Soccer Reading & Viewing
Fun Soccer Film: “Mike Bassett, England Manager”
What can be more fun than taking a bunch of well-known cultural figures, packing them into a parody of a well-known actual event, and then making them all look silly? Even if you don't have any idea who or what is being referred to, this can be a lot of fun. And so it is…
Netflix Series “Maradona in Mexico” Shows the Man, Myth and Legend
I know this is an English soccer blog, but really it's a soccer supporter culture blog, focused on England. Still, I sometimes take excursions elsewhere, like in this case to Mexico for a Netflix series that will take you as close to the mind of Diego Maradona as it's probably possible to get. Maradona is,…
Netflix Series “Losers” Reveals an Amazing Story From English Soccer History
Sometimes you have to lose to win, right? Nothing will teach you that better than football. In 2019, Netflix put out a cool little series of roughly half-hour shows dedicated to "Losers," people who lost famously but made something of it. It's meant to remind us that winning isn't everything, or maybe that there are…
“City!” is a Blast to the Past of English Football
The "behind the scenes" video of a football club has become almost a cliché at this point. But there was a time when that wasn't the case. And if you want to visit that time -- as well as time-travel to a place so long ago that Manchester City was a struggling club -- then…
“Rovers” on Amazon Prime is a Jewel of a Football Show
I recently stumbled into this delightful little show called "Rovers," from 2016, and it's one of my favorite football distractions I've found during Covid Time. I grow weary of the superstar bios and the behind-the-scenes looks at big clubs. And I just don't have much interest in watching old games, unless it gives me a…
Movie Review: Remembering Sir Stanley Matthews
One of the things I do at Groundhopper Guides is introduce non-English, mostly American people to the world of English football. As such, I need to tell you about Sir Stanley Matthews. Perhaps you know the name. Speaking to Americans, the best comparison I can think of is a combination of Johnny Unitas and John…
“Sunderland Til I Die” Might Actually Kill Me
I get a fair number of emails and comments asking if I've watched "Sunderland Til I Die," so I thought I should respond -- even though the whole subject depresses me to no end. See, I first encountered the Sunderland faithful -- and that's really what they are -- on one of their all-time greatest…
I Love the Amazon Prime Show, “Take Us Home, Leeds United”
Amazon Prime is offering yet another behind-the-scenes football series, and this one is my favorite -- mainly because of the subject matter. It's called "Take Us Home, Leeds United," and in one sense you already know what it's about. The "look inside a club" feature is almost always a formula, combining fan and local journalist…
Groundhopper Paul’s Soccer Book Reviews
There is no shortage of books about soccer, but most of them are not to my taste. Here are my first reviews of some of the soccer books I do enjoy, which are more about the history of football and supporter culture. (Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning Groundhopper Guides may…
Groundhopper Guides Soccer Reading and Viewing List
Aside from our book, of course, here are some soccer books and films you might want to read and see. BOOKS ABOUT SOCCER The Game of Our Lives is honestly the book about English soccer. It picks up where The Ball is Round (below) leaves off and focused entirely on England and the UK over the last…