is the book to read if you're interested in that Leeds side, and Duncan Hamilton's brilliant Clough biography if you want to know more about the great man.

My favourite footballer's autobiography is Tony Cascarino's, ghost written by one of my favourite sportswriters, Paul Kimmage. He doesn't hold anything back at all.

And appropriate reading for this weekend would be Brilliant Orange. Hup Holland!

Excellent account of Clough's time moonlighting as a cook in a veggie restaurant in Ithaca, New York State, when he was supposed to be manager at the City Ground ...

Eamon Dunphy - Only A Game ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Game-Diary-Professional-Footballer/dp/01401...

Frank Worthington - One Hump or Two ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Hump-Two-Frank-Worthington/dp/1899538003/ref...

both very entertaining

Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper is a brilliant book as is his Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe During the Second World War. The former has some remarkable stories of the great derbies around the world and an old university acquaintance of mine, DJ McAllister - a copper bottomed chancer of monumental proportions - is his guide to Celtic v Rangers fixture.
One book which blew me away was Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football by Jonathan Wilson. An exhaustive trawl through some of the least well known stories of fairly recent European football. Thoroughly brilliant.
I'd also second Johan's shout for Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football. It's worth it for interview with Johnny Rep alone. Fabulous stuff. The problem with Dutch footballers is they have nothing to say for themselves.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Futebol-Brazilian-Life-Alex-Bellos/dp/0747561796

Subtitled A Mazy Dribble through North-East Football by Harry Pearson is a lovely book.

Brilliant telling of the Italia '90 story.

Agree with the Kuper, Pearson, Cascarino, Orange, Hamilton suggestions from above.

Would add the Garry Nelson diaries - can't remember their names.

One from the distant past "From Tividale to Wembley" the story of the 1977 FA Cup by Brian James.

for The Unforgiven if it's 70s Leeds you're interested in.
Best and Edwards by Gordon Burn who's writing shares stylistic similarities with David Peace.
Believe in the Sign by Mark Hodkinson (recent WOrd podcast guest) also felt stylistically similar to me - it's about being a young Rochdale fan (and a lot more).

'Brilliant Orange' is pretty much my favourite book, not merely my favourite book on sport.

It's especially good on the Amsterdam hippy culture of the mid-60s and I always thought it would be a good idea to have released a 'tie-in' CD featuring all the Dutch mod groups of the 60s.

I can't remember his name but their ultimate John Lennon-type anarchist in the 60s (apart, seriously, from Cryuff) was absolutely hell-bent on ridding the world of cigarettes, and sabotaging their means of production, which he thought were invented to hold back the populace.......if only the whole 60s generation had rallied behind him.

Now the team are in the final maybe it will be republished.

Of those mentioned I would heartily endorse Eamon Dunphy and The Unforgiven. I have never read the Simon Kuper book, I might give that a bash this summer.

Recommend:

Tim Parks - A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusions, National Character and Goals

Phil Ball - Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football

Hunter Davies - The Glory Game
Martin Chivers - Big Chiv: My Goals In Life
Alan Mullery - Alan Mullery: The Autobiography
Martin Peters - The Ghost of '66: The Martin Peters Story

These all have a Spurs bias but are a good read. There are a lot of other Spurs books I would not recommend unless you follow Tottenham.

Swerve

Stan Bowles - Stan Bowles: The Autobiography. Cheeky chappie, cult hero? No Stan, you are an irritating tosser.

Then there are several books on Harry and Jamie Redknapp ...

Gianluca Vialli's book. He makes the interesting point that while England players tend to be working class, Italian players are very often middle class, the sons of lawyers, doctors and academics. Which might explain something. Or not. I also second the recommendation for Tim Parks' Verona - my fave book about Italy (perhaps cos it's not supposed to be about Italy).

Particularly agree with Simon Kuper`s "Football against the Enemy" - worth it for the chapter on Holland /Germany alone ."Give Us Back Our Bikes !!"

Also Gary Imlach and Tim Parks "Verona" .

Others not mentioned I `d suggest "Futbol - The Brazilian Way of Life" by Alex Bellos .Brazilian football obviously , but also lots of stuff on life ,culture , voodoo, politics , history .The 1950 World Cup final and the shame of losing to Uruguay is fascinating.

Tor! - history of German football from a WSC contributor is also good .Apart from Wars , Nazis ,Stasi and football in East Germany very good on the Total Football (Mark 2) of the Netzer,Overath, Breitner and Beckenbaur years

Already mentioned but it's a superb read

Plus I'd rather read an independent fanzine rather than some footballers auto-toss

I suppose many of you will have read this a few months ago when it was doing the rounds.
I can't agree with it all, but it might keep you going for a few minutes, PT.

"I take more pleasure in seeing Chelsea lose than I do in seeing QPR win at the moment.
I sat through so many matches when we were absolute dog**** under the likes of Ray Harford and with people like Paul Bruce, Matthew Brazier and Mark Perry in the squad and I never felt like this.
The club isn't ours anymore but moreso than that - football is just properly gash these days.
I mean really gash.
football generally.
I hate nearly everything about it these days....
I hate the Prem and the myth that it is exciting this year. Man City breaking into the top four isn't exciting. They spent loads of money. It's no more exciting that Nameless **** getting to number 1 in the charts after winning the X-Factor.
I hate the myth of Arsene's kids. Buying some French kid when he's 17, playing him in the League Cup and then selling him when he's 20 after about 3 appearances in the league is NOTHING SPECIAL.
I hate hearing about Liverpool/Man Utd's debt but nothing ever happening about it. A club needs to go to the wall for the money thing to change but it doesn't happen. Why the **** are Charlton, Leeds and Southampton still in business?
I hate Frank Lampard's stupid ****ing face. I hate that Joe Cole's tongue is never in his mouth, the downsy spacker. I hate John Terry being England captain when he's CLEARLY AN OAF.
I hate young exciting wingers who have nothing but pace. Tony Scully had nothing but pace.
I hate Harry ****ing Redknapp. And Jamie Redknapp. And Louise Redknapp.. And the Wii.
I hate Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
I hate Garth Crooks.
I hate Garth Brooks a lot for that matter.
I hate Sky Sports.
I hate that when a lower league player beats 10 players and chips the keeper it doesn't matter but if Rooney scores from more than 20 yards it's amazing.
I hate that female sports journos are now mandatory.
I hate Mark Lawrenson for not coming out. 'I do like a big man at the back'. I bet you do.
I hate any advert that portrays football to be about anything other than pain and disappointment.
I hate Lee Hughes and the fact that he makes a living from the game. I hate Marlon King and any team that signs him when he gets out. I hate that it'll probably be us.
I hate Phil Brown.
I hate 'well the ball is a lot lighter now and will cause goalkeepers real problems this summer' before EVERY ****ING TOURNAMENT!
I hate that Kieron Dyer earned more in the time I took to write this post than I'll earn this month.
I hate Adrian Durham, Ian Wright and Alan Brazil.
I hate Gazza. Either die or shut up. Stop ****ing lingering.
I hate hearing about Hillsborough more than I hear about Heysel or Bradford.
I hate Leeds.
I hate Roy Keane.
I hate grown men wearing football shirts of their team whilst shopping on a saturday when their team is playing at home.
I hate that I don't hate Roy Hodgson.
I hate Jermaine Beckford and any player who has neck tattoos.
I hate songs being inappropriately taken as club anthems and then sung in a manly way. 'I'm forever blowing bubbles....'. Gaylords.
I hate Danny Dyer and anyone he's ever interviewed.
I hate the book 'Cass' by Cass Pennant. It is honestly the stupidest thing I've ever read. Chapter 1: Millwall. 'Yeah we took 50 to Millwall. They had 1000 in their mob but we ran 'em up and down the street'. Chapter 2: Liverpool. 'Yeah we took 50 to Liverpool. They had 2000 in their mob but we ran 'em up and down the street'. **** me... Jade Goody's autobiography is probably better. Even her non-ghost written one.
I hate that all good youngsters end their careers at Spurs before they start."

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinnis - the true tale of how a village football team reached Serie A in the 1990s

How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won The FA Cup by JL Carr - it's not really a novel about football, more a refection on people's dreams. But then again The Damned United isn't really about football either...

A couple of months ago I saw a book in WH Smith about Paul Gascoignes short stay with I think Kettering Town as manager. It looked interesting and I picked it up. As it was a buy one get one half price and I couldn't find anything to go with it I put it down again. I now regret doing so as when I went back I couldn't find it.
Anyone help me with title and author please?

Best football book I read was Barry Fry's autobiography which was illuminating and direct. A very funny man, a great fountain of knowledge regarding the non-league and lower league scene and loves football more than anyone I know.

Agree with a lot of the suggestions for football related books.

If you're after more David Peace, I can thoroughly recommend the Red Riding Quartet (1974 1977 1980 and 1983), although they are amongst the most depressingly gritty crime books you will ever read - there are no characters with redeeming features whatsoever, but a brilliant read.

Some very good choices on the above posts, can thoroughly recommend Kuper & McGinnis' books. Garry Nelson's book was called Left Foot Forward and covers his time as a journeyman player at Charlton. Very well written.

I must also mention the book by Ian Ridley (ex Observer football writer, now Mail on Sunday I think) and Steve Claridge about their time owning and managing Weymouth FC in the Blue Sq Premier. Some scary insight into the runnings of a small club and their constant financial battle.

Oh and I enjoyed Jeff Dawson's book on England in Mexico '70 recently.

My favourite has to be All Played Out as mentioned in an earlier post. It's recently been turned into a film called One Night in Turin with the book retitled to tie in.