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The Promised Land: Manchester United's Historic Treble
In 1998-99, Manchester United won the Premier League, the FA Cup and Champions League – the only English team ever to accomplish such a feat. Whether that makes it the finest of all time is open to debate, but what is not is the status of the it featured astounding football, exceptional competition, staggering determination, ceaseless tension, astonishing plot twists, and a cast of fascinating, iconic characters. The Promised Land relives these breathless moments on a month-by-month basis, taking you into the dressing room, onto the pitch and into the minds of those involved, to explain why it all worked and how it all happened – with the perspective afforded by twenty years' distance.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Harris
5 books1 followerLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 29, 2019
A worthy companion to the impossible dream documentary which recently aired here in the United States as part of NBC’s premier league coverage. You will even see the author in the documentary. Almost a game by game chronology of Manchester United’s treble Winning 1999 season… Even this arsenal fan enjoyed it although I suspect I might be in the minority.
October 23, 2025
Overall, informative and fun. A few of the author's prejudices show in the text. 2008 feels a long time ago.
September 20, 2020
I lived through this season a true United fan, and at every dramatic turn throughout the season - sendings off, late comebacks (so, so many of those), 1-0 victories that felt like thrashings, injuries that threatened to derail the impetus that the team had gained in the run-up to those 3 fateful games in late April & early May & and numerous other seemingly insurmountable obstacles that were unsurprisingly mounted, I believe I never really lost faith, but was as surprised and justified in my faith mere seconds after Old Gunner Solskjaer stuck out his leg to tickle in that winning goal from Sheringham's deft flick, as anyone else who followed United on their journey to the promised land ever could be. Or ever was. Or ever still is. Because that season - except for maybe 2012/13 - stands for me as the epitome of bravery, tactical acumen, some (hell, A LOT) little luck and an alignment of the stars of the footballing Gods' firmament, that beautifully coalesced into a warm May evening in Barcelona, in possibly the grandest of stadiums outside of Old Trafford in The Nou Camp where everything came together nicely. Very nicely indeed in fact.
I slept in my United shirt that night, still wearing it hours after the final whistle had blown and even contemplated wearing it to work the next day. A reluctant common sense prevailed. But spiritually it was under my clothes the next day, and for months afterwards.
This book brought back some minute details I had forgotten, about the less well-remembered games and events of that season, the memories flooding back for me, and Daniel Harris told it in a wry and humorous way, all the time displaying an abundance of love and respect for his - and my - heroes in red.
I have the DVD of that season, but somehow images and goals alone don't tell a complete story, and this book serves as a great accompaniment to what was at the time, and still remains, a season to end all seasons, for the drama and the rapture and the love and the pure joy that infused those invested in its outcome, for years after.
Quite possibly the best account of that halcyon season told from a fan's viewpoint with an eye for the comical insight and the sardonic put-down befitting the humour and tradition of all red Mancunians.
Time, I think to watch the DVD again.
I slept in my United shirt that night, still wearing it hours after the final whistle had blown and even contemplated wearing it to work the next day. A reluctant common sense prevailed. But spiritually it was under my clothes the next day, and for months afterwards.
This book brought back some minute details I had forgotten, about the less well-remembered games and events of that season, the memories flooding back for me, and Daniel Harris told it in a wry and humorous way, all the time displaying an abundance of love and respect for his - and my - heroes in red.
I have the DVD of that season, but somehow images and goals alone don't tell a complete story, and this book serves as a great accompaniment to what was at the time, and still remains, a season to end all seasons, for the drama and the rapture and the love and the pure joy that infused those invested in its outcome, for years after.
Quite possibly the best account of that halcyon season told from a fan's viewpoint with an eye for the comical insight and the sardonic put-down befitting the humour and tradition of all red Mancunians.
Time, I think to watch the DVD again.
February 6, 2024
Love it, beautifully written, whitty, great read!
February 15, 2020
It's such a shame because it could have been good. This is a story that doesn't need any more drama beyond its being true, and yet the magic is taken away through careless writing and difficult reading. It's near impossible to follow the description of what's going on in the match, because of the way it's described: everyone is 'he', and the 'he' in question shifts so quickly from move to move that you are lost in who actually has the ball. For example:
And this is one of the better ones.
The use of the whole 'gam zu letovah' device I found irrelevant at best and annoying at worst; it also disappears after it's first explained early on in the book only to reappear in a flurry at the end when a) you've forgotten what it means and b) it interrupts the pacing so much that you want to cut every mention out with a pair of scissors (you'd have a lot of paper on your hands).
Also, he's got some weird thing against Peter Schmeichel which is never explained, which kind of put me off.
There are some nice emotional moments where Harris does get the whole football book schtick right - you're supposed to be feeling, after all - but overall it isn't a great book, and anyone who really wants to get into the mood of '99 would I feel be better off watching a documentary. The story of the Treble should have produced a book like All Played Out or even better, but this isn't it by a long shot.
...it then went quare to Stam and back to Irwin, Bayern still boxed. Clipping to Giggs, on the right touchline, a volleyed touch found the nearby Cole, who controlled and gave it back. Rolling his studs forwards over the ball to set for a left-footed cross, with every defender but one and every attacker but one attracted to the near post, he curled to the far, in front of Blomqvist, himself in front of Babbel and eight yards from goal. Sliding in and with the entire goal to aim at, he couldn't control his finish...
And this is one of the better ones.
The use of the whole 'gam zu letovah' device I found irrelevant at best and annoying at worst; it also disappears after it's first explained early on in the book only to reappear in a flurry at the end when a) you've forgotten what it means and b) it interrupts the pacing so much that you want to cut every mention out with a pair of scissors (you'd have a lot of paper on your hands).
Also, he's got some weird thing against Peter Schmeichel which is never explained, which kind of put me off.
There are some nice emotional moments where Harris does get the whole football book schtick right - you're supposed to be feeling, after all - but overall it isn't a great book, and anyone who really wants to get into the mood of '99 would I feel be better off watching a documentary. The story of the Treble should have produced a book like All Played Out or even better, but this isn't it by a long shot.
July 14, 2023
Bloody hell, unnecessarily detailed.
There's way too much information about each individual game, the build up play, throw ins, corners, missed chances, etc. If I wanted that, I could just go and grab the match reports online.
I wanted to go into the minds of the people involved, the dressing room - which is what the blurb offered.
Very disappointed.
There's way too much information about each individual game, the build up play, throw ins, corners, missed chances, etc. If I wanted that, I could just go and grab the match reports online.
I wanted to go into the minds of the people involved, the dressing room - which is what the blurb offered.
Very disappointed.
August 4, 2020
Review
Interesting book. It wasn't just about United here. Some of the information was very familiar. The current squad have a long way to go.
Interesting book. It wasn't just about United here. Some of the information was very familiar. The current squad have a long way to go.
May 5, 2020
Man United fan goes game-by-game in documenting the 1998/99 season. Funny and smart, and a good companion to any highlights reel.
December 5, 2013
A good read for any Manchester United fan. Details all the games during that year, from a fans perspective naturally but a lot of the individual games I had forgotten about, particularly at the start of that momentous year.
December 18, 2013
Every united fan should read this book a bit slow at first but I couldn't put it down at the end even though I knew the ending GGMU
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews