A
Game of Two Halves: A Collection of the World's Greatest Football Writing,
edited by Stephen F Kelly (1992)
APART from the clichéd title, this book includes some first class writing and is thoughtfully compiled in sections dedicated to all aspects of football.
Editor Kelly shows a keen eye for good writing, choosing some writers not widely known for writing about football. George Orwell's famous attack on international sport, 'The Sporting Spirit', is included, as are short works by Albert Camus, Ted Hughes, Alan Sillitoe, H. E. Bates, Harold Pinter and J. B. Priestley. There's even a football-related extract from Hancock's Half Hour.
There are celebrity fans such as Barry Norman, Michael Parkinson and even Tony Blair, who writes on the betrayal of fans by cash-hungry soccer stars.
Classic journalism is also represented in Hugh McIlvanney, Brian Glanville, Eamon Dunphy and Hunter Davies, and writers Jim White and Ian Ridley represent more recent journalism. Players, too, are included: Danny Blanchflower, Jimmy Hill and Ferenc Puskas give their unique perspectives on the game.
The scope of this book, then, is vast, and the choice of writers shows this is not just another cash-in waste of space: all of the writers deserve inclusion (yes, even Tony Blair) if only to demonstrate how diverse football's influence has become.
Review by Sam Hawcroft