Scan barcode
A review by erikakiana
Soccernomics by Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
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.