From the pock-marked streets of Sarajevo, where turning up for training involved dodging snipers' bullets, to the crumbling splendour of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium, where the likes of Puskas and Kocsis masterminded the fall of England, the landscape of Eastern Europe has changed immeasurably since the fall of communism. Jonathan Wilson has travelled extensively behind the old Iron Curtain, viewing life beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of football. Where once the state controlled teams of the Eastern bloc passed their way with crisp efficiency -- a sort of communist version of total football -- to considerable success on the European and international stages, today the beautiful game in the East has been opened up to the free market, and throughout the region a sense of chaos pervades. The threat of totalitarian interference no longer remains; but in its place mafia control is generally accompanied with a crippling lack of funds. As a teenager Jonathan Wilson holidayed in the former Yugoslavia; as a young journalist for onefootball.com and the Financial Times his obsession with the region took root. Here, in Behind the Curtain, he covers a vast amount of ground: he goes in search of the spirit of the Aranycsapat, Hungary's 'Golden Squad' of the early fifties, charts the disintegration of the footballing superpower that was the former Yugoslavia, follows a sorry tale of corruption, mismanagement and Armenian cognac through the Caucasuses, reopens the case of Russia's greatest footballer, Eduard Streltsov, and talks to Jan Tomaszewski about an autumn night at Wembley in 1973. In terms of travel writing and sports writing, Behind the Curtain has a canvas as wide as, and is a worthy successor to, Football Against the Enemy.
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Review
'A blissful book, lovingly and stylishly written' (Edward Pearce DAILY TELEGRAPH )
'This fascinating and perceptive travelogue includes a fine collection of anecdotes too colourful for fiction' (SUNDAY TIMES )
'[a] terrifc book' (Henry Winter DAILY TELEGRAPH )
'Epic... Wilson writes captivatingly with humour...anyone with an interest in eastern European sport will be consulting this book for years to come.' (David Winner FINANCIAL TIMES )
'Football is centred squarely within a fascinating socio-political context... There is plenty of humour too' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
'Compelling... he [Wilson] succeeds in going well beyond the lurid headlines, skilfully interweaving his own travel notes with forays into politics, culture and history.' (FOUR FOUR TWO )
'There's everything you needed to know about football and plenty that you didn't... wittily observed travel writing.' (WHEN SATURDAY COMES )
'In this part-travelogue, part history Jonathan Wilson captures the contemporary chaos of the region drawing in figures as diverse and noteworthy as Hungary's 1950s star Ferenc Puskas and Arkan, the murderous Serbian paramilitary.' (OBSERVER SPORTS MONTHLY )
'Wilson knows an immense amount about eastern European football and has crammed a lot into 300 pages. He writes well and has a lot of good stories' (Josh Lacey GUARDIAN )
'[an] intriguing, entertaining history-cum-sports travelogue. ****' (METRO )
'Jonathan Wilson brilliantly plugs the gaps in our knowledge...an observant and witty guide to life in Eastern Europe.' (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY )
'His lively prose captures the chaos of a region in the grip of racism, violence and organised crime, whilst retaining a warm affection for the people.' (EVENING HERALD (Ireland) )
'As absorbing as any post-war spy thriller' (SUNDAY LIFE (Northern Ireland) )
'Engrossing and funny travelogue-cum-social history.' (GLASGOW EVENING TIMES )
'Absorbing... Wilson is adept at using football as a microcosm of the post-Communist East as he reveals how totalitarian regimes have given way to Mafia control and curruption.' (BRIGHTON EVENING ARGUS )
'Pitched somewhere between Bill Bryson and John Le Carre, Wilson's narrative twists from neon-lit boom town of Donetsk to the crumbling splendour of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium... Wilson has a novelist's eye for detail and suspense' (WESTERN DAILY MAIL )
'This fascinating and perceptive travelogue includes a fine collection of anecdotes too colourful for fiction' (SUNDAY TIMES )
'[a] terrifc book' (Henry Winter DAILY TELEGRAPH )
'Epic... Wilson writes captivatingly with humour...anyone with an interest in eastern European sport will be consulting this book for years to come.' (David Winner FINANCIAL TIMES )
'Football is centred squarely within a fascinating socio-political context... There is plenty of humour too' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )
'Compelling... he [Wilson] succeeds in going well beyond the lurid headlines, skilfully interweaving his own travel notes with forays into politics, culture and history.' (FOUR FOUR TWO )
'There's everything you needed to know about football and plenty that you didn't... wittily observed travel writing.' (WHEN SATURDAY COMES )
'In this part-travelogue, part history Jonathan Wilson captures the contemporary chaos of the region drawing in figures as diverse and noteworthy as Hungary's 1950s star Ferenc Puskas and Arkan, the murderous Serbian paramilitary.' (OBSERVER SPORTS MONTHLY )
'Wilson knows an immense amount about eastern European football and has crammed a lot into 300 pages. He writes well and has a lot of good stories' (Josh Lacey GUARDIAN )
'[an] intriguing, entertaining history-cum-sports travelogue. ****' (METRO )
'Jonathan Wilson brilliantly plugs the gaps in our knowledge...an observant and witty guide to life in Eastern Europe.' (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY )
'His lively prose captures the chaos of a region in the grip of racism, violence and organised crime, whilst retaining a warm affection for the people.' (EVENING HERALD (Ireland) )
'As absorbing as any post-war spy thriller' (SUNDAY LIFE (Northern Ireland) )
'Engrossing and funny travelogue-cum-social history.' (GLASGOW EVENING TIMES )
'Absorbing... Wilson is adept at using football as a microcosm of the post-Communist East as he reveals how totalitarian regimes have given way to Mafia control and curruption.' (BRIGHTON EVENING ARGUS )
'Pitched somewhere between Bill Bryson and John Le Carre, Wilson's narrative twists from neon-lit boom town of Donetsk to the crumbling splendour of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium... Wilson has a novelist's eye for detail and suspense' (WESTERN DAILY MAIL )
Book Description
The fascinating story of football in Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Berlin Wall
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a regular traveller and visitor to Eastern Europe, and having taken in quite a few games in the process, I found this book most interesting and would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the region as a whole.
Minor criticisms would include the strange omission of Czech Republic/Slovakia and the Baltic states, and there is the distinct impression that this book should be viewed more as an introduction to the issues at stake rather than act as a definitive guide.
Nevertheless, Jonathan Wilson (who cannot be much more than 30, judging from some subtle dating in the text) clearly has excellent knowledge and experience of the area (with the possible exception of the Caucausus region, which seems to have been more of a flying visit) and hence this book should be required reading for any football and travel enthusiast who dares to look further than the dreaded Premiership for their sporting thrills.
Minor criticisms would include the strange omission of Czech Republic/Slovakia and the Baltic states, and there is the distinct impression that this book should be viewed more as an introduction to the issues at stake rather than act as a definitive guide.
Nevertheless, Jonathan Wilson (who cannot be much more than 30, judging from some subtle dating in the text) clearly has excellent knowledge and experience of the area (with the possible exception of the Caucausus region, which seems to have been more of a flying visit) and hence this book should be required reading for any football and travel enthusiast who dares to look further than the dreaded Premiership for their sporting thrills.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a well researched, very interesting account of football in many Eastern European countries. Each chapter is well worth reading and personally, I have learnt a great deal about football in countries which get 1 or 2 lines a year in the British sporting press.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Hanson
Format:Paperback
A terrific read full of great anecdotes and fascinating insights into the history of football in eastern Europe before & after the fall of communism in the region. If I have one critcism it's that the stories of some of the countries can be a little repetitive - the decline of Poland, Hungary & Romania as footballing powers all occured for essentially the same reason - lack of money. No Abramovich-type sugar daddies came along to replace the patronage & protection the big clubs in these countries used to receive from powerful figures in the Soviet political/military regimes, so their domestic leagues became a shambles rife with corruption, and any talented youngsters were sold abroad to the highest bidder ASAP. Having said that, there's plenty here to praise; the power-shift from Dynamo Kyiv to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukraine, and the ongoing intrigues between the oligarchs of modern Russia are all tales well told, but for me the best section of the book concerns the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. The story of how Serbia-Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia-Hercegovina & Croatia have tried (and very often failed) to come to terms with themselves and each other as independent entities provides by far the most fascinating and moving chapters of the book.
Jonathan Wilson's previous book (the superb 'Inverting the Pyramid') had a much broader range, but 'Behind the Curtain' reads like a much more personal work and is all the more engaging for it. An excellent read - thouroughly recommended.
Jonathan Wilson's previous book (the superb 'Inverting the Pyramid') had a much broader range, but 'Behind the Curtain' reads like a much more personal work and is all the more engaging for it. An excellent read - thouroughly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still fascinating and relevant
Although published some time ago now, and in football a few years can seem like decades in other ways of life, Wilson's research and the stories within still retain interest. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr David F Pickup
4.0 out of 5 stars
Football, crime and corruption
Rather than yet another football travel book, it is a story of corruption, crime and mismanagement that reflect the way how football has been run in Central and Eastern... Read more
Published 4 months ago by RobertBlaszczak
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well written and full of fascinating stories
As a big fan of football at all levels, I've long enjoyed Wilson's newspaper articles - he's an intelligent and insightful writer that covers a wide range of topics and somehow... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. J. A. Cox
5.0 out of 5 stars
As per ususal - J.Wilson does a fantastic job
The amount of research done into this book is unreal - the number of interviews and help from pro's is just fantastic to see. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Henry Cooper
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting. Very interesting.
This is an engaging, well-written book. The author is obviously pretty passionate about his subject, particularly early 90s Red Star Belgrade. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. J. Norris
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellence
A great dlight to be able to read about football form a completely different area of the continent. Great to see how differently things are don 'behind the iron curtain'
Published 13 months ago by Mally
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting stories, but........
Fair play to Mr. Wilson for putting in the leg-work and going to places to make discoveries that we, the faint-hearted, would fain to travel to, however...
... Read more
... Read more
Published on 10 May 2011 by Alice Cribbins
3.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, but not desperately revealing
There's a growing selection of books looking at the history of football in various countries, such as "Football Against the Enemy" and "Brilliant Orange". Read more
Published on 14 April 2011 by Matthew Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good account of the state of Eastern European football
Jonathon Wilson has written an interesting overview of the current state of football in Eastern Europe. Read more
Published on 29 April 2010 by haunted
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting read
There aren't a great deal of books about football in Eastern Europe and the few I've read so far were poor translations. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2010 by B. Chapman
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