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The Rough Guide to Cult Football (Rough Guide Reference Series) [Paperback]

Andy Mitten
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Book Description

1 Sep 2010 Rough Guide Reference Series

The Rough Guide to Cult Football is the ultimate companion to the beautiful game. The only football book of its kind, it goes beyond the usual back page material to uncover the most amazing stories and unlikeliest personalities on Planet Football. It reveals the stories behind the mavericks and cult figures that make up the real heroes of the game - from cultured midfielders to jailbirds, drinkers to hard men, local legends to international wanderers.

The Rough Guide to Cult Football looks at everything from special clubs - like the New York Cosmos and Berwick Rangers - to managers and football rivalries - from 'El Clásico' to the Faroe Islands derby, via an unusual roll-call of talent that stretches from Ferenc Puskas to Stan Bowles, Eric Cantona to Jose Chilavert and Garrincha to Perry Groves. It also recalls extraordinary games, from 'The Battle of Highbury' to underdog fixtures where the likes of Northern Ireland, Wimbledon and Dynamo Kiev overcame the might of Spain, Liverpool and the Nazis. Post-match analyses of football culture, ephemera, science and some strange statistics, complete this ultimate fiesta of football fun.



Product details

  • Paperback: 280 pages
  • Publisher: Rough Guides; 2 edition (1 Sep 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 184836542X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1848365421
  • Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 1.7 x 19.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 529,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

About the Author

Andy Mitten started the fanzine United We Stand (which he still edits) aged 15 in 1989. A regular writer for FourFourTwo, his other credits include The Independent, The Mail on Sunday, Sport, The Guardian and GQ. He has written or co-written 10 books including the critically acclaimed We're the Famous Man United, Glory Glory!, Paddy Crerand's autobiography Never Turn The Other Cheek and Mad For It - From Blackpool to Barcelona, Football's Greatest Rivalries. Manchester born and red, Andy divides his time between M16 and Barcelona.


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5.0 out of 5 stars A Rough Guide By Andy 24 Jan 2013
By John
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I like Andy Mitten's books, and this one moves away from his usual material on Manchester United. A dip in book, when you get those few spare moments. Good entertainment value with some wacky photos.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A proper football book for proper fans 23 May 2012
By Arlu
Format:Paperback
For any serious, genuine football fan - and by that I mean the sort of man who will follow only Stockport County FC because he was born or lives in Stockport, and has no more than a passing interest in the pampered billionaires of the Premier League - this little gem of a book is absolutely brilliant!. Seriously good stuff, ideal toilet reading and will keep you entertained for many, many hours. If you can't bear to read another mind- numbing article about Wayne Rooney or you think that Chelsea should just hurry up,buy everything and everybody and then go away and leave us all in peace, then this is for you.
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Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars  2 reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars cult vs. obscure 1 Jun 2012
By Brian Maitland - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The author needs to look up the word "cult" in the dictionary because a lot of the stuff he comes up with in this book seems more obscure than cult-like. For example, a derby match between two clubs in the league on the Faroe Islands seems more obscure than cult even after you read his reasoning on why he included it as a "cult" rivalry. Also, in the same section how is a Manchester United vs. Liverpool derby considered a cult rivalry? It's a historical and well-known one and there are some "cult" heroes involved over the years but the actual rivalry is certainly not cultish at all.

Then let's take his idea that Romario and Edmundo represent Brazilian cult soccer stars of a recent vintage. That would be fine if he didn't leave out Socrates. His name alone would make him a cult figure but add in his left-wing politics that led to many player reforms at his club team Corinthians, his chain smoking, his trademark backheel and the fact he was a qualified doctor.

In the section on cult soccer clubs, how can he leave off the team supported by punks, anarchists and so many of the left-wing fringe in Hamburg in St. Pauli? He has some other German clubs in there but the "second" team in Hamburg is most definitely one that has a cult following second to none.

Also, his knowledge of the NASL is laughable. He references two British players (Malcolm Dawes and Barry Mahy) I have never heard of. I grew up in this era here and had to look them up. Both were pre-Pele era Cosmos (Mahy played all of eight matches all tolled with Pele during the Brazilian star's 1st NASL season) and frankly do not register on anyone consciousness as did the entire NASL until Pele came along in 1975.

He also seems strangely fascinated by South African soccer player Jomo Sono who was a fringe player for the Cosmos and Toronto Blizzard. Not sure why when the bigger cult star was Ace Ntsoelengoe during that era.

The filler at the end of the Brit-centric book comes across as a total joke. We have such gems as "Five Scottish Clubs Beginning And Ending With The Same Letter" or do you prefer "The Five English League Clubs Whose Names Start And End With The Same Letter"?

So Rough Guide, next edition, get some better editors/factcheckers and quality control, if you let Mitten loose on this topic again.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars fun beginner's guide 16 Feb 2011
By clonus - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I picked this book up on sale, not sure what to expect - having only a small knowledge of "soccer" (aka football for those in the UK) - I really enjoyed it. Rather than give you the basics of the game, it mostly shares odd stories and tales of bizarre personalities, from the famous (like George Best) to the unknown. There's also a few amusing anecdotes about the many ill-fated attempts to introduce "soccer" into the US. A quick, fun read that will make you want to learn more.
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