Soccer Reading & Viewing
The Game of Our Lives is the One Book About English Soccer You Need to Read
If you are interested in English soccer and you want to learn more about it -- and also learn more about England and the United Kingdom in general -- I cannot recommend highly enough that you read David Goldblatt's book, The Game of Our Lives. You might know Goldblatt for some of his other books,…
Looking for Eric and the “Magical Thinking” of Football Supporters
As I continue to explore (and try to explain) the world of English soccer, I occasionally find out about something I feel I should have already known about. Along those lines, allow me to share with you a lovely little soccer-related 2009 film called Looking for Eric. It was David Goldblatt who told me about…
Review: The Damned United
We should make clear at the outset that neither the book nor film called The Damned United is a work of nonfiction history. Both, in varying degrees, are fictionalized accounts of a very famous time in English football, featuring a notorious and mercurial figure taking over a leading and somewhat controversial club at the peak of…
In the Goofy and Fun Hooper’s Revolution, Soccer in America Really is a Communist Plot
In the common imagination, soccer in the United States is often seen, internally, as some insidious undermining of American culture. To outsiders, it's seen as a goofy land of cheerleaders, rules changes, semi-retired Brits and clueless fans. What if both of those were true, and then some? What if, in fact, teams of Bulgarians, Poles…
A Captain’s Tale is a Fun Little English Football History Lesson
The full title of the film A Captain's Tale includes the phrase "World Cup," as in fact it's the true story of what some folks call the "first World Cup." That, for me, is a stretch in the extreme, but it's still an interesting story, and the film itself is a fun little jaunt in the…
The Shaolin (Kung Fu) Soccer Movie is Good, Flying Fun
Sometimes I believe we overthink things like movies and football, and we forget they are supposed to be good, clean, even silly fun. If you need a reminder of that, watch the Shaolin (Kung Fu) Soccer movie. Even if you know nothing beyond the title -- which, for the record, was Shaolin Soccer in Hong…
The Keeper Tells (Some of) the Remarkable Story of Bert Trautmann
If all you knew were the very basics of Bert Trautmann's story, it would be remarkable: a German soldier in World War II, captured by the British, winds up playing goal for Manchester City, finishes and wins the 1956 FA Cup Final despite breaking his neck during the game. Of course, there is more to…
Green Street Hooligans is Well Worth a Watch
Green Street Hooligans is yet another film about hooligans among English football fans, and yet another football film that divides opinions across the Atlantic. While the 2005 film is no more about football than Rocky is about boxing, it's still the case that a combined US-UK production that features an American plus a Brit with the…
“Escape to Victory” is a Classic Soccer Movie
Whether it's a football film called Escape to Victory, as Brits would know it, or a soccer movie called Victory by Yanks, the 1981 motion picture with Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine is one that soccer fans should watch. Even as I write that, though, I find myself wanting to add some caveats. It's not…
English Football Documentary Reveals Sir Bobby Robson
Here's an interesting trivia question: Name an individual in English football who was honored by a statue at more than one club. I can think of two. The other one we'll get to, but for now I want my readers to meet Sir Bobby Robson, legendary manager of Ipswich Town, Newcastle United, the English national…
