Irish Football Books
Over the years there
have been a lot of books written about the great game of football.
Books about the history of the game, about individual football clubs,
great footballers, international teams, specific tournaments, referees
and a whole host of other soccer topics. A surprisingly large number of
books have been written about football in Ireland and Irish footballers.
At Soccer-Ireland.com I review football
books that I have read myself and I also publish well-written reviews
by other contributors. If you would like to submit a review of a football
book for publication please email me at the following: Soccer
Book Review Submission. Please note that I only publish original reviews
that have not been published online previously.
Irish Devils:
The Official Story of Manchester United and the Irish
John DT White (2011); Simon & Schuster Ltd : ISBN: 978-0-85720-644-2
From United's earliest days as Newton Heath, the club had links with the
local Irish community. However, it was only after the war with Johnny
Carey, and then two Busby Babes, Jackie Blanchflower and Liam Whelan,
that the links began to bring trophies to United. But if there was one
man who cemented the club in the affections of the Irish, it was George
Best, who inspired a generation with his glorious skills. Since then a
series of players have made the trek across the Irish Sea - Sammy McIlroy,
Norman Whiteside, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane and John O'Shea among them -
and they have been accompanied by increasing numbers of fans, who take
the ferries and planes to come and cheer on their idols at Old Trafford.
In John White's fascinating and passionate book, he looks at not only
at the Irish stars who have helped make United what it is, but also finds
out the fans' stories. They recall their experiences following the club,
and their most special memories of a love that crosses all boundaries
in Ireland: the Reds and the Irish united as one.
Gaffers: 50 Years
of Irish Football Managers
Trevor Keane (2010); Mercier Press : ISBN: 978-1-85635-666-4
Did you know that an Irish manager did not pick the Irish football
team until 1969? Do you know who that manager was? Contrary to popular
opinion, Irish football management did not begin with Jack Charlton! From
the early days when Irish footballers travelled across the Irish Sea on
ships, through to today's superstars, the role of the Irish manager has
changed and this book charts their experiences as both players and as
managers in the dugout. The Irish football manager is a high profile and
prestigious position with many dramatic highs and lows. Including over
55 personal interviews from all the key personalities and the people who
knew them best, this book gives a long overdue insight into what it's
like to be the manager of the boys in green. For lovers of statistics
(and there are plenty!), the book lists results for all the managers during
their time in charge as well as their win/loss ratio, so we can finally
decide who was the greatest manager Ireland ever had ...
Freestaters:
The Republic of Ireland Soccer Team 1921-1939
Donal Cullen (2007); Desert Island Books Limited : ISBN: 978-1-905328-36-9
In March 1926 a group of Irishmen left the Irish Free State on a journey
that took three days. Their destination was Italy and they were travelling
to play their first full international soccer match. The journey was long.
It began five years earlier when an internal dispute within the Irish
Football Association found itself entangled in the political division
of Ireland. The Split led to two rival Irish associations playing international
soccer. Freestaters covers the events before and after that first
full international football match in Italy. Irish teams entered and nearly
qualified for the World Cups in 1934 and 1938, travelled to Nazi Germany,
and launched the careers of some of the finest players ever to wear the
green shirt.
Off
Centre Circle
Ger McCarthy (2009); Echo Publications (Cork) Limited : ISBN: 978-0-9562443-0-7
Off Centre Circle is a witty account of life in the junior soccer leagues.
While the story is based in West Cork, it represents junior soccer in
all the countries of the world that are affiliates to FIFA. There are
no superstars in junior soccer, but there are heroes and villains. The
glamour of a Milan derby might attract the rich and famous to the San
Siro, but can it capture the rivalry, discord and sheer antagonism of
a clash between Clonakilty and Bantry Gunners with vital league points
at stake?
Keane:
The Autobiography
Roy Keane with Eamon Dunphy (2002); Michael Joseph Ltd: ISBN: 0-718-14554-2
Ghost written by Eamon
Dunphy, Roy Keane's
autobiography charts the former Manchester
United and Ireland greats' childhood and his football career up to
the infamous Saipan Affair
in 2002. It is a no-holds-barred
account of Keane's approach to football and to life in general. This version
of the book includes the details of the premeditated nature of his horror
tackle on Alf-Inge
Haaland that was excised from later versions.
Who
Stole Our Game: The Fall and Fall of Irish Soccer
Daire Whelan (2006); Gill & Macmillan Ltd; ISBN-10: 0717140040
/ ISBN-13: 978-0717140046
Daire Whelan is a journalist and former sports writer in his he reflects
back on the the 1950s, League of Ireland grounds were full on match days.
Move on half a century, with more media attention and greater financial
resources than ever being pumped into soccer, the Irish football fans
have turned away from the Irish game. How has the League of Ireland failed
so miserably over fifty years? While the Irish senior international team
is supported, and the English Premier League is a national obsession for
many football fans, who is responsible for the demise of the League
of Ireland? "Who Stole Our Game?" tries to
establish the answers.
The Team That
Jack Built
Paul Rowan (1994); Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd;
ISBN: 1 85158 670 9
Covering a period from the 1960's to 1994 Paul Rowan outlines that factors
that lead to the rise and rise of Jack
Charlton as Irish soccer manager. Published in 1994, Rowan's book
falls short of the demise of the Charlton era in December 1995. Starting
back in the days when the Irish team was picked by a committee Rowan charts
the trail up to the appointment
of Jack Charlton as Irish manager. Included in this are early Irish
football managers, Mick
Meagan, Liam
Tuohy, John
Giles and Eoin
Hand.
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