Books

[Didsbury Dave]

For City books anything by Gary James.

The Damned United by David Peace is excellent,as is "Provided You Don't KissMe", both about Cloughie.

 

[Billy City]

For City books anything by Gary James.

The Damned United by David Peace is excellent,as is "Provided You Don't KissMe", both about Cloughie.

Spot on Dave anybook by Gary James is a must for any blue, talking about the damned united seen it on dvd the other day good film.

 

[cant spell-dont care]

Looked at a couple of gary james books but wanted to stear clear as i have already read down amungst the dead men and wanted to go a bit brouder then sticking with one outher.

 

[depps]

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks

Strangely enough, Tony Cascarino's autobiography is excellent, a brutally honest account of a journeyman footballer. No sign of a warped ego being massaged which is what a lot of footballers come out with.

I couldn't possibly agree more with this. Most footballers biographies make me sick but this was a really excellent read even if you have no interest whatsoever in Tony Cascarino.

 

[bluedub]

Try Broken Dreams by Tom Bower, I couldn't put it down. Very interesting stuff

 

[BTH]

Try Broken Dreams by Tom Bower, I couldn't put it down. Very interesting stuff

Spot on; the best and most revealing football book in recent years by a country mile, probably because it's been written by an investigative journalist.

Unfortunately, all of the ghostwritten City books that have come out in the last few years have been terminally dull. None get to the heart of their respective story (Pink Specials like The Willie Donachie Story in the late '70s delivered more), all are written by people who are not necessarily authors and none get anywhere near the stories they purport to tell. All of them sell for top dollar too. Avoid at all costs.

 

[Hollywood Blue]

Blueblood - Mike Doyle is a cracking read, much better than the Colin Bell one.
Also the Stan Bowles book is quite entertaining.

 

[BTH]

Blueblood - Mike Doyle is a cracking read, much better than the Colin Bell one.
Also the Stan Bowles book is quite entertaining.

Stan Bowles' book? Yes, some comical escapades.

However, bitterness and resentment run through Mike Doyle's book like 'Blackpool' through a stick of rock. I bought this remaindered for £1.99 and still felt shortchanged.

 

[cityblue76]

graham poll's book is a good read

 

[Bruce Wades-Hughes]

I thoroughly recommend my Father and Other Stories by Gary Imlach. Won the Sports Book of the Year award. Beautifully written book about the author's quest to find out more about his father, Stewart Imlach, who played for a number of Scottish and English clubs in the 1950s/60s. Would bring a tear to a glass eye, that one...

I don't generally rate most football autobiographies. Most are ghost-written to within an inch of their lives (e.g. Gazza's and Fowler's) but there are the occasional diamonds amongst the shit (e.g Cascarino's and Quinn's). General dearth of good City biogs; wasn't that impressed with Bell's, Summerbee's and Doyle's, although Tony Book's was okay. But if it's City history that floats your boat, you can't go wrong with anything by the prolific Gary James.

And, whilst I think he's a fantastic broadcaster, steer clear of Ian Cheeseman's latest. I was really, really disappointed with it. Excess waffling and countless spelling/punctuation mistakes did my head in. Slap on the wrists to his publishers for not editing it properly...