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There's Only Two David Beckhams
Ever wasted hours debating your ‘All Time England XI’?
Well now it’s 2022 and the discussion is finally over, England have eleven players as good as any of them. The unbeatable national team have reached the final of the Qatar World Cup. But one journalist is convinced there is a scandalous secret behind England’s incredible form. His lifetime’s dream is to see the Three Lions win the World Cup. But if he pursues and exposes the shocking truth, his beloved England could be sent home in disgrace.
Suddenly this is much more than England vs Germany; it’s Love vs Duty, it’s Truth vs Happiness.
The pressure of the penalty shoot-out is nothing compared to this.
There’s Only Two David Beckhams is John O’Farrell’s love-letter to football; part-detective story, part-sports memoir, part-satire on the whole corrupt FIFA circus; it just made the final for the funniest football fiction ever written...
Well now it’s 2022 and the discussion is finally over, England have eleven players as good as any of them. The unbeatable national team have reached the final of the Qatar World Cup. But one journalist is convinced there is a scandalous secret behind England’s incredible form. His lifetime’s dream is to see the Three Lions win the World Cup. But if he pursues and exposes the shocking truth, his beloved England could be sent home in disgrace.
Suddenly this is much more than England vs Germany; it’s Love vs Duty, it’s Truth vs Happiness.
The pressure of the penalty shoot-out is nothing compared to this.
There’s Only Two David Beckhams is John O’Farrell’s love-letter to football; part-detective story, part-sports memoir, part-satire on the whole corrupt FIFA circus; it just made the final for the funniest football fiction ever written...
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2015
3 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
John O'Farrell
54 books195 followersJohn O'Farrell is the author of four novels: The Man Who Forgot His Wife, May Contain Nuts, This Is Your Life and The Best a Man Can Get. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages and have been adapted for radio and television. He has also written two best-selling history books: An Utterly Impartial History of Britain and An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain, as well as a political memoir, Things Can Only Get Better and three collections of his column in The Guardian. A former comedy scriptwriter for such productions as Spitting Image, Room 101, Murder Most Horrid and Chicken Run, he is founder of the satirical website NewsBiscuit and can occasionally be spotted on such TV programmes as Grumpy Old Men, Question Time and Have I Got News for You.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 26, 2016
This book is genius, and I wish I had written it.
More pace than Gareth Bale on the wing, and almost as skilfully constructed. The author is obliged to take some gambles with the names of those who will feature in football's future between now and 2022 . . . and with only one exception - overtaken by real life events of equal farce - I reckon he's guessing correctly.
Anyway, it's a superb premise. Read it if you like football. Definitely read it if you like fantasy football. Read it and feel nostalgic if you're old enough to remember 1966. Buy it for someone else if any of the previous is applicable.
And I do hope someone grabs the film rights: David Beckham would be pretty easily persuaded to appear and Guy Ritchie could have fun directing.
This is almost certainly going to be one of my Top Ten books for the year. Did I say I wish I'd written the damn thing? Buy it.
More pace than Gareth Bale on the wing, and almost as skilfully constructed. The author is obliged to take some gambles with the names of those who will feature in football's future between now and 2022 . . . and with only one exception - overtaken by real life events of equal farce - I reckon he's guessing correctly.
Anyway, it's a superb premise. Read it if you like football. Definitely read it if you like fantasy football. Read it and feel nostalgic if you're old enough to remember 1966. Buy it for someone else if any of the previous is applicable.
And I do hope someone grabs the film rights: David Beckham would be pretty easily persuaded to appear and Guy Ritchie could have fun directing.
This is almost certainly going to be one of my Top Ten books for the year. Did I say I wish I'd written the damn thing? Buy it.
June 8, 2016
I was having a conversation with a couple of friends recently about books, and one of them asked me to recommend something light and funny. To my surprise, I found that I really couldn't; it's been such a long time since I read something like that and enjoyed it. The last time I attempted something along those lines, I ended up reading Nick Spalding's Fat Chance, which was without question one of the worst novels I've ever bothered to finish.
When I spotted John O'Farrell's There's Only Two David Beckhams in the Inverness branch of Waterstones while I was away this weekend, however, I remembered how much I enjoyed some of his other novels and thought this might also be entertaining. Plus, I'm starting to get excited about Euro 16 now (we've had a wallchart up in our house for a week already and I've booked the day off work for our game against Wales) and this is a book about the England football team. More specifically, it's about an England football team of the future that might - just might - be good enough to win the 2022 World Cup.
When a relatively mediocre sports writer - more like, as his opposite number on another newspaper observes, 'a fan with a laptop' than a journalist - discovers something about the team that could be the biggest scoop of his life, he's torn. Alfie could reveal the team's incredible secret and break the football story of the century ... but that would mean they're disqualified from the tournament on the eve of the final. As an England fan, can he bring himself to scupper their chances?
The plot is essentially an absurd fantasy, so you do certainly need to suspend your disbelief for this one, but this didn't stop me from getting a lot of enjoyment from this book and I laughed out loud many times. It's daft, yes, but it's also observant and touching, particularly when it comes to the role of football in Alfie's relationship with his son Tom. While there is more to the story than football, however, I certainly think it's fair to say that you probably need, as I do, to like football a lot to get the most from this book, as a lot of the funniest jokes rely on you having some degree of football knowledge and a love for the game. It's smartly written and does a fantastic job of capturing the ups and downs (mostly downs, let's face it) of following the England team
My only real gripe is that Alfie's world seems to be one in which only men like football. His former partner leaves him partly over his devotion to the game, his flatmate dumps his girlfriend because she whines about having to watch a game at the pub, etc etc. I appreciate that this is largely a book about men and male relationships, which is fine and O'Farrell does this very well, but it's possible to explore that without the women being either long-suffering, sensible types who think liking football is childish, or whinging girlfriends who can't put up with 90 minutes of the national team on television once in a while. In fairness, this was a very small element of the book, but it was sufficiently noticeable for me, as a woman who likes football (and is every bit as unambitious and easily distracted as Alfie, too; I can never identify with the smartly decisive women who always seem to be being brisk and capable in books like this) to be a little grating.
This is only a tiny issue, though. Overall, There's Only Two David Beckhams is a light, easy, feelgood read. It's extremely funny and has plenty of pace; it really did keep me turning the pages. John O'Farrell is a clever, observant writer and this is the perfect warm-up read before Euro 16 kicks off.
When I spotted John O'Farrell's There's Only Two David Beckhams in the Inverness branch of Waterstones while I was away this weekend, however, I remembered how much I enjoyed some of his other novels and thought this might also be entertaining. Plus, I'm starting to get excited about Euro 16 now (we've had a wallchart up in our house for a week already and I've booked the day off work for our game against Wales) and this is a book about the England football team. More specifically, it's about an England football team of the future that might - just might - be good enough to win the 2022 World Cup.
When a relatively mediocre sports writer - more like, as his opposite number on another newspaper observes, 'a fan with a laptop' than a journalist - discovers something about the team that could be the biggest scoop of his life, he's torn. Alfie could reveal the team's incredible secret and break the football story of the century ... but that would mean they're disqualified from the tournament on the eve of the final. As an England fan, can he bring himself to scupper their chances?
The plot is essentially an absurd fantasy, so you do certainly need to suspend your disbelief for this one, but this didn't stop me from getting a lot of enjoyment from this book and I laughed out loud many times. It's daft, yes, but it's also observant and touching, particularly when it comes to the role of football in Alfie's relationship with his son Tom. While there is more to the story than football, however, I certainly think it's fair to say that you probably need, as I do, to like football a lot to get the most from this book, as a lot of the funniest jokes rely on you having some degree of football knowledge and a love for the game. It's smartly written and does a fantastic job of capturing the ups and downs (mostly downs, let's face it) of following the England team
My only real gripe is that Alfie's world seems to be one in which only men like football. His former partner leaves him partly over his devotion to the game, his flatmate dumps his girlfriend because she whines about having to watch a game at the pub, etc etc. I appreciate that this is largely a book about men and male relationships, which is fine and O'Farrell does this very well, but it's possible to explore that without the women being either long-suffering, sensible types who think liking football is childish, or whinging girlfriends who can't put up with 90 minutes of the national team on television once in a while. In fairness, this was a very small element of the book, but it was sufficiently noticeable for me, as a woman who likes football (and is every bit as unambitious and easily distracted as Alfie, too; I can never identify with the smartly decisive women who always seem to be being brisk and capable in books like this) to be a little grating.
This is only a tiny issue, though. Overall, There's Only Two David Beckhams is a light, easy, feelgood read. It's extremely funny and has plenty of pace; it really did keep me turning the pages. John O'Farrell is a clever, observant writer and this is the perfect warm-up read before Euro 16 kicks off.
January 24, 2020
I have no interest in football or understand the appeal, and yet something attracted me to this book. I'm glad it did. Hysterically funny, nose-tappingly knowing and brilliantly observed (even if I don't quite get ALL the references), it's a very silly story that you can't help but get wrapped up in.
December 27, 2017
Brilliant! Over the Moon! On cloud nine! Definitely a game of two halves (and extra time, of course and penalties, obviously). 2022, bring it on!
February 17, 2018
Football has rarely been successfully covered in fiction, and unfortunately this book was no exception. The reasons offered are normally along the lines of fictional stories rarely improving on the natural drama of a sporting contest, but in this case it was a sense of humour that I just don't share, and found it really tired. Slapstick football can work with funny characters as in Mike Bassett, England Manager but not with this cast.
The plot, a ruse to write about England getting to a World Cup final as wish-fulfillment, is about a mystery discovery that a tabloid journalist has found in football that threatens to postpone the final involving England, alongside a narrative about separated parents where the dad is trying to strengthen the father-son bond. But much of the story is about football matches, whether those of his son, on the TV at the pub, or at the stadium. This is a serious constraint as the descriptions have to be ever more outlandish in order to be merit inclusion, such as Raheem Sterling collecting a rebound from a penalty at the halfway line. Few well-taken finishes from through-balls here. Unfortunately, the rather giddy prose adds to the impression of a story that is a bit immature.
The story was dull, but it was the humour that made this an utter slog. This book had clearly been written as a comedy but unfortunately most of the jokes were unoriginal and lazy - there was the kissing of a woman in a Burqa in Qatar, whose coins with 'squiggles' on meant they had to redo the toss (wittiness aside, seemingly they first encountered this problem in the final match?) and Americans talking about Soccerball. There were jokes about players giving more than 110%, saying done fantastic and players diving. It reminded me of the annual Wimbledon Mock the Week where comedians laugh at the women's groans when playing shots - do people still find it funny after the first time they've heard it? I wondered why Tony Blair was named faithfully when he appeared only to see his B-liar moniker later on - the only surprise was that Gary Lineker featured but didn't s*** himself on the pitch, which I'd have thought was fertile ground (pun intended).
There were other annoyances, including the use of asterisks for more unfunny jokes unworthy of featuring in the prose itself, and the constant invented dialogues of hypothetical commentators, but the following passage opened one of the Chapters, which I feel perfectly encapsulates the tone of the book. It doesn't seem to fit naturally into the story either, but if you find it funny, I guess you'll love this book:
"In 1870, the world's first international football match took place between England and Scotland. I wonder if a couple of England fans went to the pub afterwards and reflected on the merits of the team they had just seen.
'So tell me, who would be in your All-Time England football team?'
'What do you mean, my All-Time England football team? There's only ever been one England football team. Eleven players in eleven positions. That's it.'
'Hmm... you're right. This conversations a bit of a non-starter isn't it?'"
The plot, a ruse to write about England getting to a World Cup final as wish-fulfillment, is about a mystery discovery that a tabloid journalist has found in football that threatens to postpone the final involving England, alongside a narrative about separated parents where the dad is trying to strengthen the father-son bond. But much of the story is about football matches, whether those of his son, on the TV at the pub, or at the stadium. This is a serious constraint as the descriptions have to be ever more outlandish in order to be merit inclusion, such as Raheem Sterling collecting a rebound from a penalty at the halfway line. Few well-taken finishes from through-balls here. Unfortunately, the rather giddy prose adds to the impression of a story that is a bit immature.
The story was dull, but it was the humour that made this an utter slog. This book had clearly been written as a comedy but unfortunately most of the jokes were unoriginal and lazy - there was the kissing of a woman in a Burqa in Qatar, whose coins with 'squiggles' on meant they had to redo the toss (wittiness aside, seemingly they first encountered this problem in the final match?) and Americans talking about Soccerball. There were jokes about players giving more than 110%, saying done fantastic and players diving. It reminded me of the annual Wimbledon Mock the Week where comedians laugh at the women's groans when playing shots - do people still find it funny after the first time they've heard it? I wondered why Tony Blair was named faithfully when he appeared only to see his B-liar moniker later on - the only surprise was that Gary Lineker featured but didn't s*** himself on the pitch, which I'd have thought was fertile ground (pun intended).
There were other annoyances, including the use of asterisks for more unfunny jokes unworthy of featuring in the prose itself, and the constant invented dialogues of hypothetical commentators, but the following passage opened one of the Chapters, which I feel perfectly encapsulates the tone of the book. It doesn't seem to fit naturally into the story either, but if you find it funny, I guess you'll love this book:
"In 1870, the world's first international football match took place between England and Scotland. I wonder if a couple of England fans went to the pub afterwards and reflected on the merits of the team they had just seen.
'So tell me, who would be in your All-Time England football team?'
'What do you mean, my All-Time England football team? There's only ever been one England football team. Eleven players in eleven positions. That's it.'
'Hmm... you're right. This conversations a bit of a non-starter isn't it?'"
November 13, 2017
John O'Farrell (2015) THERE'S ONLY TWO DAVID BECKHAMS
London. Black Swan
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 4 out of 5 stars
The sleeve reads, "Ever wasted hours debating your 'All Time England XI'? Well, now it's 2022 and the discussion is finally over. England have eleven players as good as any of them. The unbeatable national team have reached the final of the Qatar World Cup. But one journalist is convinced there is a scandalous secret behind England's incredible form. His lifetime's dream is to see the Three Lions win the World Cup. But if he pursues and exposes the shocking truth, his beloved England could be sent home in disgrace. Suddenly this is much more than England v Germany; it's Love v Duty, it's Truth v Happiness. The pressure of the penalty shoot-out is nothing compared to this. There's Only Two David Beckhams is John O'Farrell's love-letter to football; part-detective story, part-sports memoir, part-satire on the whole corrupt FIFA circus."
Big fan of O'Farrell and his brand of comedy writing I am and this one is short of funnies. You don't have to get or understand football for this. You don't even have to like football (which I don't) for this either. The story though strays into a bit of sci-fi and got a wee bit too far fetched. However, how O'Farrell hooks in real life people into this fictional story is and was pretty genius.
#JohnOFarrell #TheresOnlyTwoDavidBeckhams #JohnOFarrellTheresOnlyTwoDavidBeckhams
London. Black Swan
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 4 out of 5 stars
The sleeve reads, "Ever wasted hours debating your 'All Time England XI'? Well, now it's 2022 and the discussion is finally over. England have eleven players as good as any of them. The unbeatable national team have reached the final of the Qatar World Cup. But one journalist is convinced there is a scandalous secret behind England's incredible form. His lifetime's dream is to see the Three Lions win the World Cup. But if he pursues and exposes the shocking truth, his beloved England could be sent home in disgrace. Suddenly this is much more than England v Germany; it's Love v Duty, it's Truth v Happiness. The pressure of the penalty shoot-out is nothing compared to this. There's Only Two David Beckhams is John O'Farrell's love-letter to football; part-detective story, part-sports memoir, part-satire on the whole corrupt FIFA circus."
Big fan of O'Farrell and his brand of comedy writing I am and this one is short of funnies. You don't have to get or understand football for this. You don't even have to like football (which I don't) for this either. The story though strays into a bit of sci-fi and got a wee bit too far fetched. However, how O'Farrell hooks in real life people into this fictional story is and was pretty genius.
#JohnOFarrell #TheresOnlyTwoDavidBeckhams #JohnOFarrellTheresOnlyTwoDavidBeckhams
September 6, 2024
I loved this very funny and sometimes surprisingly emotionally affecting book. It was a bit strange reading it now, in 2024, when it was written in 2015 and imagines what must now be considered an AU version of the years 2018-2022, in which the pandemic does not appeared to have happened and Hillary Clinton is President. However, I found it possible to ignore this or treat it as an interesting curiosity rather than a sign that the book has not aged well. I guessed the secret behind the England team's sudden success quite early on and I think it's quite likely that other readers will too, but it's handled well and there's a later plot twist you won't see coming at all. Although the story is satirical in some ways, it raises some serious questions, like the central character's big dilemma - is it fair to lift the lid on an extraordinary plot if the end result will be a ruined World Cup experience for people all over the world?
But this is not just about a highly unusual fictitious event. There are lots of lovely little observations and interactions, life lessons and examples of the powerful sense of solidarity you can get when watching sport with others. I was also personally very happy to see a footballer I admire, but rarely see mentioned anywhere, included in a list of all-time greats. I hope one of your favourites is in there too.
But this is not just about a highly unusual fictitious event. There are lots of lovely little observations and interactions, life lessons and examples of the powerful sense of solidarity you can get when watching sport with others. I was also personally very happy to see a footballer I admire, but rarely see mentioned anywhere, included in a list of all-time greats. I hope one of your favourites is in there too.
February 13, 2017
Football is something I absolutely loathe, particularly the culture it engenders in its over paid, pampered, melodramatic professional players who seem to dive and roll around at the brush of a sleeve as well as the tribal violence it can promote. Having said that, this book, described as part love-letter to football and part detective story is, surprisingly enjoyable, and, in all honesty, more akin to a political satire. I have read and enjoyed O'Farrell before and am familiar with his television work which accounts for why I handed over my 25p at the hospital for this! Any other author would have been ignored.
Warmer and wittier than Nick Hornby's laddish 'Fever Pitch' this takes the perennial pub discussion of who would line up in the all-time England squad evidently played in England (but not here, we might end up discussing our all-time Welsh rugby squad) and adds an imaginative and playful twist. Set during the run up to the already infamous 2022 Qatar World Cup, journalist Alfie uncovers the truth behind New Labour's investment in grass roots football and how FIFA, in typical Bond-villain mode work to counteract it.
Packed with affectionate jokes, even if you don't like football (and I certainly don't) this is well worth reading.
Warmer and wittier than Nick Hornby's laddish 'Fever Pitch' this takes the perennial pub discussion of who would line up in the all-time England squad evidently played in England (but not here, we might end up discussing our all-time Welsh rugby squad) and adds an imaginative and playful twist. Set during the run up to the already infamous 2022 Qatar World Cup, journalist Alfie uncovers the truth behind New Labour's investment in grass roots football and how FIFA, in typical Bond-villain mode work to counteract it.
Packed with affectionate jokes, even if you don't like football (and I certainly don't) this is well worth reading.
November 16, 2017
This was fun, funny, and slight. Some good tropes on being a fan, and some funny/daft observations on British football, especially in the set up. I don't think the Carlton Palmer references might give this universal appeal. I think, though John O'F could have been a little braver with the plot, and perhaps make more of a Hornby impact.
November 9, 2023
This book haven't aged all well since the England team somehow against all history and odds actually have been good in the last two World Cups - but if you can reset your brain to 2015 before reading it's still a five star funny read.
June 8, 2020
hilarious in a weird way
February 23, 2021
Very silly, very entertaining, very quick read.
April 1, 2021
My favourite fiction book ever. Can read a million times and never be bored. God I miss football
May 11, 2023
A jolly good jape told with characteristic vim, as well as a love of the game.
September 18, 2021
This hilarious book looks at an alternative past/present/future, in which England put together a world-beating football team. That in itself is a crazy enough concept, but the book makes it seem almost possible!
Excellent writing, an interesting concept and some great one-liners make this a great read. Brilliant!
Excellent writing, an interesting concept and some great one-liners make this a great read. Brilliant!
September 28, 2016
I enjoyed this book, a lot! In fact, I don't ever remember laughing so much while reading, more than any book by Hornby, more than Look Who's Back. This one has been very entertaining and very very funny.
However, despite it 110% making it into my favorite list, I couldn't give it 5 stars since I had a couple of issues with it.
First of all, it might seem petty, but the fact any woman mentioned in this book is clearly characterized as not liking football as if it was the only think that matters is both annoying and insulting. There are millions of women football fans out there, they are just as passionate and crazy and knowledgeable as the men. I'm sure O'Farrell didn't mean to be insulting, he just over-looked that's how guys are (Especially in England). But so much thought has gone into this book, really he could've noticed and change that.
Other than that, I was actually underwhelmed by most of the 'surprises' and shocking turns. Only one caught me off guard completely, and it was a twist I really did not appreciate, even though it ended up giving a great pay-off.
Also, at times, the reality suspense here just didn't work as well as it would have were this a movie, which this book can very easily be adapted to and I'd be happy to see it happening. It could be that I'm overly sensitive, having studied screen-writing, but , some jokes which were based on visuals fell flat, they were obvious and quite banal to be read but would work amazing when seen (and acted properly).
The fact the book was so much movie-able was what makes it so great. You can see O'Farrell has respect to modern story-telling. Everything is action packed, everything is driven by the hero having to make decisions and act, instead of wonder and ponder and explain. Hardly anything is this book isn't organic to plot development, or is down to "writer's will".
This was also a perfect book for me since I'm both English and German, and of course - of course - the book is full of references to the huge footie history between the two clubs ( we want our 5th star back England!!). However, I'm more German (2.5/4) than English (0.5/4), and my football loyalty definitely lies with the current World Champions, so maybe that stopped me from giving this the perfect rating as well ;)
Bottom line: this book is very English no matter how you look at it. It's hilarious, and the humour is so British my brain actually starting narrating some lines in the voices of Eric Idle and Michael Palin. It also goes beyond football itself and has some nice thought on the issue of nationality itself.
I also very much enjoyed the fact this book basically has no romance in it. We do have a family, and one date is mentioned. But here the love story is between a man and a game.
However, despite it 110% making it into my favorite list, I couldn't give it 5 stars since I had a couple of issues with it.
First of all, it might seem petty, but the fact any woman mentioned in this book is clearly characterized as not liking football as if it was the only think that matters is both annoying and insulting. There are millions of women football fans out there, they are just as passionate and crazy and knowledgeable as the men. I'm sure O'Farrell didn't mean to be insulting, he just over-looked that's how guys are (Especially in England). But so much thought has gone into this book, really he could've noticed and change that.
Other than that, I was actually underwhelmed by most of the 'surprises' and shocking turns. Only one caught me off guard completely, and it was a twist I really did not appreciate, even though it ended up giving a great pay-off.
Also, at times, the reality suspense here just didn't work as well as it would have were this a movie, which this book can very easily be adapted to and I'd be happy to see it happening. It could be that I'm overly sensitive, having studied screen-writing, but , some jokes which were based on visuals fell flat, they were obvious and quite banal to be read but would work amazing when seen (and acted properly).
The fact the book was so much movie-able was what makes it so great. You can see O'Farrell has respect to modern story-telling. Everything is action packed, everything is driven by the hero having to make decisions and act, instead of wonder and ponder and explain. Hardly anything is this book isn't organic to plot development, or is down to "writer's will".
This was also a perfect book for me since I'm both English and German, and of course - of course - the book is full of references to the huge footie history between the two clubs ( we want our 5th star back England!!). However, I'm more German (2.5/4) than English (0.5/4), and my football loyalty definitely lies with the current World Champions, so maybe that stopped me from giving this the perfect rating as well ;)
Bottom line: this book is very English no matter how you look at it. It's hilarious, and the humour is so British my brain actually starting narrating some lines in the voices of Eric Idle and Michael Palin. It also goes beyond football itself and has some nice thought on the issue of nationality itself.
I also very much enjoyed the fact this book basically has no romance in it. We do have a family, and one date is mentioned. But here the love story is between a man and a game.
December 16, 2019
Entertaining enough for a quick read, don’t expect too much depth from this one. None of the satire that can be found in his political writing here. Just a jolly, fun, kind of stupid book for boys of all ages. Timed I guess to fit in with the last World Cup.
January 5, 2016
John O'Farrell is a man after my own heart, a sports journalist who loves a good, clean game but is obviously frustrated by the politics and cynical exploitation which has taken over football. This is a humorous, satirical book which makes you laugh out loud in places, particularly if you can appreciate the in-jokes. The one thing which pushes things a bit too far is the idea that David Beckham could ever be picked for a World XI of the best footballers ever. But, as John later explains, there is a reason for everything... a well thought-out, entertaining and easy read.
January 8, 2016
Very warm homely book. All the jokes are carefully honed and chiselled for the target audience- People who have read his other stuff. I think he was able to put the knife into Blair and New Labour as well as putting the kibosh on Michel Platini. I thought that if you could get a non-British reader to point out all the things which are different in his/her country, you have the essence of what Britishness is for 50% (the men) of the population. But it was only a thought.
August 12, 2016
What I love about this book is the tongue in cheek way it talks about the corruption in fifa, and QUATAR... It made me laugh in lots of places, esp since I read it during the Euros last month and so many of the things commentators were saying in the book were words that I was hearing verbatim from my TV screen. Ah, footballers and pundits. So many of them really are this unimaginative. But John O'Farrell isn't. I think he was very funny and creative with this book.
September 28, 2016
Surprisingly enjoyable. This is actually a fun little book, a quick read. Ok it's a bit silly and unreal but that just seems to make it enjoyable. It is all about football, so won't appeal to everyone, and it is very English, with an English humour. I read this whilst the European Championship was on, which also added to the atmosphere. It is not for everyone, but I would recommend it, particularly to football fans.
June 18, 2016
A fun and relatively straightforward read. Nice double twist towards the end. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy this book, but it helps. John himself doesn't describe it as a novel, but more a collection of footballing ideas, which he has happened to weave together in the kind of way only a good writer and seasoned campaigner can do.
November 17, 2015
Brilliant book, read it in one sitting. Novels about football don't always work but this really does
December 24, 2015
Enjoyable if a little light.
February 6, 2016
The book actually deserves 5 Stars, but I rated 4 because of the unrealistic idea, that Germany would put two English players in their Best-of-World-ever-selection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2016
Thoughtful, clever and funny. Exceeded my expectations.
February 24, 2016
Enjoyed it, some very relevant football gags in the early stages. Petered out towards the end.
February 12, 2016
Loved this book, need to be a fan though i would think! Tears of laughter.
May 5, 2016
Rolig, lite annorlunda bok, läsvärd, särskilt om man gillar fotboll (eller det kanske tom är en förutsättning). Alltid bra humor av O'Farrell.
August 15, 2016
Started off very funny, but then became more of just a smile-inducing read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews