Good Footy Books to Read - Recommendations

[fulhamfever]

Currently reading Stillness and Speed - Dennis Bergkamp so far so good.

I would recommend the following

Chris Kamara - Mr Unbelievable
Jeff Stelling - Jellyman throwing a wobbly
Paul Merson - How not to be a professional Footballer
Stan Collymore - Tackling my Deamons

[ltd-ffc]

roy keanes old one was always a good one
also gazza's
started paul scholes but stopped when he came back out of retirement might just pick it up again
really need to read more might just leave a book beside the bath and bog

[aFFCn_Fan]

I recommend Foul!: the Secret World of Fifa; Bribes, Vote Rigging and Ticket Scandals by Andrew Jennings

But only if you don't hate Sepp Blather enough already

[Rhys Lightning 63]

GB United by Steve Menary. A history of Great British football teams in the Olympics

[harry palmer]

A Season with Verona, Parks, Tim Book

Brilliant book about English guy following Verona home and away around Italy.

Only £2.99 inc free p&p on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-Season-with-Verona-Parks-Tim-Book-/141191715093?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item20dfae9915

[Fulhampete]

Any of Eamon Dunphy's books are worth a read. One of the most interesting books was by Stuart Imlach's son about how football families are always ready to move if the father is transferred.Imlach started in Scotland and played for Nottingham Forest in the 1960 Cup final and then moved on several times.

[RaySmith]

Any of Eamon Dunphy's books are worth a read. One of the most interesting books was by Stuart Imlach's son about how football families are always ready to move if the father is transferred.Imlach started in Scotland and played for Nottingham Forest in the 1960 Cup final and then moved on several times.

My Father and Other Sporting Heroes, is, I think, the title of Gary (?) Imlach's book, which tells of the terrible way his father, and players generally, were treated in the 50s and 60s. A very good book, and antidote to talk of today's 'pampered' players.

I would also recommend The Damned United by David Peace, a fictionalised account of Brian Clough's 44 day reign at Leeds - relevant to certain happenings at the moment? The book is a lot darker than the film.

[elgreenio]

enjoyed Behind the Curtain by Johnathan Wilson, though you need to be switched on a bit when he gets to the smaller countries.

link : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-Curtain-Football-Eastern-European/dp/0752879456

[HatterDon]

How Football Explains the World is a good read.

In the fiction department, They Used to Play on Grass is a lot of fun. You know it's fiction because Luton Town is in the top flight  :012:

[bog]

The second one by Jimmy Greaves.   

[Fulham1959]

Any of Eamon Dunphy's books are worth a read. One of the most interesting books was by Stuart Imlach's son about how football families are always ready to move if the father is transferred.Imlach started in Scotland and played for Nottingham Forest in the 1960 Cup final and then moved on several times.

My Father and Other Sporting Heroes, is, I think, the title of Gary (?) Imlach's book, which tells of the terrible way his father, and players generally, were treated in the 50s and 60s. A very good book, and antidote to talk of today's 'pampered' players.

I would also recommend The Damned United by David Peace, a fictionalised account of Brian Clough's 44 day reign at Leeds - relevant to certain happenings at the moment? The book is a lot darker than the film.

My Father And Other Working Class Football Heroes  -  An essential read. 

Wayne Rooney, £300,000 a week ?  That's about 10 times more than the weekly payroll of all 92 clubs added together in 1960, when SKY and agents had yet to be invented.

[jmh]

George Cohen's autobiography.

[res]

 George Cohen-My Autobiography

Supermac-My Autobiography

Both unimaginative titles but good reads as they cover footballing and non footballing issues.

Moving away from football and Fulham

Graham Thorpe-The Autobiography (another imaginative title)-again because it covers non sporting issues and the way that sporting   life  impacts on other issues in people's lives

Mike Brearley-The Art of Captaincy-delves into psychology

Worst sporting book

Flintoff-great sportsman but he should have left the attempted book on one side.

How did Redknapp have an autobiography when he said at his trial that he couldn't read or write?

[Bronaldinho]

I really want to read Ian Holloway's & Zlatan's books.

I can imagine they are so entertaining.

[Snibbo]

For the technically minded:

"Inverting the Pyramid" by Jonathon Wilson.

The evolution of football tactics and formations over the years. Even mentions Vic Buckingham.

[Stefano Okaka Chuka]

Family by Michael Calvin. Best football book I ever read and I have read many.

[Dan in Notts]

Agreed re. the praise for Gary Imlach's 'My Father and Other Working-Class Heroes' - terrific insight into a different age, and interesting on Imlach's relationship with his dad.

Also really liked 'Red or Dead' by David Peace (of 'The Damned Utd' fame), based on Bill Shankly's life - a reminder of why Liverpool were (once, at least) a great football club. It's a bit of a monster at 700+ pages, but worth persevering with; really good on Shankly's life after he retires. (There's also a great passage about the philosophy of pass and move, that Shankly tried to instill in his players, and which reminded me of Tigana's Fulham.)

[Julius Geezer]

Autobiographies

Kevin Keegan
Sir Alex Ferguson
Harry Redknapp
Roy Keane
Rodney Marsh

[Delboy]

The greatest footballer you never saw.The story of Robin Friday who played in mainly the lower divisions for Reading. A great player but sadly went off the rails. Could have and should have been much much more.  049:gif

[HatterDon]

The greatest footballer you never saw.The story of Robin Friday who played in mainly the lower divisions for Reading. A great player but sadly went off the rails. Could have and should have been much much more.  049:gif

Sounds like Grahame French. There could be a huge book on players like that.