Magnum opus of gifted writer lifts lid on football world

MY LAST visit to The Book Centre to obtain some books to review for this column yielded a pleasant surprise. Sitting prominently on the shelf housing the new releases was ‘State Of Play’ by Michael Calvin, with the intriguing sub-title of ‘Under the Skin of the Modern Game’.

This is the English sportswriter’s fifth book on a general footballing theme, and it is required reading for anyone interested in looking beyond the constant glut of games and getting a feel for how the game is faring in a societal context.

Calvin has the wonderful ability of being able to dig deep and unearth some fascinating stories from all areas of the sporting pyramid.

Prior to this he spent a year on the front line with Millwall F.C., and he has also written captivating books on football’s scouting system, managerial life, and the often heartless recruitment policy at professional level which regularly consigns young hopefuls to the scrapheap.

All of those themes, and even more besides, are covered in what the sleeve notes term Calvin’s

‘magnum opus’.

He was inspired by an iconic book by Arthur Hopcraft called ‘The Football

Man’ which painted an absorbing picture of the game in the immediate aftermath of England’s World Cup triumph in 1966.

And in following a similar template for his own latest offering, the author spent hundreds of hours interviewing the great and the good in modern day football along with a host of inspiring workers operating at the lowest levels.

There isn’t a single match report or general season review in this book, as that’s not what it’s about at all.

Instead Calvin is keen to develop some of the themes that are prevalent in the game at the moment, and his objective approach is to be admired as there is neither sugar-coating nor sitting on the fence at any stage.

Among those subjects covered are concussion, fan-owned clubs, mental health, women’s football, financial matters, the influence of oligarchs and, to keep matters topical, the recent World Cup.

He immediately draws the reader in as the first chapter in part one of the book, ‘The Player’, features an extensive interview with the daughter of the late Jeff Astle who has campaigned extensively to educate the masses since her father died prematurely as a result of dementia caused by constant heading of a heavy football throughout his career.

While the tale of the former West Bromwich Albion and England striker is well known at this stage by anyone with a general interest in the game, Calvin is true to form as he reveals the full extent of the hardship Astle’s family had to endure while his health deteriorated.

He has the gift of being able to get the subjects of his interviews to really open up, and that’s a skill so sadly lacking in the vast majority of his peers.

In the course of the 400-plus pages, the reader is taken inside the dressing-room, beyond the pitch, and into the real heart of the global game that continues to captivate despite all its faults.

In doing so he exposes its beauty and its ills in equal measure, and no stone is left unturned in the process as Calvin unearths the secrets behind the recent rise of Lincoln City but also turns his forensic attention to La Liga elsewhere.

In my opinion, he is the best sportswriter in the U.K. bar none, and a read of this book will underline the reasons why.

ALAN AHERNE

Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.