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Karambol: Premier Lig’in Taktiksel Tarihi
1992 yılında İngiliz futbolu, Avrupa turnuvalarından beş yıl boyunca menedilmiş olmanın etkilerini hâlâ üzerinde taşıyordu. Oynanan oyun, modern futbol anlayışından oldukça uzaktı. Futbol fiziksel güce dayalıydı; hızdan çok kuvvet, centilmenlikten çok agresiflik ön plandaydı. Sert müdahaleler, uzun boylu forvetlerin hava toplarıyla gol araması ve topu ceza sahasına doldurmak gibi taktikler yaygındı. Diziliş açısından 4-4-2 dışında pek fazla alternatif düşünülmüyor, takımlar taktiksel yeniliklerden kaçınıyordu. O dönem futbol, ağırlıklı olarak güçlü oyuncuların bireysel mücadelesine dayanan basit bir oyun olarak kabul ediliyordu.
Sonra, neredeyse bir gecede her şey değişti. Premier Lig’in kurulması, futboldaki en önemli kural değişikliklerinden biriyle, geri pasın yasaklanmasıyla aynı döneme denk geldi. Bir anda savunmacılar için kurtuluş yolu kalmadı, kaleciler topu kontrol edebilmek ve oyuna sokabilmek zorundaydı, oyunun temposu da inanılmaz şekilde hızlandı. Bu dönemde, taktikler, diğer ülkelerin liglerinden alınan ilhamla hızla evrildi.
Karambol, Premier Lig’in taktiksel hikâyesine derinlemesine inen ve futbolun nasıl geliştiğini ayrıntılı bir şekilde ele alan ilk kitap. Ferguson’ın doğrudan oyun anlayışından Keegan’ın sürekli hücum eden Newcastle’ına, Mourinho’nun temkinli ve reaksiyonel Chelsea’sine, Ranieri’nin kontratak şampiyonlarına kadar birçok dönemi kapsayan Karambol, şimdiye kadar yazılmış en eğlenceli, bilgi dolu ve zengin futbol kitaplarından biri.
Sonra, neredeyse bir gecede her şey değişti. Premier Lig’in kurulması, futboldaki en önemli kural değişikliklerinden biriyle, geri pasın yasaklanmasıyla aynı döneme denk geldi. Bir anda savunmacılar için kurtuluş yolu kalmadı, kaleciler topu kontrol edebilmek ve oyuna sokabilmek zorundaydı, oyunun temposu da inanılmaz şekilde hızlandı. Bu dönemde, taktikler, diğer ülkelerin liglerinden alınan ilhamla hızla evrildi.
Karambol, Premier Lig’in taktiksel hikâyesine derinlemesine inen ve futbolun nasıl geliştiğini ayrıntılı bir şekilde ele alan ilk kitap. Ferguson’ın doğrudan oyun anlayışından Keegan’ın sürekli hücum eden Newcastle’ına, Mourinho’nun temkinli ve reaksiyonel Chelsea’sine, Ranieri’nin kontratak şampiyonlarına kadar birçok dönemi kapsayan Karambol, şimdiye kadar yazılmış en eğlenceli, bilgi dolu ve zengin futbol kitaplarından biri.
608 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 394 reviews
October 20, 2017
Oh god, what a joyous, near-pornographic treat for football nerds.
The Mixer really is just 400 pages about things like the difference between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, and why inverted wingers can lead to midfield congestion. By rights, this book should be quite boring.
Cox makes it interesting by spinning the whole thing into a narrative that's gripping all the way through. The basic plot is that post-Heysel British football decided in 1992 to reinvent itself, with money from Rupert Murdoch and driven by the greatest manager in the history of British football, Alex Ferguson.
Football back in '92 was all about strength and passion. Nobody wanted to overthink the game, not the fans, not the media, and certainly not the players, who were still showing up to training sessions with hangovers. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to import fancy ideas like "tactics" from Europe. None of those short, clever passes, no building from the back, just stick it in the fahkin mixer.
Ferguson, who really is the most important figure in the history of English football, had other ideas and started to introduce new concepts, like getting Eric Cantona to play between the lines in a number 10 role (something that was decidedly foreign in the early 90s). Eventually, Number 10s became standard, with other teams bringing in players like Zola and Bergkamp, and the game became subtly more Europeanised.
Ferguson really is the heart of the whole story, the wiley old git constantly finding new ways to reinvent his team, and the rest of the league scrambling to keep up. After winning the treble with a very traditional 4-4-2, he experimented with 4-5-1, 4-3-3, inverted wingers, false 9s and basically whatever tactic that had recently defeated him in Europe.
He himself was locked in a kind of Sisyphusean tragedy, where he is utterly dominant at home but always a step behind the innovators of Europe. He won two Champions Leagues, sure, but both by the skin of his teeth. United never dominated a final, never absolutely battered their opponent, never proved Ferguson to be Europe's greatest tactician.
But he did keep trying, and his mad experiments forced the other teams in the league to adapt or get relegated. Game by game, the Premier league learned to stop lumping long balls up to a target man, and learned how to play football.
United's endless revolution dominated the Premiership until he retired, so almost every other team is relegated to a subplot in this book, but there are some crackers: a ruthless post-mortem of Keegan's Newcastle failure, the many moods of Brendan Rogers, the rise and fall of Pulisball, how Ruud Gullit failed to convince anyone that his ideal role was centre back, and why Makelele is the most important player of this century.
The Mixer connects all of these plots, making them all seem like a logical consequence of what went before. It adds up to single, epic story, spanning 25 years, 47 teams, 10,000 games, 25,000 goals, epic tactical battles, wet windy nights in Stoke, and the possibility this might finally be Liverpool's year.
By rights, the story should taper off with Ferg's retirement, but that was only the prelude to the maddest event in the history of all sport, Leicester's 2016 title win. Football. Bloody hell.
The Mixer really is just 400 pages about things like the difference between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, and why inverted wingers can lead to midfield congestion. By rights, this book should be quite boring.
Cox makes it interesting by spinning the whole thing into a narrative that's gripping all the way through. The basic plot is that post-Heysel British football decided in 1992 to reinvent itself, with money from Rupert Murdoch and driven by the greatest manager in the history of British football, Alex Ferguson.
Football back in '92 was all about strength and passion. Nobody wanted to overthink the game, not the fans, not the media, and certainly not the players, who were still showing up to training sessions with hangovers. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to import fancy ideas like "tactics" from Europe. None of those short, clever passes, no building from the back, just stick it in the fahkin mixer.
Ferguson, who really is the most important figure in the history of English football, had other ideas and started to introduce new concepts, like getting Eric Cantona to play between the lines in a number 10 role (something that was decidedly foreign in the early 90s). Eventually, Number 10s became standard, with other teams bringing in players like Zola and Bergkamp, and the game became subtly more Europeanised.
Ferguson really is the heart of the whole story, the wiley old git constantly finding new ways to reinvent his team, and the rest of the league scrambling to keep up. After winning the treble with a very traditional 4-4-2, he experimented with 4-5-1, 4-3-3, inverted wingers, false 9s and basically whatever tactic that had recently defeated him in Europe.
He himself was locked in a kind of Sisyphusean tragedy, where he is utterly dominant at home but always a step behind the innovators of Europe. He won two Champions Leagues, sure, but both by the skin of his teeth. United never dominated a final, never absolutely battered their opponent, never proved Ferguson to be Europe's greatest tactician.
But he did keep trying, and his mad experiments forced the other teams in the league to adapt or get relegated. Game by game, the Premier league learned to stop lumping long balls up to a target man, and learned how to play football.
United's endless revolution dominated the Premiership until he retired, so almost every other team is relegated to a subplot in this book, but there are some crackers: a ruthless post-mortem of Keegan's Newcastle failure, the many moods of Brendan Rogers, the rise and fall of Pulisball, how Ruud Gullit failed to convince anyone that his ideal role was centre back, and why Makelele is the most important player of this century.
The Mixer connects all of these plots, making them all seem like a logical consequence of what went before. It adds up to single, epic story, spanning 25 years, 47 teams, 10,000 games, 25,000 goals, epic tactical battles, wet windy nights in Stoke, and the possibility this might finally be Liverpool's year.
By rights, the story should taper off with Ferg's retirement, but that was only the prelude to the maddest event in the history of all sport, Leicester's 2016 title win. Football. Bloody hell.
July 2, 2020
Fucking brilliant, I absolutely loved it and already want to read it again.
February 19, 2018
"The Mixer" is billed as a tactical history of the English Premier League explaining - across 25 years in 25 chapters - how English football evolved from being traditionally backward and inward-looking to become the most international and tactically-advanced league in the world. It takes 1992 as it's starting point - a year significant not so much for the formation of the Premier League, but for the introduction of the law banning the backpass to the goalkeeper (leading to a greater emphasis on a short-passing game instead of 'route one' long ball).
But, "The Mixer" is a book which isn’t quite sure what it wants to be; it falls between two stools of being an analysis of the evolution of English football tactics, or a potted history of the English Premier League, and fails to deliver on either of those objectives entirely satisfactorily.
The success of Jonathan Wilson's books like "Inverting the Pyramid" and "Behind the Curtain" show there is an appetite - and market - for books on how football tactics have developed. The problem in this case is that the first 10 years of the Premier League involved little tactical innovation, making “The Mixer” a curiously lopsided book.
So, the first half of "The Mixer" ends up as a fairly dry recitation of the key matches and pivotal transfer signings of the English Premier League in the 1990s, little of which will be hugely revelatory to anybody with a passing interest in football during that era. Rather than any great tactical insight, the early chapters of "The Mixer" cover well-trodden ground like how Arsene Wenger and Dennis Bergkamp revolutionised] Arsenal, the midfield battles between Patrick Viera and Roy Keane in the 2000s, and Alex Ferguson's attempts to move Manchester United to a more defensive, 'European' approach. All of this is relatively recent history - and as the English Premier League does not want for lack of exposure - little of it will be new for most football fans.
The latter parts of "The Mixer" are better, and there are a few interesting sections in the second part of the book analysing Tony Pulis and his use of long throw-ins at Stoke City, and the growing popularity of 'inverted wingers' like Gareth Bale. There is even a chapter giving a fairly clear explanation as to what a ‘false number nine’ might be.
Yet, it is hard to work out who the audience might be for "The Mixer". Fans with an interest in football data analytics are better off reading "Soccernomics" by Kuper & Syzmanski; tactical anoraks should check out the aforementioned titles by Jonathan Wilson. "The Mixer" is well-researched and competently written, but it is surprisingly found wanting when it comes to depth of analysis.
But, "The Mixer" is a book which isn’t quite sure what it wants to be; it falls between two stools of being an analysis of the evolution of English football tactics, or a potted history of the English Premier League, and fails to deliver on either of those objectives entirely satisfactorily.
The success of Jonathan Wilson's books like "Inverting the Pyramid" and "Behind the Curtain" show there is an appetite - and market - for books on how football tactics have developed. The problem in this case is that the first 10 years of the Premier League involved little tactical innovation, making “The Mixer” a curiously lopsided book.
So, the first half of "The Mixer" ends up as a fairly dry recitation of the key matches and pivotal transfer signings of the English Premier League in the 1990s, little of which will be hugely revelatory to anybody with a passing interest in football during that era. Rather than any great tactical insight, the early chapters of "The Mixer" cover well-trodden ground like how Arsene Wenger and Dennis Bergkamp revolutionised] Arsenal, the midfield battles between Patrick Viera and Roy Keane in the 2000s, and Alex Ferguson's attempts to move Manchester United to a more defensive, 'European' approach. All of this is relatively recent history - and as the English Premier League does not want for lack of exposure - little of it will be new for most football fans.
The latter parts of "The Mixer" are better, and there are a few interesting sections in the second part of the book analysing Tony Pulis and his use of long throw-ins at Stoke City, and the growing popularity of 'inverted wingers' like Gareth Bale. There is even a chapter giving a fairly clear explanation as to what a ‘false number nine’ might be.
Yet, it is hard to work out who the audience might be for "The Mixer". Fans with an interest in football data analytics are better off reading "Soccernomics" by Kuper & Syzmanski; tactical anoraks should check out the aforementioned titles by Jonathan Wilson. "The Mixer" is well-researched and competently written, but it is surprisingly found wanting when it comes to depth of analysis.
January 9, 2019
Dla fanów piłki nożnej - niesamowicie interesująca i wnikliwa analiza jednej z najlepszych lig świata. Dla całej reszty - gwarancja szybkiego zaśnięcia przy czytaniu o roli wahadłowych w systemie z trójką obrońców. W każdym razie godna polecenia ;)
November 23, 2017
Michael Cox is the author of the football tactics website Zonal Marking
http://www.zonalmarking.net/
and a freelance football journalist, particularly featured in the Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/m...
This book is effectively a tactical history of the UK Premier League, based presumably on his years of analysis for his website supplemented by many hours of re-watching of past matches, and also (from the index) based on scouring footballer’s (auto)biographies and contemporary newspaper reports.
Each season is featured in its own chapter, which proceed chronologically but are also aimed to identify emerging ideas and themes.
A theme that underpins the book is universality. Universality of tactics, with players in all positions becoming all-rounders rather than specialists. Universality of the players and managers in the league: Cox traces almost all of the tactical evolutions to the influence of foreign players and managers – at one stage arguing that Rio Ferdinand and Brendan Rogers are the only two real exceptions to this rule. He even goes further to argue that in later years a number of tactical evolutions were from foreign teams which were then adapted into the Premier League.
One of Cox’s key opening contentions is that the timing of the Premium League fortuitously (particularly given its link up with Sky, its rebranding, and the systematic live broadcasting of matches) co-incided with a rules induced change in football tactics – the banning of the back pass after the bore-fest that was the 1990 World Cup. Further this itself meant that goalkeepers were the early harbingers of the universality theme – the back pass rule meant they suddenly needed to learn to kick, and while only 11 of the 242 starting players on the opening weekend of the Premier League were foreign, 4 of those 11 were goalkeepers – with 1 year later 10 of the starting goalkeepers being foreign.
The book then proceeds to trace how tactics and counter-tactics evolved over time – and the players and managers who influenced those changes.
Another area Cox delights in is the use of empirical data to overturn received wisdom or established legend. For example from the very early years of the Premier League: Blackburn in 1994/5 “bottled” the league to the same extent as Newcastle in 1995/96 (the difference being solely Manchester Utd’s relative levels of “bottle” in each season); Newcastle’s defensive record in 195/96 was in line with the general goals conceded record of the title winners in that (and the next 5) seasons – the problem was a lack of goals which stemmed from a complete lack of any tactical plan
I also enjoyed his standback perspective on other events, looking for the story behind the better known story and in some cases the role of serendipity. In this case, picking some example from Arsene Wenger’s impact at Arsenal. Firstly Bruce Rioch’s unheralded role in “setting the wheels in motion for the Wenger revolution” both by introducing a concept of passing out from the back, and reducing the goalscoring reliance on Ian Wright. Secondly the crucial impact of Tony Adams declaration of alcoholism and David Platt’s Italian inspired practices meaning that Wenger found a more accepting environment for the health, fitness and lifestyle changes he introduced than Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United, where eventually Ferguson “was forced to sell the two chief culprits, Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside, who were among United’s star players and fan favourites” – something which may have played a role in the far more immediate revolution Wenger was able to introduce (and the resulting much quicker success he attained).
I also enjoyed how Cox picks out crucial turning points in tactics and what lead to them. Here I will pick a more recent example from the two last years of the Premiership – where Cox points out that the last two Champions (Leicester and Chelsea) owe their titles to complete tactical switches they made early in the season after heavy and deserved defeats by Arsenal (5-2 and 3-0 respectively – in Chelsea’s case a switch actually executed at half time in that very game).
Finally, I found as I read the book, that I was continually highlighting passages of insight – the above is only a very small sample.
For the intelligent football fan (and as part of the changes the game has witnessed over the last 30+ years, this is now far from an oxymoron) this book is a fantastic read. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC provided via NetGalley.
http://www.zonalmarking.net/
and a freelance football journalist, particularly featured in the Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/m...
This book is effectively a tactical history of the UK Premier League, based presumably on his years of analysis for his website supplemented by many hours of re-watching of past matches, and also (from the index) based on scouring footballer’s (auto)biographies and contemporary newspaper reports.
Each season is featured in its own chapter, which proceed chronologically but are also aimed to identify emerging ideas and themes.
A theme that underpins the book is universality. Universality of tactics, with players in all positions becoming all-rounders rather than specialists. Universality of the players and managers in the league: Cox traces almost all of the tactical evolutions to the influence of foreign players and managers – at one stage arguing that Rio Ferdinand and Brendan Rogers are the only two real exceptions to this rule. He even goes further to argue that in later years a number of tactical evolutions were from foreign teams which were then adapted into the Premier League.
One of Cox’s key opening contentions is that the timing of the Premium League fortuitously (particularly given its link up with Sky, its rebranding, and the systematic live broadcasting of matches) co-incided with a rules induced change in football tactics – the banning of the back pass after the bore-fest that was the 1990 World Cup. Further this itself meant that goalkeepers were the early harbingers of the universality theme – the back pass rule meant they suddenly needed to learn to kick, and while only 11 of the 242 starting players on the opening weekend of the Premier League were foreign, 4 of those 11 were goalkeepers – with 1 year later 10 of the starting goalkeepers being foreign.
The book then proceeds to trace how tactics and counter-tactics evolved over time – and the players and managers who influenced those changes.
Another area Cox delights in is the use of empirical data to overturn received wisdom or established legend. For example from the very early years of the Premier League: Blackburn in 1994/5 “bottled” the league to the same extent as Newcastle in 1995/96 (the difference being solely Manchester Utd’s relative levels of “bottle” in each season); Newcastle’s defensive record in 195/96 was in line with the general goals conceded record of the title winners in that (and the next 5) seasons – the problem was a lack of goals which stemmed from a complete lack of any tactical plan
I also enjoyed his standback perspective on other events, looking for the story behind the better known story and in some cases the role of serendipity. In this case, picking some example from Arsene Wenger’s impact at Arsenal. Firstly Bruce Rioch’s unheralded role in “setting the wheels in motion for the Wenger revolution” both by introducing a concept of passing out from the back, and reducing the goalscoring reliance on Ian Wright. Secondly the crucial impact of Tony Adams declaration of alcoholism and David Platt’s Italian inspired practices meaning that Wenger found a more accepting environment for the health, fitness and lifestyle changes he introduced than Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United, where eventually Ferguson “was forced to sell the two chief culprits, Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside, who were among United’s star players and fan favourites” – something which may have played a role in the far more immediate revolution Wenger was able to introduce (and the resulting much quicker success he attained).
I also enjoyed how Cox picks out crucial turning points in tactics and what lead to them. Here I will pick a more recent example from the two last years of the Premiership – where Cox points out that the last two Champions (Leicester and Chelsea) owe their titles to complete tactical switches they made early in the season after heavy and deserved defeats by Arsenal (5-2 and 3-0 respectively – in Chelsea’s case a switch actually executed at half time in that very game).
Finally, I found as I read the book, that I was continually highlighting passages of insight – the above is only a very small sample.
For the intelligent football fan (and as part of the changes the game has witnessed over the last 30+ years, this is now far from an oxymoron) this book is a fantastic read. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC provided via NetGalley.
November 25, 2021
Backpass law change in 1992 and the effect it had on playing out from the back. Goalkeepers having to adapt and become proficient with their feet.
Big Sam and misconceptions about his methods behind the scenes because of the style of on the pitch football he championed.
Juninho's time at borough and the struggle to integrate and carry flashy playmakers once the system itself became the most important part of the team.
Wenger's arrival at Arsenal and the French Revolution that followed.
Teams searching for the next Premier League Cantona after Baggio, Zola etc.
Faster defenders. Rio Ferdinand proving that a classy, fast defender can play in a back four. One of only two English exported revolutions cited by Cox.
433 and the packing of a functional midfield.
England trying to accommodate Beckham, Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard into the same midfield.
Xavi as the most important player of the 21st century.
Henry v Van Nistelrooy and the battle between the old school #9 and the more contemporary inverted winger striker.
Tony Pulis, Rory Delap and Stoke prove that isolating a single aspect of the game can have a brief successful outcome.
English Premier League as an eclectic showcase of foreign talent that rarely innovates internally.
Big Sam and misconceptions about his methods behind the scenes because of the style of on the pitch football he championed.
Juninho's time at borough and the struggle to integrate and carry flashy playmakers once the system itself became the most important part of the team.
Wenger's arrival at Arsenal and the French Revolution that followed.
Teams searching for the next Premier League Cantona after Baggio, Zola etc.
Faster defenders. Rio Ferdinand proving that a classy, fast defender can play in a back four. One of only two English exported revolutions cited by Cox.
433 and the packing of a functional midfield.
England trying to accommodate Beckham, Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard into the same midfield.
Xavi as the most important player of the 21st century.
Henry v Van Nistelrooy and the battle between the old school #9 and the more contemporary inverted winger striker.
Tony Pulis, Rory Delap and Stoke prove that isolating a single aspect of the game can have a brief successful outcome.
English Premier League as an eclectic showcase of foreign talent that rarely innovates internally.
March 10, 2020
A decent record of the English Premier League, or at least the top of the league, and how tactics have evolved largely as a result of European influences.
October 17, 2024
3+, interessant, men ikkje spennande, tok si tid å fullføre.
March 28, 2025
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION MENTIONED WOOOOOOOOOO
November 11, 2018
I thought that this was a bit like watching 25 years of MOTD highlights, including some fairly standard football punditry. You get to see some fabulous players, the big teams (a lot) and have the illusion of being better informed. Its enjoyable, but how in depth is it?
I had a seed of doubt in the opening pages when the author is making some disparaging comments about long ball football, and the fabled 'position of maximum opportunity'. Now I'm no fan of the theories of Wing Commander Hughes and the big ball, but at least I know that the position of maximum opportunity is somewhere between the penalty spot and the near post. Michael Cox , however, places it on the back post. A bad start for a book on tactics...
Thereafter, well it is all a bit of a nostalgia trip, and the author has a clear and convincing thesis about how English football has been progressively transformed by the influx of foreign players, coaches and tactics. He concludes with some poignant comments about how much this is at odds with Brexit 'and all that'. But I'd say that throughout its all a bit 'tactics lite'. It does for example make much of the modern trend towards 'pressing'. which I find fascinating. How can 10 outfield players + a keeper playing as sweeper effectively press 11 talented opponents on something the size of a football pitch without being comprehensively out passed? You know from the author that the players have to be very fit and have to practice a lot...beyond that, well, I'm still none the wiser.
Still a fun read, even if the author suggests, on at least two or three separate occasions, that Paul Scholes wasn't a genuinely world class performer. Says a lot.
I had a seed of doubt in the opening pages when the author is making some disparaging comments about long ball football, and the fabled 'position of maximum opportunity'. Now I'm no fan of the theories of Wing Commander Hughes and the big ball, but at least I know that the position of maximum opportunity is somewhere between the penalty spot and the near post. Michael Cox , however, places it on the back post. A bad start for a book on tactics...
Thereafter, well it is all a bit of a nostalgia trip, and the author has a clear and convincing thesis about how English football has been progressively transformed by the influx of foreign players, coaches and tactics. He concludes with some poignant comments about how much this is at odds with Brexit 'and all that'. But I'd say that throughout its all a bit 'tactics lite'. It does for example make much of the modern trend towards 'pressing'. which I find fascinating. How can 10 outfield players + a keeper playing as sweeper effectively press 11 talented opponents on something the size of a football pitch without being comprehensively out passed? You know from the author that the players have to be very fit and have to practice a lot...beyond that, well, I'm still none the wiser.
Still a fun read, even if the author suggests, on at least two or three separate occasions, that Paul Scholes wasn't a genuinely world class performer. Says a lot.
February 23, 2021
The author has summarised the 25 seasons prior to the current (released in 2016) to mark the 25 years of premiership football. It is such a joy to read as a football and more importantly a Premier League nerd.
25 seasons each with its unique story in itself is a joy to read. From a tactical stand point to pure premiership drama, it has everything.
From route one football to Leicester's counter attacking football, most teams have changed their style of playing since the introduction of foreign talents, yet some have still held on to the old english style of football with some modern tweaks. The use of throw ins by premier League debutants, stoke City, to pitch management by sam Allardyce's Bolton of 2004-05, it has every little trivial detail that football nerds are dying for!
25 seasons each with its unique story in itself is a joy to read. From a tactical stand point to pure premiership drama, it has everything.
From route one football to Leicester's counter attacking football, most teams have changed their style of playing since the introduction of foreign talents, yet some have still held on to the old english style of football with some modern tweaks. The use of throw ins by premier League debutants, stoke City, to pitch management by sam Allardyce's Bolton of 2004-05, it has every little trivial detail that football nerds are dying for!
July 6, 2019
พอเริ่มดูบอลไม่นาน ฟุตบอลอังกฤษก็เปลี่ยนเป็นพรีเมียร์ลีก หนังสือเล่มนี้จึงเหมือนไดอารี่บันทึกเรื่องราวของฟุตบอลอังกฤษสำหรับเรา เป็นบันทึกในเชิงแทกติกล้วนๆ จำได้ว่าเคยอ่านบทความของผู้เขียนในเวบบอร์ดแล้วชอบมาก ได้มีโอกาสอ่านงานที่เป็นหนังสือทั้งเล่มก็ยิ่งชอบ ตามไปกดไลค์เพจ Zonal marking เรียบร้อย
May 5, 2018
Not just tactics but descriptions of all the league winning teams, key players and managers and who didn't get on with whom.
A must read for every football fan !
A must read for every football fan !
January 26, 2020
Gyors egymásutánban nagyjából kétszer is elolvastam. (Pedig sosem voltam oda az angliai fociért.) Először össze-vissza, késztetés-szerűen ugráltam a fejezetek között, de aztán rájöttem, hogy még lehet fokozni a rajtam úrrá lett lázat, ha sorrendben haladok, kronológiailag, és egymás utáni összefüggéseiben követhetem az eseményeket.
Mint egy jó regény. Rendkívül izgalmas, hihetetlenül olvasmányos sportpublicisztikai nyelvezettel van megírva, rajongással telt, de tárgyilagos stílusban. Nagyon izgalmasan tud kommentálni sorsfordító meccsekről. Rengeteg érdekes sztorival megismertet a szerző, az angol Premier League nyomot hagyó, vagy épp jegelt taktikai innovációiról olvashatunk és azok úttörőiről, ünnepelt és bukott edzőkről, istenített játékosokról, megénekelt csapatokról, egészen onnan kezdve, hogy a SkySport tv csatorna miatt létrehozták a Premier League-et ’92-ben, ami történetesen egybeesett azzal, hogy a FIFA eltörölte a hazaadást (mármint amit megfoghat kézzel a kapus). Talán ez volt az egész mozgatórugója, talán nem, de az akkoriban a saját korlátoltságában dagonyázó angol focit kizökkentette a komfortzónából (meg egyébként még más is). Mindenesetre ezután nem volt megállás, folyamatosan áramlott be az okosság országhatáron kívülről, és a derék britek csak lanyha ellenállást tanúsítottak. A fociban nem a globalizáció szelét lehetett érezni, hanem inkább a viharát. Ha belegondolunk, hihetetlenül rövid idő alatt számtalan trend váltotta egymást a PL-ben (is). Pár évig lehet csak dominálni. Kicsit sajnálom, hogy Klopp elképesztő Liverpoolja nem fért már bele (mármint ez a mostani, győztes), de hát nemrég a 100 pontos, címvédő Manchester City tényleg a csúcsnak tűnt.
Nagyon fontos ilyen könyvek esetében a fordító személye. Azt mondhatom, hogy a lehető legjobb választás volt Hegedűs Henrik. Ő azon kevesek egyike, akire oda szoktam figyelni a közvetítések szünetében lévő traccspartikon. Tehát nagy dicséret a kiadónak és a fordítónak is. Egy-két tévesztés van ugyan (olasz-osztrák, ilyesmi), de az csak inkább elütés szerintem.
Jegyzet 1: Hihetetlen, hogy az angol fociról szóló könyvek rendre idézgetnek a derék Jamie Carragher-től, aki frusztráltságában jól odamondja a frankót. Ebben éppen Rio Ferdinandra való megjegyzését közlik. Többek között.
Jegyzet 2: Érdemes vetni egy pillantást az irodalomjegyzékre. Elképesztő, hogy Angliában szinte minden játékos és edző ad ki életrajzot. Na, most vagy az van, hogy arrafelé többen tudnak olvasni, vagy az, hogy ott többeket érdekel a foci. Gondoljunk csak bele, milyen remek könyvek jöhetnének ki a nyomdából itthon is.
Dzsudzsák Balázs: A rubel nyomában
Koplárovics Béla: Egy gól mind felett
Koman Vladimir: Bárcsak ukrán labdarúgó lettem volna
Pintér Attila: Tolódás
Devecseri Szilárd: A bolygó hollandi
Bernd Storck: Az ajándékbögre
Mint egy jó regény. Rendkívül izgalmas, hihetetlenül olvasmányos sportpublicisztikai nyelvezettel van megírva, rajongással telt, de tárgyilagos stílusban. Nagyon izgalmasan tud kommentálni sorsfordító meccsekről. Rengeteg érdekes sztorival megismertet a szerző, az angol Premier League nyomot hagyó, vagy épp jegelt taktikai innovációiról olvashatunk és azok úttörőiről, ünnepelt és bukott edzőkről, istenített játékosokról, megénekelt csapatokról, egészen onnan kezdve, hogy a SkySport tv csatorna miatt létrehozták a Premier League-et ’92-ben, ami történetesen egybeesett azzal, hogy a FIFA eltörölte a hazaadást (mármint amit megfoghat kézzel a kapus). Talán ez volt az egész mozgatórugója, talán nem, de az akkoriban a saját korlátoltságában dagonyázó angol focit kizökkentette a komfortzónából (meg egyébként még más is). Mindenesetre ezután nem volt megállás, folyamatosan áramlott be az okosság országhatáron kívülről, és a derék britek csak lanyha ellenállást tanúsítottak. A fociban nem a globalizáció szelét lehetett érezni, hanem inkább a viharát. Ha belegondolunk, hihetetlenül rövid idő alatt számtalan trend váltotta egymást a PL-ben (is). Pár évig lehet csak dominálni. Kicsit sajnálom, hogy Klopp elképesztő Liverpoolja nem fért már bele (mármint ez a mostani, győztes), de hát nemrég a 100 pontos, címvédő Manchester City tényleg a csúcsnak tűnt.
Nagyon fontos ilyen könyvek esetében a fordító személye. Azt mondhatom, hogy a lehető legjobb választás volt Hegedűs Henrik. Ő azon kevesek egyike, akire oda szoktam figyelni a közvetítések szünetében lévő traccspartikon. Tehát nagy dicséret a kiadónak és a fordítónak is. Egy-két tévesztés van ugyan (olasz-osztrák, ilyesmi), de az csak inkább elütés szerintem.
Jegyzet 1: Hihetetlen, hogy az angol fociról szóló könyvek rendre idézgetnek a derék Jamie Carragher-től, aki frusztráltságában jól odamondja a frankót. Ebben éppen Rio Ferdinandra való megjegyzését közlik. Többek között.
Jegyzet 2: Érdemes vetni egy pillantást az irodalomjegyzékre. Elképesztő, hogy Angliában szinte minden játékos és edző ad ki életrajzot. Na, most vagy az van, hogy arrafelé többen tudnak olvasni, vagy az, hogy ott többeket érdekel a foci. Gondoljunk csak bele, milyen remek könyvek jöhetnének ki a nyomdából itthon is.
Dzsudzsák Balázs: A rubel nyomában
Koplárovics Béla: Egy gól mind felett
Koman Vladimir: Bárcsak ukrán labdarúgó lettem volna
Pintér Attila: Tolódás
Devecseri Szilárd: A bolygó hollandi
Bernd Storck: Az ajándékbögre
May 10, 2021
The Mixer is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. Michael Cox takes the reader on a journey to tell the story of how the English Premier League evolved from a very basic and simple league that was obsessed with sending the ball into “the mixer” and seeing what happens, into one of, if not the, most advanced tactical leagues in the world that delivers an amazing product every week.
He identifies how the EPL has depended heavily on foreign influences to revolutionize their game. Whether it was Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who was one of the first players to show English teams and fans that there were other ways to score that didn’t involve sending a a long cross into the box, or Pep Guardiola, the Spanish manager who revolutionized not just England, but all of soccer worldwide with his Tiki-Taka Barcelona teams. The Mixer highlights all of these foreign influences, while at the same time explaining how, the EPL never loses its distinctly British characteristics.
The Mixer is a book that should be incredibly boring based on its premise of just discussing tactics, but Michael Cox does an excellent job of making it interesting. He still dives into technical subjects as to why having inverted wingers can be better than having regular wingers, but he presents his information in a way that is easy to read, while at the same time fully explaining the topic.
He identifies how the EPL has depended heavily on foreign influences to revolutionize their game. Whether it was Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who was one of the first players to show English teams and fans that there were other ways to score that didn’t involve sending a a long cross into the box, or Pep Guardiola, the Spanish manager who revolutionized not just England, but all of soccer worldwide with his Tiki-Taka Barcelona teams. The Mixer highlights all of these foreign influences, while at the same time explaining how, the EPL never loses its distinctly British characteristics.
The Mixer is a book that should be incredibly boring based on its premise of just discussing tactics, but Michael Cox does an excellent job of making it interesting. He still dives into technical subjects as to why having inverted wingers can be better than having regular wingers, but he presents his information in a way that is easy to read, while at the same time fully explaining the topic.
July 24, 2025
Absolutely fun and fantastic read on the rise of the premier league. How the premier went from strength and physicality; and changed to more dynamic playmaking and attacking football. Every chapter talks about a different dynamic that has evolved into one of the most fun leagues in any sport. My favorite topics are :
* Managers adapting to the changing premier league rules. 2 managers stuck out in the 90s. Ferguson and Wenger. Their “outside the box” thinking, is the norm for successful clubs now
* The introduction of the #10 starting with Cantona. Then Zola and Bergkamp. In which each team tried to find their own important piece on the pitch
* The 94/95 magical season of Blackburn title winning season
* The introduction of foreign and tactical heavy coaches such as Mourinho and Benitez
* The golden age of England midfield trio of Lampard, Gerrard, and Scholes
* The Leicester incredible title winning season
* Lastly. I need to what the author really thinks about Newcastle manager in the late 90s, Kevin Keegan. So many jokes in this book about Keegan’s inability to change his tactics and just be a pure all attack no defense team. And every time it got me to laugh. Never change Keegan
* Managers adapting to the changing premier league rules. 2 managers stuck out in the 90s. Ferguson and Wenger. Their “outside the box” thinking, is the norm for successful clubs now
* The introduction of the #10 starting with Cantona. Then Zola and Bergkamp. In which each team tried to find their own important piece on the pitch
* The 94/95 magical season of Blackburn title winning season
* The introduction of foreign and tactical heavy coaches such as Mourinho and Benitez
* The golden age of England midfield trio of Lampard, Gerrard, and Scholes
* The Leicester incredible title winning season
* Lastly. I need to what the author really thinks about Newcastle manager in the late 90s, Kevin Keegan. So many jokes in this book about Keegan’s inability to change his tactics and just be a pure all attack no defense team. And every time it got me to laugh. Never change Keegan
November 24, 2024
4.5
A great book to read about the history of the Premier League (until around 2017). It's not as dense tactically as "Inverting the Pyramid", which I also recommend. It's really funny at times, and the small chapters allow short bursts of reading. It's not a 5 because I missed more details about Mourinho's second coming at Chelsea (but I'm biased), and I felt Arsenal's Invecibles deserved their own chapter (and not a "split" one like in the book).
A great book to read about the history of the Premier League (until around 2017). It's not as dense tactically as "Inverting the Pyramid", which I also recommend. It's really funny at times, and the small chapters allow short bursts of reading. It's not a 5 because I missed more details about Mourinho's second coming at Chelsea (but I'm biased), and I felt Arsenal's Invecibles deserved their own chapter (and not a "split" one like in the book).
February 4, 2025
Hani derler ya, “Tüm hayatım bir film şeridi gibi gözlerimin önünden geçti.” 90’ların başı, futbolu sevmeye başladığım dönemdi. Michael Cox’un bu kitabı ve Emir Güney’in harika çevirisi sayesinde o günleri tekrar hatırlama şansım oldu. Umarım İthaki Yayınları, bu tarz başucu spor kitaplarını Türkçeye kazandırmaya devam eder.
December 4, 2021
Strides vennegjengen ofte om Henry, Aguero eller Shearer er tidenes PL-spiss? Om Scholes faktisk var så god som de sier?
Da er dette boka for deg. I overkant mange fotballreferater, men boka gir en god oversikt over de 25 første sesongene av verdens deiligste liga.
Da er dette boka for deg. I overkant mange fotballreferater, men boka gir en god oversikt over de 25 første sesongene av verdens deiligste liga.
September 20, 2024
Fræðandi og skemmtileg, hvað þarftu meira? Næsta skref er ævisaga Tony Pulis.
June 28, 2025
Perfect book for all the little football freaks out there!
October 14, 2024
Must read for football fans!
August 19, 2023
money football tactics, funny commentary, michael u get 4 stars that was good
December 22, 2017
It would be challenging to find a 470-page book describing football tactics, concepts, people (some of whom you've never heard) and their actions on field, and keep you hooked to the last page. Michael Cox's The Mixer effectively does that. There's a perfect blend here of an engaging writing style, whilst describing and analyzing that particular football issue the average fan and lover doesn't know (or care) about: tactics. From the abolishing of the back-pass to the keeper in 1990, to Antonio Conte's popular introduction of 3-man defences in England, and - maybe even more astonishingly as we will find out - the crushing of the EPL by Guardiola's system with inverted wingbacks. Football tactics have underwent extraordinary changes throughout the years (driven by players and coaches alike) always trying to counter-act some dominant features of contemporary play. So it is not only a great book to read, but also very instructive to think about game plans yourself.
In that respect, it is astonishing to find out that in one of the biggest leagues of Europe, tactics (and tactical managers) were considered a lesser part of the game (in favor of man-managing the best players) up until the mid-2000's. For me, this is further evidence of the large black hole that is gaping below the Premier League, and especially in other countries (barring the top flights in Europe). What "niche" is there, I wonder, in terms of tactically intelligent coaches to take (smaller) countries' top leagues by storm?
Writing this as a frequent viewer of Belgian football, for example, it is increasingly unsurprising to see the best performing teams adapting - often as the only ones - concepts from other top leagues. For example, AA Gent's title campaign in 14/15 (never having won the league before) came with the introduction of a splendid 3-4-2-1 system (with great link-up play between a large centre forward, wide-drifting attacking midfielders, and hard-working wingbacks), taking every flatbacked 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 in the Belgian league by storm. They eventually reached the last 16 of the Champions League, being defeated 4-2 on aggregate by Wolfsburg. The year after, Club Bruges was most succesful in 'cracking the code' by (collectively) pressing extremely high on Gent's back-line, eventually overtaking them as champions. With a spare year in between, Club Bruges is again 11 points clear with a fluid 3-5-2 system utilizing a high press, and sometimes even counter-pressing concepts.
While Cox's theme is all about the mixing up of traditional English football with foreign revolutionaries and concepts, the book in itself is therefore further evidence of this spreading of tactical thinking towards a larger audience - including its impact on existing club's philosophies and ways of doing things instinctively. Not long now until even minnow European leagues will take a further step towards analysis, data and tactics, and steer away from managers who aren't tactically astute. Just as with footballers then, coaches will have to become universalists as well. I probably speak for lots of people, when arguing this won't come a minute too soon.
In that respect, it is astonishing to find out that in one of the biggest leagues of Europe, tactics (and tactical managers) were considered a lesser part of the game (in favor of man-managing the best players) up until the mid-2000's. For me, this is further evidence of the large black hole that is gaping below the Premier League, and especially in other countries (barring the top flights in Europe). What "niche" is there, I wonder, in terms of tactically intelligent coaches to take (smaller) countries' top leagues by storm?
Writing this as a frequent viewer of Belgian football, for example, it is increasingly unsurprising to see the best performing teams adapting - often as the only ones - concepts from other top leagues. For example, AA Gent's title campaign in 14/15 (never having won the league before) came with the introduction of a splendid 3-4-2-1 system (with great link-up play between a large centre forward, wide-drifting attacking midfielders, and hard-working wingbacks), taking every flatbacked 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 in the Belgian league by storm. They eventually reached the last 16 of the Champions League, being defeated 4-2 on aggregate by Wolfsburg. The year after, Club Bruges was most succesful in 'cracking the code' by (collectively) pressing extremely high on Gent's back-line, eventually overtaking them as champions. With a spare year in between, Club Bruges is again 11 points clear with a fluid 3-5-2 system utilizing a high press, and sometimes even counter-pressing concepts.
While Cox's theme is all about the mixing up of traditional English football with foreign revolutionaries and concepts, the book in itself is therefore further evidence of this spreading of tactical thinking towards a larger audience - including its impact on existing club's philosophies and ways of doing things instinctively. Not long now until even minnow European leagues will take a further step towards analysis, data and tactics, and steer away from managers who aren't tactically astute. Just as with footballers then, coaches will have to become universalists as well. I probably speak for lots of people, when arguing this won't come a minute too soon.
December 3, 2017
I've been a fan of Michael Cox since I started following his Zonal Marking site. Over the years he has progressed from a niche tactical analyst to a journalist who is able to simplify football tactics for the lay person. I couldn't think of a better person to write this book and it is by far the best football book I have read in a long time. Every chapter is to be savored. There are trends that he points out in the early years of the Premier League that you wouldn't even think of but make so much sense. I found myself going back and watching clips from some of the matches he analyzes. The book is a treat, read it and take your time with it. A superb effort.
August 19, 2025
My first ever audiobook, didn't know about the 15 hour monthly limit on Spotify so that was annoying. But the book was super great, the bits on the 90s and 00s in particular. Distinct lack of Pompey mentions unfortunately
October 6, 2019
This book made me feel nostalgic... And I learned so much about tactics! Every football fan should read it, it's a gem.
August 11, 2018
Surprisingly, given the nerdy topic, I found this a really 'good read', although the author is no Brian Glanville stylistically. The conceit of the book is to examine the winners of the PL and see what tactical evolution each team brought to the table - although the writer notes early on that the key tactical innovation of the entire PL concept was to abolish the back pass, which then created the need for ball-playing defenders and, in time, sweeper-goalkeepers - hard to believe now that in the old days, teams could simply keep passing it back to the keeper to stifle a game.
The main argument throughout the book is the unsurprising one that foreign teams/players/managers have been the biggest influence on PL tactical evolution. He goes as far as to say that there have been only two native-born 'revolutionaries' in that era - Rio Ferdinand and, er, Brendan Rodgers. The early parts of the book remind us that in the early days of the PL, teams still played good old 4-4-2, with big lumps at the back and big lads up front, battling it out in the 'air', with the midfielders main job being to win the ball and send it out to the flanks asap (ah, those great days). This was disrupted by the influence of such great European players as Cantona, Zola and Bergkamp (definitely the best player I have ever seen in the PL). Given the early dominance of Man Utd, who played fairly 'British' football for the most part, it took some time before the real tactical evolution set in - coming with the appearance of Arsene Wenger and the need for Ferguson to avoid being defeated in each European Cup tilt. The appearance of Mourinho and other foreign managers over time, as the PL money well deepened, hastened this evolution along, with each innovation spurring a counter-tactic. This is all quite interesting but the best parts of the book for me were the anecdotes, about games or inviduals, and slightly OT chapters (such as on the Tony Pulis era at Stoke, when he innovated the 40-yard flat throw-in, by Rory Delap, as a way of disrupting defences). In the end, successful tactics require intelligent, highly trained players with so-called 'quality' and that also requires large amounts of money - Swansea used to play very nice football but were never going to win the PL. The book ends with the great Leicester win in 2016, which the author explains in tactical terms but which was also, he notes, quite likely due to the transitional stages of the big clubs (and the referees' lenience on their defenders). In 2017, the standard oligopoly was restored, and a new period of tactical dominance is likely to set in, until Pep gets bored again.
p.s. In the book's postscript, the author says that the only English thing about the PL is that it is played in England (and Wales), and that in future, it could also be played in other countries, like the NFL is. The geographical factor is probably the main reason for its runaway success though - without the crowds, tribal rivalries and traditions (including that of direct play), would the PL be as popular on Sky, and therefore be as rich and be able to attract the best foreign talent? .
The main argument throughout the book is the unsurprising one that foreign teams/players/managers have been the biggest influence on PL tactical evolution. He goes as far as to say that there have been only two native-born 'revolutionaries' in that era - Rio Ferdinand and, er, Brendan Rodgers. The early parts of the book remind us that in the early days of the PL, teams still played good old 4-4-2, with big lumps at the back and big lads up front, battling it out in the 'air', with the midfielders main job being to win the ball and send it out to the flanks asap (ah, those great days). This was disrupted by the influence of such great European players as Cantona, Zola and Bergkamp (definitely the best player I have ever seen in the PL). Given the early dominance of Man Utd, who played fairly 'British' football for the most part, it took some time before the real tactical evolution set in - coming with the appearance of Arsene Wenger and the need for Ferguson to avoid being defeated in each European Cup tilt. The appearance of Mourinho and other foreign managers over time, as the PL money well deepened, hastened this evolution along, with each innovation spurring a counter-tactic. This is all quite interesting but the best parts of the book for me were the anecdotes, about games or inviduals, and slightly OT chapters (such as on the Tony Pulis era at Stoke, when he innovated the 40-yard flat throw-in, by Rory Delap, as a way of disrupting defences). In the end, successful tactics require intelligent, highly trained players with so-called 'quality' and that also requires large amounts of money - Swansea used to play very nice football but were never going to win the PL. The book ends with the great Leicester win in 2016, which the author explains in tactical terms but which was also, he notes, quite likely due to the transitional stages of the big clubs (and the referees' lenience on their defenders). In 2017, the standard oligopoly was restored, and a new period of tactical dominance is likely to set in, until Pep gets bored again.
p.s. In the book's postscript, the author says that the only English thing about the PL is that it is played in England (and Wales), and that in future, it could also be played in other countries, like the NFL is. The geographical factor is probably the main reason for its runaway success though - without the crowds, tribal rivalries and traditions (including that of direct play), would the PL be as popular on Sky, and therefore be as rich and be able to attract the best foreign talent? .
December 10, 2019
The smartest and most entertaining writing on football
This is to me the smartest, most entertaining piece ever written on the beautiful game of football. It tells the evolution of formations and tactics deployed in the Premier League, by English clubs and few European clubs in the European championships, and their effects on the national teams.
The author, Michael Cox, brilliantly narrates them all into several themes that define their respective eras, from the classic long ball tactics, to the early number 10 role in the formative days of the Premier League, the evolution of the Makalele role, the usage of false 9, the tiki taka passing game, all the way to the current pressing game.
In between the eras, we’ll learn about the anatomy of Blackburn’s winning team, Liverpool’s several near champions, the treble winning Man Utd 1998/1999, the Arsenal invincibles, what the riches of Chelsea and Man City brought to the Premier League, the modern developments in football that fits Pep Guardiola's character perfectly, among many other analyses, from top to mid to bottom table clubs.
The book also analyses the brilliant tactics used by the managers, and shows exactly why they were masters at their craft. For example, why Alex Ferguson used Johnsen (instead of Scholes) alongside Keane vs Juventus at Champions League semi-final, how Sam Allardice’s Bolton Wanderers implements the classic long ball tactics, how Stoke City brilliantly utilise their long throws, how Brendan Rogers’ Swansea adapted to the passing game, the many roles of Fabregas at different teams, the military-like discipline of Rafael Benitez’s tactics, and the curious tactics built around Ruud Gullit in Chelsea.
Of course, we’ll also read about all the mishaps along the way, like how Diego Forlan never quite fit in at Man Utd but brilliant in La Liga, how that title losing Gerrard slip vs Chelsea was a culmination of several things going on few matches prior, how chaotic was Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United, the curious case of Georgi Kinkladze's rise and fall at Man City, how underrated Matt Le Tissier was and whether he would be phenomenal in today's passing game, how Leeds United spectacularly fall from their European heights, and the background stories of why the mighty England midfield quartet of Beckham-Gerrard-Lampard-Scholes never quite clicked.
The book also serves as a fond nostalgia, with the likes of Vieira vs Keane fights, the Michael Owen early Liverpool days, the Paolo Di Canio antics, THAT Aguero goal at Man City v QPR title-winning match, the tactics that allow David Ginola dance around several defenders, everybody’s favourite underdog Leicester City in their incredible 5000/1-odd title winning season, and many, many more.
It remains gripping from the very first word till the end, with the nice delicate touch of the very last word on the postscript chapter explains the brilliant meaning of the book’s title. Absolutely enjoyable to read!
This is to me the smartest, most entertaining piece ever written on the beautiful game of football. It tells the evolution of formations and tactics deployed in the Premier League, by English clubs and few European clubs in the European championships, and their effects on the national teams.
The author, Michael Cox, brilliantly narrates them all into several themes that define their respective eras, from the classic long ball tactics, to the early number 10 role in the formative days of the Premier League, the evolution of the Makalele role, the usage of false 9, the tiki taka passing game, all the way to the current pressing game.
In between the eras, we’ll learn about the anatomy of Blackburn’s winning team, Liverpool’s several near champions, the treble winning Man Utd 1998/1999, the Arsenal invincibles, what the riches of Chelsea and Man City brought to the Premier League, the modern developments in football that fits Pep Guardiola's character perfectly, among many other analyses, from top to mid to bottom table clubs.
The book also analyses the brilliant tactics used by the managers, and shows exactly why they were masters at their craft. For example, why Alex Ferguson used Johnsen (instead of Scholes) alongside Keane vs Juventus at Champions League semi-final, how Sam Allardice’s Bolton Wanderers implements the classic long ball tactics, how Stoke City brilliantly utilise their long throws, how Brendan Rogers’ Swansea adapted to the passing game, the many roles of Fabregas at different teams, the military-like discipline of Rafael Benitez’s tactics, and the curious tactics built around Ruud Gullit in Chelsea.
Of course, we’ll also read about all the mishaps along the way, like how Diego Forlan never quite fit in at Man Utd but brilliant in La Liga, how that title losing Gerrard slip vs Chelsea was a culmination of several things going on few matches prior, how chaotic was Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United, the curious case of Georgi Kinkladze's rise and fall at Man City, how underrated Matt Le Tissier was and whether he would be phenomenal in today's passing game, how Leeds United spectacularly fall from their European heights, and the background stories of why the mighty England midfield quartet of Beckham-Gerrard-Lampard-Scholes never quite clicked.
The book also serves as a fond nostalgia, with the likes of Vieira vs Keane fights, the Michael Owen early Liverpool days, the Paolo Di Canio antics, THAT Aguero goal at Man City v QPR title-winning match, the tactics that allow David Ginola dance around several defenders, everybody’s favourite underdog Leicester City in their incredible 5000/1-odd title winning season, and many, many more.
It remains gripping from the very first word till the end, with the nice delicate touch of the very last word on the postscript chapter explains the brilliant meaning of the book’s title. Absolutely enjoyable to read!
February 12, 2022
The subheading of this non-fiction book is ‘The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines’ and had been on my radar for a while, having heard good things about Cox’s other books. I’m pleased to say that it did not disappoint, working as both a nostalgic overview to the first twenty five years of the English Premier League, and also as a summation of how football has evolved in that time, picking out the various players and managers whose contributions helped shaped the game.
The book is broken down into 25 chapters, each one roughly categorized by the key events of a particular year in a decidedly chronological order, beginning with the inception of the Premier League – and with it the money and razzmatazz that Sky TV brought with it. It’s easy to forget such facts like out of the 242 players who started a Premier League match on that opening weekend of 1992, only 11 were foreign. It’s easy to forget how changing the back-pass rule in 1992 (making a goalkeeper forbidden to handle a ball played back to him from one of his own players) took the safety play out of the way and made the sport infinitely more exciting. There are many items of trivia in this book, and they help illustrate how English football evolved from being rather staid and old-fashioned to eventually become one of the most-watched leagues in the world.
There are chapters focusing on players like Eric Cantona, the SAS (Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton), Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, as well as iconic managers and tacticians like Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and his ‘we’ll outscore you’ policy, Arsene Wenger’s influence in bringing modern methods of diet and conduct to English football, the long-ball game of Sam Allardyce, etc.
If you have an interest in football tactics and team formations, this is a fascinating book. It also works as a way of reliving the key moments of the sport over the last quarter of a century. I found myself recalling incidents I had forgotten and remembering the names of players that had since slipped my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to catching more of the work of Michael Cox. As such, it comes highly recommended.
The book is broken down into 25 chapters, each one roughly categorized by the key events of a particular year in a decidedly chronological order, beginning with the inception of the Premier League – and with it the money and razzmatazz that Sky TV brought with it. It’s easy to forget such facts like out of the 242 players who started a Premier League match on that opening weekend of 1992, only 11 were foreign. It’s easy to forget how changing the back-pass rule in 1992 (making a goalkeeper forbidden to handle a ball played back to him from one of his own players) took the safety play out of the way and made the sport infinitely more exciting. There are many items of trivia in this book, and they help illustrate how English football evolved from being rather staid and old-fashioned to eventually become one of the most-watched leagues in the world.
There are chapters focusing on players like Eric Cantona, the SAS (Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton), Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, as well as iconic managers and tacticians like Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and his ‘we’ll outscore you’ policy, Arsene Wenger’s influence in bringing modern methods of diet and conduct to English football, the long-ball game of Sam Allardyce, etc.
If you have an interest in football tactics and team formations, this is a fascinating book. It also works as a way of reliving the key moments of the sport over the last quarter of a century. I found myself recalling incidents I had forgotten and remembering the names of players that had since slipped my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to catching more of the work of Michael Cox. As such, it comes highly recommended.
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