What's the best football book of all time?

[Ruhr]

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. An Italian based British writer who decides to follow one of the Verona teams (can't remember if it's Hellas or Chievo) for the season. A great insight into the culture of Italian football fans and the sport in Italy in general. Some funny moments spent on 18 hour bus rides with a group of ultras singing about shagging the drivers daughter... but seriously a good read.

i don´t like italian football at all, but this is indeed a good book. It was Hellas Verona by the way, still Serie A at that time, but already in decline

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

David Conn's "The Beautiful Game?". A coule of chapters brought me close to tears about how some clubs have been screwed by their owners.

 

[zandvoort blue]

A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. An Italian based British writer who decides to follow one of the Verona teams (can't remember if it's Hellas or Chievo) for the season. A great insight into the culture of Italian football fans and the sport in Italy in general. Some funny moments spent on 18 hour bus rides with a group of ultras singing about shagging the drivers daughter... but seriously a good read.

i don´t like italian football at all, but this is indeed a good book. It was Hellas Verona by the way, still Serie A at that time, but already in decline

Another shout for this. Read it about 5 years ago, and I`m tempted to read it again.

 

[shepboy]

The Beautiful Game? by David Conn. This guy is one of the best investigative journalists in sport and the book details the shady shenanigans and double dealing in football.

If you want to see a sample of his writing he regularly writes for the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/davidconn

Oh, and most importantly, he supports the greatest team in the world...guess who

 

[Gary James]

the big book of city by gary james

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Book-City-Gary-James/dp/0955812720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Book-City-G ... 0955812720</a>

Thanks. Very much appreciated.

 

[Nicky D]

Can only endorse what's been said about Morbo. Have been dying to read some of the others suggested like A Season in Verona, and I'll certainly be hoping that The Ball is Round makes it into my Christmas stocking!

 

[Duphrates]

Haven't read many books about football (insights, biographies etc), but have read a few novels which have football at the 'heart' of it and would recommend the usual suspects of 'Fever Pitch' and 'Damned Utd'. Though you may have seen the films, which may ruin it. Especially 'Fever Pitch'.

 

[Blue82]

I would reccommend Gary James' book on the history of Manchester football. Also, Fred Eyre's 'Kicked into touch' is a great book about football in the days before 20 grand a week salaries and is also very, very funny.

 

[AlexC83]

Get 'The Italian Job' by Gianluca Vialli and Gabrielle Marcotti - it's THE best football book I've read and I've read Morbo and a few others mentioned on here. It's not an autobiography but is all about contrasting Italian with English football and gives insights into the different cultures and styles of football in the two countries. And includes the views of Mourinho, Wenger, Lippi et al.

It's top. So get it.

In fact anyone on here who simultaneoulsy clamours for us to play a fast-based winger-centric 4-4-2 formation and begs us to get Mourinho in as manager should read it. He'd never listen to you.

 

[bluemanc]

Manchester A Football History by Gary James.
It's one of those books that you'll keep going back to.