Football Books: News and Reviews

We Are Celtic Supporters, by Richard Purden, with a foreword by Rod Stewart (2011)

This book, published in September 2011, examines what created the culture, ideas and beliefs around Celtic football club. Author Richard Purden travels the world to find fans far and wide, from the ordinary to the celebrity. And there are indeed a wealth of the latter – as well as rocker Rod Stewart, who writes the foreword, there are exclusive interviews with famous fans such as Billy Connolly, Jim Kerr and Noel Gallagher. Read more…

Kissing the Badge: How Much Do You Know About 20 Years of the Premier League? by Phil Ascough (2011)

This is a quiz book that offers just that little bit more than mere trivia. It’s perfect for long car or train journeys on away days (especially, of course, if you follow a Premier League team), but it’s also one of those books that’s interesting to dip in and out of whether you feel like testing your fellow footy mates or just yourself. Read more…

Hello everyone, this is just to let you know that football-books.com has been moved back to its main domain name, and has been revised and relaunched. The previous entries over the past couple of months comprise some of the best content from the previous site, and from now on, latest entries will cover new and upcoming football books. The site is fully searchable, so if you’re looking for a book on a particular club, it’s probably there somewhere, and if it isn’t, please search the Amazon shop. Many thanks for reading and keep checking back for updates. You can also follow football-books.com on Twitter: @footy_books

When Saturday Comes: The Half Decent Football Book (2005)

This comprehensive A-Z covers all aspects of the beautiful game, from ‘abandoned matches’ to ‘Wrexham FC’ via celebrity fans, mascots, pitch invasions and the Bosman ruling.

Every club in the English League and the Scottish League has a separate entry, Fifa, Uefa, the PFA and the Football Supporters’ Association are covered, and the murkier areas of football such as boardroom politics and match-fixing are explored and explained with When Saturday Comes’ inimitable mix of humour and intelligence. It’s all the discerning fan needs to be reminded why football is still (against the odds) the people’s game.

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Woody and Nord: A Football Friendship, by Gareth Southgate, Andy Woodman and David Walsh (2003)

Gareth Southgate and Andy Woodman have been best friends since they were apprentices at Crystal Palace together.

But while Southgate has gone on to play for a succession of Premiership clubs, Woodman, after being released on the day Palace were promoted, has been shuffled around the lower divisions. This is the story of a friendship that has endured two wildly divergent careers and an insight into the national game, from the staggering money and prestige of the premier League to the precarious living and hard knocks of the Nationwide League.

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Willie Maley: The Man Who Made Celtic, by David Potter (2003)

Celtic owe almost everything to Willie Maley.

He played in their first ever game in 1888 and won Scottish caps in 1893, before becoming Celtic’s manager in 1897. He then set about building Celtic into the best team in Scotland and, from the beginning, envisaged the club as a powerful presence in world football – playing games in England, Europe and the United States. This book chronicles his playing career, the building of the great Edwardian Celtic team, the devastating effect of the Great War and the wealth of talent that he uncovered until his dismissal from office in 1940.

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One Night at the Palace: A Referee’s Story, by Alan Wilkie with George Miller (2002)

Alan Wilkie’s story of his progression through the refereeing ranks is an entertaining read, punctuated with many anecdotes.

It manages to convey to some degree just how difficult the job of a referee can be at times, yet also how rewarding it can be for those who are good enough. The book also offers an interesting insight into just how petty some managers can be in top-flight football.

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Viollet: The Life of a Legendary Goalscorer, by Roy Cavanagh and Brian Hughes (2001)

This book about “Busby Babe” Dennis Viollet puts the often underrated Manchester United striker up there in his rightful place alongside his more famous colleagues.

The authors also tell the story not only of that legendary United team of the 1950s but also about football in general in the post-war years. It was undoubtedly a golden era, but one in which the players earned little more than the people who watched and adored them.

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The Unofficial Football World Championships: An Alternative Soccer History, by Paul Brown (2006)

This book reveals an alternative international soccer competition and claims to discover football’s real champions.

Football fans facing the prospect of waiting four years to see their side make another early exit from the next World Cup finals need not despair.

The UFWC determines football’s world champions via a continuous series of boxing-style title matches dating back to the first ever international game in 1872, 58 years before the first World Cup. This book is an official guide to this unofficial competition, its matches, players, and stats. Read more…

A Game of Two Halves: A Collection of the World’s Greatest Football Writing, edited by Stephen F Kelly (1992)

Apart from the clichéd title, this book includes some first-class writing and is thoughtfully compiled in sections dedicated to all aspects of football.

Editor Kelly shows a keen eye for good writing, choosing some writers not widely known for writing about football. George Orwell’s famous attack on international sport, The Sporting Spirit, is included, as are short works by Albert Camus, Ted Hughes, Alan Sillitoe, H. E. Bates, Harold Pinter and J. B. Priestley. There’s even a football-related extract from Hancock’s Half Hour. Read more…