The countdown continues as Auckland Owl presents the final gripping installment of his Top Ten Footy Books of All Time. Which one will be top of the charts?!
5. ‘Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football’ by Tom Bower
The nasty side of football. Money, power and the abuse of both. Bower’s investigation is genuinely shocking. Not a pretty read, but a good one. You think we have problems with Dave Allen? Read this and feel relieved, it could be much much worse.
4. ‘The Damned Utd’ by David Peace
Grim, gritty, dialogue-filled docu-drama about Brian Clough’s 44 days at Leeds United and the events in his life leading up to that, from the viewpoint of Cloughie himself. He hates them, they hate him. Absolutely gripping. I couldn’t put it down, to coin a cliche.
3. ‘A Season With Verona’ by Tim Parks
The best holiday footy read, bar none. English author Parks watches Hellas Verona (the team in the city where he lives) not just at home, but away too, in Italy (obviously) for an entire season. The highs, the lows, the drama, the struggle. Learn a few Italian swear words too! Marvellous.
2. ‘Fever Pitch’ by Nick Hornby
Yes, I know it’s about Arsenal, but it broke new ground: it launched a whole lot of crap ‘new lad’ fiction and it gave rubbish authors everywhere the idea they could write, but it’s a funny, honest appraisal of what it’s like to be a football fan, shot through with umpteen quotable one-liners and frighteningly accurate insight on our condition. The fact that Hornby hit the bullseye again, this time about music, with his subsequent book ‘High Fidelity’, is remarkable.
But the winner is… (drum roll)
1. ‘A Quarter of Wednesday’ by Daniel Gordon
Doesn’t need a description.. simply everything you need to know about Sheffield Wednesday from 1970 to 1995. Magic. Wondrous. Essential. Aw, come on, how could it be anything else, this is a Wednesday site you’re visiting!
Alright? Stay bright, and have a great Christmas!
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