Books on soccer are plentiful but how does a person decide which would be suitable for a soccer loving friend or family member? Below are four excellent examples of the genre, all sure to please the discerning football follower.
Black and Blue: Paul Canoville (Headline – 2008)
Top flight football in England during the 1980’s was a far cry from the millionaire populated brand the English Premier League is today. With many stadiums dilapidated, attendances falling, violence and racism commonplace on the terraces, football inhabited a different country.
To this background, Paul Canoville became the first black player to play for Chelsea in 1982. In a fiercely honest account, he highlights the everyday racism he encountered and his ongoing struggles with drug abuse and family tragedy.
This ultimately uplifting book is in sharp contrast to the banal publications of current superstars and offers a fascinating insight into Canoville’s battle to live his dream of becoming a successful professional footballer.
All Played Out: Full story of Italia 90 – Paul Davies (Jonathan Cape – 1990)
Almost twenty years after its first release, this account of the England team and supporters at the 1990 World Cup in Italy is still regarded as one of the finest books written on football.
Davies captures the atmosphere and drama of what proved a pivotal tournament for the popularity of soccer. In retrospect, Gazza’s tears and Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma opened the game in England to a more middle class and affluent audience, setting in motion changes that still reverberate today.
He travels, socialises, celebrates and commiserates with fans, providing insight beyond the stereotypical, received opinion of the football supporter.
With access to the England squad and manager Bobby Robson, Davies brilliantly articulates the tensions of a capricious campaign culminating in semi final defeat to Germany.
All Played Out is seen as a classic of its type. Intelligent, exciting and superbly written, it remains an essential purchase for any serious football fan.
Inverting The Pyramid: History Of Football Tactics - Jonathan Wilson (Orion – 2008)
A history of football tactics may appear a dry and unpromising subject but Jonathan Wilson has produced an informative and enlightening book.
The majority of watchers can discuss the merits of the 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1 or 5-3-1 formation but their origins have been lost in the clichéd coverage of the modern game.
Wilson has been able to illustrate the importance of the visionary tacticians that have shaped the game, their social context and the reluctance, particularly in the English game, to shed the conservative approach and embrace a more abstract view of what is tactically possible. An engrossing book for player and fan alike.
Only A Game – Eamon Dunphy (Penguin 1976)
The diary format has been a staple for sports publishing but few can match that of Eamon Dunphy, written when a Millwall player in the first few months of the 1973-74 season.
Millwall were in the second tier of English football and Dunphy captures lucidly the descent from pre-season optimism to mid term realism and personal bitterness. It evokes a lifestyle unrecognisable from the modern premier league but still relevant to lower league players of today.
Dunphy is forthright and opinionated throughout, providing an all too rare glimpse into the everyday world of the professional footballer. Since retiring as a player he has moved on to become a successful author and broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland. Consistently controversial, his opinions continue to provoke admiration and ire in equal measure.
Soccer Books For Christmas
The four titles above are all in print and would provide excellent presents for any football fan looking for something more than the latest generic ghost written biography.
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