false 2536751 1 <p>After covering the American sports scene for fifteen years, Chuck Culpepper had self-diagnosed his creeping ills: a dogged strain of Common Sportswriter Malaise. Simply put, his brain had overflowed with inane utterances from managers and athletes spouting fibs and clichés on autopilot. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR. Then in 2006, he moved to London for the oldest reason in the book&#8212;love&#8212;and pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a small-market team at the bottom of the world-famous Premiership, a league he barely knew. As he puts it, &#8220;It was like childhood, with beer.&#8221;<br><br><i>Bloody Confused!</i> is the story of Culpepper&#8217;s revisit to fandom among the world&#8217;s most devoted fans. He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their noisy, dilapidated stadium...not to mention a wide range of local pubs. Culpepper explores what feeds their fervor, and follows Portsmouth throughout England for the 2006-2007 season as they play such storied franchises as Manchester United and Chelsea.<br><br>In the vein of perennial bestsellers such as <i>Fever Pitch </i>and <i>The Miracle of Castel di Sangro</i>, Chuck Culpepper explores the vibrant landscape of English soccer with piercing wit and penetrating insight. <i>Bloody Confused!</i> will bring a smile to the face of any sports fan who has ever eyed the fanatical English soccer scene with curiosity, or who has ever questioned the rationale of fandom itself.</p> 2544280 5 8 2008 Bloody Confused!: A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer total:105|5:18|4:34|3:39|2:9|1:5| 105 366 169 35 2 1 false false Thu Jan 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 23:12:55 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 11:13:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Sun Oct 05 08:02:14 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 08:08:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 23 12:38:37 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 30 19:44:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jan 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 16:07:11 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 19:16:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Feb 25 22:30:57 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 11 12:42:30 -0700 2009
I found this book to be slightly tedious, which is why I'm giving it only 3 stars. I felt that he repeated himself rather frequently, and yo...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 17:45:58 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 20:05:04 -0700 2009 Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch. The differences between the two are substantial, but those differences are what make this the "American" version.

Instead of a lifelong devotion to Arsenal, the author decides to support Portsmouth Footbal...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 14:56:59 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 05:59:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 28 23:32:32 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 23:35:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Aug 14 20:49:40 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 20:54:22 -0700 2009
As an American who wants to read a book that says more than "American sports suck as compared to European sports mostly because they have better fans", this book is vomit inducing.
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I am an enormous fan of English Football. It isn't that hard to follow. As a reader, I am asked to believe that someone who is paid to f...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Oct 26 07:20:42 -0700 2008 Sat Nov 08 12:56:14 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 11:09:21 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 18 09:47:26 -0700 2008 Fever Pitch and Among the Thugs years ago, and learned that there was no way that I could possibly understand the game, let alone the nuances, rivalries, and everything else that ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 11 16:00:44 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 25 20:23:30 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 11 16:00:44 -0700 2009 bloody clueless beginner! Culpepper accidentally falls into the mysterious world of football when he moves to England as a disenchanted American sportswriter. This is a record of his gropings through the co...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 16:49:53 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 16:55:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 18:31:56 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 09:38:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Feb 10 12:52:43 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 12:57:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Nov 28 10:10:55 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 10:14:12 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 20 15:02:07 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 15:03:43 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 22:25:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 21:18:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 10:47:05 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 10:48:49 -0800 2009