Best sports history books according to redditors
We found 239 Reddit comments discussing the best sports history books. We ranked the 83 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 239 Reddit comments discussing the best sports history books. We ranked the 83 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
The team so bad, they released a book about how they came second that one time
 
 
Edit: As a few people mentioned, there are others with fantastic reviews:
>"Football? Bloody hell!", as Bill Shankly once said.
By the final chapter of this book I was kneeling on the floor of my living room, floods of tears pattering onto my replica kit, wailing like a hysterical gibbon. My dogs, Rushie and Aldo, wailed in solidarity with me. They understood; my wife didn't. I felled her with a right hook.
Imagine if all you ever wanted was a carrot cake, and then, after 25 years without one, you see your most loyal friend walking towards your house smiling, carrying a carrot cake with your name on it. As he reaches your drive, he tumbles calamitously into a ditch. You rush out to find him writhing in agony amongst a cakey-muddy mess, a hungry raven pecking at his flesh. That is how we Liverpool fans feel about the 13/14 season (the raven is Tony Pulis, by the way).
This book is not just some cynical cash-in to make money out of Irish people. Paul Tomkins has truly encapsulated the modern-day Liverpool Football Club experience in literary form: the misty-eyed sentimentality, the endless self-mythologizing and, above all, the abject, humiliating failure. YNWA.
This book.
>Liverpool's 2013/14 campaign was no ordinary football season. It was the season when everything changed. A year of hope, fantasy, adventure; where joyous reclamation met crushing disappointment and won. A time when the brand of heroic and daring football - and footballers that seemed consigned to the sepia toned era of the game s past returned.
Also the fact they were selling this t shirt in town towards the end of the season
Some bestsellers for each club on Amazon:
Arsenal: "Invincibles" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invincible-Inside-Arsenals-Unbeaten-2003-2004/dp/0241970490
Man Utd: "You can't win anything with kids" https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Cant-Win-Anything-Kids/dp/1909360414/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469542993&sr=1-3&keywords=manchester+united
Chelsea: "The Holy Grail" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chelsea-FC-Grail-Shaumik-Daityari-ebook/dp/B008MXJX2S/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543078&sr=1-34&keywords=chelsea+fc
Manchester City: "My Eyes Have Seen Glory" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyes-Have-Seen-Glory-Manchester/dp/178155076X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543222&sr=1-4&keywords=manchester+city+2012
Leicester City: "5000 to 1"
https://www.amazon.co.uk/5000-1-Leicester-City-Story-Champions/dp/1785781510/ref=sr_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543139&sr=1-20&keywords=manchester+city
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Liverpool: "Make Us Dream - 2013/14" https://www.amazon.com/Make-Us-Dream-Liverpools-Season/dp/1909245216
People love to hate on the MLS, and it's funny a lot of the time, but it has actually come a long way. Give it a chance people!
This book really changed my opinion on the entire sport, as an American who is flooded with football, basketball, and baseball. It's a wonderful read. You'll thank me later. :)
Inverting the Pyramid - Jonathan Wilson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/1409128644
Kroos gets off on saying controversial things, most Bayern fans despise him for what he said about the club after he left for Madrid. As far as I'm concerned he's a snake, and I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. I never had a Kroos jersey, but if I had I probably would have thrown it away.
While it's true that Klinsmann had a rocky spell at Bayern (edit: a season Kroos was only around for half of, due to a loan at Leverkusen), his contribution to the DFB is pretty much unquestionably large, and was in part the focus of a recent book by journalist Raphael Honigstein, Das Reboot, which is a very interesting read, and includes several interviews and quotes from integral figures (Löw, Mertesacker, Schweinsteiger, Müller), who basically said that Germany would not have won the 2014 World Cup if it had been for Klinsmann and the groundwork he started. I think we all know that Klinsmann isn't the best at tactics, but it's frankly laughable and insulting to claim that he wasn't partially responsible for Germany winning the World Cup, even 8 years later.
The key book for football hooliganism is Among the Thugs by Bill Buford. A fantastic read that gives a great insight into 1980s British hooligan culture. A great look into what started off as a bunch of young lads just wanting to fight that spiraled into violence and death.
The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt. This book is football's history bible. But chapters 13, 14 and 15 focus particularly on FIFA corruption, South American dictatorships and the outbreak of a worldwide hooligan culture, all of which are intertwined.
The book Football Hooliganism is also on my list of readings.
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, while not a particularly brilliant insight into hooliganism is a great look into the relationship between fan and club.
And there are some great documentaries on it too:
Football's Fight Club. Charts the rise and fall of hooliganism in 70s and 80s Britain.
There are loads of great documentaries on youtube to be honest that chronicle the problem of hooliganism both in the present day and the past. Here's one I thought was good
I don't know anything too specifically related to Leeds, but Among the Thugs does spend some time with leeds' firm.
I also just watched Vice's program on the Celtic-Rangers rivalry just last night. A good watch.
Umm no. Soccer isn't on major sports networks because the American public never had the chance to consistently establish roots in their local teams due to many failed and poorly run leagues dating back to the early 1900's. Read Soccer in a Football World if you're American it'll enlighten you on the history of the sport in our country.
No, they won in 54/55, then in 04/05; they weren't ever the top team in London in the 80s. (Info from Turf Wars: A History of London Football)
> A third group, headed by Chicago marketing executive Jim Paglia, envisioned a league tied to a series of new stadiums constructed adjacent to new shopping malls.
There's a lot more about this group in Beau Dure's Long-Range Goals. Paglia had some pretty radical ideas about changing the rules of soccer, with color-coded uniforms based on positions, larger goals, more points for goals from further away...
Taken from "Make Us Dream" by Neil Atkinson & John Gibbons.
There are a multitude of factors here, but a very big one is just the ownership group approaching everything in the correct way. The sounders pulled huge numbers even back in the 70s, but had largely fallen off the radar for most people just due to a lack of any kind of marketing at all. You would have never known a USL sounders game was happening unless you went out of your way to scour the USL site or called the box office.
There is a fantastic book that covers some of the outreach steps that the ownership group took to engage the community and simply make sure that people knew about the Sounders again.
Beyond the ownership group, here are a few of the factors:
Any new team entering the league just has to recreate these things and, with a little luck, they'll have the same type of success. :P
He also wrote the only history of MLS to date. People should read it.
You should read Das Reboot by Raphael Honigstein. It actually goes somewhat in depth into Klinsmann coaching philosophy since Klinsmann did help reform German football into the powerhouse it is today.
You are essentially correct, at least according to Honigstein, that Jurgen is not a tactics guy. He is very motivational and believes that players are ultimately responsible for his/her own performance.
Whether you believe that is what the USMNT needs is up to you.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/1409128644
History of football tactics. Basically the essential start if you want to get deep on it, and learn about it.
How have you lived here for years, a sports fan, and not heard of KJR? It's been a sports talk station for almost 30 years. They used to broadcast the Sonics, they are the home of the Huskies, and a long time host Mike Gastineau even wrote a book about the Sounders.
Since we're recommending books, everyone should read "Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics" by Jonathan Wilson. Reading this book inspired me to create /r/footballtactics.
Seconded for sure. Watch some soccer and, if you like books, go read up on the game. There’s a fairly short but really high-quality list of books that you can hit to get a varied taste of soccer, from history to tactics to biographies to silly books about English soccer clichés.
But there is no substitute for watching the game, and even playing around in your back yard a bit. Enjoy!
(Edit: there are other books on the shortlist out there too. Also, there are plenty of fun and informative podcasts related to the sport if you’re into that sort of thing)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E257T8K?btkr=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011UGMHI?btkr=1
http://www.amazon.com/Only-Game-Diary-Professional-Footballer/dp/0140102906
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
https://smile.amazon.com/Chelsea-FC-Biography-Rick-Glanvill/dp/0755314662/ref=sr_1_1
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
The Ball is Round by David Goldblatt
Not a site, but this book covers some of the history:
Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game
by David Wangerin
http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Football-World-Americas-Forgotten/dp/1592138853
The history is a lot deeper than you think. These two books are more or less companions by the same author, and the definitive history of the game in the US and Canada:
Both are must-reads. Check your local library.
There are many fans that don't realize that the Michigan - Notre Dame game is not as frequently played as the media would have you believe. While the MSU - Notre Dame rivalry is much more frequent. Plus we have a traditional trophy!
I'm sure someone will post a rivalry bot...
ND and Michigan have officially only played 36 times. The first 3 were in 1899, 1900 and 1902...and then, for many reasons that I don't really want to go into, they stopped playing. (There are records that predate 1899 for games but back then Michigan was "taking it on themselves" to teach other schools how to play football and would travel to campuses and "play" games...though they weren't really games, more like scrimmages, or glorified practices. Michigan kept score, but the other team didn't and most believe that there was some "fudging" of the rules back then by the Michigan club members as there were no standardized rules for football. Michigan won all 3 when ND was still trying to establish their program. They did not play again until WWII, where they split a home and home series in 42 and 43. After that, the series was not revived until 1978, and they played every year between 1978 and 1982. 1985 and 1994, 1997 and 1999, 2002 and 2014. So the series has been sporadic.
The series itself is 16-19-1 with Michigan winning 19 games, to ND's 16 and a single tie. But since after 1936 when the modern game of college football we know and love (I use 1936 because that was the first year the AP attempted to crown a national champion, and cover college football on a national scale) the series is even 16-16-1
Meanwhile, ND and MSU have played 64 times, which makes MSU the 5th most frequent opponent for ND behind Navy (90 games), USC (88 games), Purdue (83 games), and Pitt (67 games). Those are the only 5 opponents that ND has played 60+ games against in their 117 football seasons.
ND's record against MSU is 35-28-1, with the 1 being one of the most famous games in College Football lore (which many believe ushered in the modern era of college football because the TV demand for the 1966 game was so high, it proved that CFB on TV could be a viable money maker for TV networks and schools - CFB started exploding in the media in the wake of that game.)
The 28 wins for MSU over Notre Dame represent the second most wins over ND for any program. Only USC (37) has more.
MSU and ND's first game was in 1918 when the school that would be come MSU was still establishing itself. ND won, and then the series stopped until 1948, after WWII. The rivalry was born because MSC president John Hannah could not find opponents to help legitimatize and grown MSC's athletics program to make a bid for the B1G. MSU's football program at the time was exploding, and many of the Midwestern powers at the time did not want to schedule independent MSC because they'd probably lose. So Hannah contacted ND president Fr. John Cavanaugh and asked him. ND was, themselves, in a pretty good position to take on a top team near by and Cavanaugh realized the potential of a series. So, Cavanaugh not only said yes, but also agreed to a five year series, in which MSU would get 3 home games.
Thus the series was born, and most MSU fans who know the story are forever grateful for ND's help back then...which is part of the reason why the rivalry is different/fun for a lot. We really are pretty close together, our football programs have had a long run of intertwined history, and there is a mutual respect. We have a lot of alum in Chicago living among the ND alum, and subway alum as well. Most more experienced ND fans, and the ND alum in my family generally agree that the MSU-ND series is a more special experience for them, despite the fact that the media, national especially, pimps the M - ND series because of the flash of it all.
Many believe Michigan was leading a black ball...there's a lot of that in the history of MSU/Michigan both in athletics and beyond. There's a lot of negative history between Michigan and ND too. If you want to know the reason why so much hate exists read the book: "Arrogance and Scheming in the Big Ten: Michigan State's Quest for Membership and Michigan's Powerful Opposition"
It's a tough read, the writer is pretty....dry...it read like a medical textbook (I'm a Health Sciences Librarian, I read medical scholarship most of my day...trust me on this one!) However, the research that went into it is solid, and it's exploration of why MSU fans/alum are the way they are toward Michigan in general. We're working to get over it off the field as many of the University of Michigan institutional policies that were working toward the marginalization of other state higher education institutions were eliminated by former Michigan President James Duderstadt in the 1990's, but there is a 125+ year history of belittlement beyond athletics for us and them to get over! A history that many fans, and media members don't really understand.
It's fun to read the one-star reviews of his book "Taboo": https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/158648026X/ref=acr_dpx_hist_1??ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0
> Man Utd: "You can't win anything with kids" https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Cant-Win-Anything-Kids/dp/1909360414/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469542993&sr=1-3&keywords=manchester+united
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> Chelsea: "The Holy Grail" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chelsea-FC-Grail-Shaumik-Daityari-ebook/dp/B008MXJX2S/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543078&sr=1-34&keywords=chelsea+fc
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> Manchester City: "My Eyes Have Seen Glory" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyes-Have-Seen-Glory-Manchester/dp/178155076X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543222&sr=1-4&keywords=manchester+city+2012
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> Arsenal: "Invincibles" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invincible-Inside-Arsenals-Unbeaten-2003-2004/dp/0241970490
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> Leicester City: "5000 to 1" https://www.amazon.co.uk/5000-1-Leicester-City-Story-Champions/dp/1785781510/ref=sr_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469543139&sr=1-20&keywords=manchester+city
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> Liverpool: "Make Us Dream - 2013/14" https://www.amazon.com/Make-Us-Dream-Liverpools-Season/dp/1909245216
ftfy
....sorry, I missed the Arsenal roast
In seriousness, have a look at the Wikipedia article - it's very well written and covers a lot of stuff. If you want to check out some Youtube videos of better times, look up Howay 5-0 (1996), The Entertainers (1995-1997), any of our Champions League exploits between 1998 and 2003, and the 2011/12 season. There're also songs associated with the club, such as the Blaydon Races, Coming Home Newcastle, Local Hero and so on that you can look at.
And of course brace yourself for August and the football starting again, keep an eye on here as we're quite active! Welcome aboard (please bail some of the water out as you leave).
If you want a proper look into north-east football for some summer reading, I'd heavily recommend Up There by Michael Walker, he goes through the entire history of the region's football and why it's so important to us. While I'm at it, Touching Distance is great as well, about the Entertainers period under Keegan from 1992 to 1998.
I'll also suggest Inverting the Pyramid and Soccernomics. Both are good reads.
The Secret Footballer's books are light and fun, if a little repetitive and a bit of a tease. I've found that he's always suggesting that he's going to reveal more than he ends up revealing, especially in the more recent books.
Das Reboot covers the recent history of German football and has some interesting stuff about Klopp in it.
And The Sun Shines Now is an excellent dive into the changes in English football post-Hillsborough, including looks at the media landscape and some investigation of German football as an alternative model for how clubs could be structured and relate to their supporters. It's a bit dry sometimes, but it's very, very good.
Far Foreign Land is about the 2005 Champions League final (and getting there), but it also covers Rome, Heysel, and Hillsborough. I think the long form really suits Tony Evans's writing style.
If you like oral history, check out Simon Hughes's books. I've only read Ring of Fire and Red Machine, but some of the interviews are top notch. Personally, I found the less famous players were usually more interesting than the more famous players.
Red Men is a stellar history of the club, particularly if you want to get familiar with LFC before Shankly.
Finally, if you like Inverting the Pyramid, you might find Talking Tactics interesting, too. I really liked it, but I'm not entirely sure that I got as much out of it as others might — it's kind of dense and dry.
The Ball is Round is a good read, especially if you're into the history of the game.
Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game
Recommended reading, many people forget that we've had the sport here for over a century.
You say 'Citation needed' yet didn't even bother to look on the website where that where that phrase originates?
Football wikipedia article
> The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England. The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century.[17]
>The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857,[18] which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.
Citation 2. Very good book read it.
> decided to change that and after doing some research, settled on Chelsea and now I have some questions about the blues
Hmm, must have been a terribly difficult decision...https://www.premierleague.com/tables
Most people have covered the basics but there's a great and colourful history that goes beyond the last decade that people keep talking about, and for that reason you won't find a better resource than this:
https://www.amazon.com/Chelsea-FC-Biography-Rick-Glanvill/dp/0755314662/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482160513&sr=8-2&keywords=rick+glanvill
I'll leave you with the following advice: one cannot pick his club. You may want to follow Chelsea now and think it's for you, but it's not for everyone and forcing support for a club doesn't work.
I suggest you continue to watch football and find out what more you like about it, and whenever that moment happens that makes a club yours, you will know it - and that could be any club, including us, and I hope you find that, no matter what club you end up on.
I read this earlier this year. It gets a bit in the weeds at times, but a good read to learn more of the history of the club.
https://www.amazon.com/Chelsea-FC-Biography-Rick-Glanvill/dp/0755314662/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=chelsea+fc+book&qid=1575154608&sr=8-2
The American Soccer History Archive has a lot of material: http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/
There is a historical overview of American soccer there that might be what you are looking for. There are also year-by-year reports, USMNT World Cup reviews, regional histories, historical player bios, etc. Great site overall.
Roger Allaway is an American soccer historian who regularly writes short but interesting history articles on his blog at bigsoccer: http://www.bigsoccer.com/soccer/roger-allaway/
Philly Soccer Page has a lot of good articles on US soccer history, including a series on the USMNT in the World Cup: http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/category/soccer-history/soccer-in-the-us/
"Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game" by David Wangerin is a very good book if you're willing to spend some cash (though Google Books probably has a preview): http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Football-World-Americas-Forgotten/dp/1592138853
I can recommend Chelsea FC: The definitive story of the first 100 years by Rick Glanville, it is an excellent read
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0755314662/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_i30avb150AZ4Q
Don't go on /r/soccer. Chelsea fans are not welcome there, North American Chelsea fans even less so.
That being said, when I became a fan I read Chelsea FC The Official Biography which really helped with the history.
Also, weaintgotnohistory is a great site for transfer rumours and match discussions, and the Daily Hilario is always great.
This is an eternal one. There is no guaranteed "good way" as it is a still a matter of discussion how to approach a "matter of football" to be able to fully (or at least as good as possible) understand it.
For day to day performances, you can always follow services that even scouts use (like Opta, even FM and stuff) or free online sites like Squawka. However, I highly recommend to apporach them critically and with hindsight. It never tells a full story. Full story is watching the match, several times in a best way, not that almost anyone who is not paid for it, does.
Even though, you need to see what you are looking at. I think it is ideal, as in any research, to collect all sources. There is a great literature about a history and development of tactics (eg. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/1409128644) or you can just follow some websities dedicated to it like http://www.zonalmarking.net.
The article is just plain wrong about the what happened during the Behring years.
Soccer votes did help build the Clink. Mine included. But there is no need to make the situation worse than it was.
Also the article appears heavily lifted from a recent book about the Sounders by local sports radio DJ Mike Gastineau (http://www.amazon.com/Sounders-FC-AUTHENTIC-MASTERPIECE-Franchise/dp/1491068345). There is an entire chapter on the stadium vote and how soccer voters influenced the outcome.
I haven't actually read it myself so not a recommendation, but Jonathan Wilson's Inverting the Pyramid is supposed to be an excellent book on tactics: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/1409128644
This book describes the Big Ten admission issue at length.
This book helped me understand our history better. If you get a chance it goes pretty in depth about the leagues and there fall.
If I'm not mistaken, a lot of clubs back then were iffy about adding football and started out as cycling clubs or rugby clubs first. I'm trying to find where the information is located outside of the book I read
EDIT: [Here is the book I learned about this in] (http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Round-Global-History-Soccer-ebook/dp/B0011UGMHI/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395847980&sr=1-15&keywords=soccer+books)
I don't know of any videos, but Inverting the Pyramid is a great book on the subject ...
This is a great story of how Seattle Sounders FC saved the Seahawks in Seattle
AND they just had a victory parade this week. I envy them.
Inverting the Pyramid is probably a great place to start
If you're interested in a history of how MLS formed here in the US and you're like me and enjoy reading about soccer, I recommend Dure's Long-Range Goals.
This the one? I was thinking of getting it for my grandad for Christmas. ^^^^.
You guys hear the one about the one where the biggest club in England writes a book about the glory of finishing second?
Not a Saint, just visiting this sub but I'll throw in my two cents as well:
Play the game - Get involved as much as you can. Doesn't matter the level, just get playing. And, importantly, try to take up different positions when you play. Even though the game is the same, the role of a lone striker is very different to that of the right back, the playmaker is very different from the holding midfield, the left winger is different from the 'keeper and so on. It'll help build your understanding of the different roles at play on the pitch.
Computer games - Personally not sure about games like FIFA (if it works for you, go nuts) but I'd recommend some of the older manager games. Not because they were necessarily better than the ones around now but because they were a bit simpler. Not trying to be patronising but if I were trying to learn to play the guitar, I'd probably want to start with the rudimentary stuff before moving on to more complex issues, and that's kinda the case here. You can download Championship Manager 01/02 free and legally from their own website, something I recommend because of the clear and very intriguing insights into some of the game's inner workings like basic formations, player types and a rough idea of individual skill sets.
YouTube - Although I haven't gone too far into it myself, I'm absolutely certain there are a myriad very handy videos online explaining tactics on different levels. This is a nice introduction, and uMAXIT have some decent videos on basic tactical principles explained at a pleasant speed and with good visuals. When you've got the basics down (or maybe you already have), throw a quick butcher's at their videos on things like false 9's, gegenpressing and zonal/man marking.
Literature - Plenty, and I do mean plenty, of really good books out there. "Inverting the Pyramid" is interesting reading but will probably not provide you with too many insights into the modern game. I'd recommend reading that a little later.
For the history of the game, there is really only one bible - David Goldplatt's "The Ball is Round". It's a right monolith but it's well-written and very, very interesting reading. Once you get into the game, you might want to read up on a few of its greats' autobiographies - but all that in due course.
Online reading - At the risk of upsetting the reddit intelligentsia, I'd recommend you find some of the best personal blogs about your team and start reading them. Maybe even pop by the most popular message boards that aren't driven by points. The points made there are also more likely to be made by locals and so can give you an idea of what they think of it all (particularly with a club like Southampton which probably has a fairly modest global following compared to the so-called big clubs). By this I'm not saying you should stay away from here or not engage, not by any means. Just that it's a different world on the old message/discussion boards.
For news, I recommend this sub and NewsNow. Just be very aware that it's a link aggregator so there can be a lot of shit in among the good bits. You'll soon learn to avoid sites such as 101greatgoals, talkSPORT, TEAMtalk and the usual array of hacks but it's a good place to get an idea of what's moving around the club nonetheless.
Hope it helps.
Having 5 up front was very common. It was also a lot more common back then to see scores like 6-3, 5-2 etc often. The modern "defender" is a very new concept when you look at football as a whole.
In fact, the earliest "formation" in football was notoriously known as "the pyramid", because it was a 2-3-5 formation in the shape of a pyramid. The 2-3-2-3 is probably the most common formation through football history.
Also, ever wondered why a CB is referred to as a "centre half"? The central midfielder was once known as the centre half, but many teams started shifting their centre half into the defensive line while attacking, in a ploy to concede less goals on the counter attack, which was a new concept at the time. Think of Michael Carrick or Steven Gerrard in the modern era, when they slide into a back 3.
Jonathan Wilson wrote a very interesting book called Inverting the Pyramid. Well worth picking up if you're interested in tactics or football history in general.
This book will probably interest you:
http://smile.amazon.com/Sounders-FC-Authentic-Masterpiece-Franchise-ebook/dp/B00G2GR5IQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453705212&sr=8-2&keywords=gastineau
Our favorite!
https://www.amazon.com/Chelsea-FC-Biography-Rick-Glanvill/dp/0755314662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502324744&sr=8-1&keywords=rick+glanvill
Theres a book about North East football I forgot to put in the recommendations, it's a tad bit old (refers to you guys as a 'stable' team under Poyet), but goes into the semi-pro teams like Darlington too, might be up your alley.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-There-North-East-Football-Boom/dp/1909245178
Fuck Michigan
https://www.amazon.com/Arrogance-Scheming-Big-Ten-Membership/dp/0615584195
You guys hear the one about the one where the biggest club in England writes a book about the glory of finishing second?
https://www.amazon.com/Das-Reboot-German-Reinvented-Conquered/dp/1568585306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510919466&sr=8-1&keywords=das+reboot
recommended reading.
Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics
by Jonathan Wilson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/1409128644
I'd recommend reading a couple books if you really want the answers you're looking for:
Soccer in a Football World
Distant Corners: American Soccer's History of Missed Opportunities and Lost Causes
Maybe cause we didn't get into the big ten until 1950? Possibly because U of M consistently tried to vote for us not to join?
Here's a book on it: https://www.amazon.com/Arrogance-Scheming-Big-Ten-Membership/dp/0615584195 with the title "Arrogance and Scheming in the Big Ten: Michigan State's Quest for Membership and Michigan's Powerful Opposition"
Edit: Downvoted with a source, neat.
Long Range Goals is also an excellent recap of why MLS is set up the way it is and the US Soccer landscape in the mid 1990s. Then the book summarizes the first several seasons. My favorite parts of the book surrounded the initial birth of the league and the MLS players union lawsuit that reinforced MLS' single-entity structure.
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1597975095
The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football (Soccer, in the American printed version) by David Goldblatt
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ball-Round-Global-History/dp/1594482969
Fantastically researched, and all-encompassing text on the history and moreover the development of football all over the world. I am about 200-300 pages in. Very dense read, but definitely a must-have for any one interested in the history of the sport.
Soccer Men by Simon Kuper (of Soccernomics fame). Wonder beyond-the-field look into the lives of players and managers. Lets you know where the genius/crazy comes from.
There is a book titled "The Global History of Soccer" that I read a few years ago. It is a great read and talks about some of these issues. It goes through the history of Football in each region and how they are connected. Unfortunately, I don't remember WHY soccer didn't catch on but I remember something about local cultures that were occupied by the british would play to emulate the british soldiers.
this should be required reading, http://www.amazon.com/Chelsea-FC-Official-Biography-Definitive/dp/0755314662/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394051036&sr=8-2&keywords=rick+glanvill
Some titles that come to mind:
by David Wangerin
by David Wangerin
by Roger Allaway, Colin Jose and David Litterer
by Roger Allaway
by Colin Jose
by Andrei S. Markovits and Steven L. Hellerman
by Beau Dure
by Gary Hopkins
by Gavin Newsham
by Sean Reid
https://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Athletes-Dominate-Sports-Afraid/dp/158648026X
> Taken from "Make Us Dream" by Neil Atkinson & John Gibbons.
Amazon link to the book covered in the pod
This is a little bit of a Sounders-centric recommendation, but I think every MLS fan would enjoy reading Authentic Masterpiece. It's the story of how the Sounders launched in MLS, and it's just a fantastic success story about soccer in America. I really recommend it.
The Ball is Round: A global history of football (soccer if you get the US edition) by David Goldblatt
It's a very good book if you want a book detailing the spread of the history of the game. It cover it's roots, how it spread, how the major leagues came about, a general history of every continent, the world cup, etc. It's kind of a brick, but covers a lot of ground and is a good cornerstone if you are interested in the history of the game.
seriously? okay tell them this same arguement happened in the 50s in England. They got it wrong. England has sucked (relative to its number of players) for the past 60 years.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/0752889958
That book explains all I would recommend it to anyone.
Your second sentence is incorrect. Rugby soccer is a completely different sport to association football.
If anyone actually wants to learn about football/soccer history, then I strongly recommend Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson. It's a key book for anyone with an interest in tactics.
When football came to America there were 2 popular versions at the time rugby football and asSOCiation football (which the British shortened to soccer often adding an er to many popular phrases at the time) the rugby style was more popular and eventually evolved into what we know as football. And association football just became soccer.
This is all paraphrased from The ball is round read it, it's a good book.
ninjedit fuck grammar
I believe the match went ahead because it had a national TV time slot on ABC. If they postponed it, they could lose the slot (Source: Long Range Goals)
Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game
The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer might be the sort of thing you're looking for.
Thanks for doing this! If anyone wants a more in depth account of the clubs history I'd recommend Rick Glanvill's (Chelsea's official historian) book "Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chelsea-FC-Official-Biography-Definitive/dp/0755314662/ref=sr_1_1/275-7402753-0250068?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374076570&sr=1-1
If you want to start right at the bottom, Inverting the pyramid by Jonathan Wilson is a great book on the history of tactics from the 1900's all the way up to now. A lot of good stuff in there to make you think about why certain positions and tactics exist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1409128644/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L3NXDbSMFSTCP
You are troll, but in case you ever want to educate yourself I would start here:
http://www.amazon.com/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/0752889958
Inverting the Pyramid
the ball is round. recommended for fans of soccer & history: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Round-Global-History-Soccer/dp/1594482969
So while this is sort of a dumb post, there is a point.
Individuals of west african descent, (notice I did not say black) do have a genetic predisposition to be advantaged at strength and power sports - They are usually naturally lean, have an increased neural drive, and put on muscle quite easily
The book Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports And Why We're Afraid To Talk About It by Jon Entine is a really great read if anyones interested in finding out more.
Another not-specific-to-Arsenal but great read is The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer by David Goldblatt. Love it.
You should read up on the history of the relationship if you think the hard feelings between UM and MSU was a recently started "narrative." Here's a well-researched book on the subject.
If you are a big picture "how we got here" reader, this is pretty good:
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Range-Goals-Success-League-Soccer/dp/1597975095/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z
I also recommend Inverting the Pyramid which someone else did too.
Uh.....
MSU's quest for admittance is pretty interesting. Add to it Michigan getting booted from the conference, and being the mover and shaker of the two most recent expansion waves, and I think we're doing fine.
Basketball wasn't dominated by Jews in any time in it's conception. Today the league is 90 percent black and it's no coincidence why that is the case. It's the same case with the NFL. To say it's culture means to say you have an agenda to keep the egalitarian view that everyone is equal which is not the case. I've seen real life observation and read books that refute that all groups are the same.
https://www.amazon.ca/Taboo-Athletes-Dominate-Sports-Afraid/dp/158648026X
It would do well for Asian men to be represented in those sports if they live in America, because those are the most popular sports in the country. Being in an elite Division 1 college football team gets you pussy for example. It's gets you the sorority white pussy that most guys here really want. Ideally Asian men specifically should stop viewing non-Asian men as role models in sports, as it does imprint their subconscious that these groups are superior.
Asians are extremely restrained from cultural aspects which have resulted in physical restraints in specific sports. So the problem in theory can be solved in Asia by having a better diet spread across the distribution curve, a better sports culture, and a eugenic implementation of some sort to achieve individuals who could possibly be genetic freaks. The problem is money and the sjw's from it happening. Essentially you would have to breed and farm people to be in those positions in order for Asians to be competitive. Though in the end I'm just talking ideas because that is suppressed from economic and political matters.
Pick up Rafael Honigstein's Das Reboot. It's a great read!
My list would have to include
The Ball is Round this is an amazing history of the sport. It is a very big book but very good.
The Numbers Game This has been one of my favorite soccer reads and I am surprised at how little people talk about it.
This love is not for cowards Truly an amazing story.
Amung the Thugs a fun and alarming tale of holgainism. Something I am very glad has not developed around the sport in the USA.
also if your not already receiving them you should subscribe to
Howler Magazine and
Eight by Eight
I hope this list gets you started. I have more on my list but have not got around to them.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: The Ball is Round
|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.
Gotcha, makes sense. It doesn't pertain directly to the Premier League, although there's a lot of PL covered, but you might be interested in reading The Ball is Round if you haven't yet.
To assume that soccer has no strategy is just showing that you have never watched the game. I might recommend to you a book called Inventing the Pyramid.
> But when the University of Chicago dropped from the Big Ten in 1946, Michigan State was primed to join. Nebraska, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Marquette and Pitt also were considered. But MSU ultimately was tabbed in May 1949 and began competition in 1953.
See more at: http://btn.com/2014/06/30/a-look-back-at-the-last-three-big-ten-expansions/#sthash.y9qRnTrF.dpuf
http://www.amazon.com/Arrogance-Scheming-Big-Ten-Membership/dp/0615584195
Another excellent book on the history of football is called The Ball is Round.
Adrian Peterson isn't the first guy to make that comparison. William C. Rhoden made the same argument in his book forty million dollar slaves.
http://www.amazon.com/Forty-Million-Dollar-Slaves-Redemption/dp/0609601202
> formations are largely the same
Year to year this is mostly true (varying between countries and even divisions based on skills of players) but over a longer period it has changed quite a lot. If you're interested in this sort of thing I really recommend Inverting the Pyramid which is an amazing overview of how the "standard" formation has changed
You mentioned all sports so I have four on soccer in the US. Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer tells the story of the first 14-15 years of MLS. Star-Spangled Soccer: The Selling, Marketing and Management of Soccer in the USA is a business based book, but covers the utter insanity of soccer in the US from the the announcement of the US getting the World Cup until the book was published. Soccer in a Football World is a must read for the entire history of the sport from it's boom in the 1920's until mid-2000s. Finally, we have The Beckham Experiment which covers the story of David Beckham coming to the US and what followed. If I had to pick one of the bunch, go with Soccer in a Football World.
This is the correct answer. It's also why we have the terms full-back and why centre backs are sometimes referred to as centre-halves (they used to be the central half-backs). It's also where the inside-forward comes from (8 and 10 being the inside-right and inside-left).
There's a very informative book called Inverting The Pyramid which is a history of tactics and includes this information. The Pyramid was what the old 2-3-5 formation was called.
It's maybe a bit more topic-specific than the average reader might like, but Sounders FC: Authentic masterpeice despite the somewhat silly name is a great read about the development of the team from its minor league days, to where it is today. Includes quite a bit about the history and behind-the-scenes of the Seattle sports-business landscape and the development of the new stadium.
The official Chelsea biography is awesome.
Chelsea FC: The Official Biography https://www.amazon.com/dp/0755314662/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tl-azbV95J52R
This if you want to relive last season.
I haven't read it myself (planning too though), but I've heard a lot of praise about inverting the pyramid:The History of Football Tactics.
Here you go buddy. Get that in ya.
The Official Biography of Chelsea FC
Anyone who reads it will never again be able to accuse us of having no history, which is idiotic to begin with anyway. Brilliant read.
There's a book a book on this subject, and it basically states that West African/Northern European combination of genes create super athletes.
Huh, interesting. Have you read many other nonfiction books about soccer? I've been thinking about picking up The Ball is Round. Looks like some interesting books.
I started Cod today and it's very good.
Is it?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inverting-Pyramid-History-Football-Tactics/dp/0752889958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
£3.84 on Amazon.
Oh sorry, you just ignored the other chain, here you go:
HAHA, this is the head of the organization!!!!!
From his wikipedia:
Genetics Entine is the founding director of the Genetic Literacy Project (GLP), operating as the Science Literacy Project, which is the umbrella organization for the GLP, Genetic Expert News Service (GENeS) and the Epigenetics Literacy Project. GLP focuses on the intersection of media, policy and genetics, both human and agricultural.
Entine has written three books on genetics and two on chemicals. Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics is Undermining the Genetic Revolution examines the controversy over genetic modification in agriculture.[18]
In 2007, Entine published Abraham's Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People which examined the shared ancestry of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and addressed the question "Who is a Jew?" as seen through the prism of DNA.[19]
Entine's first book, Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About It was inspired by the documentary on black athletes written with Brokaw in 1989.[20] It was favorably reviewed by The New York Times[21] but criticized by others who claimed that the subject could encourage a racist view of human relations.[22]
Entine supports the production of GMO foods, and has criticized writer Caitlin Shetterly after she wrote an article in Elle Magazine saying that GMO corn had made her ill.[23][24][25]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Entine
PLEASE defend his views on eugenics, please....
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[–]dtiftw [score hidden] 12 minutes ago
I genuinely have no idea what you're trying to say. Or how it's relevant. Or how you think anything in there is about eugenics.
Is there some medication you should be taking that you aren't?
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[–]polkam0n 1 point 7 minutes ago
https://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Athletes-Dominate-Sports-Afraid/dp/158648026X
"In virtually every sport in which they are given opportunity to compete, people of African descent dominate. East Africans own every distance running record. Professional sports in the Americas are dominated by men and women of West African descent. Why have blacks come to dominate sports? Are they somehow physically better? And why are we so uncomfortable when we discuss this? Drawing on the latest scientific research, journalist Jon Entine makes an irrefutable case for black athletic superiority. We learn how scientists have used numerous, bogus "scientific" methods to prove that blacks were either more or less superior physically, and how racist scientists have often equated physical prowess with intellectual deficiency. Entine recalls the long, hard road to integration, both on the field and in society. And he shows why it isn't just being black that matters—it makes a huge difference as to where in Africa your ancestors are from.Equal parts sports, science and examination of why this topic is so sensitive, Taboois a book that will spark national debate."
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/is-individuality-the-savior-of-eugenics/
"Eugenics critics are still the vocal majority, spanning the political spectrum. But in recent years, a growing constituency of Drs. Jekyll within the biomedical community has sought to resurrect eugenics as a practice that, if done correctly, can be beneficent. The key to the new eugenics, they say, is individuality—a word with complex resonances ranging from “individualized medicine” to individualism, a cherished American value. Indeed, the new eugenics is sometimes called “individual” eugenics. A recent article by Jon Entine, of the Center for Genetic Literacy at George Mason University, exemplified this push for eugenicists to come back out of the night. Prenatal genetic diagnosis is eugenics, Entine says—“and that’s okay,” because it is controlled by individuals, not governments. This sparked a lively debate on both his blog and mine. The question then is whether individuality can save the soul of eugenics."
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There's a book called Forty Million Dollar Slaves just in case you want to feel sorry for these millionaires.
I'm a (relatively) newer, American (assumed that because you said soccer) fan as well (right before the 2014/2015 season, did the same as you then saw right after I chose CFC that club was title favorites... honestly it spoiled it just a tad and a part of me was almost relieved the club did so poorly last year because it proved to myself I wasn't just glory hunting), so I figured I could give you that perspective on the last two! (1. and 2. I'm sure have been answered sufficiently and aren't changed by me being newer)
Kits: you're absolutely correct to go the club legend route. I've found classicfootballshirts.co.uk to be simply superb, they ship internationally and since they're shirts from the past, they're all cheaper. That includes the Hazard 2014/2015 shirt I bought in the middle of last season (hell yeah I believed he was bouncing back with us- but this was a risk I do not recommend you take with your first kits, I was fortunate), which I paid less than half for than if I'd bought it from the official team store only a few months earlier. But that's the only current player I plan to buy for a while (although Dave and Kante are certainly testing my mettle, haha), and I've already got Drogba and Lampard shirts and plan to add more. I'm specifically recommending those two because they're fairly recent but absolutely undeniably two of the greatest to play at the club, and gentlemen who enjoy a continued relationship with the club. You get the best of both worlds- they're still fairly connected to the club but also firmly part of our past as well, and short of some horrible and shocking off-field situation, are assuredly club legends.
History: If you don't mind spending a few dollars, I found the Glanvill official club biography to be a fantastic read, and was most happy to get a perspective of the club pre-modern era that's hard to just get from the Internet. Outside of that, wikipedia is underrated- I've learned a lot about history, rivalries, major games/seasons, etc. just from following links; the club website's history portal is really cool too.
Hope you become as hooked as I am! Like you, I passively followed the sport for a while and would keep an eye on the table and of course watch international tournaments (this really helped with learning the major players quickly), but knew I wouldn't really latch on unless I picked a club. I'm really happy I ended up choosing Chelsea, don't think I'd be as into it if I'd picked a different club!
to be clear, this is a reference to Cesar Azpilicueta, not David Luiz! It is, IIRC, a reference to some bit of British pop culture from years back that got applied to Cesar because his last name is so intimidating to pronounce and spell. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, long-term fans!)
Authentic Masterpiece
http://www.amazon.com/Sounders-FC-AUTHENTIC-MASTERPIECE-Franchise/dp/1491068345/ref=la_B003BO2X66_1_1/179-3025554-9777545?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393819269&sr=1-1
>I'm pretty sure if you went to China and told them that they didn't have the genetic makeup to play basketball, they would tell you to fuck off. If you went to any country and told them that they, as a nation couldn't do something because they were genetically inferior, they would be just as offended.
First of all, as someone who's lived in China for more than a year, I can categorically assure you that most Chinese are well aware of their athletic shortcomings as a race. They are no where near as naive as you to think they are on equal footing with respect to breeding supreme athletes. And that's why someone like Lui Xiang can achieve the level of success that he has, not because he won a gold medal, but because he broke the very publicly acknowledged barrier that the Chinese couldn't compete in track and field. He himself has acknowledged the stereotype saying: " I want to prove to all the world that Asians can run very fast."
>My issue with your statement is that you are basically writing off an entire nation of people as genetically inferior.
Bullshit, what an utterly ridiculous statement. Never have I said they are genetically inferior overall, so don't put words in my mouth. I'm saying they are genetically inferior with respect to the game of basketball, in the same vein that caucasians are genetically inferior.
As I've already said in another post, there's a reason why African Americans while comprising of only 10% of the population of the United States make up 80+% of the NBA, and 65+% of the NFL. As a race, they are genetically superior in those types of sports, period. In fact, there have been scientific studies done on this very issue: "there is extensive and persuasive research that elite black athletes have a phenotypic advantage-a distinctive skeletal system and musculature, metabolic structures, and other characteristics forged over tens of thousands of years of evolution.".
Thus, on the flip side, it can also be stated that other races (white, asian, latino) are genetically inferior in those types of sports. Which is why in my initial analysis of Chinese basketball I said that they didn't have "the right genetic makeup for athletic excellence", because I didn't want to say it as "they're not black". Do note, I'm not saying they are generically inferior overall, so don't you dare twist my words again.
>Not because the sport of Basketball is relatively young in the country, or because a lot of its population is still living in extreme poverty.
If you read my initial post, you'll see I've already included a whole host of reasons why Chinese success might happen, but not anytime soon. Just because you chose to single out one of my arguments for criticism doesn't mean you get to ignore the rest.
I guess its Man U haters but these were skills he learned while playing for Ajax early in his career, winning the UEFA CL in 1995. His coach, Louis Van Gaal, was experimenting with the ability of a GK playing not only in net but could become an eleventh field player helping retain possession. As the OP said the backpass rule changed the way the game was played and Van der Sar was the pioneer of the modern day goalkeeper. The days of GKs like David Seaman (big men without fundamentally sound footskills) were over. For more read Soccer Men- Simon Kuper
Then what are these ?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594139/
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/118/13/1383.full
http://www.npcnow.org/system/files/research/download/Racial-and-Ethnic-Differences-in-Response-to-Medicines-Towards-Individualized-Pharmaceutical-Treatment.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Athletes-Dominate-Sports-Afraid/dp/158648026X?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Just personal opinions ?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Us-Dream-Fans-Season/dp/1291940707/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0/259-9300904-6501321?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7K3RG0QWTVCB490PDEE6
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Us-Dream-Liverpools-Season/dp/1909245216
A couple of samples. There are plenty more where that came from.