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A review by rynetry
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
4.0
The violence, it's all so pointless.
That was the thought I had continually while reading the book.
I see this as a bit of a period piece. You often hear the match day commentators of today refer to the cliche of the "modern game". The commentator is usually talking about the play on the pitch: it was more physical, men were men and a rash tackle would mean you get up, dust yourself off and carry on.
I think after reading this I understand that the "modern game" also means something more off the pitch. We have (thankfully) moved on to an era where footy is big business and the Saturday match is something you take in with your family without fear of stadia violence.
For me when I think of the old days of the old game I think of Hillsborough and in particular the Hicks sisters who both died that day. I remember the first time I watched a documentary on Hillsborough and listening to the father of the Hicks sisters talking about losing his daughters and how it had forever changed his life.
So I found it fitting that the author discuss Hillsborough in the sort of climax when he had decided he had had enough. That he couldn't possibly witness any more of this crap.
Also fitting because what he wouldn't have known back in 1990 writing the book was that Hillsborough would start a chain of events that would lead to the founding of the Premier League, to the Taylor Report that would forever change the UK's approach to policing and stadia construction.
Bill Buford without knowing it was there at the end of one of the darkest eras in the English game.
Outside of football the book also gives a glimpse in to the human condition in particular to how humans act in crowd situations.
There is a lot here, for both insiders and outsiders to the football world.
That was the thought I had continually while reading the book.
I see this as a bit of a period piece. You often hear the match day commentators of today refer to the cliche of the "modern game". The commentator is usually talking about the play on the pitch: it was more physical, men were men and a rash tackle would mean you get up, dust yourself off and carry on.
I think after reading this I understand that the "modern game" also means something more off the pitch. We have (thankfully) moved on to an era where footy is big business and the Saturday match is something you take in with your family without fear of stadia violence.
For me when I think of the old days of the old game I think of Hillsborough and in particular the Hicks sisters who both died that day. I remember the first time I watched a documentary on Hillsborough and listening to the father of the Hicks sisters talking about losing his daughters and how it had forever changed his life.
So I found it fitting that the author discuss Hillsborough in the sort of climax when he had decided he had had enough. That he couldn't possibly witness any more of this crap.
Also fitting because what he wouldn't have known back in 1990 writing the book was that Hillsborough would start a chain of events that would lead to the founding of the Premier League, to the Taylor Report that would forever change the UK's approach to policing and stadia construction.
Bill Buford without knowing it was there at the end of one of the darkest eras in the English game.
Outside of football the book also gives a glimpse in to the human condition in particular to how humans act in crowd situations.
There is a lot here, for both insiders and outsiders to the football world.