Having lived and worked in the UK for many years, the German journalist Rapheal Honigstein is in an ideal place to bring an outsider's perspective on the world of English football. This book is his attempt to do this, to try and explain and bring some understanding to the sometimes strange world of English football.
The book largely succeeds, at least in giving this reader a new perspective on our national game. He makes connections between the culture of the game in this country and the wider society, both historically and in the present day. For example, the fast pace to the game, its sometimes brutal physicality and the ideals of fair play built in are all explored. He manages to connect the attitude that you must 'get stuck in' to aspects of England such as the Victorian stiff upper lip, and the modern day attitude that you must be able to 'take your drink'. For Honigstein, these are all a part of a character trait within our society.
The media culture around the game is explored, using contrasts with his native Germany to illustrate several points. For example. the short deadlines in the British press compared to Germany (due to German working practice restrictions making the deadlines too early for midweek match reports) means match reports are instant rushes to judgement in Britain, but become thoughtful reflections when they appear in Germany a day or so later. In another example he shows how the intensively competitive British tabloid papers paradoxically leads to less diversity in the stories as reporters collaborate on what their 'story' will be after matches.
Overall I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in the culture of football in England. An interesting perspective of our national game.
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