Just finished Gary Singh's "The San Jose Earthquakes: A Seismic Soccer Legacy." It's a pretty short history covering the NASL Quakes, the MLS Quakes as well as the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks. It is pretty light on soccer but really does a great job covering the fan experiences and what the team means to the city. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
In general I find footballer biographies extremely boring and pointless (I read the Fowler one, as he is an interesting guy with a personality, and someone bought it for me one christmas) but the other i've browsed in airport bookstores and etc are 99% really a complete waste of time. The ones that come about many years later when there is something to talk and think about (the Maradona book mentioned above) are the only ones worth writing.
I'm reading this now, or I should say wading through it. It took a little getting into due to the writers style. But for me it was worth it. The story is of course about Bill Shankley and his tenure with Liverpool. A lot of fun for me and a flood of memories. I'd been on the Kop each home game for 10 years before Bill came along and the excitement started. The author relates every game, the score, who scored it and if it was a shot or header and who set it up as well as the weather. Very detailed like that but he can't catch the excitement from some of the critical games, he's quoting from records. I'm over half way through the 700 and some pages and feel that it's a 200 page book. The writing style, interesting at first grows weary. Not verbatim but something like this: Bill gets up, bill gets up and goes to Anfield. Bill gets up, goes to Anfield and walks in the dressing room, the home team dressing room. Bill says hello to the players in the home team dressing room, bill says hello to Ian St John, from Ian StJohn to Ron Yeats, from Ron Yeats to Jimmy Melia....... The whole of the 700 and more pages go like this. Lots of gems and memories though, the personnel triumphs and disappointments. I will finish it and say it was worth the time....
Unless I pick up a great one in the next 45 days, that's going to be my Best Novel Read During 2015. Once you get used to the style, you are IN the world as inhabited by Shankley. It's a way to not only tell the story, but let the reader experience it, too. Worth the effort of getting used to. I like how Liverpool fans often find themselves reading on the edge of their seat concerned about a match that took place decades ago. And in some cases, were matches they actually attended! Well done, David Peace. The Damned United is also quite good.
I'll have to read that. I read about about Shankley a long time ago and was mesmerized! He loved soccer like I loved soccer! Needless to say when a friend of mine went to England on a vacation he asked which jersey I wanted, the answer was simple. I went to England (and Europe) on my honeymoon (many many moons ago), but we stayed in London so I did not go to any soccer games (although if she knew that I was fanatical about soccer she may have divorced me during the honeymoon). [she loves soccer now, heck when we were in Barcelona we went to Nou Camp because our daughters were Barcelona fans, me being a Real fan and all!]
I'm still going with it and the memories still flood in. The best parts for me are from the early to mid 60s. Coming out of being down among the also rans of div2. To the FA Cup and League Championships. Being there when they came out in all red, that was worth a goal!!! Being on the Kop with Joe Bewley when they first played Gerry and the "pisstakers" singing YNWA. Good days. My wife and I stayed in a hotel next to Nou Camp a couple of years back. I had to do the tour of course and buy the cap! Old fart story stop reading here and run....... We were heading into town one day and got caught in a mob scene of all these people heading into the ground. We asked what was going on and were told that they were introducing Zlatan Ibrahimavich and opening the ground to all for free. So we did an about turn and joined 75,000 people to welcome him. I had my Liverpool cap on and had fun with some friendly banter in there. Great atmosphere !
Just finished "This is Our Time: The AFC Wimbledon Story" by Niall Couper. If anyone is interested in the story of the club, it was started by fans after the original Wimbledon moved to Milton Keynes, this is the definitive book. My only caution is that it is long (596 pages) but includes loads of pictures. It isn't a match by match account but rather a thorough account of the protests that led to the club's formation and growth, accounts of key games, insight into internal moves in the club, etc.
Just finished A-League: The Inside Story of the Tumultuous First Decade by John Stensholt and Shaun Mooney. It was a pretty interesting book. The title is deceptive as it covers the formation and growth of the A-League, national football association, Australia's failed World Cup bid, national team and othet topics. The football coverage is slim as it focuses instead on the board room politics/antics of the FA and owners. It is of interest to MLS fans as it provides insight into a different model of establishing and growing a new league.
In front of him: http://www.amazon.com/Mi-árbol-navidad-Deportes-Spanish-ebook/dp/B00GUFD7W2 Available in Italian and Spanish. English translation of the title is "My Christmas Tree" but I don't think there's an English version of the book available.
Just out...'The Amazing World Tour of The Dallas Tornado 1967-68'....full color book tells the story of the original Dallas Tornado team that met in early August in Madrid then travelled eastward for over 7 months playing about 40 games in 20 countries....told in anecdotes, pictures, newspaper articles and memories of the players....A one of a kind book...!
Is it my inner Euro-snob (which I do not believe I have) that has my initial thought be, "American Grant Wahl can't possibly write a useful analysis of soccer."?
Two books I've recently finished: Under the Lights and in the Dark is the second book by Gwendlyn Oxenham. Her first, Finding the Game, was a companion for the documentary Pelada. Both were excellent. In this book, she follows women's professional players around the globe: Russia, Brazil, the US, Scandinavia. She has a great talent for identifying unique subjects and telling a good story. Recommended. The second is Journeyman by Ben Smith. A former apprentice at Arsenal, Smith tells his story with rare (for a professional athlete) self reflection and candor. Not catching on at Arsenal, he starts a journey further and further down the ladder in England. The book is occasionally funny but provides a frank view of the challenges players face outside of the bright lights of the EPL. Also recommended.
I just finished this one. It sounds like maybe a stateside version of "Journeyman?" Warshaw talks a lot about his own inner conflicts, starting from his days as a youth player, and it makes for an interesting read. I'd definitely recommend it.
Just finished this book about Phil Rawlins and Orlando City. The basic thrust is: kid from Stoke-on-Trent becomes a successful businessman, becomes involved in Stoke City, sells business and founds USL team in Austin, moves team to Orlando, builds successful club and takes into MLS. Great insight the challenges of minor league soccer in the US, the split in USL that led to the creation of the NASL, and what it takes to build an MLS franchise. A easy read and of interest to anyone interested in recent MLS history or the business of the league.
I read Angels with Dirty Faces:How Argentinian Soccer Defined a Nation and Changed the Game Forever by Jonathan Wilson. Pretty good book.
I read Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano. Some of his literary works have not been translated into English. Carajo! I'm interested in Simon Kuper's new book about Messi and Barcelona. Anyone read it yet? Any good futbol reads out there?