Glory, Goals and Greed
Twenty Years of the Premier League
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The FA Premier League was born 20 years ago, on 23 September 1991, and has since established itself as the most popular club competition in world football. At the start, however, there was opposition from the players' union and the Football League. Then the breakaway elite were faced with the exposure of the game's 'bungs' culture, which stained the reputations of Brian Clough and George Graham, among others.
After weathering that storm, the new league was threatened again by the very real possibility of financial meltdown, which was averted only by the controversial takeover of many top clubs by predatory overseas owners.
Joe Lovejoy reported on the creation of the Premier League for The Independent and revisits the story in Glory, Goals and Greed, interviewing many of the 'founding fathers'. Later, as chief football correspondent at the Sunday Times, he witnessed all the main events and has spoken again to those involved to shed new light on the best matches, best players and standout incidents of the Premier League's enthralling first 20 years.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In time for the English Premier League's 20th season, journalist Lovejoy presents a selection of highlights, lowlights, and general history to the soccer league's fans. The result is a mix of what he knows as a fan/journalist and what he believes would be of interest to the widest cross-section of fellow fans. The book begins slowly, and neither the preface nor the introductory chapter (never mind the rambling foreword by G rard Houllier, who headed Liverpool) will make much sense to those unfamiliar with the league, but Lovejoy's handlings of a few noteworthy topics are valuable. The league's founding hardly constitutes a "sexy" story it mostly involves rows over television rights and the financial claims that follow. Similarly, in contrast to a handful of player profiles barely noteworthy even to a hardcore fan, some perspective is provided via an interview with the players' union chief, Gordon Taylor, and a discussion of player agents' role in the modern game. A heavy dependency on quotes burdens the book.