The Beautiful Game?: Searching the Soul of Football - David Conn

Practically perfect

This is, in my opinion, the best book ever written about English football. Conn explores everything, from the politics behind the formation of the premiership, to the chronic mismanagement of some of England's proudest clubs to League Two teams struggling with financial survival, to the myths and untruths surrounding the Hillsbourgh Disaster. What really endeared me to the book however, was that throughout the devastating criticism of footballs corruption, Conn is always remains constructive and outlines an effective blueprint that could provide hope for the future of English football, focusing on Crewe as an example of how football should be run. Very informative and enlightening, especially for Premiership fans who have only a vague knowledge of the plight of teams struggling to survive without the bountiful riches from Sky.

Outstanding

Read this book and it will change the way you think about football forever. Go with confidence, it's an outstanding piece of writing.

A Brilliant Book

Conn's account of modern day football, and the sinister forces controlling the game, makes for a wonderful read.

Too often books on football ignore the trials and tribulations of lower league clubs. That is not a charge that can be levelled at Conn. His chapters on Wimbledon, York, Crewe, Bury, Notts County and others are magnificent accounts of the enthusiasm, passion and fervour of football supporters. In the same chapters there are often desperate tales of the greed of chairmen and directors of these same clubs.

Conn reminds the reader how fans are told that football is now a business, and as a result, has to be viewed in different terms from the game that many supporters grew to love. However, Conn responds with the argument that if football is now a business, then why are people who have continually run their business into the ground been rewarded with well paid jobs.

As a Liverpool supporter I recoommend the book. It's especially recommended to those supporters who perhaps are unsympathetic to the demands of the Hillsborough families. If you're in any way unsure about what happened on April 15th 1989, please read the book. Conn is not a Liverpool supporter. He's not a spokesperson for Liverpool or the bereaved families - he's just a journalist who has restored this reviewer's faith in football writers - and quite possibly football in general.

Essential reading for all genuine football fans

If you are genuinely interested in football and only have time to read one book then this is the one. Full of factual stories of how genuine fans strive to keep their clubs going often in the face of owners who have only self interest in mind. The journey doesn't confine itself to the household names of football but covers all levels of the Football League and how money has become the only word for many in authority at the expense of the game itself. Not only for genuine football fans, this book should be compulsory reading for every football club director.

there's more to football than the premiership

this is an amazing book. i am a follower of all the football league and the premiership, and reading this book made me feel proud to follow the lower leagues. it writes about less glamarous clubs and their fans who fight to keep them in existence after glory-hunting fans from the area avoiding them and greedy chairman runing the clubs, and i should know how that feels as i am a leeds fan! i advise anyone to read this if they only support the teams who win the premiership and only watch the premiership and champions league, to show what the state of football is now like, because of clubs like chelsea, manchester utd etc. i guarentee that, in say 20 years the premiership will no longer be here because of greed and money in the game, after all who in the 70's thought the first division (now-premiership) would be ruined. football was once about pride, passion, now its about money, greed and foreigners. i guarentee if u only follow premiership and champions league (as evry1 in my school does) and u read this your views will soon chnage. if u call yourself a real football fan, you MUST read this.