A sporting read.

[TightEnd]

republished today on the 50th anniversary of its release

one of the classics

Click to see full-size image.

[AlunB]

Not a sport book per se but a really excellent and surprisingly moving book. I'm pretty sure Tikay would love it if he could bring himself to read a novel



One of Michael Lewis' lesser known books, although they still turned it into a film, is this one. And it's excellent, albeit the pace drops a lot towards the end



This is also excellent

[superwomble]

This, on the other hand, is as good as it gets, a truly fascinating read.

It looks at - for the most part - at the stories behind the journeymen Managers in L1 & L2, though it also includes some EPL managers such as Hughes, Pardew & Rodgers.

One chapter per Manager, & some of what it reveals is quite amazing.

Chapter One looks at Martin Ling, who ended up with mental health issues, & underwent "electroconvulsive therapy" after he sort of lost the plot. If it does not bring a tear or two to your eye, you are a hard man.

The chapter on Ian Holloway - "Ollie's Flying Circus" is superb, ending with a typical Holloway rant. You may have noticed the deafening wall of silence from EPL managers on the subject of Mr Blatter. Not so Mr Holloway.

Do you know what I see football as? Yes Mr Blatter, no Mr Blatter. Do you know what? Fuck you., Mr Blatter. You've got no clothes on. That bloke who had told the emperer he is naked? That'll be me. 


Chapter after chapter peels away the veneer of being a football manager, & we get the bonus of a foreword by The Great Man himself, Arsene Wenger.

Very highly recommended.

Nice review tikay, that's gone on my Christmas list!

[superwomble]

This one was already on my Christmas list, can't wait to read it:

The Crazy Gang is the story of a football miracle. Promoted to the Football League in 1977, Wimbledon FC was a small team from south London that against the odds went all the way to the top of the First Division, then to win the FA Cup, in only just over a decade. With no money, scant resources and a blend of youth players and offcuts from other clubs, they were christened 'Rag-Arse Rovers'. They played hard on the pitch and partied hard off it.

Dave 'Harry' Bassett was the manager who drilled a fierce fighting spirit into his players, an unbreakable team ethos, but he was also an underrated master tactician and pioneer of innovative training methods. Wally Downes was the midfield fulcrum of the Dons, but also the ringleader for the various acts of debauchery and general silliness that earned the club their reputation.

In The Crazy Gang, Harry and Wally are joined by a host of former Wimbledon players and staff, both famous names like Vinnie Jones, Lawrie Sanchez and Dave Beasant, but also unsung heroes in the club's history, to tell it as it really was. This is real football, the way fans remember it, and a world away from multimillionaire Premier League primadonnas.

[Archer]

I picked this up by accident and surprisingly  found  it to be excellent.