Jeffanory: Stories from Beyond Soccer Saturday

by Jeff Stelling

TV’s most popular sports broadcaster returns with the funniest and maddest stories from the unhinged world of football Are you sitting comfortably? Then Jeff will begin. The universally-loved, award-winning host of Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday and Channel 4's Countdown , and author of the bestselling Jelleyman's Thrown a Wobbly , returns with a Jackanory-style, football-flavored narrative which gathers together the funniest, weirdest, most tragic, most heartwarming, under-the-radar stories of the football season. The book is stuffed to the gunnels with behind-the-scenes revelations, opinions, and personal anecdotes from Jeff, and has a strong leaning towards the absurdities of both the highest levels and the grassroots of the game. From the Macclesfield goalkeeper booked for using a golf tee to take his goal kicks, to the unintelligible ranting and raving of South American dictator chairmen, let Jeff be your trusted guide through the madness of the football season, and let Jeffanory supply you with a veritable treasure trove of great anecdotes to take to the pub

Genres: Nonfiction, Football, Sports, Humor

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to enjoy watching Sky Sports Soccer Saturday and have always admired the quick witted, knowledgeable presenter Jeff Stelling. This book is entertaining and easy to dip in and out so can easily be read at the same time as other books. I found that suited me perfectly as I didn't want to read too much at any one time and it helped me keep the book flowing and enjoyable. Surprisingly to me I didn't enjoy the read at first, but found I eventually got into the laddish humour often found on a Saturday afternoon with Jeff Stelling and co and it made a pleasant change from my more frequent genre 'Mystery Thrillers'.
Maybe not the best book in the world or even the best by the author but nevertheless entertaining.

[Chris Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as his first book but still worth a read for fans of Soccer Saturday programme. Consists more of small stories normally found in local newspapers.

[Stuart Downton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid read with lots of interesting fun facts about the game :)

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realised pretty quickly that this book wasn't really going to be completely to my tastes - the subject of football interests me, but Stelling's style is a little too laddish, a little too forced in the humour, a little too 'lowest common denominator' to appear to the man on the street. However, it was entertaining enough, even as a pretty light read made up of the author's sporting anecdotes and a smattering of quirky stories gathered from the internet and the press. In particular there were a number of times when Stelling dispensed with the blokey pisstaking for a short while and made intelligent and serious points about genuinely important aspects of football and sport - about illness and inclusiveness, charity and real life surrounding the sport. So yes, not as banal a book as first impressions suggested.

[Kevin Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed something light and this was exactly the sort of thing that I wanted.to read, some great anecdotes and stories.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brand extension in print form. Warm tone, full of bantz.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a dedicated fan of Soccer Saturday, and therefore being familiar with the humour of both Jeff and the regular panel, I thoroughly enjoyed the read, as would any soccer fan, fanatic or casual.