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I like Fever Pitch as a book but it definitely isn't a "universal" experience of being a fan, certainly doesn't resonate with me either. I think it represents a certain "type" of fan that has grown since sky sports, the Premier League etc. At the end of the day Hornby is a middle class home counties boy who follows a fashionable London club, can't move for that now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
He might be a middle class home counties boy now but I'm not sure he was then and as Jordi points out, he writes about a time before Italia 90 and Sky, so it's not his fault it was part of that wave.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
You're right about the universal thing though. Football fans (including me) tend to get a bit snooty about how we're represented because we're a broader church than people realise.
There's a chapter in the book where he follows Cambridge for a couple of years while at university and while there gets in an argument with another student who's adamant he couldn't be into literature and football at the same time. That was how we were seen by some back then and then it flipped to a certain extent. I'm not sure who won in the end. I don't see many people reading a Penguin classic at half time. (Eating one, perhaps).
He came from a very comfortable background. I know his dad was pretty high up in something, but so what, no one chooses that.
I guess his greatest influence football wise is that he helped usher in the changes in football in the early 90s, many of which were positive let's be honest. He wrote a successful literary book about football which for the years prior to that had been associated with violence and creaking stadiums and all the rest. It did help in the end result that threw baby out with the bathwater and the rapid change in the fanbase of football but he's not alone in that.
Either way, it's a great book and helps to explain why football can appeal to the boy and the man in us. Would have been nice really if it continued and talked about how he took his kids to games too cos that's one of the best things of supporting a club.
Edit: just looked on Wikipedia and his dad has an entry himself - he was a business executive. Not sure what that is but it sounds fancy.
His brother in law is Robert Harris. I never knew that. Robert Harris is an absolutely fantastic author. Can't recommend him enough
Not that it makes any difference to his writing skills, Hornby's father received a knighthood so I'm thinking that he probably didn't grow up on a council housing estate?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebirdman Of Alcathays
A book I preferred to 'Fever Pitch' was Tim Parks 'A Season with Verona' who like Hornby went to Cambridge University.
Not sure why the football luvies didn't pick up on this book but I'd imagine Parks knocking about with Italian ultras with racist views would've spoiled the narrative about how suuuper footie is?
If I remember, at the end of the season the fans made a black player's, who has been playing well for them, life a misery because he was black.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
I read the book and looked for it again a few years later in the library but was nowhere to be seen. Shame as I recall it being a really good read. American author I think.
Tim Parks author of 'A Season in Verona' is English.Quote:
Originally Posted by lardy
You might be thinking Bill Buford who wrote 'Among the Thugs'?
A season in Verona is a great book. There is one about Liechtenstein I've read too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
The miracle of Castel di Sangro is great too.
I don't really read football books now mind. Only so much to read about the topic of football culture really
Fair enough, perhaps I'm wrong about his background, but I'd say the book was part of the whole fanzine/WSC culture rather than a call to football luvvies. I loved it at the time, so I'm probably showing some bias.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' was written by a Yank, forgot about that book.Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesWales
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
They are absolutely gash again now so not so much of a miracle afterallQuote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
I looked last week and there were early '80s tops with the yellow badge. Now there's nothing. I think the site might be having problems.
Were Toffs shirts that expensive? From memory, they were cheaper than the dross sold by the club every season and they were better quality.
Has everything sold out? Nothing coming up….was going to get the fa cup final one first my lad too….Quote:
Originally Posted by Trigger
Nothing on there yesterday either.Quote:
Originally Posted by goats
If closing as I assume they are imminently then maybe they can't handle any more orders.
I think they have always tracked official replica kits to be honest. I remember looking to buy one when I was about 16 or whatever (and I didn't) and it was a decent outlay for someone on a washing up and occasional dessert counter wageQuote:
Originally Posted by the other bob wilson
I think there was a change of ownership or something there about fifteen years ago and maybe their prices changed then - there were also less shirts available than there had been. I went through a phase of buying Toffs shirts between about 1995 and 2005 and they were quite significantly cheaper than the latest kit available in the club shop then.Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesWales
He had a comfortable background as James pointed out. The middle class thing wasn't a dig, just part of saying how his book reflects a particular experience of being a fan that isn't one that resonated with me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebirdman Of Alcathays
I agree with you about the broader church than we're shown to be comment and I think that's one of the good things about the book (and film), showing a different side to being a football fan than is usually portrayed
I think Nick Hornby's a very good author, High Fidelity is excellent (and the film's not bad either)
No I haven't heard of that. James mentioned Miracle of Castel di Sangro, that's what I was thinking of.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordi Culé
Had a royal mail notification that mine has been delivered this morning but I have read a lot of people have had their orders refunded. Just to keep an eye out if anyone did buy anything late last week.