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Red Eye: One Man's Attempts to Watch United in 25 Different Countries: A Manchester United Fan's Distorted View of the World
For any normal individual, a round the world trip of a lifetime would mean abandoning all thoughts of everyday life and embracing a jetset lifestyle. Not so David Blatt. While his long-suffering wife Helene embarked upon a 90,000 mile global odyssey with thoughts of ticking-off as many of the world's wonders as possible, David felt the magnetic pull of the other love of his life, Manchester United, and the prospect of a whole year without watching Eric's Disciples on Earth. As David proves in "The Red Eye", it is now possible to watch the world's most famous club from almost any part of the globe, with the honourable exception of the Galapagos Islands. From India to Brazil via most points in between, he catches The Reds on dodgy internet streams, at the back of beachside cafes, in restaurants, Aussie pubs and overcrowded hostel reception areas, while Helene plans the next day's breathtaking trip to the likes of the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu. What emerges is a sharply humorous and insightful account of a trip across four continents with the protagonists often at odds over the purpose of the Magnificent Utopia or Manchester United...No contest!
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2013
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 14, 2023
I bought this book from the MUST stand a few years ago to support the fan club, but also to have a feel about what a Manchester United fan book might read like. And my suspicions were confirmed in that if the writer doesn't have much in terms of the exercise of writing, they will hardly create great literature.
But I'm not sure if the book being bad is the greatest sin here; after all, not everyone is born a writer. The most annoying bit is the editorial sloppiness. The book is FACTUALLY wrong. Not even that hard to verify facts at that. The author makes biblical references at various points throughout. Most of them are factually wrong. Like Adam having to sacrifice his son Isaac as ordered by God, or Lot turning into stone when looking back at Sodom (it's Abraham the one with the son sacrifice, and Lot's wife turning into salt, not stone).
Also, Salavdor de Bahai in Brazil! *facepalm* It's Bahia. Salvador de Bahia, as in gulf. The Saviour in the Gulf. It's not a typo either, the Bahai spelling appears 7 times on a single page. Maybe Mr Blatt should visit Haifa for some correct spelling. :D
Beyond these basic mistakes that should have been corrected at the first pass by an editor, the book it's your run-of-the-mill cliche of the Englishman abroad. Not only are the English bad tourists, but they are also oblivious to how annoying they are. Mr Blatt goes places and annoys people. I feel for his poor wife. Extra points to him for being stingy as well, which is not always a trait. Oh, yeah, I'm worried about money, but my daughter is an international pop star.
And the moaning. The moaning is typical, but I haven't quite realized the extent of it as I haven't read that many English travelogues. The formula is simple: you either moan about the lack of soul of the places with nice facilities, or you moan about the lack of facilities of the places outside the beaten track. And you can churn 350 pages of the stuff, from all over the globe.
Redeeming feature? Well, erm.., the final 15 pages or so, after he lands back in England. The passion for United, the efforts to go to games and THAT Rooney goal vs City. Which goes to show... avoid places with Englishmen outside of England, kids! You can tell where there are because you're likely to see a LUHG sticker.
I figure Mr Blatt might read this very uncomplimentary review. If he does, well... Sir, I respect your passion, I respect that we are united by the love for our football club, but please, stop writing books. You could spend the time by doing nice things for your wife instead.
But I'm not sure if the book being bad is the greatest sin here; after all, not everyone is born a writer. The most annoying bit is the editorial sloppiness. The book is FACTUALLY wrong. Not even that hard to verify facts at that. The author makes biblical references at various points throughout. Most of them are factually wrong. Like Adam having to sacrifice his son Isaac as ordered by God, or Lot turning into stone when looking back at Sodom (it's Abraham the one with the son sacrifice, and Lot's wife turning into salt, not stone).
Also, Salavdor de Bahai in Brazil! *facepalm* It's Bahia. Salvador de Bahia, as in gulf. The Saviour in the Gulf. It's not a typo either, the Bahai spelling appears 7 times on a single page. Maybe Mr Blatt should visit Haifa for some correct spelling. :D
Beyond these basic mistakes that should have been corrected at the first pass by an editor, the book it's your run-of-the-mill cliche of the Englishman abroad. Not only are the English bad tourists, but they are also oblivious to how annoying they are. Mr Blatt goes places and annoys people. I feel for his poor wife. Extra points to him for being stingy as well, which is not always a trait. Oh, yeah, I'm worried about money, but my daughter is an international pop star.
And the moaning. The moaning is typical, but I haven't quite realized the extent of it as I haven't read that many English travelogues. The formula is simple: you either moan about the lack of soul of the places with nice facilities, or you moan about the lack of facilities of the places outside the beaten track. And you can churn 350 pages of the stuff, from all over the globe.
Redeeming feature? Well, erm.., the final 15 pages or so, after he lands back in England. The passion for United, the efforts to go to games and THAT Rooney goal vs City. Which goes to show... avoid places with Englishmen outside of England, kids! You can tell where there are because you're likely to see a LUHG sticker.
I figure Mr Blatt might read this very uncomplimentary review. If he does, well... Sir, I respect your passion, I respect that we are united by the love for our football club, but please, stop writing books. You could spend the time by doing nice things for your wife instead.
Displaying 1 of 1 review