The Far Corner: A Mazy Dribble Through North-East Football [Paperback]

Harry Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

A book in which Wilf Mannion rubs shoulders with The Sunderland Skinhead, recollections of Len Shakleton blight the lives of village shoppers, and the appointment of Kevin Keegan as manager of Newcastle is celebrated by a man in a leather stetson, crooning "For The Good Times" to the accompaniment of a midi organ. The Far Corner is a tale of heroism, human frailty, passion, and the perils of eating an egg mayonnaise stottie without staining your trousers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Savagely funny and frequently moving...some of the humour is as full-blooded as a tackle by Bryan Robson... at times the author wanders off at a tangent, like Chris Waddle on a bad day, then that is the capricious nature of football. DAILY TELEGRAPH Forget Nick Horby's FEVER PITCH, this is the football book of the new age, a mix of heroism, humour and Norman Hunter, but mainly humour. SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR Britain's best ever football book. NORTHERN ECHO Acidly funny, there is lots of relevant social comment. One of the best of the new genre. IRISH TIMES

About the Author

Harry Pearson is a journalist and writer who contributes regularly to the GUARDIAN, WHEN SATURDAY COMES and a number of those men's magazines with women in bras on the cover. His second book, RACING PIG S AND GIANT MARROWS, was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook/DAILY TELEGRAPH Travel Book of the Year.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349108374
• ISBN-13: 978-0349108377
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest look at football in a long time!, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Far Corner: A Mazy Dribble Through North-East Football (Paperback)

If you've ever wondered why football is such a followed tradition amongst the English hordes, this book should give you the clearest indication yet. It follows the life of one football fan as he travels around as many of the grounds in the North East of England as he can. With wonderful commentry, Pearson conveys the passion, the pride and the downright ridiculous of the average football fan. This book is a must for those that wish to relive those days of pints, pies and scarfs and an even greater must for those who wish to find out what all the fuss is about. A glowing testiment to the game, although some of the characters described might not agree!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Far Corner, April 5, 2006

By 

Richard Lawrence - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Far Corner: A Mazy Dribble Through North-East Football (Paperback)

This is the best read I've had in ages. An extremely humorous account of one man's winter spent visiting numerous football grounds on match days in the North East of England, a traditional hot bed for the game. So many accurate 'tell it like it is' observations of the local outlook on life in general.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Highly British, January 9, 2007

By 

Matt - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Far Corner: A Mazy Dribble Through North-East Football (Paperback)

I think the book is great and is certainly entertaining, but it translates poorly for an American.

Each chapter is a different trip to a game. The stories are interesting enough but I know very little about the specific region so I had trouble remembering what teams are where. The author does little to describe the different regions and the teams for that matter. Very choppy and difficult to understand with an American mind, but could be worth a read if you love soccer.