Waterstones Calcio
278 ratings
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Price: £14.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: The first history of Italian football to be written in English, 'Calcio' is a mix of serious analysis and comic storytelling, with vivid descriptions of games, goals, dives, missed penalties, riots and scandals in the richest and toughest league in the world.'Calcio' tells the story of Italian football from its origins in the 1890's to the present day. It takes us through a history of great players and teams, of style, passion and success, but also of violence, cynicism, catenaccio tactics and corruption. We meet the personalities that have shaped this history - from the Italian heroes to the foreigners that failed, the model professionals to the mavericks. 'Calcio' evokes the triumphs (the 1982 World Cup victory) and the tragedies (Meroni, the 'Italian George Best', killed by his number one fan), set against a backdrop of paranoia and intrigue, in a country where the referee is seen as corrupt until proven otherwise. Calcio is no longer a game. It is sometimes difficult to define it as a sport. It is certainly big business and a fanatical civic religion. There is no moral code here. Winners are always right, losers always wrong. This history of Italian football reveals all about the richest and toughest league in the world.
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9780007175758
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9780007175758
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Author: M. V. Clarke
Rating: 5
Review: This is a thorough, fascinating and highly readable historical account of football in Italy, written by John Foot, a historian, writer and football fan. He's clearly spent much time in Italy and the book benefits from that, as he shows intimate knowledge of the language, habits and culture, yet at the same time, he brings the objective perspective of an outsider. The book isn't a chronological history, rather it has many themed chapters that deal with important events, players, owners, etc, that have had an influence on the game in Italy. This is an excellent approach that really allows for clear insights into issues such as the role of foreigners, attitudes to referees and the law, and corruption and political influence, as well profiling some of the great players in each position and explaining Italian attitudes to tactics and coaching. Foot's style is easy to read, and mixes much light humour with a genuine sense of passion for his subject, while there is also much poignancy as he recounts many of the disasters that have affected Italian football. Particularly interesting were the chapters on city rivalries (Milan/Inter, Juventus/Torino, Roma/Lazio etc) and the insights into the way in which foreign superstars such as Diego Maradona and John Charles influenced Italian football and its fans. A highly recommended read.
Author: Stephen Craik
Rating: 4
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It is quite an epic read. I first discovered Italian football around the time of the great Sacchi team of Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard, Baresi, Maldini, etc. Serie A used to be the best league around. Although it is now lagging behind England, Spain and Germany I still have great affection for calcio.
