Jim White – Manchester United: The Biography (2008)
Sports – 420 pages – my copy (hardback; 2010) bought from The Works for £3 in July 2010
- 3 nods
The Worm has a statement for you all: Manchester United is the greatest football team on the planet. And the Worm does not state so, due to being a United fan. No, no, the statement has fact as well as emotional ties. They have a grand and sweeping history, are the home of George Best, of Bobby Charlton and of the French King Eric Cantona. They have won all the cups there are to win: Premier Leagues, FA Cups, and European Cups. The Red Devils play at the Theatre of Dreams, in front of the largest attendances, spoken of by the largest number of fans upon the planet. The greatest, period.
Jim White’s history upon United – he, too, would agree with the above, valid statement – takes the reader from its humble origins as Newton Heath in the late Victorian period, through the wars to the modern day riches of the twenty first century. It ends in the 2008 Champions League final; John Terry’s choked penalty shot a fitting climax to all that has come before.
Throughout all, White is an amiable host, charting the ups and downs across the decades. Despite a pendant for quoting the words ‘parsimonious defence’ once too often, the author is funny and insightful. Although there were earlier successes – such as the title win of 1909 – the real history of United heats up with the arrival of Matt Busby after the Second World War. Then came the Busby Babes; the Holy Trinity of Law, Best and Charlton; titles and glory; flare and drama.
Yes, plenty of drama, including the 1958 Munich air crash, which robbed United and England of a generation of almighty talent (none more so than the impressive Duncan Edwards). For many, the crash brought about a strong romantic attachment that continues to the present day. The height of which came ten years later with United’s very first European Cup win, thus vindicating Busby’s quest.
The years in-between the two Scots – both Busby and Ferguson – are ones of mediocrity, an attempt to beat the likes of Liverpool. Much chopping and changing of managers, of which Ron Atkinson provides the book’s liveliest quotes, end with the arrival of the glum Glaswegian in 1986, who has continued to lead United to it’s current status as the world’s largest club. Oh, and of course, “the greatest football team on the planet.”
Manchester United: A Biography is not a read for anyone without an interest in football. Of course, it is catered for United fans – but the United Church is a million strong one, with White’s book a welcome addition to large catalogue of histories and autobiographies. So, altogether now: Glory, glory Man United… Glory, glory Man United…
Sports – 420 pages – my copy (hardback; 2010) bought from The Works for £3 in July 2010
- 3 nods
The Worm has a statement for you all: Manchester United is the greatest football team on the planet. And the Worm does not state so, due to being a United fan. No, no, the statement has fact as well as emotional ties. They have a grand and sweeping history, are the home of George Best, of Bobby Charlton and of the French King Eric Cantona. They have won all the cups there are to win: Premier Leagues, FA Cups, and European Cups. The Red Devils play at the Theatre of Dreams, in front of the largest attendances, spoken of by the largest number of fans upon the planet. The greatest, period.
Jim White’s history upon United – he, too, would agree with the above, valid statement – takes the reader from its humble origins as Newton Heath in the late Victorian period, through the wars to the modern day riches of the twenty first century. It ends in the 2008 Champions League final; John Terry’s choked penalty shot a fitting climax to all that has come before.
Throughout all, White is an amiable host, charting the ups and downs across the decades. Despite a pendant for quoting the words ‘parsimonious defence’ once too often, the author is funny and insightful. Although there were earlier successes – such as the title win of 1909 – the real history of United heats up with the arrival of Matt Busby after the Second World War. Then came the Busby Babes; the Holy Trinity of Law, Best and Charlton; titles and glory; flare and drama.
Yes, plenty of drama, including the 1958 Munich air crash, which robbed United and England of a generation of almighty talent (none more so than the impressive Duncan Edwards). For many, the crash brought about a strong romantic attachment that continues to the present day. The height of which came ten years later with United’s very first European Cup win, thus vindicating Busby’s quest.
The years in-between the two Scots – both Busby and Ferguson – are ones of mediocrity, an attempt to beat the likes of Liverpool. Much chopping and changing of managers, of which Ron Atkinson provides the book’s liveliest quotes, end with the arrival of the glum Glaswegian in 1986, who has continued to lead United to it’s current status as the world’s largest club. Oh, and of course, “the greatest football team on the planet.”
Manchester United: A Biography is not a read for anyone without an interest in football. Of course, it is catered for United fans – but the United Church is a million strong one, with White’s book a welcome addition to large catalogue of histories and autobiographies. So, altogether now: Glory, glory Man United… Glory, glory Man United…
