Author:John Doyle
In The World is a Ball, critic and author John Doyle travels the world in pursuit of his first love - football. In dispatches from Italy to Ireland and from Buenos Aires to Bratislava, and between encounters with crazed taxi drivers and drunken fans dressed as leprechauns or in lederhosen, Doyle celebrates the evolution of soccer as a global phenomenon.
He begins his journey with the first game he saw in repressed 1960s Ireland - a match which left a lasting impression on him - and then skips through the decades to concentrate on football in the twenty-first century. Here he focuses on the World Cups of 2002 and 2006, the European Championships of 2004 and 2008, and the key games and teams involved in qualifying for the historic 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
With eyewitness accounts that are both hilarious and nostalgic, The World is a Ball brilliantly weaves together travelogue, match-reporting and compelling social history. It's an insightful and thought-provoking vision of the beautiful game which for some is more a religion than a sport: where colonized nations can triumph over their colonizers, the poor are rich in the pleasure of play, and for ninety minutes, anything seems possible.
A witty and honest hymn to soccer, this book is also a meditation on fandom, television, international travel and national identity as mediated through sport. John Doyle registers in vivid prose the strange blend of genius, attrition and downright cheating that is modern football.
—— Declan KiberdInternational football tournaments are extraordinary things: sporting rituals, commercial bonanzas, international TV events and popular carnivals. In The World is a Ball, John Doyle is our laconic, sharp eyed guide to the circus. This a football travelogue alert to the complex identities, and emotions that international football evokes, and tuned to the political and social meanings that emerge from success and failure, but never makes them hard going. Playful, humane, observant, Doyle delights in his fellow human beings capacity to conjure pleasure and purpose from football. There's nothing quite like being there, but if you can't The World is a Ball will give you an irresistible taste that will make you want to be there next time, and a learned eye with which to take it in and enjoy it.
—— David Goldblatt, author of The Ball Is Round: A Global History of SoccerSuperb ... a fantastic drama. The Grand Slam match was part of a political world ... This is what gave the occasion its power, its glory and its ultimate significance
—— The HeraldGripping ... Tom English has interviewed all the main protagonists to produce a richly textured picture of the build-up, the day itself and the aftermath
—— Independent5 stars. An epic tale of clashing personalities. The Grudge puts you right on the touchline as the English and Scottish teams go to war.
—— Simon Briggs , Daily TelegraphEnglish has written a marvellous book, in its way as gripping as that season and the match itself
—— Scottish Review of BooksA potentially award-winning book. It's a terrific bit of work, as engaging as the day itself was.
—— Mick Cleary , Daily TelegraphA remarkable and compulsive re-enactment over 235 pages of the day Scotland confounded all expectation to win
—— Paul AckfordA priceless read ... quite outstanding
—— Robert Kitson , The GuardianIf you haven't bought Tom English's book about the 1990 match - The Grudge - then do yourself a favour and get it now. It's terrific
—— Alex Massie , SpectatorTom English's excellent book, The Grudge, revisits an occasion when sport and politics and ancient rivalry came together
—— Chris Foy , Daily MailTrue tales: great stuff
—— Frank Keating , The GuardianShudderingly good ... English has a rare talent for getting to the core of a person
—— Rugby WorldThatcherite politics and rugby come crashing into contact in this rich and textured account
—— iThe perfect present for any rugby fan. It shows the goldfish-bowl aspect to life as a modern-day sporting legend and gives an insight into what it's like on the inside looking out
—— Irish IndependentWhether you are a rugby fan or not, this book is likely to please... This honest autobiography will provide an intriguing read for the Christmas period
—— South Tipp TodayCompelling reading
—— Richard Fitzpatrick , Irish Examiner
zpostcode
Recruit
weather
mreligion
Yellowpages
sport
constellation
shopping
name
game
directory
literature
Word
tour
furnish
Lottery
tftnews
lyrics
News
digital
car
dir
Edu
Finance
