I've got Nick Hornby's 'Fever Pitch' here, borrowed from the library. generally I love Hornby's writing, but this one I can't seem to get passed the first chapter. not sure if it's the Arsenal-oriented content of the book, or whether it's just his writing on this particular book. I dunno.

anyway, the point of this thread is - has anyone read any decent football novels? there seems to be a lack of them...

when I was a kid I used to read the Michael Hardcastle books - and also the Martin Waddell books, such as Napper's Golden Goals... those books pretty much got me through primary school reading classes! but for adults, there's not really many great football novels.

a lot of books (and films, for that matter...) relating to the subject tend to be about football hooligans and hooliganism, which frankly doesn't interest me in the sligh-*test*-('").

so can anyone recommend anything good?

Sorry mate, never read any football novels.

I did read Gazza's autobiography when I was doing a lot of flying at the back end of last year though. That's a cracking read.

i have a feeling i've seen that in mttc bookcase i got his robbie fowler one (for about a year now) i got really into it but for some reason stopped.


so mttc your reading books about train sets now are you?

A good book I have just finished is about the darker side of football, hooliganism. It's call Top Boys by Cass Pennant.

It talks to most of footballs top boys regarding their respective firms in the 80s, telling tales of rivalry and friendships. It's quite funny in places and harrowing in others, well worth a look IMO.

yeah (saj is right! he has seen that on my bookshelf...) I've got the Gazza one - superb! the bloke was a genius head case.

I do like a good football autobiography. I even like a crap football autobiography, like the Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard ones. they aren't great, but I love to read 'em anyway.

aye - absolutely!

took Beth and Ben into a toy shop in Cardiff on Monday, he was fascinated with a train set they had set up in there - with a train whizzing around and around the track

I'm not really into the hooligan side of things - I've got no interest in those people who call themselves 'fans' but really just turn up for the violence.

I was on a train one time and this bloke started talking to me about football - it was just before Euro 2004, he was going on about hooliganism and the like and I was just feigning interest - he was telling me all about how they moved the violence from football games to different places. such as at Euro 2004 - where they met up on some island just off Portugal just before Euro 2004, to smash each other's faces in...... great, I thought. hmm.

Not sure if you've given up on Fever Pitch yet MTTC, but stick with it if you can. I originally saw the film and loved it, and then went on to read the book which is more about Arsenal than a neutral would like, but Hornby's demonstrations of the main characters' emotions are so on the point it is brilliant. So we all know what happens at the end, but approach is as a book about being a football fan in general and you will really enjoy it.

As for other novels, read a 'hooligan' book called England Away a while ago which was pretty run of the mill with stories of a bunch of scallys on the way to Munich for an England game. Also read George Best's autobiography which is a great read as you'd expect, with Gazza's in my 'to read' pile

And Tony Adams.....?


Vicky

Haven't read it yet....Perry Groves?

I haven't given up on it yet, though I haven't gone back to it since I posted here. I might read some of it tonight.

at the minute I'm read Iwan Robert's book, about his last season at Norwich, the year they got promoted to the premiership (the season before they went straight back down! )

anyway, it's not a bad read so far, a good insight into the lives of normal players at a lower level than the Premiership.

haven't read any of the seemingly millions of George Best autobiographies that there are out there! the Gazza one is well worth the read, mind you.

I heard on Sky Sports News that he's gonna be in a Horror film, with Ray Winstone's daughter - the mind boggles!

How does that one go ?

"Looked in mirror, thought 'ugly bastard'. Went to football, elbowed anyone who came anywhere near me. The end."

'Played against West Ham, saw Iain Dowie, thought "Thank God, could've been worse!!"