The Best/Worst Footy Books.

[Coys]

Not a pure footy book but I really enjoyed Saturday afternoon fever by Matt Hardy. Evoked a nice image of the burbs in the 80s, when all my st kilda supporting rellos went to the footy religiously. Added to some of the stories I've heard but I could see why non saints wouldn't enjoy it

 

[Blueyboy74]

This would have to be at the top of the pile for me.

 

[krisholio14]

The best I've read:
- Stephen Phillips biography on LouRichards
- From the outer by Garry Hutchinson ( I think )

So many crappy ones but one that stood out for being super boring was Barry Halls offering. And yes, that Billy Brownless thing was a waste of time.

From the Outer is a great book. And very prophetic too I might add.

 

[saintkildaman]

David Schwarz book is awesome.
The Draftees by Emma Quayle is also insightful, enjoying it so far.

 

[sherbrook]

I'm not a Richmond fan but loved "the Hafey Years" by Elliott Cart ledge
It documents the rise of Richmond in the 1960s under Hafey , Graeme Richmond , Ian Wilson etc. To drag Richmond from the mire to the top needed a breathtaking amount of ruthlessness on and off the field.

 

[Hammer#8]

Remembered I have a Kevin Sheedy book signed by the man himself somewhere in my collection.

Its made out to 'Rick', thanking him for his time in Ireland or something. Is it worth anything?

Rick, if you're out there would you like your book back?

 

[LeakyValve]

I'm not a Richmond fan but loved "the Hafey Years" by Elliott Cart ledge
It documents the rise of Richmond in the 1960s under Hafey , Graeme Richmond , Ian Wilson etc. To drag Richmond from the mire to the top needed a breathtaking amount of ruthlessness on and off the field.

Thanks for the heads up Sherbrook as I feel that Richmond team was the ultimate cynical and unloveable outfit.

It produced Sheedy after all.

Will track it down.

Not an Aussie Rules book, but you may equally enjoy the Vince Lombardi biography "When Pride Still Mattered".

An equally driven and odd man as the above you mention but that is what's needed apparently.

 

[sherbrook]

Thanks for the heads up Sherbrook as I feel that Richmond team was the ultimate cynical and unloveable outfit.

It produced Sheedy after all.

Will track it down.

Not an Aussie Rules book, but you may equally enjoy the Vince Lombardi biography "When Pride Still Mattered".

An equally driven and odd man as the above you mention but that is what's needed apparently.

Thanks LV, I'll check the Lombardi book.

Graeme Richmond and co. were masters at creating us v. them mentality.

 

[pazza]

Sometimes pictures can grab your more than words.

To that end, I have Ted Whitten's Pictorial History at home. Excellent.

 

[NarrowMind]

Local Rites & Footy Town by Paul Daffey with help from John Harms are also terrific reads. Both really capture the sights, sounds and essence of footy at it's grassroots level.

Also The Convert is a great book. It covers a North Sydney Bears fan's dissolution and subsequent defection from League to AFL, this just so happened to coincide with the Swans '96 season.

 

[Kwality]

Sometimes pictures can grab your more than words.

To that end, I have Ted Whitten's Pictorial History at home. Excellent.

That's why they are called coffee table books.

 

[AlcoaCat]

John Harms' "Loose Men Everywhere" is a favourite being a Geelong book and all but what is best/worse for you out there as there has been some real thrown together hatchet jobs.

I have the Ken Piesse 1993 book about Gary Ablett in 'the throne room' at the moment after buying it when around 16/17. There's no real depth to it and wasn't sanctioned by the man obviously so a piss poor read. The worst one though is a joke book done by Mark Jacko Jackson full of jokes that don't belong in the 50s let alone the 80s with their content.

Example:
"Who do you make a whore moan?"

"Kick her in the campaigner"

Really? With the illiterate bit?

That's ordinary.


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[AlcoaCat]

That's a shame. I sat next to Stan at a Plumbers' gig and he was a very nice bloke. Good storyteller too. Lot of the fellas weren't too keen, but it was along the lines that he talked for too long.




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[AlcoaCat]

The 'Jigsaw man' about Sheeds is quite good as well as 'Playing God, the rise and fall of Gary Ablett'.

Gary Linnell, right? Good journal. Always wanted to read that.

Paul Daffy's book Local Rites is very good.


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[AlcoaCat]

View attachment 212498
This would have to be at the top of the pile for me.

Huh, interesting. Poxy cover. When was it published? 1989? Looks like a shot from a Duran Duran video.




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[Blueyboy74]

Huh, interesting. Poxy cover. When was it published? 1989? Looks like a shot from a Duran Duran video.




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Was published in 1995 although I agree the computer on the cover looks like an Amstrad from the 1980's!

The review here is a good summation:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/oct/28/joy-of-six-australian-sport-books

 

[nobbyiscool]

I got 'Time and Space' by James Coventary as a present which I'm yet to read.

Read it! It's terrific - very insightful and covers a multitude of eras in an impressive amount of depth.

Agreed - I bought it late last year but only got around to it in the last few weeks. I'm glad I gave it a read now, cos I think I'll enjoy reading it again come winter when there's actually some footy to watch. It's a really tremendous book for a footy geek.

I also like the Jim Stynes book, and there's a not-terribly old book called "The Game" by Dennis Cometti that has some good stories in it.

I remember thinking the "100 years of Australian Football" book was really good, but I seem to have misplaced it in the midst of 2 interstate moves and about 7 house moves over the last 10 years.

Another blast from the past book that I've lost and haven't read in a good 15 years:

Older people will probably think it wasn't that comprehensive, but as someone in his early 30s I thought this was a pretty good, albeit brief biography.

 

[Dan Moody]

Read a book about Ron Barassi titled The Coach, written about his 1977 season with Norf. Fascinating book that is one of the very first of its genre.
Have also read the Emma Quail books on the draft and they are brilliant. She is very good at writing from the perspective of the young talent.
Read the Taylor Diaries many years ago, BT's diary detailing the 1990 season. He can be particularly scathing about Darren Millane which I'm sure he regrets all of these years later.
I've also got the Leigh Matthews, Jason Akermanis and Norm Smith books mentioned above as well as the 100 year Centenary book that is a lovely hardcover book.

 

[IschenkoUBeauty]

Am 3/4 of the way through Ben Cousins' book at the moment. All I can say is wow. How he could put so much s**t into his system then train like buggery, and deliver on game-day is incredible. And how he could binge as much as he did in the off-season then whip himself back into shape for the season is a marvel as well.

 

[BRWB]

Waiting with baited breathe for the next Speccy Magee instalment.

 

[Minka Beaver]

Plenty of books in this thread are great reads. A few more:

* The best footy book I've read is Martin Flanagan's "1970: And Other Stories of the Australian Game". It's terrific long-form writing on the 1970 Grand Final, with many really evocative interviews with the match's players and officials. Riveting, as is the rest of the book (taken from columns written for 'The Age').

* Martin's other books - e.g. "The Game in Time of War" and "Southern Sky - Western Oval" - are also terrific. 'Southern Sky' is a bit like 'The Coach', with Terry Wheeler as engrossing a central character as Barassi was. (I reckon 'The Coach' is the perfect footy book - the right author in the right place at the right time. Barassi is the perfect protagonist for a footy book. It's a pity that "War Minus The Shooting" (1979) - a fly on the wall doco about Barassi - is no longer available on YouTube, except for this clip: )

* Last year I also read Michael Sexton's book about Neil Sachse, titled "Playing On". It's a fascinating insight into the trauma, rehabilitation and resilience associated with spinal injury. Like "Blight", there's also plenty of South Australian footy nostalgia on offer.

* Michael Gleeson's "Cakewalk" was a fascinating look-back at Collingwood's 1990 Premiership. Lots of first-hand interviewees. Geez that's a well documented year - Brian Taylor's "Black and White Diaries" is also a must read.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Waiting with baited breathe for the next Speccy Magee instalment.

Book 9-Speccy McGee & the Homewrecker.

 

[The_Wookie]

Ive got little time for football biographies, but a lot of time for footy history books.

In that context:

• Australian Football...since 1858 (AFL endorsed, edited by Geoff Slaterry) is a fantastic book - unlike the 100 years book it pays more attention to interstate footy.
  
• 100 Years of Australian Football - History of the AFL isnt bad for a VFL focussed book
• The Clubs - The Complete History of every VFL/AFL club (for an AFL book published in 1998, it covers Port Adelaides history back to 1870)
  
• The South Australian Football Story (Bernard Whimpress) sets out a good history of footy in SA including the SANFL and the clubs. Unfortunately the book stops in 1983 so no details on the Adelaide/Port shemozzle in 1990. (SANFL endorsed)
  
• Behind the Play - A History of Football in Western Australia from 1865 by Anthony Barker sets out a good deal of history of footy in WA including West Coast and Fremantle.
• Football Limited, by Garry Linnell - sets the tale of the 80s and the machinations that took the competition from really amateur to a business. Can be supplemented with -
  
• My Game (Allen Aylett), The Phoenix Rises (Ross Oakley), Fitzroy! (Dyson Hore-Lacy)
• From Port to a Power by Bruce Abernethy - not because its particularly good, but it remains the only book that covers Ports AFL bids in any detail.

Plenty of others I still want to get - some i have on order.

 

[The_Wookie]

View attachment 212498
This would have to be at the top of the pile for me.

This is a great book for anyone wanting to know how we got to where we are.

 

[killer]

Angel's book that he put out last yr on Sturt "The Old Double Blue" is pretty good
John Powers "the Coach" from 1977
Ken Piesse's book on the Caulfield bears
I also like Richard Stremski's book Kill for Collingwood


My game - by Allen Aylett probably the absolute worst book I've paid money for
I flicked through a j Dunstall book in the SH/ shop that was pretty awful

for non Australian football books try
Lombardi - When Pride still mattered
George Plimpton's Paper Lion
and David Pearce's The Damned United

yes I have Mark Jackson's joke book too