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Football books

Postby Billy the fish » Sun Aug 06, 2017 9:41 am

Anyone recommend a good read around the pool ?? Thanks
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Re: Football books

Postby ParisStag » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:02 am

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks is the best football book I've ever read. Englishman travels home and away with the ultras of Helas Verona as they try to stay in Serie A and documents each game with plenty of insight into Italian culture and football. Verona are called the 'gialloblu', which means yellow and blues!
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Re: Football books

Postby Billy the fish » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:25 am

ParisStag wrote:A Season With Verona by Tim Parks is the best football book I've ever read. Englishman travels home and away with the ultras of Helas Verona as they try to stay in Serie A and documents each game with plenty of insight into Italian culture and football. Verona are called the 'gialloblu', which means yellow and blues!


Cheers paris will try and find it ..
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Re: Football books

Postby cassellswasmagic » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:28 am

George Cohen ain't bad. Lots of interesting stuff but my favourite and the best player of all time is Stanley Matthews book wow some great stories.
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Re: Football books

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:31 am

ParisStag wrote:A Season With Verona by Tim Parks is the best football book I've ever read. Englishman travels home and away with the ultras of Helas Verona as they try to stay in Serie A and documents each game with plenty of insight into Italian culture and football. Verona are called the 'gialloblu', which means yellow and blues!


Good book. The description of the Verona/Venice derby had me in tears. Verona fans carrying banners saying "Magnagatti Vaffanculo" (Cat Eaters F*** Off!).
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Re: Football books

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:49 am

Have you read Journeyman by Ben Smith? The chapters on Steve Evans' time at Crawley are brilliant.

Michael Calvin's football books are excellent - The Nowhere Men (football scouts), Living On A Volcano (football managers) and No Hunger In Paradise (youth development).

The Secret Footballer books are also good holiday reading.
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Re: Football books

Postby Foresttownstag » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:49 am

Billy the fish wrote:Anyone recommend a good read around the pool ?? Thanks


Jamie Vardy's biography, brilliant read.
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Re: Football books

Postby Wilfred » Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:55 am

A few years old now but "The Beautiful Game" by David Conn is the best football book I've ever read. Highly recommended.
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Re: Football books

Postby EdwinstoweStag » Sun Aug 06, 2017 11:24 am

Meat pies and Microphones - the Adventures of a Football Reporter, by Simon Mapletoft (Chad's Sports Reporter for many years)
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Re: Football books

Postby HitchcocksShins » Sun Aug 06, 2017 12:03 pm

Fever Pitch is a classic, jeff stellings "jellymans thrown a wobbler" and Paul Hollands book are both great too
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Re: Football books

Postby Martin Shaw » Sun Aug 06, 2017 12:07 pm

Tippy Tappy Football wrote:Have you read Journeyman by Ben Smith? The chapters on Steve Evans' time at Crawley are brilliant.

It's rare for me to read long sections of a book without putting it down. I did with that book. Outstanding.
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Re: Football books

Postby Big yella » Sun Aug 06, 2017 1:44 pm

Billy the fish wrote:
ParisStag wrote:A Season With Verona by Tim Parks is the best football book I've ever read. Englishman travels home and away with the ultras of Helas Verona as they try to stay in Serie A and documents each game with plenty of insight into Italian culture and football. Verona are called the 'gialloblu', which means yellow and blues!


Cheers paris will try and find it ..

I loved it too. An excellent read.
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Re: Football books

Postby london amber stag » Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:10 pm

Journeyman is a great read. Read in a single sitting as Martin says, very informative about what makes Evans tick!
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Re: Football books

Postby jimdadstag » Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:35 pm

Foresttownstag wrote:
Billy the fish wrote:Anyone recommend a good read around the pool ?? Thanks


Jamie Vardy's biography, brilliant read.

Do you get crayons with it?
Its only my opinion,deal with it!
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Re: Football books

Postby Beyond The Pale » Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:47 am

Hello Billy - I've enjoyed the books I've read so far this year -

Harry Redknapp - wasn't really a fan of him, but it's a great read, as is Alex Fergusons Leading. Howard Webbs book is really good & gives a decent perspective from the side of the officials & the divisions within the referees.

The best though was Curtis Woodhouses Box To Box about his football & boxing careers. Very honest & funny.

Jamie Vardys is good too.
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Re: Football books

Postby Sheffieldstag » Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:50 am

Alex Ferguson's was good but I'd go with Journeyman, Ben Smith. Really good book into the life of a lower league footballer and what managers are really like.
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Re: Football books

Postby BoughtonStag71 » Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:02 am

I'm looking forward to next years " Big Al and Kevs road to the Conference"
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Re: Football books

Postby spanishstag » Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:32 am

One of the best books i read was by the notts evening post reporter david mcvay ,called steak diane ,i think about his time as a player at notts county ,dont know if its because i lived in nottingham then and could relate to the places he mentioned but it was really a fantastic book it had me in tears at times
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Re: Football books

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:26 am

TBS wrote:Hello Billy - I've enjoyed the books I've read so far this year -

Harry Redknapp - wasn't really a fan of him, but it's a great read, as is Alex Fergusons Leading. Howard Webbs book is really good & gives a decent perspective from the side of the officials & the divisions within the referees.

The best though was Curtis Woodhouses Box To Box about his football & boxing careers. Very honest & funny.

Jamie Vardys is good too.


I enjoyed Harry Redknapp's books as well. Harry does tell a great story. His interviews with Graham Hunter are excellent.

I am also currently reading Howard Webb's book. It's the first book from a ref I have read and it is a good read. I never realized how much some of the Premier League refs hated each other particularly Graham Poll and Jeff Winter (The Red Wine Club v The Northerners).
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Re: Football books

Postby arsene wengers coat » Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:00 am

I really like journeyman but its just a list of scores in the main with a few funny anecdotes along the way. Really easy read. Youll be done in a few days.

Secret footballer stories are excellent. The damned united is amazing, but if youve seen the film then no need to read.

A really great book that tops my list is My Father And Other Working Class Football Heroes by gary imlach, who is from west bridgford. Imlach is now itvs tour de france commentator and his dad was Stewart imlach.
It is sons perspective on his fathers unsuccessful career. Very well written. . Its as also an excellent social commentary about Nottingham in the 50s. I laughed out loud and almost cried.

Everyone should read this book.
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Re: Football books

Postby jeevesthestag » Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:06 am

Johnny Cooper, Championship Manager. It chronicles a fictional year being the manager of Mansfield Town on Championship Manager. Not the most well-written book but it's an easy holiday read and Stags related.
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Re: Football books

Postby jeevesthestag » Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:07 am

arsene wengers coat wrote:I really like journeyman but its just a list of scores in the main with a few funny anecdotes along the way. Really easy read. Youll be done in a few days.

Secret footballer stories are excellent. The damned united is amazing, but if youve seen the film then no need to read.

A really great book that tops my list is My Father And Other Working Class Football Heroes by gary imlach, who is from west bridgford. Imlach is now itvs tour de france commentator and his dad was Stewart imlach.
It is sons perspective on his fathers unsuccessful career. Very well written. . Its as also an excellent social commentary about Nottingham in the 50s. I laughed out loud and almost cried.

Everyone should read this book.


I'd second this book, it's an excellent read.
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Re: Football books

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:11 am

One book I really enjoyed reading this year which had been on my shelf for years was "Tackling My Demons" by Stan Collymore. A very very honest account of a footballer with serious mental health problems, borderline personality disorder, depression, sex addict and a very unhealthy relationship with Ulrika Jonsson.
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Re: Football books

Postby arsene wengers coat » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:12 am

Tippy Tappy Football wrote:One book I really enjoyed reading this year which had been on my shelf for years was "Tackling My Demons" by Stan Collymore. A very very honest account of a footballer with serious mental health problems, borderline personality disorder, depression, sex addict and a very unhealthy relationship with Ulrika Jonsson.


Dont usually like footballer biographies. But stan is clearly very clever and an 'interesting' bloke. Id like to read this. Wonder if he mentions getting caught dogging in blidworth and clumber park.
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Re: Football books

Postby AmberSamba » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:33 am

I'd also recommend A Season with Verona - a brilliant insight into Italian football and society in general. If Spanish football is more your thing then Morbo is a fantastic introduction. My favourite football autobiography has to be Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino. He's incredibly honest when talking about the pressures of the game and his insecurity. Finally, if you want something superbly written and easy to read that will restore your love of the beautiful game then you'll struggle to beat Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football.
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