I nearly wrote a review of this before I had finished it – it was so good. I’m glad I didn’t though. Read on for an explanation for that somewhat weird comment…

OK – the good bit. This is one of the best football books I have read. High praise indeed. It is excellently researched, well written, engaging and above all really interesting. It is essentially ‘Freakonomics for Football’ (hence the initial release as ‘Soocernomics’) – that is, a book that ties real-world micro and macro-economic factors into football. I appreciate that sounds a bit (very) dry; but in reality it’s not dry at all.

Take some of the topics they examine – of course the eponymous ‘Why England Lose’ (which is actually a little misleading and I suspect chosen as the title to shift copies) but also why a London club has never won the European Cup, why Lyon are freakishly successul (relatively), which country is most successful relative to GDP, which country has the most loyal fans, why major tournaments aren’t actually economic boons, what are the best transfer strategies, how upbringing affects ability, etc. The way it is linked back and forth with real footballing events and stats makes compelling reading.

However – and this is why I am glad I didn’t write a eulogy half way through – the book does trail off somewhat. The first 200 or so pages are an absolute pleasure, but then it does begin to drag – whether it’s boredom with the novel (as in new) approach to writing about football, whether it’s that the points become less and less interesting (i.e. they used up the good ones at the start) whether the repeated veneration of Arsene Wenger and Billy Beane becomes tiresome, I’m not sure – but I definitely enjoyed the first half of this more than the second.

That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any (slightly obsessive/geeky) football fan, as there is a lot of interesting material and intriguing analysis.

Certainly a good book, perhaps a great one – all I can say is read it and make your own judgement. 8/10

]]> http://footballsup.com/2010/03/review-why-england-lose-and-other-curious-phenomena-explained/feed/ 0 http://footballsup.com/2009/12/inverting-the-pyramid/ http://footballsup.com/2009/12/inverting-the-pyramid/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:25:28 +0000 Matt http://footballsup.com/?p=2360

It’s about time we reviewed something – you can visit our shop to see what we recommend. This time it’s the cerebral ‘Inverting the Pyramid’ by Jonathan Wilson – the thinking man’s football book. Read on to see what we thought…

This is not your average football book, let’s get that clear. There is none of the usual emotional recounting of winning goals, or eulogistically sycophantic reminiscings of players past. There is no phoenix from the flames story, no rags to riches tale, no boys in the bathtub banter, no Clough-isms – you get the idea. This is a book about football tactics, plain and simple. Consequently, while being interesting, it’s also very dry. There is nothing cathartic in here – nothing except cold hard fact and chronological storytelling. Nothing romantic, nothing emotion inducing, nothing tragic or amusing. Nothing that you would associate with football in fact.

What there is, in spades, is information. The evolution of the game, the innovative teams, players, managers, and systems – the development of football from the 2-3-5 of Corinthians to the modern day 4-5-1 (hence, ‘Inverting the Pyramid’) and everything in between. It looks at the scholars who documented the first Association Football rules to colonialism and the spread of the game to the Austrian coffee shop thinkers to the Russian innovators to Graham Taylor… and much more.

There is much of interest – particularly tracing the evolutions of playing styles, English pressing and high tempo a legacy of wide open playing fields, Brazilian skills and close control a legacy of tight, compact, crowded games in the favellas, and direct, powerful driving African football a legacy of the short narrow pitches and tiny goals made from stones.

Wilson throws name after name at you and expects the reader to remember them (cross referencing people throughout) which can make for confusing reading – and he also dwells for too long some tinpot theories; pages are devoted to one flawed thinker in particular (I won’t spoil it for you).

As is plain, this book has its downsides. But it has its upsides also. It’s best seen as a history book that happens to be about football. But if you can take it as that, have a great memory for names, and an anal fascination for line-ups, formations, and playing styles, this is the book for you. If you expect cathartic accounts of exploits on the football field, it’s not.

Overall, as a bit of a football nerd, I will give it 7.5/10. If it appeals to you, you can purchase it below:

]]> http://footballsup.com/2009/12/inverting-the-pyramid/feed/ 2 http://footballsup.com/2009/08/footballsup-shop/ http://footballsup.com/2009/08/footballsup-shop/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:38:04 +0000 Matt http://footballsup.com/?p=1984

A reminder to those of you looking to buy football related books, DVDs, and games… visit our shop, hosted by Amazon. Click here to do so: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/football0a9-21

I have just finished this book, and though I am coming horribly late to the party (it was first published in March 2002) I want to shout about it to any other football fans it has passed by. The book tells of the author Tim Parks’ travels with Hellas Verona throughout the 2000/01 season. He originally published details in the Guardian, but the novel really works…

About Serie A and Hellas Verona in particular (mostly their away games) A Season with Verona is also a travel , cultural and social work, analysing Italy, the Italian people, and their devotion to the beautiful game. The novel’s subtext is Travels around Italy, in search of illusion, national character and goals! which summarises it nicely – it’s not just the football side Parks covers.

However, it’s obviously a major part, and there are many familiar names – Martin Laursen and Alberto Gilardino for Verona, while such luminaries as Roberto Baggio and Sinisa Mihalovic (for my money the greatest free-kick taker ever) pop up – and I have to admit to an affection for Verona after reading it.

If you want to read an intelligent football book, that doesn’t just commentate on the action but perspicaciously examines its wider sociological and cultural effects and implications, this is the book for you. Buy it now (below).