This one of the best books I've ever read on hooliganism actually. Its more of an anthropological and social study of hooliganism - but the context is very apt for anyone wanting to learn about the subject matter, without delving into the gritty so called 'first hand accounts' of these hooligan books out at the minute.
I'm with you there. I enjoy Hornby in bits and pieces. In the two books I've read of his (Fever Pitch and Song Book), I find I've been able to cherry-pick specific passages that I find entertaining or even memorable (the best example I can think of being his grandmother's note informing him in an inappropriately gleeful tone that Arsenal had lost the night prior), but as complete works, both left me underwhelmed. Despite what some people say, I think you do have to be previously acquainted with the topic he's writing about (Arsenal, or in Song Book's case, a particular band or track) in order to really get the most out of it. I'm a soccer fan, I understand what it means to feel a deep and largely irrational attachment to a team, but despite this, not really having any memory of the matches or events he was talking about made it difficult for me to get into the book. I also agree with you about Brilliant Orange. Great book.
Can anyone reccomend good books for the Celtic/Rangers, Boca/River, Lazio/Roma, and Barca/Madrid rivalries?
the Kuper book mentioned above has good chapters on celtic/rangers and barca/madrid. i don't recall if it had boca/river or not. i don't believe it had anything on lazio/roma
i know that if anyone here has a teenager in the house who is a reluctant reader but a soccer fan, even just a sports fan, have them check out: a pretty good read that has gotten several of my students excited about reading again... juvenile at times (it's a young adult novel) but even i enjoyed it, though it isn't one of my favorites... and i did enjoy "How Soccer Explains the World" because i enjoy seeing how cultures are different, how the study of sport and it's social implications are still being explored and understood... i highly recommended that book to friends of mine...
I compiled all the books listed so far: 23 Days in Korea: An American at the World Cup - by Andy Gustavson A Season With Verona - by Tim Parks Ajax, the Dutch and the War - by Simon Kuper All played out: the Story of Italia 90 - by Pete Davies Among the Thugs - by Bill Buford Any Chance of a Game? - by Barney Ronay Barca - by Jimmy Burns Bloody Casuald: Diary of a Football Hooligan - by Jay Allan Brillant Orange - by David Winner Deep in the forest - by Don't Give Up the Day Job: A year in the Life of a Part-Time footballer - by Des Mckeown Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kiev - by Andy Dougan Fever Pitch - by Nick Hornsby Football Against The Enemy - by Simon Kuper Football Hooligans - Knowing The Score - by Gary Armstrong Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life - by Alex Bellos History of football - by Bill Murray Home of the Braves - by David Klass How Soccer Explains The World - by Franklin Foer In the far norther corner - by Harry Pearson Left foot forward - by Garry Nelson Left Foot in the Grave - by Garry Nelson Managing My Life - by Sir Alex Ferguson Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football - by Phil Ball My Father and other Working-Class Football Heroes - by Gary Imlach Offsides: Soccer and American Exceptionalism - by Andrei S. Markovits Only a Game - by Eamon Dunphy Passovotchka - Dynamo Moscow in Britain - by David Downing Playing for Uncle Sam: The Brits' Story of the NASL - by David Tossell Soccer in Sun and Shadow - by Eduardo Galeano Stamping Grounds - by Charlie Connerly Staying Up - by Rick Gekoski The Barbarian Parade - by Kirby Gann The football factory - by John King The glory game - by Hunter Davies The History of the World Cup - by Brian Glanville The Miracle of Castel di Sangro - by Joe McGinnis Tor! The Story of German Football - by Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger U.S. Soccer vs. the World - by Tont Cirino Ultra Nippon - by Jonathan Birchall When Beckham went to Spain - by Jimmy Burns White Storm: 100 Years of Real Madrid - by Phil Ball You Come With Me - I get Tickets - by Andrew Gummer
--- wow. harsh! i like Hornby. i will agree with sarabella that Fever Pitch is repetitive, but it's a chronicle of his relationship with Gunners and he sort of had to maintain factual integrity, plus it's about football, not the influence of world market economies on sub-Saharan non=Marxist agrarian systems, my favorite topic. you shouldn't run and hide. you're entitled to your opinion, no matter how blinkered. as an aside, Salman Rushdie has written at least one personal essay ("The People's Game: A Fan's Notes") about soccer. pretty good stuff.
Ah, I love what I have read in that book. My coach, on the bus ride to our away matches for Varsity, would read a section to the team before getting into the details of the task at hand. I don't know why, but it always got me in a great playing mood, and it did that for a lot of my teammates as well.
Bump. It has stuff on Argentina but not specifically the rivalry between Boca and River. If you want to know German rivalries, then I would reccomend the 'Tor' book - that had some interesting stuff on the East v West clashes and some of the other local grudge matches and the stuff surrounding them. During the East Germany v West Germany match in the World Cup, the East Germans sent some 'supporters' to cheer on their team and look passionate. Most of them were actually in the Stasi or other government agencies. Mainly they wanted loyal people who wouldn't make any political stand or attempt to defect over and escape to the other side. I'm picking this up tomorrow, I'll let you know if its any good. As for other reccomendations to our list: I always enjoy Dan Goldstein and his 'Rough Guides'. There is a 'Rough guide to English football' and a 'Rough Guide to European football'. They are an absolute must read for any fan of the European game. Although they are quite out of date with some of the info, some of the stuff inside them are fantastic little reads on the clubs. The Rough Guide to the World Cup 2006, will also be out soon and is also a must pickup.
Fever Pitch as about as much to do with soccer as the Old Man and the Sea has to do with fishing. You could substitute pop music for soccer in that book and it would read exactly the same. I'm convinced that's how Hornby wrote "High Fidelity" Sachin
Good stuff indeed! Although I couldn't quite understand how a Spurs supporter could cheer for the Gunners!?!
--- Stone Roses = ManU? The Beatles = 'Pool? Cocteau Twins = Celtic ( or would it be Rangers? ) Smiths = Arsenal? keep your day job.
i've always felt fever pitch was about being a soccer fan, not soccer, two very different things being a soccer fan is essential and excercise in masochism
That can be applied to fandom in any sport. Only one team can win it all and it's usually a fairly small pool of contenders.
Well....Nick Hornby once said that the book, Fever Pitch, is not only for fully paid-up football fanatics, but also for those who would like to know how it is to be like that. He also said that it is not only a football book, but it is a book that tells about the nature of obsession where football just happens to be the spotlight in the case.
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I once read a book (while I was like 12) that my father bought me. It is the best book I've ever read, it roughly translated to "The Dark History of the World Cups" (La Historia Negra de los Mundiales de Futbol--I could also be wrong...it was so long ago). It was very interesting, and it presented a number of "shady" stories that paralleled different world cups. Currently, I am very interested in buying the Jamie Lawrence book. Metro
a couple of fiction selections: The Glanville book is very good. I am not quite finished with The Season Ticket, but it is growing on me.
I really want to read Calcio, but I don't think it's available in the United States. Does anybody know how to get this book State side.