I've seen that in shops and umm'ed and ah'ed about getting it. The other 2 are good, so will have a look, ta.Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby.
I also really enjoyed "We Don't Know What We're Doing" by Adrian Childs.
yeah the Cascarino one has been mentioned - looks a good one that.Just picked up very cheaply "The hidden world of professional football" by "The Secret Player" (the original columnist for 442 magazine before the more well known The Secret Footballer).
Easy to read and well written window into the world of the privileged/talented world of top flight footy. Reads a bit like a script for Footballers Wives at times, just as the TSF did (without the more ridiculous bits) but you can really see why there is such an "us and them" divide these days (and understand why from their POV). No doubt there is a fair bit of detail changing to keep his identity hidden but still an interesting read for a footy fan.
Easy to read and well written window into the world of the privileged/talented world of top flight footy. Reads a bit like a script for Footballers Wives at times, just as the TSF did (without the more ridiculous bits) but you can really see why there is such an "us and them" divide these days (and understand why from their POV). No doubt there is a fair bit of detail changing to keep his identity hidden but still an interesting read for a footy fan.
Edited by Flip Martian on Tuesday 31st October 20:48
Ruskie said:
I seem to remember the guy who wrote that posted on here about it when it started.Ruskie said:
This is the best book I have read about a footballer. It’s a tough read, doesn’t have a happy ending and for me it was very close to the bone. To play top level international football and suffer the way he did was incredible.
Holy thread resurrection...
Read a few early PL referee autobiogs so I thought I'd note them here for future reference.
David Elleray's "The Man In The Middle" was fascinating, although it's been a year or 3 since I read it now - but I enjoyed reading it and found the behind the scenes stuff fascinating. And having more respect for him than when I started it.
Jeff Winter's "Who's the b
d In The Black?" - A former football hooligan who turned into a PL referee. A fairly pedestrian trundle through his life and career though, really. The only interesting stuff really was about how cliquey the professional refs were in his time, and how some didn't like others - he in particular seems to have hated Graham Poll, although it did come across like jealousy much of the time.
Graham Poll's "Seeing Red" - after reading the above, I had this on my shelf for years so knew I should read it next. Written a year or 2 after Winter's book and without naming him once in his book, he does seem to be responding to those allegations part of the time. I didn't expect to like Poll based on Winter's description but actually...I did. He doesn't hold back criticising the FA for how they allowed abuse of referees to ramp up over the years. And continued to, given how few are becoming referees now. He has a few interesting tales about some of the managers and players of his time too, good and bad. And the press. And incidents with fans over the years. You leave the book realising just how much refs put up with and thinking "wtf?!".
Howard Webb - his book is the same title as David Elleray's. I read this a while back and again, found the goings on behind the scenes quite an eye opener. I also felt after finishing the book that it was a shame he'd retired and left the English game altogether (at the time of writing). So I thought it was a positive step when he was announced as the new head of the professional PL referees late last year. He genuinely seems to want to have more consistency and clarity over decisions - if he succeeds then the game will be the better for it.
Anyway, nobody likes referees! But having read these, you do come away with a far more balanced view of them and some sympathy when they're employed within an industry that often sees them as second class citizens next to the teams in top level footy business.
If anyone has any other recommendations (refs or otherwise), stick 'em in the thread!
Read a few early PL referee autobiogs so I thought I'd note them here for future reference.
David Elleray's "The Man In The Middle" was fascinating, although it's been a year or 3 since I read it now - but I enjoyed reading it and found the behind the scenes stuff fascinating. And having more respect for him than when I started it.
Jeff Winter's "Who's the b
d In The Black?" - A former football hooligan who turned into a PL referee. A fairly pedestrian trundle through his life and career though, really. The only interesting stuff really was about how cliquey the professional refs were in his time, and how some didn't like others - he in particular seems to have hated Graham Poll, although it did come across like jealousy much of the time.Graham Poll's "Seeing Red" - after reading the above, I had this on my shelf for years so knew I should read it next. Written a year or 2 after Winter's book and without naming him once in his book, he does seem to be responding to those allegations part of the time. I didn't expect to like Poll based on Winter's description but actually...I did. He doesn't hold back criticising the FA for how they allowed abuse of referees to ramp up over the years. And continued to, given how few are becoming referees now. He has a few interesting tales about some of the managers and players of his time too, good and bad. And the press. And incidents with fans over the years. You leave the book realising just how much refs put up with and thinking "wtf?!".
Howard Webb - his book is the same title as David Elleray's. I read this a while back and again, found the goings on behind the scenes quite an eye opener. I also felt after finishing the book that it was a shame he'd retired and left the English game altogether (at the time of writing). So I thought it was a positive step when he was announced as the new head of the professional PL referees late last year. He genuinely seems to want to have more consistency and clarity over decisions - if he succeeds then the game will be the better for it.
Anyway, nobody likes referees! But having read these, you do come away with a far more balanced view of them and some sympathy when they're employed within an industry that often sees them as second class citizens next to the teams in top level footy business.
If anyone has any other recommendations (refs or otherwise), stick 'em in the thread!
All good suggestions, thanks.
Halfway through Mark Clattenburg's "Whistle Blower" for a more recent refereed read. Starts off with a Jeff Winter sized chip on his shoulder but that tone disappears more quickly and it's a better read once that happens. Like Graham Poll he has very very little positive to say about Mourinho, or Chelsea and the way they conduct themselves.
Halfway through Mark Clattenburg's "Whistle Blower" for a more recent refereed read. Starts off with a Jeff Winter sized chip on his shoulder but that tone disappears more quickly and it's a better read once that happens. Like Graham Poll he has very very little positive to say about Mourinho, or Chelsea and the way they conduct themselves.
Still not read my copy. Having had depression and anxiety due to work stuff some years back, I'm all too aware of how badly wired our brains can be sometimes. My wife can't understand depression either. I think if you can get through awful events and carry on, then that's no bad thing. Unfortunately we're not all wired up the same way. I think not wanting to experience that dark place again is what's keeping me from reading it so far.
A recommendation - albeit the book is a few years old. I picked up a copy for a couple of quid on Amazon.
Ben Smith's Journeyman.
Billed as "1 man's odyssey through the lower leagues" it is well written and often very funny (his account of working under Steve Evans at Crawley had me laughing out loud several times). He started out as an apprentice with Arsenal but did the all too common "going out and drinking" thing a bit too often in his younger days, when the game had really changed and expected better. Finally grew up and looked after himself but by then his only options were in the lower leagues.
It is a bit of an eye opener, even when you're aware that most pro footballers have nothing like the elite lifestyle the PL players have. Not a sob story by any means but an interesting account of what it's like playing professionally on contracts that are only 1 or 2 years at a time.
Well worth a read.
Ben Smith's Journeyman.
Billed as "1 man's odyssey through the lower leagues" it is well written and often very funny (his account of working under Steve Evans at Crawley had me laughing out loud several times). He started out as an apprentice with Arsenal but did the all too common "going out and drinking" thing a bit too often in his younger days, when the game had really changed and expected better. Finally grew up and looked after himself but by then his only options were in the lower leagues.
It is a bit of an eye opener, even when you're aware that most pro footballers have nothing like the elite lifestyle the PL players have. Not a sob story by any means but an interesting account of what it's like playing professionally on contracts that are only 1 or 2 years at a time.
Well worth a read.
Gassing Station | Books and Literature | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff