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thehosk's review against another edition
3.0
a statistical look at many of the football clichés used by football fans.
the book is a collection of topics and articles. some are excellent, others are not convincing.
better than most football books
the book is a collection of topics and articles. some are excellent, others are not convincing.
better than most football books
elenser's review against another edition
4.0
Many interesting sections for this relatively stats-heavy look at the soccer world and many of its myths. Some conclusions seemed a bit far-fetched as if the authors had to reach for some shock result that might not have actually be there (i.e. Iraq is the next big soccer nation). All around a worthwhile read, and many of the chapters (which read like individual essays) are definitely 5/5 stars.
mrbrownsays's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very interesting. Includes football stats, a moneyball analysis of football and a common sense approach to the data. A couple of errors in the structure of some of the book tests but nothing that would change the narrative of the story. Some of the mapping of the moneyball analysis is a bit too direct.
This book is however a must read for any non-academic England fan, statistics nerd or sport economics. Brilliantly debunks some of Hansen's laziest excesses.
This book is however a must read for any non-academic England fan, statistics nerd or sport economics. Brilliantly debunks some of Hansen's laziest excesses.
quinn_fields's review against another edition
5.0
Couldn’t put it down. Lots to learn about soccer, culture and adapting to change.
erikakiana's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings on this book. I was really excited to read this when I first got it, but then the first 100 or so pages were kind of dry and difficult to get through. I ended up saying to myself that I just needed to sit down and finish it.
First off, this is the second edition, published in 2013. Well it is definitely in need of an update now. In the four years since they rereleased the book, Real Madrid has won two Champions Leagues, there was a world cup and a Euro, and Manchester United has gone into disarray. They spend so much time lauding Manchester United, which made me laugh to myself, especially when they said "No one would refer to Manchester United as boring." ... well now they do! Oddly, one of the parts that holds up still is Arsenal ...
That's the thing though with statistics. They are fascinating, but they can also be manipulated and are misleading. And especially in the world of soccer, things are constantly changing. A lot of the coaches and players mentioned are still relevant, but are with other teams. I think it'd be interesting for them to have something in there about Leicester City and their fairy tale of a run last season.
First off, this is the second edition, published in 2013. Well it is definitely in need of an update now. In the four years since they rereleased the book, Real Madrid has won two Champions Leagues, there was a world cup and a Euro, and Manchester United has gone into disarray. They spend so much time lauding Manchester United, which made me laugh to myself, especially when they said "No one would refer to Manchester United as boring." ... well now they do! Oddly, one of the parts that holds up still is Arsenal ...
That's the thing though with statistics. They are fascinating, but they can also be manipulated and are misleading. And especially in the world of soccer, things are constantly changing. A lot of the coaches and players mentioned are still relevant, but are with other teams. I think it'd be interesting for them to have something in there about Leicester City and their fairy tale of a run last season.
jdemster's review against another edition
5.0
The real success of this book is how it manages to go both wide and deep with the scope of its topics. The authors lay out thesis and method for a tremendous range of topics. There is some fascinating exploration on how the economic realities of certain areas of the world effect their soccer, and it puts a lot of perspective on the current state of the USMNT for fans of the US. There is a pretty strong bias towards European soccer, but that is mostly based in their methodology and the reality of how difficult it is to compare histories from so many areas of the world. Europe lends itself most readily to comparison. However it's something worth knowing going in.
Great book for people who love the game and are curious about the universe in which it exists.
Great book for people who love the game and are curious about the universe in which it exists.