iansums Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 I'm off on holiday in a couple of weeks time and although I'm not a great one for reading I do like to read a sports biography or two when I'm away. Are there any you would recommend, interested sports would be Football (of course), Cricket, Golf & Rugby. I have read the MLT and Strachan autobiograhies. Doesn't have to be a biography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Bobby Robson's Autobiography is decent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Not biographies, but I found 'A Season With Verona' to be a superb holiday read. The same for 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro.' Both following teams in Italy for a season with differing perspectives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansums Posted 27 July, 2011 Author Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Thanks guys. The best football book I've ever read was not a biography but a detailed account of Italia '90, 'All Played' Out by Pete Davies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 when i was about 12 i used to read the 'Sandford' books by Rob Childs.... Might be a good read still, some 14years later, who knows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100%Red&White Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Gazza: My Story is an interesting read. Bit old now, I read it in Ibiza the year we got relegated, at least it made me feel a bit better that some other **** was feeling worse than me! Good place for cheaper books is downstairs in HMV (Southampton precinct). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cat Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Not biographies, but I found 'A Season With Verona' to be a superb holiday read. The same for 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro.' Both following teams in Italy for a season with differing perspectives. Yep, both of them are excellent. Another good book is Futebul by Alex Bellos which is the history of Brazillian football and features a lovely chapter about our own Charles Miller. If you like cycling, or even if you don't as it's a brilliant book, I can highly recommend David Millar's autobiography which I'm currently halfway through and is absolutely superb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecuk268 Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Thanks guys. The best football book I've ever read was not a biography but a detailed account of Italia '90, 'All Played' Out by Pete Davies. A good choice. I found Tony Adams autobiography a good read. He comes across as an intelligent, thoughtful bloke and he doesn't shy away from his past problems with booze. Doesn't try and blame anyone else although it did seem to be a bit of a culture at Arsenal at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffton Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 If you like cycling, or even if you don't as it's a brilliant book, I can highly recommend David Millar's autobiography which I'm currently halfway through and is absolutely superb. Yes, this. I thought I knew about cycling and the doping culture but this really opened my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadesmith Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 'War Baby' is an amazing book about the Nigel Benn v Gerald Mclellan fight by Kevin Mitchell. It's touching, sad and horrifying in equal measure. The section about Mcllelan thrashing his 4 x 4 through a park squashing flamingoes and his obsession with dog fighting probably comes under the horrifying section....yet somehow you end up feeling sorry for the guy, especially when confined to a wheelchair his family come round to visit him, only to pinch the gold rings off his fingers! Truly amazing insight into one mans brutal upbringing in America. The Nigel Benn chapters are pretty good ad well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 27 July, 2011 Share Posted 27 July, 2011 Not a biography, but 'Dynamo, Defending the Honour of Kiev' by Andy Dougan was a pretty good account of a true story. Basically it's a bunch of Dynamo Kiev players taking on the Luftwaffe and several other German military teams in occupied Ukraine in WW2. Inspired the film 'Escape to Victory'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandwichsaint Posted 28 July, 2011 Share Posted 28 July, 2011 Tony Cascarino's biog is excellent, as is the Damned United, and I would agree with those who have recommended Tony Adams. Also check out Matt Rendell's compelling biog of Marco Pantani. I have just read Ned Boulting's 'How I nearly won the yellow jumper', a sideways look at the TDF and an excellent general sports book for anybody interested in the relationship between the media and 'sport'. For a bit of fun holiday reading you can't do better than something by Tim Moore, a genuinely LOL travel writer/everyman. As a sports fan you would love his French Revolutions in which he tackles (and pretty much completes) the whole of the 2000 TDF route; I also read his donkey pilgramage one on the Carmino (?) and that was equally as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansums Posted 29 July, 2011 Author Share Posted 29 July, 2011 Some great tips there, thanks guys. I have read the Tony Adams book and agree it is a good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swannymere Posted 29 July, 2011 Share Posted 29 July, 2011 Can highly recommend Paul Kimmidge's Rough Ride which details his time as a domestique on the tour and won William Hill's Sportsbook of the year back in 1990, also Lance's Armstrong's books are ok but very American and another shout for Tim Moore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rut Posted 31 July, 2011 Share Posted 31 July, 2011 'Murder on the Darts Board' by Justin Irwin http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Darts-Board-Justin-Irwin/dp/1906032041 A really enjoyable read about one bloke's quest to become a pro dart player. If you've ever played darts down the pub then you will relate to a lot of his stories. As an added bonus it even mentions Southampton a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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