Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics: A History of Football Tactics (Hardcover)

Customers buy this book with Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner

+

Price For Both: £19.28

Show availability and shipping details

• This item: Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics: A History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

• Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

The Damned Utd by David Peace 4.1 out of 5 stars (86)  £3.88

Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner 4.8 out of 5 stars (24)  £5.99

Coming Back to Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick by Marcus Trescothick 4.8 out of 5 stars (18)  £12.74

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre 4.6 out of 5 stars (138)  £4.85

Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets by David Simon 4.8 out of 5 stars (38)  £4.49

› Explore similar items

Review
'A masterful work, It's all deliciously nerdy - a cross between a coaching manual and a social history - and if its publication helps foster a flowering of interest in the tactical and analytical side of the game in this country, it could be the best thing to have happened to English football in years.****' (TIME OUT - Book of the Week )

'Facts and stats, plus anecdotes, interviews and Wilson's deft touch with football-speak, give colour to a subject that can be a little dry and all-too confusing for those watching (and often those picking the side).' (GQ )

'For a detailed analysis of how a single striker became the norm throughout football, you had better read Jonathan Wilson's excellent new book about tactics.' (Patrick Barclay SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'[A] fascinating history of tactics, a book that is guaranteed to enhance your football watching; your team may still lose, but you'll have a far better idea why they did.' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

'This must surely go down as one of the most revelatory sports books of the year, as well as one of the best, who would have thought that a book charting the history of football tactics and strategy, from the 1870s to the present day, could be so engrossing and entertaining.' (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'Absorbing and informative' (GUARDIAN ON-LINE )

'A gloriously readable, eccentric and informative trawl through the changing tactical mindsets and formations that have helped shape the beautiful game.' (METRO )

'You will never read a more entertaining or erudite history of tactics' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH - Christmas Books )

'This is a masterful piece of research and lives up to the claim to be nothing less than "a history of football tactics"... Facinating' (SCOTSMAN - Books of the Year )

'a fascinating analysis of the way the game has evolved tactically from the 1970s until the last season... as a summary of the first 140 years of football tactical history, it is hard to imagine a more readable or thorough effort.' (IRISH EXAMINER )

Product Description
Whether it's Terry Venables keeping his wife up late at night with diagrams on scraps of paper spread over the eiderdown, or the classic TV sitcom of moving the salt & pepper around the table top in the transport cafe, football tactics are now part of the fabric of everyday life. Steve McLaren's recent switch to an untried 3-5-2 against Croatia will probably go down as the moment he lost his slim credibility gained from dropping David Beckham; Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, is often brought to task for trying to smuggle the long ball game back into English football (his defence being his need to 'break the lines' of banks of defenders and midfielders). Jonathan Wilson is an erudite and detailed writer, but never loses a sense of the grand narrative sweep, and here he pulls apart the modern game, traces the world history of tactics back from modern pioneers such as Rinus Michels and Valeriy Lobanovskyi, the Swiss origins of Catenaccio and Herbert Chapman, right back to beginning where chaos reigned. Along the way he looks at the lives of great players and thinkers who shaped the game, and probes why the English, in particular, have 'proved themselves unwilling to grapple with the abstract'. This is a modern classic of football writing to rank with David Winner's 'Brilliant Orange' and Simon Kuper's 'Football Against the Enemy'.

See all Product Description

11 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   11 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars destined to become a classic, 9 Nov 2008 By  unclesand (Nevada, USA) - See all my reviews this is quite possibly the best book on sports that i have ever read. Much more than a history of the tactical evolution of football, it is a fascinating account of why football has become the most loved and watched sport on the planet. it is comprehensive in its detail, but never less than readable and engrossing - i am currently on my second time through. it is very well illustrated with diagrams that explain the text. i cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who loves the sport and is interested in how it got to where we are now, or for that matter to anyone just interested in the history of the world over the last century or so - a great read. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance. Everything to love about football. , 19 Mar 2009 By  R. ANDERSON "reubster" (uk) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I would like to see all the UK's cliche-spouting, brain-deadening, parochial and myopic TV pundits suspended until they've read, and can pass a written test on this book. There's more sense in a few pages than I've ever heard from Alan Hansen. Anyone who ever again says "You just need to pick the best 11 players... ". There should be an official injunction against Kevin Keegan ever becoming manager at another club. The best part is, it looks like a dry technical textbook.. but it's actually madly passionate about the game, the characters, the colour, the place of football in wider-culture and the national identity. His analysis of Croatia v England during the qualifiers for Euro08 is deeply cathartic; explaining specifically and simply how we were so effectively carved up. I was also amazed by the evidence showing that England's football character hasn't changed in 100-odd years - from the start the game here was about passion and workrate over technique and skill (this is only just starting to change). And by his explanation of how the game spread around the world via trade routes. And by his observation that Real Madrid are habitually the whipping boys of whichever club is the new force in Europe (Benfica, Ajax, AC Milan..) - so hello Liverpool. I was surprised by the heat and violence of the Argentine game, and the bewildering decay of Uruguay and Hungary. And Roy Hodgson, what a bloke! The one thing I thought is missing from the book is an in-depth analysis of Wenger at Arsenal and the shake-up he's given the UK game, though now I've reached the end I suspect he would say that, as beautiful as they can be to watch, there's nothing new tactically (they're basically a traditional 4-4-2..) Oh and some technical insight into the great Lampard-Gerrard paradox. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, 5 Jan 2009 By  Paddy McCann - See all my reviews Wonderful book, couldn't put it down. Absolutely fascinating. The only criticism I would have is of the final chapter, dealing with the most recent developments. It jars with the rest of the book in assuming knowledge and introducing new people without any sort of background. The assumptions are probably fair, but it jars with the storytelling of the rest of the book. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 11 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Leaves you longing for some direct play In many respects this is the football fan's perfect book: what could be better than an obsessively detailed analysis of tactics and formations? Read more Published 20 days ago by M. Harrison 5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ive ever read This is the best book I have ever read! Its very detailed and it goes all the way back to the start of football. Read more Published 1 month ago by G. Askew 4.0 out of 5 stars We need to revert the pyramid! Great to see the evolution of the game except when the defensive coaches get involved. The Don Howe's of this world are not welcome! Read more Published 1 month ago by Peter Naughton 5.0 out of 5 stars A game of two halves, two teams, two goals and one football....how difficult can it be to get right? Reading this book washed away many years of agony and frustration that has blighted this supporter of english football since 1966! Read more Published 2 months ago by Bloodnock 4.0 out of 5 stars bluedun71 Great idea and well executed. However, I think the book needs a harsh editor; the book gets bogged down in 1950's South America, and some other areas, to the detriment of more... Read more Published 2 months ago by Bluedun71 5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant book If your a true football afficiando you'll love this book! It is highly recommended a fascinating insight into tactics and how tactics have evolved through the years. Published 3 months ago by Mr. S. Martin 3.0 out of 5 stars Er, incorrect on at least one count...great idea though. I'll give this three stars on the brilliant idea for the book alone. But for example you claim AC Milan played with two up front against Barcelona in 1994 when they actually... Read more Published 4 months ago by M. Ryan 5.0 out of 5 stars book for enthusiasts Excellent book for those interested in football tactics!!! Highly recommended. I book that was easy to read! i Published 9 months ago by M. Griffin Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 11 customer reviews...

Samuel Johnson BBC Prize for Non-Fiction 2009: A list by J. Holden "johnlholden"   What's a "holiday"? reads: A list by Fiction Fan   Top class footy books: A list by godzilla78 Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

• Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Football

Football (Soccer, Association football)
Coaching
General Sport & Fitness Training
History
Soccer
Soccer (Association football)
Sport (Soccer)
Sports
Sports & Recreation
Sports & Recreation / Soccer


i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

• 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.