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Review
Shortlisted for the 2008 NSC football book of the year award
"Outcasts! is a must-read for all football fans." --Sporting Life
"One book to intrigue the discerning reader this Christmas." --Sunday Telegraph
"Buy this!" --The Times
"Menary is an admirably sure-footed guide ... he never loses sight of the human stories ... a gentle meditation not merely on the power of football, but also on what it means to be a country." --Jonathan Wilson, When Saturday Comes
"Lively, informative." --The Independent on Sunday
"There are a great many cherishable anecdotes to be found, and the issues he raises, while often perplexing, are of considerable relevance in international football. Menary is an enthusiast with a talent for getting the best out of his interviewees and a keen eye for the encapsulating episode, such as the time that a Greenland cup semi-final being played on a seaside pitch was interrupted by a tidal wave when an iceberg capsized. --Daily Telegraph
"Thought provoking questions about the nature of national identity." --Four Four Two
Excellent... Outcasts is as good as it gets --Birmingham Post
"Once in a while a book comes along with an unusual subject matter that captures the imagination and Menary's Outcasts falls into that category." --Yorkshire Post
"A thoroughly absorbing and entertaining examination of the issues involved, never threatening to outstay its welcome." --Isle of Man Today
"A fascinating insight." --Guernsey Press & Star
Excellent! --Scotland on Sunday
"Outcasts! is a great book, about the love of the game that makes people want to take part and how FIFA make their odd decisions." --The League magazine
A most underrated read. In the course of 224 pages, Menary embarks on a journey that at the outset appears to encompass only the periphery of the beautiful game, but quickly transcends into an absorbing study of football's global pulse. Beyond the sickly world of lavishly over marketed club brand coverage, the grim realities of life and football's role as an escape are illustrated perfectly here. Outcasts! leads you well away from FIFA's comfort zone with pied piper like Menary the most compelling of guides. Sepp Blatter would not want you to read this book, and that alone should be complete justification for doing so."
"Outcasts! is a must-read for all football fans." --Sporting Life
"One book to intrigue the discerning reader this Christmas." --Sunday Telegraph
"Buy this!" --The Times
"Menary is an admirably sure-footed guide ... he never loses sight of the human stories ... a gentle meditation not merely on the power of football, but also on what it means to be a country." --Jonathan Wilson, When Saturday Comes
"Lively, informative." --The Independent on Sunday
"There are a great many cherishable anecdotes to be found, and the issues he raises, while often perplexing, are of considerable relevance in international football. Menary is an enthusiast with a talent for getting the best out of his interviewees and a keen eye for the encapsulating episode, such as the time that a Greenland cup semi-final being played on a seaside pitch was interrupted by a tidal wave when an iceberg capsized. --Daily Telegraph
"Thought provoking questions about the nature of national identity." --Four Four Two
Excellent... Outcasts is as good as it gets --Birmingham Post
"Once in a while a book comes along with an unusual subject matter that captures the imagination and Menary's Outcasts falls into that category." --Yorkshire Post
"A thoroughly absorbing and entertaining examination of the issues involved, never threatening to outstay its welcome." --Isle of Man Today
"A fascinating insight." --Guernsey Press & Star
Excellent! --Scotland on Sunday
"Outcasts! is a great book, about the love of the game that makes people want to take part and how FIFA make their odd decisions." --The League magazine
A most underrated read. In the course of 224 pages, Menary embarks on a journey that at the outset appears to encompass only the periphery of the beautiful game, but quickly transcends into an absorbing study of football's global pulse. Beyond the sickly world of lavishly over marketed club brand coverage, the grim realities of life and football's role as an escape are illustrated perfectly here. Outcasts! leads you well away from FIFA's comfort zone with pied piper like Menary the most compelling of guides. Sepp Blatter would not want you to read this book, and that alone should be complete justification for doing so."
Scotland On Sunday
Excellent
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Totally agree with the above review. Its great to read about the lesser nations - or should that be lesser non-nations ! Well written, with a great balance of factual information alongside the authors own tales. Much better value for money than much of the dross on the shelves in your local WHSmith.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While confessing an interest - I know the author Steve Menary - I can honestly say that this is an excellent book. At a time when football is increasingly dominated by money, Steve has travelled to countries ranging from Greenland to the Channel Islands to find people excluded from the mainstream but with more passion for the game than a whole host of Premiership stars. It's an insight into the politics at the margins of the game and a series of portraits of people and places I knew nothing about. Good for pub quizzes too - do you know who won the inaugural Wild Cup in 2006?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Steve Menary's excellent `Outcasts! The Lands that FIFA Forgot' is a tour around the lands excluded by Sepp Blatter's organisation, and their attempts to try and play fixtures, create and attend tournaments, and develop the beautiful game. These attempts often threatened and thwarted by both FIFA, and international politics, are documented by Menary; but he doesn't let either Blatter's organization, or politics, obscure the varied football stories of the text. Taking in areas as diverse as Zanzibar, the Isle of Man and North Cyprus, Menary's study is both in-depth and informative, as well as being commendably unsentimental. He refuses to romanticise the grim conditions of some of the grounds he visits, and to paint everything parochial as positive; something which few books on lower-level football manage. The potted histories and social reflections of the book also provide interesting reading, from British sovereignty in Greek Cyprus, referendums in Gibraltar, and bringing together the ethnic divisions of previously war-torn Kosovo; and these reflections never take the book off the topic of football for too long. Menary has also managed to interview a number of both coaches and players in the book, meaning that we get a first-hand account of things like Sami traditions and Northern Cypriot identity, from the people who know best about it.
There are a few flaws within the text. Though Menary is a thorough and solid narrator, and rightly refuses to romantically poeticise the situations these sides are in, the book seems to lack a bit of passion, and he doesn't seem too enthralled by the football he sees (though admittedly much of it is of a relatively poor quality). Secondly, the book has a number of grammatical errors, which prove an annoyance whilst reading. Finally, Menary offers a bit too much time to a few people. Arrogant North Mariana coach Vince Stravino is a poor choice for Menary's mouthpiece on the footballing issues of the US territory, and Menary also gives too many pages to the NF Board, who do too little to warrant it. Still, these faults are outweighed by the excellent qualities of the book. Thorough, engaging and genuinely original, Menary's book is perfect for those who've ever wondered what a football cup for Clerics is like, how Greenland's national team functions (or sometimes doesn't), and who enjoy a pun-fest involving gambling company mybet, and the Tibetan national team. A truly worthwhile read.
There are a few flaws within the text. Though Menary is a thorough and solid narrator, and rightly refuses to romantically poeticise the situations these sides are in, the book seems to lack a bit of passion, and he doesn't seem too enthralled by the football he sees (though admittedly much of it is of a relatively poor quality). Secondly, the book has a number of grammatical errors, which prove an annoyance whilst reading. Finally, Menary offers a bit too much time to a few people. Arrogant North Mariana coach Vince Stravino is a poor choice for Menary's mouthpiece on the footballing issues of the US territory, and Menary also gives too many pages to the NF Board, who do too little to warrant it. Still, these faults are outweighed by the excellent qualities of the book. Thorough, engaging and genuinely original, Menary's book is perfect for those who've ever wondered what a football cup for Clerics is like, how Greenland's national team functions (or sometimes doesn't), and who enjoy a pun-fest involving gambling company mybet, and the Tibetan national team. A truly worthwhile read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Inside the world of forgotten football lands
Steve Menary's book, OUTCASTS, can be recommended for anyone who loves football. The book gives a rare insight into a football world that usually does not get much attention in the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jákup Emil Hansen
FIFA may have forgotten them but I will never forget Outcasts!
Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot by Steve Menary is a must read for anyone interested not just in football but in people, politics and the world at large. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nathan Mackenzie
Superb book.
Steve Menary's work provides a unique insight into non-FIFA football and is a wonderful reflection of the fact that football is the world's game. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dennis B
Superb Insight
Steve Menary's book takes in a whole host of 'countries' that are not included on FIFA's official list and therefore are not permitted to play international football. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mark Tong
Outstanding Outcasts
If you only buy one book on the beautiful game this year, buy this one by Steve Menary......it's absolutely first class. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Chris Joyce
Football at the edge of the world
"Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot" is not only about football and FIFA. Via interesting anecdotes and interviews the book describes the interactivity between football and... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rolf Jager
Passionate Insight into the unknown depths of international football
This book is proof that football isn't just a game, for some of these "non-countries" it is a plea for acceptance into the more mainstream international football community. Read more
Published 10 months ago by P. Truscott
A Must Read For Real Football Fans
There is more to football than the Premiership, Sky TV and a FIFA body tainted by its own dodging dealings. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Andy Ollerenshaw
Revealing an alternate footballing reality
Outcasts isn't just an absorbing read, it's a very important one for any true football fan.
Steve Menary has shown a rare dedication in scratching beneath the surface of... Read more
Steve Menary has shown a rare dedication in scratching beneath the surface of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Paul Watson
The banned "nations"
I was looking for information on "international" results in the Channel Islands and whilst reading an article, this book was mentioned. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2010 by C. TRAVERS
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