Winter Reading
 

Please post your favorite soccer-related books.

mine:

A Season with Verona
Tim Parks
Arcade, 2002

A British novelist and long term resident of Verona follows Hellas Verona with the hard-core fans home and away, and bleeds yellow and blue.

Fever Pitch
Nick Hornby
Riverhead Books, 1992

An autobiographical account of why he is an Arsenal fan.

My little summaries don't do justice to how deep, ironic and funny these books are.

Re: Winter Reading
 

Both good books , I can relate to aspects of my life in each. Liked Verona more.

One of the best books I have ever read, soocer or otherwise, is " The Vision of a Champion" by Anson Dorrance. It explains how he successfully trains the UNC and USWNT by putting them in "the competitve cauldron." I've highlighted several passages in the book and have given it as gift to several of my son's coaches.

"The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching." ~ Anson Dorrance

Simply, a great read!

Re: Winter Reading
 

Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, by Alex Bellos

Fascinating cultural study of the game and how it relates to life in Brazil. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in a country where a sport is so important a player can get called before the national legislature to explain why they didn't win the big international tournament, this is for you. If you've ever wondered what the hell is going on every four years in Allston and east Cambridge, why the backs of those yellow jerseys read, in translation, "Big Ron," "Little Ron," and "Other Guy Named Ron," and why you hear tons about the national squad but comparatively little about the domestic league, grab this book.

Re: Winter Reading
 

I liked:

Only a Game?: Diary of a Professional Footballer
Eamon Dunphy, Peter Ball (Editor)

It's a diary of the 1973-1974 Millwall season in England as told by Dunphy, a former Republic of Ireland international.

The Magpie

Re: Winter Reading
 

Brilliant Orange, by David Winner -- a fascinating, fun look at the genius and quirky shortcomings of Dutch soccer. One of the most original sports books you'll ever read.

Football Against the Enemy, by Simon Kuper -- a great study of soccer as geopolitical tool

Re: Winter Reading
 

How Soccer Explains The World: Franklin Foer -- look at different global, social aspects manifested in soccer. Fun read.

The Miracle Of Castel di Sangro: Joe McGinnis -- hilarious, especially for those of you who've lived or visited Italy. Somehow the author, despite acting like a moron half the time, meets Roberto Baggio...and I am insanely jealous.

Re: Winter Reading
 

Rough Guide to Cult Football: You may have to order this through import, but it's worth it. Jam-packed with all kinds of goofy trivia presented in a handy short attention span format. I'm a bit dismayed that their list of soccer movies, at least in the edition I own, omits Shaolin Soccer and the list of "local derbies that aren't really local" omits Revs/Metros as an option, but hey. Highly recommended if you're the sort of person who reads Four Four Two not for match analysis but for player haircut analysis.

I understand the Rough Guide to Manchester United is equally excellent if your EPL tastes swing that way.

Re: Winter Reading
 

Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano. It's a collection of fairly short vignettes about the game. Well written, and a very enjoyable read.

Re: Winter Reading
 

Sightlines - A Stadium Odyssey, Simon Inglis
(that's an amazon-uk link)....where i got mine.

Great book about stadiums and their evolution from the dawn of sport. Mostly all soccer related (exceptions being running with the bulls arena, croke park, dublin and wrigley field). In the book, he visits venues from around the world and touches on their importance to the area and culture in which they exist. Each chapter is a diff venue. Mr. Inglis has a real stadium fetish and has more than a few books like this one. Highly recommend.

Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism
From the Inside Flap

"The vexing question of why soccer struggles to establish itself firmly on the American sports landscape is brilliantly and persuasively answered in this groundbreaking work. Sociology scholars and soccer aficionados alike should be intrigued by this painstakingly comprehensive analysis, made especially accessible by the lively and enthusiastic style of the authors. It is remarkable as a happy marriage of the scholar's methods with the fan's passion for the world's game. A must read for lovers and observers of the game in America and in the totally converted soccer community occupying the rest of our planet."--Seamus Malin, Soccer Commentator, ESPN and ABC

if you'd like to begin hiberation early.....just try to read this little intellectual/academic gem in one sitting.
;)

Re: Winter Reading
 

LOVED it.