Bloody Confused!: A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer

A reasonable read... but got the feeling that it wasn't sure whether to be a Bryson-esque travelogue or focus more on the actual sport, and ended up doing nether particularly well. Thank heavens for the Pompey Bear...

"Bloody Confused!" follows an American sportswriter's journey from complete English soccer novice to emotionally attached supporter of a specific club. For readers interested & curious about "the beautiful game" and anyone entertained by witnessing the author's educational progression into a fan. p.s. Thumbs up on the facts and circumstances accounted - very...more

"Bloody Confused!" follows an American sportswriter's journey from complete English soccer novice to emotionally attached supporter of a specific club. For readers interested & curious about "the beautiful game" and anyone entertained by witnessing the author's educational progression into a fan. p.s. Thumbs up on the facts and circumstances accounted - very accurate.   hide

Good book, fun read - a little bit repetitive.

A good read overall. I agree with some of the reviewers that his holier-then-thou attitude to American sports got tiresome, but I thought his last chapter did an excellent job of bringing that criticism full circle and concluding that sports fans, no matter where, face the same problems. Also like that one of his favorite players tried to shoplift a toilet seat. Good touch.

Very funny, a book worth reading, although you probably have to like football.

Some of the individual pieces had flashes of great writing. It didn't hang together that well as a whole.

I love soccer. I love to watch it, play it, coach it. This book really scratched my itch as far as reading about following the trials and tribulations of a mid-tier (that season anyway) Premiership club. I wish some leagues over here (NFL, MLB) would adopt the relegation/promotion principle. It would add some interest when your team is fighting for something more than a...more

I love soccer. I love to watch it, play it, coach it. This book really scratched my itch as far as reading about following the trials and tribulations of a mid-tier (that season anyway) Premiership club. I wish some leagues over here (NFL, MLB) would adopt the relegation/promotion principle. It would add some interest when your team is fighting for something more than a draft pick. However, I did get tired of the author's constant condescending attitude of the American sports fan. I too tire of listening to the same sound bites from different players spewing from ESPN, etc. After reading past the mid-point of the book his portrayal of the typical American got tired. That wouldn't stop me from loaning this book to a friend, as I already have.   hide

really interesting, and the author is pretty funny. A good read for sports fans in general!

If you've never read anything on English soccer, this is a good starting point. If you have, this is amusing but not really insightful.