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Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up [Hardcover]

David Conn
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Book Description

7 Jun 2012

Richer Than God is an authoritative, provocative, investigative account of Manchester City's history, culminating in its transformation as Sheikh Mansour seeks to spend the formerly miserable Manchester club into the European elite. When Conn asked an American working in Abu Dhabi whether its economy had been at all affected by the global recession, he said: 'My friend, we're richer than God'.

It is also a tale of innocence: that of a six-year-old boy transfixed by his sky-blue heroes, coming of age as a writer with the mature understanding that both his club and the game are businesses. Why should modern football continue to claim the unquestioning loyalty of fans, when there is so much in the game to question?


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Product details

  • Hardcover: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Quercus (7 Jun 2012)
  • Language: Unknown
  • ISBN-10: 0857384864
  • ISBN-13: 978-0857384867
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 58,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Review

'Few have written as intelligently and passionately about the voodoo economics of modern football as the Guardian journalist David Conn' New Statesman.

'a warm memoir of life growing up as a City fan ... an engaging read, whichever team you happen to support' Sport magazine.

'Always gripping, Richer Than God's story of heartbreak and passion is one that any football fan can identify with, and is an essential read for those who wish to be shown the brutal machinations of the modern game ... Lifelong City supporter David Conn relates an extraordinary tale of industrial decline and global deal making' Big Issue.

'no other journalist has pursued the story so exhaustively ... passionately made' Guardian. 'A must read' The Times.

'A brilliant analysis of Abu Dhabi-era Manchester City, English football and post-industrial UK. I loved it' Independent.

'It is a beautifully evocative description not only of City's turbulent recent history, but also of the trials and troubles of Manchester itself' Manchester Evening News.

'City fans ought to devour Conn's story of their club, and, for those interested in the current state of English football, it's equally indispensable' Independent on Sunday.

'More forensic than Hornby's classic [Fever Pitch], it benefits from the author's instinctive knowledge of when to zoom in on his own involvement and when to pull back for the bigger picture' Guardian.

'combines quite brilliantly a tribute to all that his club have achieved while unravelling how the super-wealthy owners are a major part of all that is wrong with football today' Morning Star.

From the Inside Flap

Richer Than God is an authoritative, emotional, provocative account of Manchester City's takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, culminating in Roberto Mancini's team's remarkable last minute Premier League title victory in May 2012. David Conn chronicles the Manchester City story, from glories in the late 1960s and excellence in the 1970s, through decades of mishaps, to its new status as the richest club in the world. The book details from the inside how Sheikh Mansour's prodigious wealth has rebuilt the formerly rundown club, propelling it to that dramatic Premier League triumph, and into the European elite. By placing the club's extraordinary current rise in the wider context of its patchy modern history, this is also the story of English football's transformation - from the battlegrounds of the 1980s to today's moneyed, seated, global entertainment. Conn grew up in Manchester, always a City fan, and in part this is a tale of innocence: a six-year-old boy transfixed by his football heroes who, as an adult and writer, comes of age with the mature understanding that both his club and the game are businesses. Conn is led to question the very nature of football clubs and being a supporter, as well as the underlying values and running of what use to be called 'the people's game'. A labour of love, this is the powerfully told tale of Manchester City's fall and rise, based on years of meticulous research, and exclusive access and interviews with key figures. Richer Than God is written in the gripping, revelatory style Conn has made his trademark, with a depth and emotion borne of experience.


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Mr Conn's book 26 Jun 2012
Format:Hardcover
Over the last decade, David Conn has established himself as the pre-eminent journanlist and commentator on football in England. He's exposed countless acts of skuldugery and championed the cause of the silent majority. Raised on football and now forced to consume an expensive diet of hype and badly made replica shirts, his articles and this book are the antidote to all that overhyped, overpriced nonsense. This book touchingly, adds in his personal memories of growing up a football fan, plain and simple. How can I put this? The best book you will ever read on football. He speaks with common sense, passion and a crtical eye that the media do their best to cover up.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany lifted the Premier League trophy in May, he celebrated the end of a 44-year barren spell since City won their last league title. But not just that - it marked the fulfilment of a billionaire Arab's quest to take over a football club and make them the best in the land.

The intervening years between the halcyon days of Maine Road heroes Bell, Lee and Summerbee, and the epic drama of Sergio Aguero's late winner at the Etihad Stadium were fraught with moments referred to by long-suffering fans as `Typical City'. From the disastrous return of Malcolm Allison as manager to the second coming of Francis Lee in a director's seat and the open-armed welcome to Thai human rights abuser Thaksin Shinawatra and his (ultimately fictitious) riches, Manchester City's history has been littered with false dawns.

And City's continued association with the tragicomic and their long-standing blight of living in the shadow of their illustrious and successful neighbours Manchester United made them an intriguing enough story even before the riches of Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour made them the world's wealthiest club.

Guardian sports writer David Conn, a Manchester City fan since the early seventies and a specialist on the topic of football finance, is expertly placed to write about their new fiscal luxury. He does so by alternating between his insights of the present-day City and his own emotional experiences as an embattled Manchester City supporter.

Ever the intrepid reporter (Conn is considered an `international enemy of Leeds United' by their chairman Ken Bates for his foraging into the club's ownership), Conn is able to give the audience a rare glimpse of the human side of the Arab takeover through interviews with Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and Director of Football, Brian Marwood.

What really engages though is the way Conn speaks of his early days as a supporter on the Maine Road terraces and his battle to remain passionate in his support for his club in more money-driven times.

Conn's fervour and dedication to football comes over expressively throughout, and `Richer Than God' is an honest and moving account of his relationship with the game. The book spans the evolution of a football club, and the sport itself, over 40 years and showcases Conn's talents as one of the top football writers of the moment. And, thanks to Manchester City's last-gasp title win, it even has a happy ending too.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I was hoping for 28 Aug 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being one of the many suffering and miserable City fans over the years, the sudden success with the F.A Cup victory then the unbelievable climax to last seasons Premier League was a massive lift to us all.
The story of that success; Thaskin Shinawatra buying the club, injecting millions that maybe were not his to inject, then the take over by one of the worlds richest men and the subsequent huge financial outlay - well we all know the story don't we? Whether you are a City fan trying to justify it or an angry fan of another club accusing City of buying success and killing football, its still a fascinating story.
And so I approached this book hoping for some insight into whats gone on at City to get to this point and yes you do get that. But it all becomes rather swamped under the 'money and business' side of it all.
I loved the Authors reminisces about growing up with City, the ruining of a very promising club by Peter Swales the Chairman and Malcolm Allison the returning hero and the eventual drop from top flight to obscurity, but so much more could and should have been written about it all. Where are the interviews with former managers? God knows there was enough of them!
I'm sorry but I found as the Author got deeper and deeper into the ins and outs of club takeovers etc I got more and more bored and found myself skipping pages just to find bits I could understand.
One thing I did learn from it all is yes City (and some other clubs too) ARE killing football and its really hard to face up to that. Like the Author I have fallen a bit out of love with the club now and if I'm honest - top flight football in general.
If you are looking for nostalgia and ultimate triumph as I was then you may be disappointed with this book, but if you want a big bite of a reality sandwich and want to know whats REALLY going on in the Premier League then give it a go. But you may end up cancelling your Sky sports and going to support a local team instead....
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Good mix of personal journey and financial overview of modern football
Enjoyed reading this, with the contrasting view of football then and now alongside childhood vs adult understanding. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Alex Sargent
3.0 out of 5 stars could of been better
purchased for my husband for christmas, man city mad fan. He was dissapointed with this book to much on the financel side and not enough about the football. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Mrs. Alison Ogden
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
This is a great book written by a football journalist who has become something of an expert at finance within the game. Read more
Published 3 months ago by atticusfinch1048
5.0 out of 5 stars "Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football Growing Up
I bought this for my great-nephew for his birthday, so I have no idea what it is like. So when I say "I Love it" it is him speaking! Read more
Published 4 months ago by RITA CRAFT
4.0 out of 5 stars Citeeee
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Mainly for two reasons .

Firstly Conn made all sorts of emotional connections with me , as someone perhaps a little... Read more
Published 7 months ago by seanjm
2.0 out of 5 stars Spoilt by the political angle
Born and brought up in a City family in one of those terraced council houses in Miles Platting, mentioned by Mr Conn, close to where the Etihad now stands, I should have absolutely... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Crawford
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
A nicely written and informative book, bringing back memories of City's past as experienced by the author, and also his views and experiences with City over many years as a fan,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mike Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Classy examination of the modern football industry
A worthy addition to the ranks of well-written sporting memoirs, all the better for its author being a lawyer/journalist, with a very easy turn of phrase, who has lost some of his... Read more
Published 8 months ago by G. L. Haggett
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ever
There have been loads of books written about City over the last few years, most notably from Gary James but this book is an absolute must for all City fans. Read more
Published 9 months ago by sheene7
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece : review by Alan Toft
A masterpiece : but David come back to The Blues ! by Alan Toft

David Conn has produced a masterpiece - a forensic study of how as a small boy he kissed the television... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bill 'come home' Bailey
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