Can we have our Football back....Yet? - John Nicholson

relfyoftheboro

Well-known member
Ive just finished the follow up to John's book about the state our game and the unprecedented situation created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I really enjoyed the original and this was even better. Its so difficult to disagree with the issues surrounding the game that he highlights and attempts to address. As with all these types of things, you may not necessarily agree with everything written by the author but its really difficult to ignore the ills of the game when they are so clearly laid out.

It is tinged with politics, as is everything in our lives. He pulls no punches when it comes to describing our current Tory overlords and how disastrously they've handled the entire situation, not just surrounding football. The book concludes with an interview with an anonymous Premier League footballer who John has grown close to over the years and it is one hell of an eye opener. To hear, directly, from a modern day footballer without the usual polite filters they normally employ is quite something, but unbelievably refreshing to hear a player talking so candidly and honestly about the game.

Cant recommend this book enough to anyone who feels even the slightest disaffection with the state of the game.

Anyone else read it? Thoughts?
 
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You have whetted my appetite here - I haven't read any of John's football books since We Ate All The Pies - but he is such a good writer as with his blog. He never fails to hit the spots.
Thanks for the recommend - I must go out and get this.
 
I used to enjoy reading John Nicholson on F365, but I'm afraid I now find him somewhat tedious. He's like a pub bore who talks about the same subject day after day after day to anyone who will listen, or is unfortunate enough to get marooned at the bar! He may make some decent points from time to time, but he crowbars his politics into every article and often undermines his arguments by contradicting himself from one day to the next.

This is just my opinion and therefore I will not be reading, but don't let me put anyone else off doing so, especially if you're not familiar with his proposals to nationalise English football. I would be interested to hear who agrees/disagrees with some of his suggestions.
 
Read them both recently as I like a lot of what he says even if I don’t always totally agree, he’s a got a captivating writing style. Found them very interesting and insightful, but also thoroughly depressing as I just struggle to see real change happening.

The money is utterly obscene and over the years I’ve become more and more detached from modern football with VAR probably being the final nail for me.

The books describe the sheer amount of money in the game that’s so hard to justify, the pernicious betting companies, how football ignores fans and fleeces a TV audience that is tiny despite Sky and their ilk making out that the Premier League is the pinnacle.

He puts forward some good ideas but it’s hard to see how a largely lethargic public would force change. There may be a crash or the top teams may join a super league, but it’s all ifs and buts and I’m incredibly cynical about modern football’s ability to, or the public’s will to force, meaningful change.
 
So, is this an update then on Can We Have Our Football Back?
Is it best to read the first before the new book?
I'd say it would help, purely due to the repeated references to it. Its still readable without having read the original but you'd be missing something. The first book is really good too, but the update takes the themes to another level.
 
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