- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (9 Oct 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1840187832
- ISBN-13: 978-1840187830
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 441,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Scum Airways
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
A gripping, character-led account of an underworld of English football supporters, played out against a colourful, cosmopolitan backcloth
Product Description
Football is big business and it doesn't come much bigger than Manchester United – commercial giants and the richest club in the world. But in the shadow of Old Trafford a black economy is growing to rival the commercial power of the official sales channels. Scum Airways is an inside investigation of the Manchester grafters – touts, black marketeers and shady dealers – who, led by characters like 'Big Tommy', have come up with a remarkably successful money-making venture: Scum Airways.
With the expansion of the Champions League came the opportunity for the grafters to move from ticket touting and producing 'unofficial' replica kits into the independent travel business. International Travel is the company for those who, through choice or because of their police records prohibit them, do not travel with the official clubs. Their customers include many 'straight' supporters of Leeds United, arch-rivals of Man U, but Tommy's core clients are the 'Lads' - die-hard 30-something football hooligans.
Scum Airways follows the exploits and adventures of Big Tommy and his team of grafters as they continue to build their empire. John Sugden went along for the ride and provides startling insights into professional football's burgeoning black economy. From Munich to Madrid, Amsterdam to Bangkok, through to the streets and bars of Toyko and Sapporo during the 2002 World Cup, and beyond, Scum Airways reveals the dark side of the football business.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A lot of the stuff detailed in this book would come as a shock for many part-time football supporters, and indeed, would probably sicken many others. However, for better or worse, touts are part of the game. Indeed, in Japan and Korea, they were the most effective way of getting the tickets from the office to the fans, and if the corruption at each rung if the FIFA ladder persists, touts will always have a veyr importtant role to play. With touts, we sometimes have to pay over the odds for tickets. Without touts, we might not get our hands on them at all.
Stories such as phone lines being jammed by unsrcupolous call centre employees who sell the working number to the touts would shock many people if they were more widely known. The story about the bootleggers sweatshop being next door to the geniune manufacturers' sweatshop is also alarming. The scope of the book is an interesting diversion from the plethora of hoolie books, in that it deals with general nutters on the fringe of the football travel scene, and also, of course, the football merchandising scene.
The book dovetails towards the end, as it deals with ticket distribution for the World Cup. Such major tournaments are great opportunities for the grafters, FIFA's chaotic ticketing system inevitably making it easy for the lads to operate. The moral line between the touts and the corrupt FIFA officials is very hard to draw cleanly, as Sugden offers the type of detail that can only leave the reader to ponder about the way football is being run in the 21st century.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
John Sugden is an academic. This is an important consideration. He has discovered a world with a fascinating story to tell; a parallel universe to the megastore gloss of Manchester United PLC. He has done extremely well to gain access to the subculture of touts, unoffical travel clubs and counterfeiters.
The book is at its best when we learn of this world and how the system works and get inside the characters like Big Tommy, AJ and the FIFA officials who got him tickets.
It is weakened however by constant justification of Sugden's own role in the drama. His painful fence sitting, his moralising over the behaviour of English hooligans and his lack of journalistic nous doesn't do the rest of the story justice. There are also a few basic errors which betray his lack of football culture knowledge.
Nevertheless, it's a good insight and a good story. I just wish a journalist like Nick Lowles or David Conn had done it.
The book is at its best when we learn of this world and how the system works and get inside the characters like Big Tommy, AJ and the FIFA officials who got him tickets.
It is weakened however by constant justification of Sugden's own role in the drama. His painful fence sitting, his moralising over the behaviour of English hooligans and his lack of journalistic nous doesn't do the rest of the story justice. There are also a few basic errors which betray his lack of football culture knowledge.
Nevertheless, it's a good insight and a good story. I just wish a journalist like Nick Lowles or David Conn had done it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Good Read On Your Next Flight
26 Aug 2004
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Professor John Sugden delves into the highly lucrative black market economy of Manchester's "grafters." Specialists in moving everything from illegally acquired soccer tickets to fake Asian-made brand name clothing. The prof somehow manages to infiltrate the world they inhabit, and documents their tales in a highly compelling manner. This is an articulately told tale, a welcome departure from the cookie cutter hoolifan books so popular in Britain. Though Sugden is sometimes in jeopardy from his study subjects, most of whom are actual or former hard core football hooligans, his ability to insinuate himself within this culture while maintaining a professional mindset is quite impressive.
dull, dull, dull
7 April 2010
Format:Hardcover
nothing in this book will be new to anyone remotely active in going to football games. it's looking very dated now and contains few interesting anecdotes or tales. in summary, middle aged blokes go to football games and some of these blokes use euro away trips as an excuse to get lashed, vist brothels and generally behave badly in foreign cities. oh, and touts sell tickets for big games too and sometimes accommodate slightly unsavoury characters on their trips by arranging their transport and tickets.
Written by "a smart Scouser"
2 Aug 2009
Format:Paperback
This is a keenly observed book about grafters revolving around the International Travel business of Manchester based Big Tommy. But any football fan who has dealt with touts or bought "snide" tops will recognise their own local versions of Tommy.
"...Lads, your worst nightmare - a smart Scouser!" are Tommy's first recorded words to Sugden.
Big Tommy's right, John Sugden *is* smart and expresses that in his writing.
If you aren't shocked by the thought of the Leeds fan who has "Munich 58" tattooed on his stomach, then buy the book and enjoy Sugden's fast paced writing style.
Aside: what kind of football supporter would actually tattoo the fatal aircrash of their rivals(sic) Manchester United on their own stomach?
All these types of characters and more besides are in the book:
AJ in Bangkok and Billy, Tommy's sidekick.
They're not idiots - AJ was at Manchester University - they're smart and resourceful and operate on the borderline of legality. But "rather a grafter than a mugger or burglar" I say...
Only regret?
The book should have been longer, would have loved a few more Euroaway and Far Eastern tales!
"...Lads, your worst nightmare - a smart Scouser!" are Tommy's first recorded words to Sugden.
Big Tommy's right, John Sugden *is* smart and expresses that in his writing.
If you aren't shocked by the thought of the Leeds fan who has "Munich 58" tattooed on his stomach, then buy the book and enjoy Sugden's fast paced writing style.
Aside: what kind of football supporter would actually tattoo the fatal aircrash of their rivals(sic) Manchester United on their own stomach?
All these types of characters and more besides are in the book:
AJ in Bangkok and Billy, Tommy's sidekick.
They're not idiots - AJ was at Manchester University - they're smart and resourceful and operate on the borderline of legality. But "rather a grafter than a mugger or burglar" I say...
Only regret?
The book should have been longer, would have loved a few more Euroaway and Far Eastern tales!
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
