Vertigo: One Football Fan's Fear of Success

by John Crace

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ...then you're probably not a football fan, years of underachievement, an heroic sense of injustice, and a seemingly infinite capacity for self-destruction. John Crace and Spurs were made for each other. But then the team started to play like possible champions. For most fans, these are the glory moments they dream about. For Crace they just opened a new dimension of the fear of success. Crace has supported Spurs for 40 years. His wife thinks he suffers from a psychiatric disorder, but fandom is not only one of the ways he negotiates his relationships, it also helps him make some sense of his life. "Vertigo" is the story of why fandom that starts out in boyish hope always ends in dark comedy.

Genres: Football, Sports, Nonfiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Sarrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally this book is about one Spurs fan and how as a pessimist he couldn't handle the season of 2010/11 because he never expected them to a) get into the Champions League and b) to get so far. He's obsessed with them and collects every little bit of football memorabilia concerning the team that he can get his hands on. However, he thrives more on the comfort of knowing that they're going to fail so the whole Champions League thing comes as quite a shock to the system for him. As I said, it's really about Spurs but I'd recommend this book to people who have a very biased relationship with their football team and go through pure emotional hell whenever their team is playing.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of a season following a football team is by no means a particularly novel one, but I was intrigued as to how good Crace's general writing was, and I thought this book did have its own take on the genre, and was a good read.

Crace avoided what I consider the two worst traps, namely too much description of matches nobody else cares about, and overdoing the extent to which his team is uniquely terrible. It helped that this was one of Spurs' most memorable seasons with a good Champions League run, but it wasn't a book approached with an ironic or journalistic view, it was just a funny account of something he would have done anyway - and it speaks to his abilities as a writer that the result wasn't dull.

Other than a few choice games such as the trips to the San Siro, in general the matches were the springboard to talking about aspects of the game, such as Crace's need for programmes and match tickets (which came as a bit of a surprise to me), his depression, and the domestic politics of football and social lives. His fellow fans offered comic touches and personality without being too repetitive, and added a nice background to following the team - he managed to demonstrate the social aspect of attending matches quite well - including the lack of decent food options beyond Morrisons near St Andrews.

What stops this being an outstanding book is that many aspects of it have been done before, and this just did it well rather than breaking new ground. There was also a bit too much deprecation of a team that has pretty much always been one of the ten biggest clubs in the country over his lifetime, and as a book it didn't have the breadth of Tim Parks', for example. It was still an enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it over most similar titles, however.

[Darrell Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crace is an engaging character and the biggest thing, as a fellow football fan (though not of Spurs) is just how similar our existence is... the superstitions, the hopes that get wildly out of control before being crushed, the silly small details. It is a story of bonding, especially with his family, although his wife is a shadow presence in his football world. The memorabilia stuff is a new insight for me and a bit bonkers. Basically if it has Spurs on it, then he might buy it - Ops menus being the strangest one, but Crace comes across as a decent man, able to use the ultimate futility of a fervent supporter to shape and help his way through life and all its challenges. There is no big climax - this is Spurs, but that makes the book better really, the tale of an average team (but with a midfield to die for) with no prospect of winning a big one... so like all of us then. Easy to read, some laugh out loud passages... I am scared of stumbling into Yacht Rock! If I met this gentleman, despite our footballing rivalry, I would gladly buy him a beer and commiserate/celebrate those similarly cursed with a lifelong commitment to something so daft. As long as they don’t win anything.....it would be 4 stars but it’s Tottenham so I cruelly and unfairly docked it one.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate Tottenham Hotspur, for reasons that are almost entirely irrational and don't make any sense, but I like John Crace and had to read his football book, a chronicle of a year in the life of a season following Spurs. It was more confessional and honest than I was quite ready for, but I could absolutely empathise with the feelings of frustration that result from supporting a club that lets you down much more often than it should do, and the lengths you'll go to in order to show your support. I hope John is getting something from the upturn in his side's fortunes over recent years. I really enjoyed the book.

[Wilte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest account of one Tottenham's fan of the 2010/2011 season. Crace juggles his family obligations ("have you asked Jill yet?" on going to away games), cash flow (jobs, his hobby of collecting ticket stubs and programs, buying them at [online] auctions), his mental state (depressions, seeing his psychatrist) and Tottenham Hotspur's erratic form.

I do prefer Yacht Rock (or Marina rock; which is the favorite genre of Crace's friends) to Leonard Cohen (Crace's favorite music).

[Kevin Coaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a Tottenham fan. I’m a pessimist. I enjoy Crace’s Parliamentary sketches in The Guardian. So I devoured this in 2-weeks.

It’s all here. Superstitions, rituals, road trips and foreign jaunts. The league is indifferent and Europe an exciting rollercoaster. The book doesn’t go into too much detail about Crace’s depression. What I enjoyed was how football impacts his varying relationships with wife, son and daughter.

[Neville Filar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Finest Book About Football Random since Fever Pitch

I haven't read such a majestically funny and sad panagyric to being a football supporter since Hornbys legendary work. Crace is relentless in his accuracy of observation as well as being painfully honest about himself. Both hilarious and sad this is a wonderful book especially if you've ever supported Spurs!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Enjoyed it more the further I got through it.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurs fan and national treasure John documents the pain and seldom-seen joy of the team. Full of pathos and empathy.

[Karen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic trip down memory lane - and White Hart Lane!

[Steve Parcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this in 5 days which gives the impression it was a brilliant book. But it wasn't. It was entertaining enough. However John Crace whilst undoubtedly being a passionate Spurs fan myself comes across as initially eccentric then damn annoying. As a result he does tend to ramble on a bit and lack any real footballing knowledge.
I was initially excited to read the book as I remember the period when we looked very good under Redknapp. But it is more about him than the team so you become less empathetic to the book. I know he didn't rate Crouchy and his son hated Aaron Lennon but I wanted more details. If it was illogical and there was no reason because as Spurs fans we like a moan then great but was it.
I was hoping for something to rival Fever Pitch. Something we hold up as a Spurs fan and say read this. This is what it is like to suffer for something you love. BUT I got the impression that he didn't suffer. Maybe it is because I am a Spurs fan over generations and it has been ingrained in me whilst John kind of stumbled across Tottenham. He says he despises Man Utd and Chelsea more than Ars~#al. Why? Explain.
Entertaining and compelling at times but equally frustrating and annoying.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Cracen "Vertigo: One Football Fan's Fear of Success" (Constable, 2011) on tutkimusmatka Tottenham-kannattajan sielunelämään. Crace peilaa kirjassaan omaa suhdettaan Spursiin, joukkueeseen jonka kannattaminen on yhtä nautinnollista kuin tuskallistakin. Tapahtumat sijoittuvat kaudelle 2010-2011, jolloin Tottenham pääsi ensimmäistä kertaa mukaan Mestareiden liigaan.

Crace ei kirjoita vain jalkapallosta, vaan tulee samalla käsitelleeksi myös masennusjaksoja, suhdetta perheeseensä ja ystäviinsä, keräilyharrastuksen mielekkyyttä ja pitkiä vieraspelimatkoja, joiden aikana kuunnellaan Journeyta, syödään pahaa ruokaa ja alisuoritetaan W:lla alkavia joukkueita vastaan.

Nyt meillä Spurs-faneilla on oma Hornankattilamme.

[Tony Asaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's call it 3.25 stars out of the 5 (i'm happy to give it a round-up bump for purely sentimental reasons). Though not at all the best or most skilled worker of language and syntax, Crace does put the reader through a funny, honest, quirky, and ultimately quick season in the life of a die-hard, long-haul sports fan who's unable to digest and/or cope with his perennial also-ran team appearing to finally rise above their station and reach for the glory that so cruelly continues to elude them. A personal dissection of the neurosis of fandom which achieves what it sets out to achieve. Enjoyment Level: Quite Satisfactory.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me laugh out loud at times. I have found myself in the same situations, experiencing the same range of emotions in a 90 minute period whilst engaging in the same conversations with friend. I think this is a great read for any football fan. Let's face it, our clubs put us through the mill, week in and week. That said, we love them!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and funny insight into a fan's year of supporting Spurs: just how far will a season ticket holder go? 2010/11 included their dalliance with the Champions League, Bale's second half hat-trick at Inter Milan, Gomez in goal, Hud the Thud and Harry Redknapp. A good read no matter what team you support.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a Spurs fan, but a great read nonetheless... For anyone who has a special, and most likely onesided relationship with a football club, this book is for you.