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Recommended Sports Books.

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Are there any sports books, GAA and other that ye could recommend this Christmas? Is there any book that would be like a written version of A Season of Sundays? Like a sort of diary of the GAA year maybe with some match reports fron local and national papers? I like the sound of Davy Fitzgerald's autobiography. Plenty of passion, tactics and tantrums! GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 18/11/2018 23:10:47 2151564 Link
no way will i buy davy fitz book.too many agendas,he said this in 1983 about me,etc,etc. for me,the best gaa book i have read is philly mcmahons.a real insight into growing up in ballymun surrounded by drugs and poverty,and the vital impact of sport in this area. most gaa books are the same but this is something different.most take the following route: - i started school in .... first played with the local club - got picked for county minor team - made senior team - i played this match,i played that match. - 1/2 controversial statements,incidents,happenings, - i retired. - i started coaching. i have also heard the dublin sub goalie book is good but i havent read it. perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 19/11/2018 11:11:29 2151600 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "Are there any sports books, GAA and other that ye could recommend this Christmas? Is there any book that would be like a written version of A Season of Sundays? Like a sort of diary of the GAA year maybe with some match reports fron local and national papers? I like the sound of Davy Fitzgerald's autobiography. Plenty of passion, tactics and tantrums!" Best GAA books I've read: The Choice - Philly McMahon (not really a GAA book, GAA is a background character, this is barely a sports book to be honest but it's fantastic nonetheless) The Hurlers - Paul Rouse - just finished it, well researched and well written and gives a great insight into the foundation of the GAA. Kings of September - Michael Foley - Excellent account of how Offaly stopped Kerry's 5-in-a-row in 1982. Working on a Dream - Damien Lawlor - a year in the life of the Waterford footballers. This Is Our Year - Declan Bogue - Ulster Championship 2011 as told by nine players from the nine counties, Kevin Cassidy fell foul of Jimmy McGuinness for taking part. Great read though. Last Man Standing - Christy O'Connor - all about different hurling goal keepers, very enjoyable. Dub-Sub Confidential - John Leonard - Again not really a GAA book but more like the GAA is in the background throughout a pretty mad story. Other than that I've not read any other GAA books I've enjoyed that much. 99% of GAA autobiographies are awfully boring. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 19/11/2018 11:44:29 2151606 Link
I have a few sport biographies, I generally like reading the mad ones, they're good craic, so the likes of: Paul Carberry Hurricane Higgins John Daly Graham Geraghty Brian Clough They're all decent biographies, think I enjoyed Carberry's most of all though. Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 19/11/2018 13:17:22 2151625 Link
Philly McMahon's book is brilliant. Also, a bit older but I loved reading Keys to the Kingdom by Jack O'Connor. dakid (Australia) - Posts: 284 - 19/11/2018 13:36:06 2151627 Link
Andre Aggasi book is a great read. Hard to believe how he became so successful at a sport he hated! I have heard there is a great read about a footballer called Robert Enke, although I equally believe it is a depressing read. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 19/11/2018 14:00:17 2151633 Link
Poor Davy. A hatchet job from what I heard from people in Clare. Agassi book is brilliant. Moneyball is brilliant. The last biography of Tiger from earlier in the year is top class. Too many to mention. I don't read many of the GAA ones if I am honest. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 19/11/2018 15:01:33 2151650 Link
Haven't read too many GAA books either. Must keep a look out for McMahon's, sounds good. One of the best books I've read is Paul McGrath's. Garrincha's book is another brilliant read. Inspiring and harrowing in equal measure. The Damned United another great read. Have to say I really enjoyed Chris Eubank's book too. A very unique character. Hardtimes (Cavan) - Posts: 1056 - 19/11/2018 16:08:51 2151666 Link
Cathal McCarron's was a good read. Have to say I enjoy The Secret Footballer's books in you follow the Premier League. Spills the beans on a lot of stuff you'd wonder about the Premier League and its players, managers, agents etc Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9115 - 19/11/2018 16:23:32 2151668 Link
"How Not To Be A Football Millionaire", by Keith Gillespie is a good read. Here's a man with a real story to tell, unlike a hell of a lot of sports books, unfortunately. streaker (Galway) - Posts: 497 - 19/11/2018 16:40:52 2151672 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Andre Aggasi book is a great read. Hard to believe how he became so successful at a sport he hated! I have heard there is a great read about a footballer called Robert Enke, although I equally believe it is a depressing read." The Enke book is very good, it gives a good insight into what it is to suffer from depression. Enke was aware he suffered from depression and kept a bit of a diary. Definitely worth a read, Personally wasn't that big a fan of Dub Sub Confidental, just didn't find the guy likeable. Belfast boxers Eamon McGees book is a good read also, only thing is the author appears to have been quite sympathetic towards him. Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 19/11/2018 17:24:12 2151685 Link
Non GAA books I'd recommend are: Paul McGrath's autobiography was excellent. Only A Game? - Eamonn Dunphy Football Men - Simon Kuper Why England Lose - Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski (don't be fooled by the title, it's not really about English football totally but more about why a lot of truisms about football are actually untrue) The Dirtiest Race - Richard Moore (about the 1988 100m final) Inverting the Pyramid - Jonathan Wilson. look at the development of tactics in football. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 19/11/2018 17:29:41 2151689 Link
Replying To StoreysTash: "Andre Aggasi book is a great read. Hard to believe how he became so successful at a sport he hated! I have heard there is a great read about a footballer called Robert Enke, although I equally believe it is a depressing read." The Tragedy of Robert Enke Another good read, started out as a straight up ghost writer/sports star relationship if I remember correctly but became a very different book in the end told from the writer's perspective about Enke rather than the other way round. Some people come out of the book fairly badly, Van Gaal and De Boer at Barca for example. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13704 - 19/11/2018 17:41:04 2151690 Link
Replying To MesAmis: "Best GAA books I've read: The Choice - Philly McMahon (not really a GAA book, GAA is a background character, this is barely a sports book to be honest but it's fantastic nonetheless) The Hurlers - Paul Rouse - just finished it, well researched and well written and gives a great insight into the foundation of the GAA. Kings of September - Michael Foley - Excellent account of how Offaly stopped Kerry's 5-in-a-row in 1982. Working on a Dream - Damien Lawlor - a year in the life of the Waterford footballers. This Is Our Year - Declan Bogue - Ulster Championship 2011 as told by nine players from the nine counties, Kevin Cassidy fell foul of Jimmy McGuinness for taking part. Great read though. Last Man Standing - Christy O'Connor - all about different hurling goal keepers, very enjoyable. Dub-Sub Confidential - John Leonard - Again not really a GAA book but more like the GAA is in the background throughout a pretty mad story. Other than that I've not read any other GAA books I've enjoyed that much. 99% of GAA autobiographies are awfully boring." Kings of September is absolutely class. Foley has a great turn of phrase and it's great to read a great story from my youth. From a now disgraced author but still a great read, is Dublin v Kerry by Tom Humphries. Don't buy The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, I think it's aimed at American readers and too drawn out for me. I can't understand why it was popular. I enjoyed Trevor Brennan's book. A tough hardworking man who likes a laugh. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 19/11/2018 18:51:38 2151709 Link
i really enjoyed tony adams book,again a man who went to hell and back. i have to say the most disappointing book i have read was paul o connell,the epitome of "i played this match,i played that match,i got injured" bore. perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 20/11/2018 08:43:06 2151777 Link
Replying To perfect10: "i really enjoyed tony adams book,again a man who went to hell and back. i have to say the most disappointing book i have read was paul o connell,the epitome of "i played this match,i played that match,i got injured" bore." I actually enjoyed his book. The O Driscoll one was terrible. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 20/11/2018 12:25:11 2151802 Link
for a non clichéd footballers autobiography Pirlo's book is good. Any book on Brian Clough is well worth a read. There is a book I read a few years back the Robin Friday Story, The best Footballer you never saw I think it was called, good read. Four Kings about Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran is a good boxing book also. Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 20/11/2018 13:32:44 2151816 Link
If you can find Tony Cascarino's book it's very funny as well. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9115 - 20/11/2018 14:25:42 2151827 Link
Has anyone read Pwter Crouch's book? The podcast is good craic but I wonder has he repeated a lot of the book in the podcast. GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7335 - 20/11/2018 15:16:53 2151842 Link
Replying To GreenandRed: "Has anyone read Pwter Crouch's book? The podcast is good craic but I wonder has he repeated a lot of the book in the podcast." I listened to the audiobook. Good craic but all the good stories were spoken about in the build up as you said. He is a good guy though i must say. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 7885 - 20/11/2018 15:40:27 2151849 Link