Who Are Ya?: 92 Football Clubs – and Why You Shouldn’t Support Them

by Kevin Day, Gary Lineker (Foreword)

"Excellent" –The Times"Kevin's immense knowledge shines on every page." – Gary Lineker"A football book by a fan for the fans. A treasure trove." – Alan Davies"An entertaining romp through the back alleys and glamour parks of English football." – FourFourTwoPartly autobiographical, partly polemical, but mostly funny, Who Are Ya? is a snapshot of modern football, exploring the history of all 92 English Football League clubs .During his time as a broadcaster, comedian and former Match of the Day presenter Kevin Day has spoken to thousands of football players, managers and most importantly fans from across the generations. He spent thousands of hours crossing the country on trains, planes, automobiles, coaches – and once a donkey called Lightning – watching football at all levels.This book is the result of a tale of being chased down a railway line at Cardiff, a story of meeting George Best, an account of a lady getting her first Hull City tattoo at the age of 80!Crisply funny and with a host of celebrity football fan contributors – including Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, Alfie Boe, Eddie Izzard, Gabby Logan, and Romesh Ranganathan – Who Are Ya? celebrates the joys and miseries of being a football supporter.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Humor

321 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ged H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who is Kevin Day?: 1 shallow football book - and Why You Shouldn't Buy It

Contains detailed personal recollections of lots (& lots & lots) of Palace away days and and a few superficial, i.e. Wikipedia level, details on clubs that aren't Palace.
Feels like he got bored with writing the book only shortly after I got bored reading it, about a third of the way in - I like to persevere.
Picking it up as a paperback from a 99p bargain bin would have been OK but its not worth £7.13 for a Kindle edition.
Did I mention that he supports Palace?

Ged

[Mario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining in a gentle way rather than laugh out loud funny. Easy to read and, because each or the 92 teams has it’s own chapter, it comes in nibble sized chunks so it’s more of a little and often type of read.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and knowledge read around the English league with brief but interesting and amusing facts about all the clubs, adding on some ex-senior clubs. Some genuine laugh out loud moments, many from his experience as a Crystal Palace fan on away trips (away trips are always better, although it does help if your team wins).

[Steve Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really envy Day having to write this, as I suspect having to get 92 amusing chapters out to cover every league club had been quite the chore by the end, and this is borne out by the odd repetitive joke. He'd done his research too, trying to find out the origins of clubs and draw parallels or contrasts amongst the short portraits.

And yet it also came across as quite lazy at times, with passages that didn't require any effort and a sense that it was midly amusing, without being outright funny. I read it for a few chapters at a time, and would have struggled to do any more in one go, because it was something that passed a few minutes here and there, but didn't have the flow or humour to make me want to keep reading.

I quite liked Day's podcast with Kieran Maguire, then stopped listening when the topics got exhausted and just came around again with a new club. I finished this, but wanted to like it more than I did, and I think Day is just a different type of football fan.

[Matt Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Kevin’s text, you immediately feel you’re one of the pre-match fans huddled around a table in his beloved Pawson’s Arms. He writes in a chatty style as a passionate fan underscored by extensive knowledge of all the clubs thanks to his home and away support of Crystal Palace.
His gentle humour (even when describing his arch-nemesis Brighton) comes through on every page. To be fair, he suggested they were left out but, on advice from Matt at Bloomsbury, he reluctantly accepted Brighton’s extensive bookshop network would hurt sales if it redacted the Seagulls in favour of the Eagles. With each club getting its own chapter, it was tempting to head straight for Exeter City, but resisting that urge gave a satisfying feeling that, despite the Greedy Six, we have something very special in English (and British) football.
For those yet to pick up a copy, it serves as the perfect appetiser to his and Kieran Maguire’s book coming out in October about how (not) to run a football club. The big question is, will it be ‘Kevin and Kieran’ or ‘Kieran and Kevin’? There could be tears…
Please note: this book is NOT available as an NFT.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Kevin Day as Kieran Maguire's stooge on the Price of Football podcast, so it's nice to see him step out of his shadow with this thoroughly entertaining book. I read it from start it finish, which was enjoyable but it probably works best as a book you dip in and out of whenever you want some trivia about a football league club. The balance between historical facts and personal anecdotes worked well and I found myself chuckling along.

[Les Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, I love the passion every fan has for their club. My team, Hartlepool United didn't even get a mention in the 'didn't have time to mention' segment. 1) Because we chose the time of writing to take a rest from league football, and 2) I suspect Kevin bears a grudge for the his Palace team being the first Premier League side to lost to a non PL team. He won't need to look up who the winners were 😉

[Paul Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to read when you really need a pick me up. Kevin ay is a very fun man and his comedic talents shine through on every page. Not only is he a passionate football fan (yay Crystal Palace) he is equally passionate about history, and I found his historical research fascinating.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Torn about whether this is a *** or **** so let's call it a strong ***.5.

The jokes come at a volume which means it's impossible for all of them to land (and yes, I know Day is a comedian), which makes certain bits drag on a bit. Appreciate his refusal to be impartial. Ended up enjoying much of it and even, somehow, learning something.

Still hate Palace, though.

[Avinash · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is very funny and witty. Has rare facts and stories about all the football clubs. Most are very fascinating to read about. If you want to prepare questions for an entertaining football quiz, THIS IS THE BOOK.

However, reading through stories about 92 football clubs can become a bit monotonous especially when you only care about one of the 92 clubs.

[John Howes]

Very funny, full of information (mostly accurate) by an accomplished master of words. Give it to all your friends interested in football as well as to friends who will become football fans after reading it.

[Michael Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely journey around the football teams by a football fan

[Gareth Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining read for all lovers of football. Well written and easy to read

[Hashim Alsughayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best football books you will ever read. Funny and enjoyable all around.

[Scott E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loads funny in parts and genuinely interesting. Chapter on Newcastle was too short though

[Steve Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Lots of jokes, some of them funnier than others and plenty of interesting information about how clubs were founded, their kits, badges, and much more.

[Hanson Ho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun factoids and stories about the 92 clubs in the top 4 divisions of the pyramid. I didn't know so many started off as cricket clubs!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently witty insight into the history of almost every English league club.

[Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and insightful look at the football league teams.

I really liked this book and learned a lot more about the football league teams- even my own!

[Adam Murfet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun look at the 92 plus other clubs who have either left the league or come back (Wrexham). Funny, factual and just all round fun.

[Daniel Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really easy and fun little read

[Rob bairstow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful storyteller, written in his own voice

I loved the stories and the first-hand insight. Easy to read in one go, or else to return back to.

[John Stanlake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Wonderfully informative and very funny throughout. A must for 'proper' football fans.

[Ianthe Belisle Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

kevin day is very funny and should write more books

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that funny, not that revealing, but perfect for reading short little snippets before bed; the literary equivalent of a nightly mug of warm milk

[Jonnie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and witty look at England’s 92 top football clubs, with some honourable mentions. Easy to dip in and our of over a period of time. There were a lot of interesting facts and funny insights - which made up for an overwhelming focus on Kevin Day’s Crystal Palace away days at the different stadiums. A good fun read, if you don’t take it too seriously.

[Tony Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love your footy and reading about other clubs history, traditions, successes, failures and genuinely funny anecdotes... then this is a book for you. Well written. Well researched (via lots of pubs). Well worth the cover price. Recommended.

[Gary K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad . Run out of steam long before the end