Football Books

[Matt W]

I love a football biographies and reading anything on football really

I thought a thread on the subject might be useful, somewhere to share thoughts on books on football new or old.

I've just finished The Romford Pele: It's only Ray Parlour's authobiography - really emjoyed this, and it is one of those books which spoke to me with Ray's voice. He comes across as a real last of the generation type player to span the old English ways into the more cosmopolitan premier league.

Some favourites;

Left Foot Forward by Garry Nelson
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
A Season with Verona by Tim Parks

Reading recommendations

My Father and Other Working-class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach @MJB
Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson @unification
Taking No Prisoners: The Legend of Frank Barson, Football's Hardest Man @Colin B
Steak Diana Ross by Dave McVay @Surreal Madrid
The Miracle of Castro di Sangro by Joe McGinniss @Apreski
A Strange kind of Glory by Eamon Dunphy @swolley
Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe during the Second World War' by Simon Kuper @Marked Ox
Football Against the Enemy' and 'Why England Lose: and Other Curious Phenomena Explained' by Simon Kuper @tonyw
Where's Your Caravan?: My Life on Football's B-roads by Chris Hargreaves @bicesterox

 

[OUSP]

A reminder that supporter contributions have been invited for a biography of Mickey Lewis. If you would like to contribute please email ouspinfo@gmail.com and we'll put you in touch with the author.

 

[MJB]

I love a football biographies and reading anything on football really

I thought a thread on the subject might be useful, somewhere to share thoughts on books on football new or old.

I've just finished The Romford Pele: It's only Ray Parlour's authobiography - really emjoyed this, and it is one of those books which spoke to me with Ray's voice. He comes across as a real last of the generation type player to span the old English ways into the more cosmopolitan premier league.

Some favourites;

Left Foot Forward by Garry Nelson
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
A season With Verona by Tim Parks

I’d really recommend My Father and Other Working-class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach.

A really superbly written, moving book.

 

[Matt W]

A reminder that supporter contributions have been invited for a biography of Mickey Lewis. If you would like to contribute please email ouspinfo@gmail.com and we'll put you in touch with the author.

I work in publishing, will get in touch

 

[unification]

Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson. Definitely one of my favourites.

 

[Colin B]

Some good recommendations above, most of which I've read.

My personal favourite, for obvious reasons is Taking No Prisoners: The Legend of Frank Barson, Football's Hardest Man.

He's a relative of mine, my grandad's cousin, and sadly dead now. But if you're going to have a footballer as a relative, then this is the one you want! Google him and be amazed.

 

[m]

Some good recommendations above, most of which I've read.

My personal favourite, for obvious reasons is Taking No Prisoners: The Legend of Frank Barson, Football's Hardest Man.

He's a relative of mine, my grandad's cousin, and sadly dead now. But if you're going to have a footballer as a relative, then this is the one you want! Google him and be amazed.

"One violent challenge in a match against Fulham resulted in a seven-month ban."

 

[Surreal Madrid]

I highly recommend 'Steak Diana Ross' by ex Notts County defender Dave McVay. It's written in diary form of Notts Countys 1974-5 season in Division 2 and includes the regular drink & curry sessions (usually sweated out at training the next day!), chasing 'birds', dealing with big headed players (Don Masson) , trying to keep on the right side of manager Jimmy Sirrell and the inevitable heartbreak of playing then getting dropped to the 'stiffs'. Even the mighty Yellows get a mention!

The title is a pun of those player profiles that used to appear in 'Shoot!' magazine in the 60/70/80s. Favourite Meal - Steak. Favourite Singer - Diana Ross.

 

[Apreski]

The miracle of Castro di Sangro - a great read

 

[swolley]

By coincidence I was reminded recently of a book I read about Man Utd when hearing of Bobby Charlton's death. A strange kind of glory by Eamon Dunphy covers the history of the club up to and including the Matt Busby era. The club's origins was very much from the catholic community. Even back then they had owners who were dubious, the Edwards family whose business was found to be selling dodgy meat pies to local schools. I have not read it for many a year and is no doubt out of print. I have looked for my copy in the last week but it must have gone to a charity shop.

An interesting read about life before the premier league.

 

[bashamwonderland]

The miracle of Castro di Sangro - a great read

One of the very best books in the sport genre.

 

[Marked Ox]

I'd recommend 'Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe during the Second World War' by Simon Kuper. A very good read that puts football and footballers in context at that time but also challenges the claims of the levels of Dutch resistance that were prevailing at the time.

 

[Colin B]

"One violent challenge in a match against Fulham resulted in a seven-month ban."

Or there is the story of how he went to a contract negotiation, and instead of taking his agent, or advisor, he took a gun!

 

[tonyw]

I'd recommend 'Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe during the Second World War' by Simon Kuper. A very good read that puts football and footballers in context at that time but also challenges the claims of the levels of Dutch resistance that were prevailing at the time.

It's funny, the two books that I was going to recommend were the two that Simon Kuper wrote either side of this one - 'Football Against the Enemy' and 'Why England Lose: and Other Curious Phenomena Explained'.

Love his writing, but it's very much on the geeky side of football - looking at it through an antropological, political or financial/statistical lens.

(I also loved a Season with Verona........)

 

[werthersoriginal]

I enjoyed Left Foot in the Grave by Garry Nelson - an account of his time managing Torquay when they were rock bottom of the EFL (good times in retrospect, I guess). He was maybe too nice to be boss and describes well how difficult it felt to tell players they weren't wanted.

 

[bicesterox]

Where's your caravan- Chris Hargreaves, unfortunately deleted off my kindle

 

[Matt W]

Where's your caravan- Chris Hargreaves, unfortunately deleted off my kindle

Thanks, I've added it to the list

 

[Big Ron]

As a big reader of football and music books,I would recommend:

'The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story' by Paolo Hewitt & Paul McGuigan (former Oasis bassist!). A footballing maverick who wouldn't bow to anyone and eventually destroyed himself, dying before he was 40 after years of drink and drug abuse. There's a great picture of him flicking the Vs on the cover of The Super Furry Animal's single 'The Man Don't Give A f**k':


'When Footballers Were Skint' by Jon Henderson, an account of a time when footballers lives weren't that far removed from the fans who watched them.

'The Nowhere Men' by Michael Calvin, a great book about football scouting.

'The Football Man' by Arthur Hopcraft. Written in 1968, one of the great sport books looking at the social and cultural importance of football. Became a screenwriter after starting in journalism and you can see that in the writing.

 

[holdsteady]

As a big reader of football and music books,I would recommend:

'The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story' by Paolo Hewitt & Paul McGuigan (former Oasis bassist!). A footballing maverick who wouldn't bow to anyone and eventually destroyed himself, dying before he was 40 after years of drink and drug abuse. There's a great picture of him flicking the Vs on the cover of The Super Furry Animal's single 'The Man Don't Give A f**k':
View attachment 16876

'When Footballers Were Skint' by Jon Henderson, an account of a time when footballers lives weren't that far removed from the fans who watched them.

'The Nowhere Men' by Michael Calvin, a great book about football scouting.

'The Football Man' by Arthur Hopcraft. Written in 1968, one of the great sport books looking at the social and cultural importance of football. Became a screenwriter after starting in journalism and you can see that in the writing.

I had the super furry animals single with this cover.

We get a few mentions in the scouting book, its part of a trio of books with another being about managers (not certain what the other is about as not read it) and a certain scouse MK Dons now ex manager is featured.