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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
It's all George W. Bush's Fault (Of Course), 12 Jul 2004
The history of England and Argentina in football should have made a fascinating read. But as an American, to my shock, this book contains far too many anti-American--never mind anti-British--asides. It's obvious that Mr. Downing is a Guardian reader. Basically, England are evil, America even more so, and the Third World (in this case Argentina) the saintly oppressed. As has become the curious trait of the Guardian's sport page, Downing too is pretty much disparaging of England's footballing heritage. To him, they were never as good as they thought they were. In the occasions where they find form, Downing seems to think it's a fluke, or only achieved through favorable draws, refereeing, or brute tactics. Of course, when Argentine sides resort of brutish play, the assumption is that they were driven to it by the evil European who played that way first. The punters aren't spared either. Most of the time, the English supporters are insular and jingoistic. The Argentines, kept behind barbed wire fences and moats at home--for good reason--seem to get a free pass. I am not such a zealot that I won't read an opposing point of view, but halfway through, when Downing takes a shot at President Bush 43, it seems too much. Please keep to the subject matter at hand! When Downing does stick to the football, he does paint some interesting anecdotes, but none have depth. He seems to rely heavily on press clippings when discussing the early 20th Century but far too often seems to have been unable or unwilling to research the first names of players. This is a subject matter that cries out for recent primary source interviews of managers and players from both sides, but Downing relies either on press interviews at the time or biographies (which of course always cast a manager or player in a positive light). Worse, he provides no explantion for how the Argentine Football Association and domestic league changed from Anglo-Argentine membership to an Latin Argentine one. This seems a critical and very important historical change but there is no explanation for it. Of course, any mention of the words "England" and "Argentina" must include the Falkland Islands and as you might have guessed, Downing is sympathetic to the Argentines on this one. He seems to cast aside the concerns of native born Falklanders and seems to almost regard their presence as a nuisance. I wonder what author Graham Bound, who wrote the excellent Falkland Islanders at War, must think if he should ever read this book! So a high level skim of English-Argentine football clashes, shots at G.W., Kissinger, Thatcher, the evil United States--it's all here. If you're on the left or far left you'll love it. If you're not, you won't be surprised to read on the dust jacket that Mr. Downing has travelled in "Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union."
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£5.54
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