Author:Michael Calvin
Winner of The Times British Sports Book Award 2014.
A fascinating insight into the enclosed world of football scouts in the UK
A teenaged boy plays football in a suburban park. His name is Raheem Sterling. The call is made: “Get down here quick. This is something special”.
Another boy is 8, going on 28. His name is Jack Wilshere. The referee, an Arsenal scout, spirits him away from Luton Town.
A young goalkeeper struggles on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two. His name is Jack Butland. Within months he will be playing for England.
Welcome to football’s hidden tribe. Scouts are everywhere yet nowhere, faceless and nameless, despite making the informed decisions worth millions. Award-winning sportswriter Michael Calvin opens up their hidden world, examining their disconnected lifestyles, petty betrayals and unconsidered professionalism of men who spend long, lonely hours on the road.
Michael Calvin charts the evolution of the sports’ scouts from chaotic beginnings to Moneyball-inspired analysis, and is enough to make you pay close attention when you next pass a kids’ kickabout in the park
—— Shortlist‘Calvin’s book is excellent, a highly readable insight into the slog and grind of assessing talent.’
—— Tottenham On My MindOne of the ‘50 Best Sports Books Ever Written
In The Nowhere Men, Mike Calvin somehow manages to make the job of football scout sound like the most romantic existence imaginable. It also sounds bleak and deeply lonely. It is a fascinating insight into an often misunderstood and under-represented part of the sport, revealing the hours, dedication and struggles of men who love football and don’t know what they’d do without it.
A magnificent book, full of extraordinary characters and beautifully told
—— Rob Bagchi , GuardianThere’s a strong contender for the William Hill Sports Book Prize in Michael Calvin’s The Nowhere Men, a book revealing the hidden lives of football scouts.
—— The BooksellerThoroughly recommended reading. Terrific
—— John Cross , Daily MirrorThe Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin is a book you have to read
—— Tony Evans , The TimesI commend to you The Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin – brilliant book, great journalism
—— Ian Herbert , The IndependentA hugely insightful read
—— FourFourTwo MagazineTop sports writer Michael Calvin lifts the lid on the talent scouts
—— Sunday ExpressIt's superb, one of the best of the year. One of those books where you learn something every couple of pages.
—— Iain Macintosh , co-author of Football Manager Stole My LifeA funny and poignant tale for anyone who's ever dreamt of quitting their day job to embark on an adventure
—— Jude Brosnan , Wanderlust Travel MagazineA salient overview of the past quarter-century
—— Times Literary SupplementThe deserving winner of this year's William Hill Sports Book of the Year award
—— Chris Maume , IndependentThis is a breakthrough book by one of the leading young lights of Australian writing
—— Cath Turner , NudgeDespite it being an almost impossible subject to write about, Krien has produced a brilliant, disarming, thought-provoking book
—— Malachy Clerkin , Irish TimesA thought-provoking book that every aspiring male footballer should be made to read…as part of their apprenticeship
—— Susan Egelstaff , HeraldA worthy, if unexpected, winner
—— Simon Redfern , Independent On SundayA depressing but essential read
—— Sharon Wheeler , Times Higher Educationan intelligent and unsettling exploration of how sport’s macho culture and exclusion of women enable abuse
—— David Evans, Four Stars , Independent on Sunday
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