Recent Reviews - Ferguson, Wenger and Tales From Q School

• 13th Aug 2007 at 22:45:17 BST by Liam Doyle
• 0 comments

A round up of reviews from the week's papers.

I was expecting a glut of football related reviews this week to coincide with the start of the season but, surprisingly, there's not that many. Of those that are reviewed, two focus on managers who will are probably more closely linked than either would care for - Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. The Telegraph has reviews of both.

I'm half way through the Wenger book and it is incredibly detailed - I'm in complete agreement with Andrew Baker's assertion that it feels like the author (Xavier Rivoire) has interviewed virtually anyone who has ever come within sniffing distance of Wenger - but Wenger keeps his cards close to his chest and I'm not yet sure how much is revealed that wasn't already known.

Daniel Taylor has a fine reputation. His book on Nottingham Forest a couple of years ago sold very respectfully and, as the Manchester based correspondent of The Guardian, is ideally placed to offer an insight into Ferguson. One doubt though. His continued need to ensure he has access at United may mean that the book will inevitably be something of a compromise.

Two former Manchester United players feature in Gordon Burns's Best and Edwards (and there's no prizes for guessing which players). The paperback release of that title receives a very favourable review from Nicholas Lezard. Simon Barnes's The Meaning of Sport is also reviewed in The Guardian.

Jim White reviews Tommy's Honour and Tales From Q School in The Telegraph. He doesn't seem particularly enamoured with either and whilst I wouldn't claim that Tales From Q School is his best work, I thought Feinstein was on pretty good form. White complains that American sportswriters cram too much into their narrative - everyone who's anyone gets quoted - but, actually, I think that's one of the reasons why they seem so much more comprehensive than their British counterparts.

If White wants a single character who's going to take centre stage in a book, then there's not too many who'd fulfil that role better than Sid Waddell. His forthcoming book Bellies and Bullseyes gets an early review in The Independent. I don't think this book is going to convert many to Waddell's style but for fans of the 'Geordie Lip', you'll get your money's worth in full. The book is out at the end of the month.