[Sforz]

Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport

Review

LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2009

Daily Telegraph
"If you're a football fan, I'll save you some time: read this book ... compulsive reading ... thoroughly convincing."

Observer
"Szymanksi has recently published the best introduction to sports economics ... while Kuper is probably the smartest of the new generation of super-smart sportswriters ... fascinating stories."

Metro
"[Kuper and Szymanski] basically trash every cliché about football you ever held to be true. It's bravura stuff … the study of managers buying players and building a club is one you’ll feel like photocopying and sending to your team's chairman"

Paddy Harverson, former communications director of Manchester United, Financial Times
"Demolishes ... many soccer shibboleths ... well argued, too. Szymanski, an economist, knows his stuff, and Kuper, a born contrarian and FT sports writer, is incapable of cliché ... great stories and previously unknown nuggets."

Sport Magazine
"One for the thinkers"

The Times
"More thoughtful than most of its rivals and, by football standards, postively intellectual ... Kuper, a brilliantly contrary columnist, and Szymanski, an economics professor ... find plenty of fertile territory in their commendable determination to overturn the lazy preconceptions rife in football."

Anyone read this?

[Wilforth]

Not even heard of it before now. But it should be a good read.

[Shark79]

Interesting, would have to find me a copy.

[Dark Horse]

I'm reading it right now. Very good stuff. First chapter, and already worth the price of admission. If it keeps up like this, it will be one of the best books on sports I have ever read (The Book being another, on MLB).

[himeshforex]

Dark horse ... whats the name of the MLB Book? is it called The Book ?

[Dark Horse]

Yep. The Book. http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/

[Dark Horse]

Soccernomics falls in the category of books that open with two great chapters. I have read many of those. The problem is to keep the rest of the book as interesting. The authors fail to achieve this. The book starts out on a high and then flattens out. Hate it when that happens.

[JRLM8]

I agree. It was still well worth reading though.

[Sforz]

on my reading list

[Jimmy0607]

I ordered this one too

[Arsenal]

I have been meaning to read this book but keep forgetting about it. I need to check it out.