Angeball: Insights and Inspiration

by Chris McLeod

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 8, 2024

Reviews

[Payton Tag · Rating 1 out of 5]

Littered with constant spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, this book reads like a year 2 assignment. The editor, if there was one, needs a good slap across the head. In terms of the content, it’s nothing you can’t just read straight off Wikipedia or any article you come across about Postecoglou. Even more irritating was the use of incorrect terminology like ‘trade window’ instead of transfer window, mid-fielder when it should simply be midfielder, referring to Manchester United as MU… there’s so many more to list but I’d run out of characters. Player names were spelt wrong throughout (Dragusin, Dragosin, Dragousin)… seriously, it’s disrespectful. So these frustrations made it difficult to enjoy any components. Additionally, there was no insight into Angeball despite that being the title of the book, other than ‘possession-based’ and ‘short, quick passing’ on repeat like a broken record. The book was 308 pages and could’ve easily just been 100 pages, but everything seemed to be repeated 2-3 times without any coherent structure or chronology. I could’ve pulled my hair out. Do yourself a favour, don’t waste your money and go read Angeball by Vince Rugari instead.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Ange Postecoglou is a fascinating one so there is enjoyment in that alone, but this is a bizarre book.

The first 60 pages rambles on about Tottenham without any sense of structure, logic or chronology, and then it finally gets into the backstory of Ange and his managerial positions. But it doesn’t really seem to go into much depth, especially on how he achieved such success across his various roles.

It ends with more Tottenham content, but Postecoglou had only been there for a few months when this book was written. The book is extremely repetitive, riddled with spelling errors, and the structure is just all over the shop.

There’s also a very odd chapter anecdoting the author’s own coaching career, which seems to try to make the point that coaching is important (!) and lists 12 basic requirements for coaching football, like ball control, fitness and passing?! Big whoop.

The cynic in me can’t help but feel this was hastily whacked together to cash in on another book called Angeball released around the same time.

Bizarre.

[Tamara Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like everything was covered in the first few chapters and skim read the rest as it was a lot of the same points. Has potential but could have been executed better by spreading the story of an amazing man out.

[Ian Kloester]

I was hoping for more insights and inspiration.