- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown & Company (22 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0316647608
- ISBN-13: 978-0316647601
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 447,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Football clubs have long been notoriously secretive about what goes on behind the imposing club gates. Having seen the fly-on-the wall documentary which exposed then England coach Graham Taylor as a hapless and foul-mouthed loser, who can blame them? So it's to Coventry's huge credit that Rick Gekoski, a long-time fan despite being an American academic, was allowed in to chronicle their 1997/98 season. Gekoski, like everyone else, was expecting yet another battle against relegation for the Sky Blues. In fact Coventry actually finished in a respectable mid-table position, and they don't come out of this book too badly either. Gekoski really does give a flavour of the modern game as he probes the club's finances, transfer deals, tactics and personality clashes. He makes some remarkable claims for the manhood of a key player and as the book progresses he increasingly annoys the Coventry manager Gordon Strachan. But as Strachan himself magnanimously said when it was all over: "If I had known that you were going to write this sort of book I would never have allowed you access to myself or the team. Having said that, I think it is one of the best books about football ever written. The closest anybody could get to what it is really like". --Nick Wroe
Review
'Richly comic...the year's best soccer book by far' Ian Hamilton, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'A classic, some wonderful insights into the mind of Premiership Man.' FOOTBALL 365 'This is a great book...tremendouly thoughtful and well written.' TOTAL FOOTBALL 'If I had known that you were going to write this sort of book I would never have allowed to access to myself or the team. Having said that I think it's one of the best books about football ever written. The closest anybody could get to what it's really like.' Gordon Strachan to the author. 'This is the first football book that has got so close to a team and is well worth a read.' YORKSHIRE EVENING PRESS
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"Staying Up" offers an interesting look at the goings on inside a football club, and satisfies the most fanatical supporter's morbid obsession with everything that takes place behind the scenes: transfer rumours, contract negotiations, unhappy reserves etc.
While it took the author a long time to succeed in gaining the trust of those inside the club (in some cases he never did this) he did at least manage to give us an insight into what separates a professional sportsman from those in the general workforce. Furthermore, he exposed the distinct lack of trust that those working within the club have for what they would call "outsiders."
It's rather hasty to compare this book with Fever Pitch, which was more of an account of the author's life while being a football supporter- relating major events in his life with the football matches he went to see at the time.
An intriguing read and I highly recommend it to anybody with an interest in the sport.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Finally, a book has been written that describes the workings of an 'average' football club. For some reason the media ignore us as although we may have huge crowds, we don't fail spectacularly or annihilate opposition on a regular basis. However, this book is not just good because it exists, it also delightfully demonstrates the cringeworthy awkwardness of the writing conditions involved as well as retaining a good balance between real journalistic integrity while not being a 'sky is blue, hills are green' re-writing of history, this is warts-n-all with respect.
And fancy tricking Bryan Richardson into telling the real story behind the sacking of Big Ron, Rick Gekoski you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!
BUY ME NOW
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I brought this book the very first day it came out on sale and it took me 3 days to read. I thought the way the book was written and no holds barred with some of the stories which mentioning no names got offended by if it was about me I would have been honoured. I have been lucky in which I have met the author a few times at Blackburn and West Ham and he is a great bloke and loves the like I and many others do so I know he meant no malice at all in any of his stories.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
If only...
This is supposed to be the inside story of the workings of a Premiership football club, but little is revealed (other than the size of Dion Dublin's manhood). Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sport Nut
Bought as a present
Can't comment on the details but this was a well received present at a good price. Might have to read it myself!
Published 24 months ago by Mr. C. Coe
What a let down!
I was really looking forward to this book and was completely let down. As someone who has worked at two football clubs of a similar size to Coventry, this book didn't even come... Read more
Published on 1 May 2009 by Football Girl
Less a book about a football club, more a story about the author
The last line of the postscript perfectly sums up the main problem I had with reading this book. The author talks about Gordon Strachan the Coventry manager at the time: "I have... Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2007 by Dales
A great read for any lover of the game.
As a young teenager in Oxford visiting for a couple of years from the US, I became a firm lover of the game. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2006 by Robert Rodes
over long and a trifle self-indulgent.
Interesting enough as description of a year (season?) in the life of Coventry City Football Club. However the writing smacked of self-indulgency and too often it came across as... Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2000
Second only to 'Fever Pitch'
You don't get many books on the inside workings of a football club, and hardly any books on Coventry City. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 1999
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