false 40677722 731265 2536751 0767928083 9780767928083 39 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2536751.Bloody_Confused_A_Clueless_American_Sportswriter_Seeks_Solace_in_English_Soccer 3.48 113 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—love—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, “It was like childhood, with beer.”

Bloody Confused! is the story of Culpepper’s revisit to fandom among the world’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.

In the vein of perennial bestsellers such as Fever Pitch and The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, Chuck Culpepper explores the vibrant landscape of English soccer with piercing wit and penetrating insight. Bloody Confused! 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.

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