Customer Reviews (15)

Extremely useful and entertaining reference book
The Simplest Game for a long time was the Bible of soccer knowledge, explaining history ,tactics, and rules in surprisingly few pages. Gardner also provides lots of entertaining anecdotes. While The Simplest Game has been eclipsed in detail by The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer, that may not be a bad thing. For people who know nothing about soccer (like me, when I first picked it up) the length keeps the information form being overwhelming. I suspect that The Simplest Game's audience is new soccer fans while the audience for The Ball is Round is made of more hard-core fans.

THE soccer book from THE soccer guru
Paul Gardner knows what he is talking about.His incredibly entertaining book is punctuated by a sharp wit and thought provoking opinions, and is not hurt by the fact that the game has had such a fascinating history.

Gardner cannot resist putting his opinion into his stories, but it has such a throwback, purist's appeal, that you can't help but pay attention and agree with him.He goes through the history of the game, all the major competitions (World cups 1930-1994, Olympics 1896-1992, European championships), the state of the game worldwide, the state of the game in America and its hopes for the future, and the history of tactics and all the major styles of play.

It really makes no difference that it was prepared for the 1996 Olympics, because if you had not read it on the cover you would probably not have realized that as you were going the book.Gardner does not base the book around this fact at all, making it truly the intelligent fan's guide to soccer.

Must-read for soccer fans
Simply put (pun intended), this is a must-read for soccer fans. It's basically the history of soccer condensed into one book. The World Cups, the great players, the great teams, the controversies. If you are a soccer fan but don't know much about the history of the game, pick up this book.

Are you kidding me?
This book is six years old and it is a preface to an event thathappened... six years ago.For Pete's sake, there are more relevantbooksout about the world cup in 2002!and they want fifteen bucks for thisthing.What a rip.

A must for any true soccer fan
Plain and Simple.If you want to know the history of soccer.GET THIS BOOK.I played for 15yrs but never knew the history of the game.I am now getting ready to coach the sport I love and wanted to know the history. Talk about a great find this book was.Everything I ever wanted to knowwas here.Learn about the World Cups, Olympics, Tactics and the Future ofthe game.I am so happy I got this book because I know so much more aboutthe game then I ever dreamt.BUY IT! ... Read more

Product Description
A 1995 title now reissued in paperback which ties in with the BBC television series of the same name. Features a history of Association Football in Great Britain from before the First World War, which profiles great players of the past, and considers how the game has changed over the years. ... Read more

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Tottenham Hotspur have long been one of the most famous names in football history. Since their days as a Southern League club - when they became the only recognised non-League side to win the FA Cup - their reputation has grown and their story never better documented than by Bob Goodwin in his definitive work Spurs: A Complete Record. In 1994 Goodwin produced a companion volume, an entertainingly written history of the club from their formative days, cataloguing all the great names and the great games. The first edition sold out and was updated three years later. Again that work sold out and now, as a new century gets well under way, this edition takes the Spurs story to the end of the 2002-03 season. The book is profusely illustrated and covers all the great days - the Double triumph, the Cup Finals, the great European nights - as well as the more controversial aspects of the club's long and varied history. Spurs: The Illustrated History will evoke golden memories of a great club and will both inform and entertain Tottenham supporters of all ages. ... Read more

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Illustrated with match-action photos and club memorabilia, this updated edition records the history and victories of Manchester United, one of the most successful clubs in British football and winners of the Double in 1994. It includes season-by-season statistics, information about players past and present, and a special feature on Sir Matt Busby, the club's famous former manager, who died during the 1993/4 season. ... Read more

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This recording gives an authoritative account of the history of the World Cup. It starts with the story of how it came into being and then traces the development of the tournament from the inaugural finals in Uruguay, 1930 to the 1998 extravaganza in France. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Non-Fiction
A very old fashioned style in this book.


It gives a history of the world cup from the early days, and the various politics and arguments surrounding where the games should be, who should play, etc.

A long time ago in a very different world when it was immensely difficult to travel long distance, and the players themselves weren't pampered substance abusing multimillionaires, from Germany to England to Uruguay or wherever the games were played.

Great history
Glanville brings wit, humor and a critical eye to his history of the World Cup.

You get a feel for the drama, the excitement and the raw energy of the World Cup. For example, it is not simply stated that the Brazilians cultivated Mexican fans in 1970, but Glanville adds such memorable lines as "The Brazilians pursued a shrewd policy of 'beads for the natives..'.

Glanville's description of players, even obscure ones, shows dry wit, a keen eye and someone who has done his homework. For example, in describing sturdy Russian sweeper Chesternev(?) Glanville speaks of him "sweeping up diligently in his crouching bird-dog style.." Likewise another player is described not merely as a fast winger but " a strongly-built, moustached, and melancholy figure, with fabled control and finishing power."

And indeed, so he was. You get the sense that this is soccer as it should be played- with supreme confidence and absolute conviction. Despite the literary flavor, this book has meat, solid meat. Who wants a simple rehash of what went down? Glanville begins every chapter with a background to the Cup- the sometimes unsavoury politics and posturing, the jealousies, and then he breaks down the detail of the contenders- their strengths and weaknesses. This solid, meaty analysis, not another rehash of stats we already know.

The viginettes and scenes are amazing, Pele's audacious attempt to beat Viktor from 50 yards out in 1970, the father of Spanish player DiStefano in 62 flying in with a mysterious "magic linament" to heal his son, the "spontaneous" 1970 Mexican crowd that conveniently and noisly gathered outside the English team's hotel, keeping the players awake all night, before the match with Brazil, the blazing speed and mesmerizing moves of the deformed winger- Garrincha of Brazil, the cheeky "street" caper of Maradona's infamous "Hand of G-d" goal, the brave comebacks of Germany in 1982 and 1986, and so on.. You almost get the sense of being there on the field.

Those expecting a cheerleading tome for soccer officialdom would do best to look for another book. Glanville is not afraid to expose the seedy side of the game, nor criticize the FIFA bureaucracy, hooligan fans, coaches and abominable refereeing where warranted, nor do the cynical players and tactics escape his censure.

There are some minor quibbles. In his 1966 edition, Glanville correctly describes Brazil's swift right winger Garrincha as a mulatto, but in the 1970 edition, he is transformed into a South American Indian. In fact, Garrincha was part black, and this is confirmed in Joseph Page's book "The Brazilians". Of course with Brazil, racial categories are fuzzy, but Glanville does correctly point out that the introduction of black players in that country transformed the game. Some might object to Glanville even mentioning race, but it is interesting nevertheless to see the width of the Black Disapora, and the increasing blend of cultures in sports, and how sports can, in its own limited way, bring people together. Thanks to Glanvile, these glimpses range from "the Black Diamond" Leonidas of Brazil back in 1938, to the swift black winger Andrade of Uruguay circa 1950, to Gatejens, scorer of the shocking goal that upset England in 1950 (yes, the segregated, Jim Crow US had "colored" players), to the pantherine Eusebio and silky smooth Coluna of Portugal in 1966, to the corruscating Teofilo Cubillas of Peru of 1970, to the powerfully built sweeper, Tresor, of France, circa 1982.

Glanville's book is also invaluable for its many pictures of past players, particularly the older editions. All in all, a must read for every true soccer fan. Something for everyone- the young fan looking for heroes and pictures, the educated dabbler, or the hard-core afficionado. ... Read more

Product Description
This updated edition brings the full story of Liverpool FC up to the end of the 1995/96 season. Included are full accounts of the 1992 FA Cup victory, the Souness period, the rebuilding of the Kop, as well as a colour section on the latest Anfield idols, Fowler, Redknapp and Collymore. ... Read more

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World Cup Soccer is a complete guide to the 2002 World Cup to be held in South Korea and Japan. It gives all the facts and figures on the participating players and teams, along with intriguing features, anecdotes, and trivia. The book summarizes the qualifying rounds of the tournament, compares the nations that will make it to the final round, lists key players to watch, and recounts the most memorable matches in the sport’s history. “If you make an investment in only one World Cup book this year, make it World Cup Soccer.” — Soccer magazine ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

World cup of football, soccer style.
I was really hyped to finally get my hands on this book reading alot of good stuff about Michael Lewis. Finally i got this bookJune 13th 2006. Full of useless info about all other world cups, highlited page numbers and words BBC and Reuters, only black and white pictures and outdated team rosters, out which you can only see black and white pictures of USA team. On top of that you get the worst possible designed cover for something as big as a WC i have ever seen. I'm in shock Mr. Michael Lewis. How can someone who've been to 6 world cup's and insist in his book how big this event still is for him can produce something as outdated and useless. Book released in june of 2006 so why do you have 2004 rosters in your book? I can give at least 5!! examples of players that are not even in their national team. This book is a bad story about previous cups and gives you no information on what is happening right now in Germany. Every team rosters is outdated 1-2 years at least!!! Get Guide to World Cup 2006 instead, it's full of color, much more recent info and not as boring as this marvel of soccer journalism. I guess americans just can't kick. ... Read more

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Football managers are at the center of today's commercially-driven football world, scrutinized, celebrated and under pressure as never before. This book is the first in-depth history of the role of the manager in British football, tracing a path from Victorian-era amateurism to the highly paid motivational specialists and media personalities of the twenty-first century.

Using original source materials, the book traces the changing character and function of the football manager, covering:

DT the origins of football management - club secretaries and early pioneers
DT the impact of post-war social change - the advent of the football business
DT television and the new commercialism
DT contemporary football - specialization and the influence of foreign managers and management practices
DT the future of football management

The Football Manager examines the influence of Britain's traditionally pragmatic and hierarchical business management culture on British football, and in doing so provides a new and broader perspective on a unique management role and a unique way of life.

For those interested in the history of football and for those interested in management more generally, this book is a valuable new resource. ... Read more

Product Description
This work places the growth of the game of football in its social and cultural background. It explains how soccer spread from the UK to become the sporting passion of Europe and South America, failed to take root in the former English colonies, but became the most popular game in Asia and Africa. ... Read more

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It wasin 1978, that Viv Anderson became the first black player to be selected for England. It is a measure of how life for black footballers has improved that in 2002 Arsenal could field nine non-white players at Leeds' Elland Road ground without comment. A tenth, Jermaine Pennant, came on as a substitute. While it would be wrong to claim that racism has been entirely banished from English football, the problem is not as bad as on the European continent. Rodney Hinds, sports editor of The Voice, Britain's leading black newspaper, examines the attitudes of the football establishment over the years and talks to players who had to suffer abuse from visiting fans and players, and sometimes their own team-mates. ... Read more

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This is a revised edition of the history of the best supported football club in Great Britain. The full story of the 1995-96 season is included, as well as comprehensive season-by-season statistics. ... Read more

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This book describes the evolution of football from its origins as an English working class recreation to the present emergence as a highly professional and commercialised international sport. The author shows how the transformation of football into an entertainment business was fostered by the changing realities of 19th century English society in which industrialisation helped to extend commercial relationships to popular recreations. ... Read more