This month The Podium will read The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin.
The results broke down as follows: The Nowhere Men 80%, The Boys in the Boat & The Sports Gene 8% and The Ashes: Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry 4%. It’s the second time that an author’s fanbase has got behind them on twitter and it has had an effect on the results. The first time was when Graham Hunter had a landslide victory with his book Barca.
Morning all. Thanks to everyone who voted The Nowhere Men @PodiumBooks book of the month for November. Quietly chuffed.
In a world where every man and his dog have an opinion on football (soccer) and the constant flow of statistics and performance analysis, The Nowhere Men tells the story of the hidden tribe of football scouts. The men who are always on the road, writing reports and spotting new talent.
Book Description
A teenaged boy plays football in a suburban park. His name is Raheem Sterling.
The call is made: “Get down here quick. This is something special”.
Another boy is 8, going on 28. His name is Jack Wilshere. The referee, an Arsenal scout, spirits him away from Luton Town.
A young goalkeeper struggles on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two. His name is Jack Butland. Within months he will be playing for England.
Welcome to football’s hidden tribe. Scouts are everywhere yet nowhere, faceless and nameless, despite making the informed decisions worth millions.
Award-winning sportswriter Michael Calvin opens up their hidden world, examining their disconnected lifestyles, petty betrayals and unconsidered professionalism of men who spend long, lonely hours on the road.
As an avid football fan (of Liverpool FC), I’m interested in seeing how the mix of old school and new school has changed the scouting/football landscape. The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin is sure to be a fascinating and entertaining read for those modern day fans who want more about what’s actually happening behind closed doors in today’s English game.
Well after an unprecedented hiatus of study, work, moving house and other miscalculations The Podium makes a return. I must apologise to any fans of the site for neglecting this project for so long. No point wallowing though! Let’s cut to the chase and find a book for November.
What’s happening next month? Well in terms of major events, the American College Football season is in full swing, we also have the famous Melbourne Cup horse racing, the second round of the Ashes, autumn Rugby Union Internationals in Europe, the ATP World Tour Finals, the 29th Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships and the World Snooker Championship which starts at the end of the month. We must also not forget that the William Hill Sports Book winner will be announced very soon.
Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry: A History of the Ashes in 10 Matches by Simon Hughes
Award-winning author Simon Hughes brings the history of the Ashes to life by selecting 10 of the most iconic matches from the fixture’s 135 years. His gripping account not only recounts the highs and lows of each game but places you right at the heart of the action, explaining the social context, conveying the atmosphere, assessing the backgrounds and temperaments of the players wearing the three Lions of England and the baggy green of Australia and evaluating the result.
Hughes employs an innovative and distinctive approach, in which each match functions as a narrative spine supported by evocative detail, including the issues, controversies, heroes and villains. The story begins with the birth of the Ashes, and the band of Australians that took on the best gentlemen and players in the Empire’s HQ and beat them on their home turf. This set the tone for some epic contests.
The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters by Michael Calvin
A teenaged boy plays football in a suburban park. His name is Raheem Sterling. The call is made: “Get down here quick. This is something special”.
Another boy is 8, going on 28. His name is Jack Wilshere. The referee, an Arsenal scout, spirits him away from Luton Town.
A young goalkeeper struggles on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two. His name is Jack Butland. Within months he will be playing for England.
Welcome to football’s hidden tribe. Scouts are everywhere yet nowhere, faceless and nameless, despite making the informed decisions worth millions. Award-winning sportswriter Michael Calvin opens up their hidden world, examining their disconnected lifestyles, petty betrayals and unconsidered professionalism of men who spend long, lonely hours on the road.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
For readers of Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit and Unbroken, the dramatic story of the American rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant. It will appeal to readers of Erik Larson, Timothy Egan, James Bradley, and David Halberstam’s The Amateurs.
The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein
Now a New York Times Bestseller!
In high school, I wondered whether the Jamaican Americans who made our track team so successful might carry some special speed gene from their tiny island. In college, I ran against Kenyans, and wondered whether endurance genes might have traveled with them from East Africa. At the same time, I began to notice that a training group on my team could consist of five men who run next to one another, stride for stride, day after day, and nonetheless turn out five entirely different runners. How could this be?
We all knew a star athlete in high school. The one who made it look so easy. He was the starting quarterback and shortstop; she was the all-state point guard and high-jumper. Naturals. Or were they?
The debate is as old as physical competition. Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?
The truth is far messier than a simple dichotomy between nature and nurture. In the decade since the sequencing of the human genome, researchers have slowly begun to uncover how the relationship between biological endowments and a competitor’s training environment affects athleticism. Sports scientists have gradually entered the era of modern genetic research.
In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success, Sports Illustrated senior writer David Epstein tackles the great nature vs. nurture debate and traces how far science has come in solving this great riddle. He investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence.
What book should we read in November?
Come back on Friday 1st of November to see which book has won.
Our book for June is Behind the Lions: Playing Rugby for the British & Irish Lions by Stephen Jones, Tom English, Nick Cain and David Barnes.
The results were as follows in our poll: Behind the Lions 56%, Inverting the Pyramid 33%, Bobby’s Open 11%, sadly Days of Grace and Secretariat received no votes.
‘There’s a lot of emotion tied up in my career and writing this book has released some of it…’ Never a truer word spoken from Tommy Byrne and that’s only the start of it.
Crashed and Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw by Tommy Byrne and Mark Hughes tells the story of Tommy Byrne, an Irish-born adrenalin-addict who came painfully close to reaching the top of F1.
In the early days of his career, Tommy, a self confessed knacker from Dundalk, did anything he could to make enough bucks to race cars. Most notable is when he drove around a crippled gentleman called Crawford. Crawford regularly screamed at Tommy “fuck shit bastard boy’ before soiling himself in the car.
Summer in Europe is a great time of year for sports lovers. Most major outdoor sports events are about to begin or are already in full swing.
Below are a list of 5 books based on events that are happening in June in Europe…and around the world (to be fair).
Highlights next month include the Wimbledon Championships, Golf’s US Open, The British and Ireland Lions tour to Australia, the pre-event to the World Cup, The Confederations Cup and lastly the race in New York the Belmont Stakes.
Below are 5 books hand picked on those events, remember to vote at the bottom of the page. The votes will be counted and revealed on June 1st at 8PM GMT.
My review of May’s book Crashed and Bryned is coming soon…I promise.
Days of Grace by Arthur Ashe
The 2013 Wimbledon Championships will take place between from 24 June to 7 July. Wimbledon is the pinnacle of any tennis player’s career, the golden chalice of tennis. It’s where tennis legends are made.
Arthur Ashe, an African American, was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. He was ranked World No. 1 by Harry Hopman in 1968 and by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and World Tennis Magazine in 1975. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976*.
April has been a hectic month for me. I tried to cut a few corners and ended up leaving myself a mountain of work to do. I’m just catching up with The Podium backlog now and I am excited to annouce May’s book of the month.
This month’s book (with a unanimous vote of one!) is Crashed and Byrned – The Greatest Racing Driver You Never Saw by Tommy Byrne and Mark Hughes.
On the 26th May the F1 calendar goes to the beautiful Monte Carlo, without doubt the most picturesque circuit in F1. To pay hommage to that circuit I have hand picked this great book, which was also the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year for 2008.
After reading some ‘serious’ books over the last 3 months I thought it might be nice for a change to read something a little light-hearted. Below are 5 books relating to Cycling, Soccer, American Football, Golf and Cricket all of which have a feel good factor about them. Well maybe not feel good but definitely good humoured.
The votes will be counted and released on Friday on the website. Apologies on the past few months as deadlines have been tight but it is my goal to be able to tell you the book before the start of the month in future.
Have a look at the books below, make sure to vote at the bottom of the page and leave a comment.
French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France by Tim Moore
Seduced by the speed and glamour of the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and determined to tackle the most fearsome physical challenge outside classical mythology, Moore, the ultimate amateur, attempts to complete all 3,630km of the 2000 Tour in the weeks before the professionals set off.
Battling it out with the old men on butchers’ bikes across the plains of Aquitaine and pursued by cattle over Europe’s second highest road, Moore soon finds himself resorting to narcotic assistance, systematic overeating and waxed legs before summoning a support vehicle staffed by cruelly sceptical family and friends. Accounts of his suffering and chicanery, and those encountered in the race’s epic history, are interwoven through a look at rural France busy tarting itself up for those 15 seconds of fame as the Tour careers through at 50kph. An heroic depiction of an inadequate man’s attempt to achieve the unachievable, Moore’s Tour is a tale of calorific excess, ludicrous clothing and intimate discomfort.
Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession by Iain Macintosh, Kenny Millar and Neil White
Football Manager Stole My Life lifts the lid on the cult of Football Manager (FM). It is an easy-to-read, highly illustrated, light-hearted guide to the game s lasting impact on popular culture. We hear from the gamers whose lives have been taken over by FM, a game cited in 35 divorce cases in the UK. There are interviews with the players who become world beaters in the game, but in real life never make the big leagues. The incredible scouting network of Sports Interactive is revealed. We speak to the men who make the game, and put an FM addict on the psychologist s couch to discover what 20 years as a virtual football manager has done to him.
When I picked up A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers by John Feinstein the first thing I noticed were the handful endorsements on the book jacket. Many reputable publications like The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and USA Today had lots of nice things to say about this supposed ‘classic’. Naturally I was excited.
John Feinstein followed Bob Knight everywhere he went for the ’85-’86 season, he attended every team practice, meeting and game. This book is the result of that. It is the story of Knight’s unwavering passion for basketball. Knight was obsessed with the game and insisted on it being played the way he liked it. As A Season on the Brink demonstrates, Sometimes this would go according to plan but most of the time it didn’t. If Knight’s team couldn’t live up to his, at times, unrealistic expectations of performance, they knew about it.
The Book for March is A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers by John Feinstein.
The results were spread out as follows: A Season on the Brink 36%, Senna Versus Prost 25% and Ruby, Inside Edge and The Club all received 13%.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book, it’s an American Sports classic afterrall. After publication, the National Collegiate Athletic Association passed a rule banning media from being in a team’s locker room before or during a game. There was one exception; if one member of the media gained access, then the locker room was opened up to all members of the media.
March Madness is an expression used in American College Basketball. March is the busiest month for the single-elimination college basketball tournament and usually one top seeded team will be outdone by an underdog.
Below I have short-listed 5 books for our March Book. This month we’re looking at Basketball, F1, Gaelic Games, Horse Racing and Ice Skating books. Quite different to what we’ve seen previously! Admittedly, I found picking these 5 books difficult but with difficultly comes possibility. I hope you are interested in what you see below.
March’s book will be revealed on Thursday the 7th. For your say, please vote at the bottom of the page.
A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers by John Feinstein
John Feinstein was allowed to follow the Indiana Hoosiers for one season, what happened changed the sport and created one of most talked about American sports books of all time. Key dates for the College Basketball season can be viewed here.
About John Feinstein John Feinstein is one of the nation’s most successful and prolific sports authors who has written 24 books to date. His most recent work Are You Kidding Me? , written with Rocco Mediate, was released on May 18, 2009, and is presently on the shelf at bookstores everywhere. In addition, he is an award-winning columnist and regular contributor in both radio and television.
Book Description
A Season on the Brink chronicles the basketball season that John Feinstein spent following the Indiana Hoosiers and their fiery coach, Bob Knight. Knight granted Feinstein an unprecedented inside look at college basketball-with complete access to every moment of the season. Feinstein saw and heard it all-practices, team meetings, strategy sessions, and midgame huddles-during Knight’s struggle to avoid a losing season. A Season on the Brink not only captures the drama and pressure of big-time college basketball but paints a vivid portrait of a complex, brilliant coach walking a fine line between genius and madness. John Feinstein has written for Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, The Sporting News, and Inside Sports and is currently the main feature writer for The National. He has won twelve U.S. Basketball Writers awards. Book jacket.
The Podium is simply a book club but with a sports twist. Each month we'll pick a book from suggestions of sports happening in that month and then we'll have a right ole chin wag about it.
