General Football Discussion

[Manneken Pis]

Not a novel, but Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" about the trials and tribulations of following Arsenal is a cracking good read.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of Hornby's novels, and Fever Pitch has a spot on my all-time top ten soccer books.

Since you ask (English-language only, alas; Ko, when does the translation come out?):

Bill Buford, Among the Thugs;
Chuck Culpepper, Bloody Confused! A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer;
John Foot, Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer;
David Goldblatt, The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Soccer;
Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch;
Simon Kuper, Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War;
Joe McGinnis, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy;
Tim Parks, A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character, and... Goals!;
David Peace, The Damned Utd;
David Winner, Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football (my all-time favorite).

Honorable mention:
Frits Barens and Henk van Dorp, Ajax Barcelona Cruyff: The ABC of an Obstinate Genius;
Hunter Davies, The Glory Game;
Jonathan Wilson, Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics.

Let the mocking begin!

No mocking here, it's a fine list!
I read a lot of football books and other suggestions would be....

"Barça" Jimmy Burns
"All Played Out" Pete Davies (WC 1990)
"Morbo" Phil Ball (Spanish football)
"Hand of God" Jimmy Burns (Maradonna)
"Left foot Forward" Jimy Nelson (Journeyman footballer diaries)
"Puskas on Puskas" (Edited Rogan Taylor)
"The Beautiful Game" Chris Taylor (South American Football)
"Futebol" Bellos (Brazillian Football)

And a personal favourite...
"Steak ... Diana Ross" Dave McVay (Diaries of a Notts County player in the 70's who went on to become a respected journalist for the Times).

[SE6Ajacied]

There's an interesting summary on the Notts County situation here

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/07/2 ... -the-bill/

Don't like the sound of the new chairman much if yoiu follow the link to the Everton story....

[ajaxusa]

Not a novel, but Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" about the trials and tribulations of following Arsenal is a cracking good read.

(English teacher mode on)
I believe we'd call that a semi-autobiographical novel (written in 3rd person, semi-fictionalized), but a novel still.
(English teacher mode off)

...my all-time top ten soccer books.

That's a really good list. I would also add Gazza Agonistes which was originally published as an extended essay in Granta but is now available on its own. Great read. And its a bit sentimental, but I remember enjoying Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano.

And OK I haven't read it yet, but the excerpts I've read from The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America do make me want to read it.

[SE6Ajacied]

Seeing as we're talking about football books again, one more from me

When Friday Comes - Football In The War Zone - James Montague - interesting and informative (in a football rather than true geopolitical way) about football in the Middle East.

[martinkohout]

Since you ask (English-language only, alas; Ko, when does the translation come out?):

Bill Buford, Among the Thugs;
Chuck Culpepper, Bloody Confused! A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer;
John Foot, Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer;
David Goldblatt, The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Soccer;
Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch;
Simon Kuper, Ajax, the Dutch, the War: Football in Europe During the Second World War;
Joe McGinnis, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy;
Tim Parks, A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character, and... Goals!;
David Peace, The Damned Utd;
David Winner, Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football (my all-time favorite).

Honorable mention:
Frits Barens and Henk van Dorp, Ajax Barcelona Cruyff: The ABC of an Obstinate Genius;
Hunter Davies, The Glory Game;
Jonathan Wilson, Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics.

Let the mocking begin!

Just finished Kuper's Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power, the Americanized version of his Football Against the Enemy, and absolutely loved it; I'll have to kick something off the list above to make room for it.

My only complaint about the book: when they went to Americanize it, some lazy sod obviously just ran a "search/replace" command with "football" and "soccer," leading to weird phrases like "he started juggling a soccer in the streets of Douala after work" and "quarterbacks in American soccer tend to be more intellectual than other players." Um, hello?

Great recommendations! I enjoyed Burns's Barça and Bellos's Futebol, and while I also have Soccer in Sun and Shadow, I confess I never made it all the way through. You've inspired me to take another run at it, though. And I can see I'm gonna have to splash out for those others, too, though I'll probably wait for The Beckham Experiment to come out in softcover (presumably the next edition will include a chapter on his happy reunion with the L.A. fans ).

[Kowalczyk]

My only complaint about the book: when they went to Americanize it, some lazy sod obviously just ran a "search/replace" command with "football" and "soccer," leading to weird phrases like "he started juggling a soccer in the streets of Douala after work" and "quarterbacks in American soccer tend to be more intellectual than other players." Um, hello?

That i very silly indeed...

K.

[jamcocteau]

With Sulemanis apparent lack of fitness and alleged love of junk food, then maybe a transfer to Getafe in Spain would appeal to him. Just think what the sponsors bonus for man of the match or scoring a goal could be. Sulemani could be in heaven

http://www.footballshirtculture.com/09/ ... -kits.html

[SE6Ajacied]

I think Newcastle will wish they'd gone to Utrecht on Saturday.

They lost 6-1 to Leyton Orient instead http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... eturn.html

P.S. that's the same Leyton Orient who lost 3-2 to non league Ebbsfleet United mid=week.

[afcajax73]

hahaha newcaslte for relegation.. i wish.

they had a full team out!

[SE6Ajacied]

Up bright and early (it's 06.20 here) and ready for my trip and I've found some footy to go to. In the unlikely event that anyone on here is at FC Omniworld v FC Oss tonight or HFC Haarlem v FC Chahab (Amsterdam) on Friday then I'll look out for you. If I can be bothered with the train trip as well I like the sound of Cambuur Leeuwarden v. Racing Santander on Thursday as well. Having visited the ground a couple of years back it would be good to go to a game there as well.

[SE6Ajacied]

I was asking a while ago if anyone knew where you could watch Eredivisie highlights on the www.

Browsing around just now I've sort of answered my own question if anyone is interested. I haven't watched anything yet but this site looks good and has lots of leagues other than the Dutch league as well.

http://www.footytube.com/leagues/netherlands/eredivisie

Edit: Ok, so now I go to look at it, it seems that some of the Dutch links have been taken down for copyright reasons. There's still some stuff on there though from NOS and what sounds like Spanish TV.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Sad News in the football World.... Sir Bobby Robson has died after a long battle with cancer...he was 76 years old.

R.I.P

http://www.meridiano.com.ve/comun/titul ... &titular=1

[SPL]

Sir Bobby is a sad loss as he was gentleman, unique in english footy now, and loved by everybody. A fine coach all round nice guy. Rest in Peace .

[SE6Ajacied]

Up bright and early (it's 06.20 here) and ready for my trip and I've found some footy to go to.

OK, so I'm back now, haven't been online at all (mobile phone too expensive - where have all the internet cafes in Amsterdam gone to?).

I gave the Open Day a miss hoping to see training on Friday morning but for some reason that didn't seem to happen, at least not at 10.30am as stated on the website.

I did go to all three of those games though and had a great time (as always) travelling around the Netherlands, Three games and 12 goals (Omniworld/Oss 1-1, Cambuur/Santander 0-5, Haarlem/Chabab 3-2). For some reason Ronald Koeman was also amongst the 200 or so watching Omniworld, not sure why unless he was off duty, there didn't seem to be any particularly outstanding players on display or anything.

I totally commend the weather btw, apart from an hour or so in Leeuwarden when I was at the game there was no rain at all but reading through this site I can see why as the rain has followed Menno to New York

[SPL]

Glad you had a good time .

[SPL]

SE6.
I meant to ask what was Omniworld ground like I understand Almere is a newish town . Another question for you why are they called Omniworld.

PS I am working on the wife about me going to ahome game this season.In principle she has agreed so
I am going to come over this season if its the last thing I do. Might pass on going to Volendam for a night game though as knowing my luck that bus you talked about would probably go to Edam and not bother to return !!!!!!!!!!!!! I would plan a weekend when the reserves were at home on the Monday night.

[SE6Ajacied]

SE6.
I meant to ask what was Omniworld ground like I understand Almere is a newish town . Another question for you why are they called Omniworld.

Not sure about the name but the ground is very small and rather like an English non league ground, I'd say conference level tbh though not sure how many seats they have. I took pictures and will post some if and when I get time but in the meantime here's a picture http://www.rtl.nl/(/sport/rtlvoetbal/ju ... iworld.xml

Almere is very modern, just like a new town here really.

[Mr_Holte]

Hi Folks,

Just wondered if anyone can give me a few tips. Im coming over in December for the Home game with NEC, and as it's on the Friday night I quite fancy going to see another game in the Eredivisie on the Saturday. My options are:

PSV v AZ
Twente Enschede v NAC Breda
VVV Venlo v RKC Waalwijk
Heerenveen v F-Word

PSV looks the most appealing. But in terms of transport which is easiest by train from Amsterdam?

Any help appreciated.

[Rooie]

From Amsterdam Central Station to:

- Eindhoven - 1 hour and 21 minutes

- Heerenveen - 1 hour and 59 minutes

- Enschede - 2 hours and 8 minutes

- Venlo - 2 hours and 6 minutes

All by train.

PSV is the easiest option (well, except for tickets I reckon)

[Mr_Holte]

Thanks Benji, that's what I guessed.

Will look into that, thanks.

[SE6Ajacied]

Hi Folks,

Just wondered if anyone can give me a few tips. Im coming over in December for the Home game with NEC, and as it's on the Friday night I quite fancy going to see another game in the Eredivisie on the Saturday. My options are:

PSV v AZ
Twente Enschede v NAC Breda
VVV Venlo v RKC Waalwijk
Heerenveen v F-Word

PSV looks the most appealing. But in terms of transport which is easiest by train from Amsterdam?

Any help appreciated.

Theres a very good travel planner on the train co website www.ns.nl - very good for checking out the last train back after the game as there isn't always a direct one

[Over Pasanens Head]

SE6Ajacied - I think that you will enjoy this website

http://www.europeanfootballweekends.co.uk/

[SE6Ajacied]

SE6Ajacied - I think that you will enjoy this website

http://www.europeanfootballweekends.co.uk/

Cheers OPH, looks interesting - have to say that I prefer Holland to anywhere else whereas this guy seems to travel all over.

Something else to obsessively read on the internet anyway

[ajaxusa]

With the biggest teams in European football now playing pre-season friendlies in America, and on the Left Coast no less, to huge crowds... Do you think we might see Ajax play in America, for the first time since the bizarre Gotham Cup in 1999? (Show of hands: Who was there? Extra points if you went to the training session at Princeton.)

[SE6Ajacied]

Just watched the second half of DC United v Real Madrid (thanks ESPN!). Have to say I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by DC, only a friendly of course but they held out for a long time against what looked a near full strenth Madrid side and play in the right way as well, passing the ball around well. Drenthe looked to be having a particulalry good game for Madrid.

I don't follow MLS at all so this is the first time I've seen DC play, ESPN seem to show a lot of games (esp LA Galaxy!) though so will look out for this lot again.