The Football Men: Up Close with the Giants of the Modern Game
Simon Kuper
The Football Men: Up Close with the Giants of the Modern Game
The great footballers and coaches are rarely glimpsed from up close. They shield themselves from the tabloids, hide their personalities behind professionalism, and in the words of the cliche, 'do their talking on the pitch'. This book gets up close to them. The Football Men is not a series of celebrity profiles, and it doesn't attempt to unearth secrets in the players' private lives. Rather, it attempts to portray these men as three-dimensional human beings. It describes their upbringings, the football cultures they grew up in, the way they play, and the baggage that they bring to their relationships at work.
4.0 out of 5 based on 2 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Sports, Hobbies & Games |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
384 |
| RRP |
£16.99 |
| Date of Publication |
May 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-0857201607 |
| Publisher |
Simon & Schuster |
| |
The great footballers and coaches are rarely glimpsed from up close. They shield themselves from the tabloids, hide their personalities behind professionalism, and in the words of the cliche, 'do their talking on the pitch'. This book gets up close to them. The Football Men is not a series of celebrity profiles, and it doesn't attempt to unearth secrets in the players' private lives. Rather, it attempts to portray these men as three-dimensional human beings. It describes their upbringings, the football cultures they grew up in, the way they play, and the baggage that they bring to their relationships at work.
WHY ENGLAND LOSE by Simon Kuper
Reviews
The Financial Times
Mark Damazer
"… one of the book’s main themes is that it is understandable that footballers see themselves as employees — and not as fans of the teams they play for. He simply wishes that the players would drop the pretence. But the satisfyingly hard-bitten and detached Kuper does not go far enough in demolishing the England team of the so-called golden generation that was supposed to do wonderful things from 2002 onwards … an otherwise highly perceptive collection of essays"
09/05/2011
Read Full Review
The Independent
Simon Redfern
"What is exceptional is Kuper's insightful view of their world and the managers who attempt to control it. Whether defending Wenger's purchasing policy at Arsenal or explaining why Fabio Capello was, and continues to be, an inspired appointment for England, his judgements are often revisionist, always well argued. If you're looking for sleaze and sensation, this isn't the book for you; but if stylish profiles written with wit and humour are your thing, you won't be disappointed."
12/06/2011
Read Full Review