Footballers who read

[imp]

Including coaches etc. in this category. In the latest 11 Freunde there's an interview with SC Freiburg's trainer Christian Streich and how he's a passionate reader. "Reading's existentially important for me," he says. "It takes me into a different place. Because our job is very one-dimensional, even if it's highly varied within that one-dimensionality." He mainly reads novels, the latest being 'Preparation for the Next Life' by Atticus Lish, which I can confirm is a very intense work set in NY about a returning Iraqi veteran.

Rightly or wrongly, it slightly alters my view of anyone when I find out they're an avid reader (because you just don't except people to read books any more), but it seems to be particularly unusual in the football/sports world. My first thought was, "Oh, I hope Freiburg stay up this season," and to feel a belated downer at their Europa League exit last night, the last ten minutes of which I saw through overwhelmingly indifferent eyes before going to bed.

Other examples? I know Joey Barton supposedly reads Chomsky, but I'm not sure if that's true or an apocryphal rumour I read on Twitter.

[Jah Womble]

Barton apparently chose Plato when footballers were asked to select books by the National Literacy Trust. While most contributors chose kids' books and sports biogs, Burnley's (now Birmingham's) Lukas Jutkiewicz came out as a fan of John Steinbeck.

Pat Nevin, I guess would be another 'reader' - he earned an arts degree from GCU, and has always professed an interest in literature - to go with his well-documented love of indie music.

[Nefertiti2]

[imp]

Ha ha, I bet he hasn't actually read it.

I seem to remember Brian Glanville telling a story of how Franz Beckenbauer once held up one of his novels (possibly The Rise of Gerry Logan) during a TV interview in the early 70s and proclaimed it the best football book ever written, but it seems so unlikely on so many levels that I may be mis-remembering. Unless it was all a Mertesacker-style publicity stunt before its time.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Former Millwall and Palace defender Matt Lawrence studied American Literature and wrote his thesis on Charles Bukowski.

Stefan Kießling wrote a cookbook.

[imp]

Kießling's book is sadly not available right now. Very imaginative cover, and obviously reflects the huge effort that went into a 64-page book entitled 'Recipes for success: How to score points using your cooking skills.' Do you see what they did there?

A thesis on Charles Bukowski? I'd love to know the title of that skive. "Bukowski: Repetitious, Over-rated Macho Shite? Or Something Else?"

[tee rex]

As previously highlighted here, one David Wheeler reads the New Statesman. OK, he subscribes. Probably does more of his reading assignment than Per did Roald Dahl though.

[Sits]

When Lee Chapman had a column in one of the Sunday papers I remember him describing a typical coach journey to or from games with his Leeds teammates. In short while they were further forward playing cards, he was at the back reading quietly. Bet he was popular.

[Sits]

And let's not forget Steve Bruce's Defender trilogy.

[pebblethefish]

I met Brentford's briefly employed striker Lee Luscombe once, and he had a book in his pocket. I can't remember what it was, otherwise this anecdote may have been vaguely interesting.

[Janik]

Have any of them been caught reading on the bench, like Mithali Raj?



That book is The Essential Rumi. 13th century Persian poetry?? Ooh, get her! Her tastes are eclectic, though. Later in the event she was seen totting a tome by Nasser Hussain...

[Jah Womble]

Not sure I'd trust anyone that uses a bulldog clip as a bookmark, however...

[Satchmo Distel]

Venables coauthored the Hazel series.

[Nefertiti2]

Ha ha, I bet he hasn't actually read it.

I seem to remember Brian Glanville telling a story of how Franz Beckenbauer once held up one of his novels (possibly The Rise of Gerry Logan) during a TV interview in the early 70s and proclaimed it the best football book ever written, but it seems so unlikely on so many levels that I may be mis-remembering. Unless it was all a Mertesacker-style publicity stunt before its time.

he probably has -"in this Zeit interview he talks about reading : Bei der Nationalmannschaft gibt es jedenfalls eine Bücherkette. Die beginnt bei Oliver Bierhoff, geht dann zu mir (lacht) ... und reißt da ab"

[imp]

Not reading books. Just simply can not imagine any living human being not reading books - that very thought makes me clench my fists and start banging my desk. Jesus, why not just stick your head on the railway track and get it over and done with? Come back in the next life as a fucking fruit fly.

[ursus arctos]

45 says he hasn't read one in 50 years and is proud of that.

So yeah.

[tee rex]

Here's a list of the unfortunately named Premier League Reading Stars.

I don't know if it will make Imp feel a whole lot better, though.

[imp]

Christ.

I'm not judging the players here. I'm just permanently furious at the way literature is taught in schools, and how the few people who still read books do it despite the education system, not because of it. Books in school were a chore, and that's the way they were presented. I don't remember having any teachers who were able to convey a true love of the written word, but then the curriculum probably didn't give them much leeway.

[wittoner]

Ha ha, I bet he hasn't actually read it.

I seem to remember Brian Glanville telling a story of how Franz Beckenbauer once held up one of his novels (possibly The Rise of Gerry Logan) during a TV interview in the early 70s and proclaimed it the best football book ever written, but it seems so unlikely on so many levels that I may be mis-remembering. Unless it was all a Mertesacker-style publicity stunt before its time.

In one of his books Glanville tells a story of visiting Craig Brown at his home when he was Scotland manager. Brown proudly showed him a battered copy of "The Rise of Gerry Logan" and told him it had been cult reading among his generation of young Scottish coaches when they were doing their badges together.

[lackedpunch]

Ex England coach Roy Hodgson is well known as an avid reader. Apparently his faves are Hesse, Kundera, Updike and Kundera! :

https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...ngland-manager

[Antepli Ejderha]

Christ.

I'm not judging the players here. I'm just permanently furious at the way literature is taught in schools, and how the few people who still read books do it despite the education system, not because of it. Books in school were a chore, and that's the way they were presented. I don't remember having any teachers who were able to convey a true love of the written word, but then the curriculum probably didn't give them much leeway.

In the school I teach in the kids do not read the books for their English literature exam but get taught parts of it to pass the exam. I presume this is pretty common.