One sign of the close season is the arrival on message boards of threads asking for suggestions for books to take on holiday. I'm making a few assumptions, writing this column well ahead of the final home game. Firstly, I'm assuming anyone bothered to read the Matchday Magazine, CUFC Online or Hit The Bar right down to this column is probably bothered to read books on football. Secondly, I'm assuming you are already acquainted with everything written and published on Carlisle United. The following are a quintet of credit crunch beating recommendations. The last time I looked all were available cheaply as second hand copies online. All - in my humble opinion at least - would keep your love of the game alive as you sun yourself on a foreign beach this summer. They might even pay off with some interesting banter for the coming season and/or filling your head with useful pub quiz facts. I'll line them up in the order in which they first came out, I'm not saying any one is better than the others.
What's it about? A season as player/coach of Torquay United, 1996-97. The impossibility of trying to control games, with no money, little luck and some of the worst and most truculent players in the football league. It's a good read because: Garry Nelson never stops trying to make things better and you never stop hoping he will. The insights into what it means to 'manage' a squad of journeyman players are particularly strong and several of his squad - notably - West Country defensive hard-man Jon Gittens are still discussed over pints by the Blue Army to this day. Carlisle make fleeting appearances in the book, we head for promotion as Torquay struggle to survive.
What's it about? Three generations of the Summerbee family, and their lives as professional footballers. George Sumerbee had the toughness to survive as a journeyman pro, becoming a significant player in some squads, but making his mark in places like Barrow. His talented son, Mike, played for his country, played for a legendary Manchester City squad alongside Colin Bell and Francis Lee and went on to become George Best's best man. Mike is a legend but his earning power is nothing compared to son Nicky, who carved out a creditable career in the modern era, pocketing sums his dad could only have dreamed of. It's a good read because: It uses the comparison and contrast between three generations of footballers to chart massive changes in the game. It's told in a straightforward way by a writer with solid pedigree.
What's it about? It bills itself as an account of Liechtenstein's search for 2002 World Cup glory but in reality it's more like a travel book. The author milks their desperate performances on the pitch for a few laughs but spends time exploring the country, the fans and the way the inclusion of the smallest nations in World Cup qualifying groups has impacted on one of the countries involved. It's a good read because: It's funny, but not always in a cruel and mocking way. One warning though, Connelly was long gone when Liechtenstein drew with Portugal and beat Luxembourg in the same week.
What's it about? East Stirlingshire FC and their 2005/2006 season. As Carlisle fought their way to 8th in League One 'the Shire' were setting their sights on second bottom of the senior leagues in Scotland. Having finished rock bottom in the previous three seasons, this target seemed ambitious to everyone from the boardroom down to the most casual fan. It's a good read because: It gets inside the club to the point of explaining why anyone, from a player to a fan would bother to go on. It pulls few punches in terms of the desperate facilities, the fans' opinion of the board etc. It has been criticised by some for factual inaccuracy, but - in my opinion at least - it strikes a good balance between grimly funny and genuinely informative.
What's it about? Stewart Imlach, a professional footballer who played in the days of the maximum wage. Stewart played in the 1958 World Cup for Scotland and was Nottingham Forest man of the match in the 1959 FA Cup Final. For all this he got a £20 bonus for the Wembley display and regularly found himself taking summer jobs and working alongside his own supporters. After his death, his son Gary researches his dad's career and finds out a lot about the different days, and different values of soccer stardom. It's a good read because: It's superbly written, genuinely moving at times and combines the accurate details on football, past and present, with a very touching human story about a father and son. |