Review
This is a quite magnificent book- With a splendid eye for important detail and a determination to ask difficult questions, Conn reminds us of what is important- Conn's greatest feat in a book that is well researched and written with searing honesty is to show the game's magnificent resilience', David Wash, The Sunday Times .'For a fascinating insight into the causes, and the creators, of the game's ills this is a superbly told tale', Peter Corrigan, Independent .'An important book', The Times .'A thoroughly researched, well-crafted dissection of the modern game', Independent .'This is a must-read for all who love football', Delia Smith, .'An intelligent and passionate work about the business of football from Highbury to Glossop that is as skilfully written and structured as any thriller; a worthy book without a hint of worthiness about it', When Saturday Comes .'Hard-hitting- but the added value of The Beautiful Game lies rather in the effort to understand what is happening to the minnows, not the sharks. The stories he tells are scandalous, touching, and encouraging, at the same time', The Times
Book Description
A powerful, passionate exploration of a game in turmoil
Product Description
Once, football proudly claimed to stand for passion, community, honour, even beauty. Today, football is about money. Its richest club, Manchester United, earned £175 million last year; yet since 1992 thirty-six of the Football League's seventy-two clubs have been insolvent. The game is in danger of losing its lifeblood - and its soul.
David Conn, the game's most respected investigative journalist, sets out on a journey through the heart of our national game, exploring how the sport has failed - and who is to blame. Travelling to football's every outpost, Conn interviews players, managers, chairmen and fans, building up a picture of a game mired in crisis. At its heart, football is a game deeply loved by millions. This is a book for those who keep the faith, who believe that the sport itself, stripped of the greed and self-interest blighting its organisation, still has values, and can still be beautiful.
(20040922)
From the Publisher
A powerful, passionate exploration of a game in turmoil
About the Author
David Conn writes a weekly column, 'Inside Football', for the Independent, and was the Football Supporters' Federation's Football Writer of the Year in 2002. He regularly appears on Radios 4 and 5, and his television credits include Panorama and Reputations. He was the Editorial Director of the Exhibition of Football History at the National Football Museum in Preston. His previous book, The
Football Business was published in 1997 to great acclaim. (20040922)
