You'll Win Nothing With Kids: Fathers, Sons and Football [Hardcover]

Jim White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2008

On Sunday mornings Jim White has the following choice: visit the supermarket, buy trellising at B'n'Q, or stand on the sidelines of a muddy municipal football pitch, his trouser cuffs wetter than a weekend in Llandudno, shoulder-to-shoulder with a motley crew of mums, dads, step-parents and same-sex life partners all screaming at their beleaguered offspring. You'll find Jim in the same place every week, failing to organise a bunch of lads into something resembling a team while on the far side of the park his opposite number, a wannabe Mourinho in brashly monogrammed tracksuit, struts the sidelines, shouting - always shouting. This is the hilarious story of Jim White's time as manager of his son's football team: the highs, the lows, and the dog turd in the centre circle. At this level, winning spirit is not so much about passion, pride and belief as praying that your star centre forward has remembered his boots. Most importantly, it's about the enduring relationship between fathers, sons and football. This is the story no one who has ever watched his or her child play sport will want to miss.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The Fever Pitch of the junior league' SUNDAY TIMES 'It's a fizzingly funny, sad, thoughtful book, and should win White a hatful of awards. He done well, the lad, as they say' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Touching, involving and really quite enthralling... White proves that you can win everything with kids' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'White's loving book evokes all the obsessional doubts and hopes involved in running an Under -14 side... A pleasure to read' INDEPENDENT 'This is a must-read for anyone with their own clutch of would-be Beckhams, either as a parent or coach. It's at turns wry, touching and very funny but always utterly authentic' TIME OUT 'A tart mix of humour and sharp observation' THE FIRST POST 'Extremely entertaining ... has the whiff of bestseller about it' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Endearing comedy and raw emotion' INDEPENDENT

About the Author

Jim White is an award-winning sports journalist and long-time columnist first for the GUARDIAN and now the DAILY TELEGRAPH. He has also worked extensively for BBC Radio 4 and 5 and has written and presented several television documentaries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (April 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316029823
• ISBN-13: 978-0316029827
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,058,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Topic's brill, could do with an editor, January 17, 2010

By 

Jim Broshar (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You'll Win Nothing With Kids: Fathers, Sons and Football (Hardcover)

Brilliant topic for US soccer dads -- how do the English approach youth football, where there are hundreds of professional sides and virtually everyone considers himself an expert on how the game should be played ? In a country that has never seen a group like the Positive Coaching Alliance, how are coaches trained and supervised?

The topic gets a good workout but I needed a machete to get through the writing, which I found a little trite, and heavy-handed. Nonetheless, worth the work to experience one man's experience in Old Blighty.