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Robert Enek book 'A life too short' is a brilliant read. I also really enjoyed Ibrahimovic's book as his early life was quite tough as a son of an immigrant in Sweden. Paul McGrath is an old one but a classic book. I tend agree about GAA books- they can be quite similar in themes though Cathal McCarron's is fairly hard hitting and a good read. I read Lance Armstrong's book (before he was outed) and it was a really good read. Lol. Ed (UK) - Posts: 156 - 20/11/2018 15:50:36 2151852 Link 1 |
Read it there a couple of months ago. Decent enough read, nothing too spectacular. Crouch comes across like he always does: a modest character who's made the very most out of his abilities.
Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9073 - 20/11/2018 16:24:24 2151861 Link 0 |
It sounds like the most bland story out there to me. If a selling point is about the time Roy Keane shook his head in disgust at the car Crouchy was driving then it sounds perfect for trying on one of those nights you can't drift off to sleep. I'd agree with an earlier poster on this thread who said the crazy/eccentric type of sports people are usually worth a read but the nice guys finish last for me and wouldn't appeal to me as entertainment. But each to their own I suppose.
SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 20/11/2018 17:38:38 2151871 Link 0 |
an oldie but ap mc coys book is a great read mrsme (USA) - Posts: 172 - 20/11/2018 20:28:11 2151901 Link 0 |
Eamonn Magee's book is a fantastic read. Really sad story wit boxing taking a aback seat for much of it, best sports book I have read in years and rivals War, Baby as my favourite ever boxing book ArmaghinWarwick (Armagh) - Posts: 26 - 21/11/2018 10:02:51 2151951 Link 1 |
I enjoyed Liam Dunne's book, but that might be the Wexican in me. He was before my time as a hurler in general, I remember the end of his career only. StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1726 - 21/11/2018 12:12:02 2151976 Link 0 |
Its an old one..... wing back (Offaly) - Posts: 115 - 21/11/2018 20:21:12 2152047 Link 0 |
The Ancient Olympic Games - by Judith Swaddling Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2419 - 21/11/2018 21:30:42 2152054 Link 0 |
Off the top of my head, all really good reads.. Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4698 - 22/11/2018 00:12:17 2152063 Link 0 |
Anyone into endurance running, or perhaps thinking of tackling their first half or fulll marathon, Hal Higdon's books are very good. He provides training plans for all levels which is good. But even better are the psychological tips, anecdotes from first time marathon runners etc. It was invaluable to me when I did my first one. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9073 - 22/11/2018 11:04:04 2152084 Link 0 |
Seconded. As Magee says, "My story isn't a book, it should be a f**kin Hollywood blockbuster". The Road to 51 and Will Galway Bate Mayo? by James Laffey are both fantastic reads. Paidi by Seán Potts. The Gambler by Oisín McConville. I found Alan McLoughlin's autobiography very good also, not your usual footballer boiler-plate release, especially when he talks about his Irish upbringing in 70s England and his illness. Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper is an interesting exploration of how politics feeds into soccer rivalries worldwide, albeit a bit dated (it was written in the early 1990s). Friday Night Lights by HG Bissinger- an exploration of how a high school football team attracts a fanatical local following, to the detriment of other things. Was subsequently made into a film and a critically acclaimed TV series. Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/11/2018 13:45:36 2152113 Link 0 |
Read FNLs last year but found it was as much about social/racial prejudice than about sport. An interesting read but a slog in places. Big eye opener in terms of the size of high school football in the US and especially how fanatical they are about it in the south.
Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4698 - 22/11/2018 14:45:20 2152122 Link 0 |
Yeah, it's a much more sociological than the film was, lots of discussion about race, the decline of big oil and poverty in the American South. It was also written in the late 1980s, so a lot has changed since then. A lot of people down there really didn't like what he had written at the time, and he had to call off some book signings because he was threatened. Bissinger wrote a sequel to it maybe a decade or so back in which he updates readers on how things have gone since then. Apparently Permian's football programme has really struggled in recent years, but things have improved somewhat in terms of crime rates, opportunities for minorities, and for the local economy. Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/11/2018 15:16:52 2152124 Link 0 |
Would also add The Hurricane biography of Alex Higgins. Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/11/2018 15:18:07 2152125 Link 0 |
Intetesting one. Must pick up the sequel to see how things have moved on.
Joxer (Dublin) - Posts: 4698 - 23/11/2018 00:05:52 2152183 Link 1 |
Are the Rory's Stories books any good? Kerry15 (Kerry) - Posts: 954 - 25/11/2018 21:26:55 2152404 Link 0 |
Highly recommend Jackie Tyrrell's book. I read very little, and when I do I'm slow - but I took care of that one in no time. Ban (Westmeath) - Posts: 1410 - 26/11/2018 08:32:33 2152431 Link 1 |
a couple of laughs,but on the whole no.
perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 26/11/2018 12:41:28 2152462 Link 0 |
Well I'm a student of history and I love books that use sport as a window into the social, cultural, political history of a given era or place. TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 26/11/2018 13:51:09 2152475 Link 1 |
Has anyone read any of the following autobiographies and are they any good? Sean Cavanagh Davy Fitzgerald Coral Staunton Des Cahill Kerry15 (Kerry) - Posts: 954 - 02/12/2018 16:11:08 2153073 Link 0 |