Every Other Saturday: Linfield, the Irish League, and the Changing World of European Football 1986-2016

by Daniel Brown

2016. First Edition. 268 pages. Signed by the author. Paperback book with pictorial cover. Signed by the author with dedication to first page. Pages are bright and clear with no visible markings. Binding throughout remains firm. Mild water stain to fore edge. Paper cover has mild edge wear with mild corner curling. Mild scratching and marking to covers.

268 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. Those below have multiple books listed on GoodReads or have claimed profiles.

Daniel Brown (2^) GRs author, horror and sci-fi
Daniel Brown (3^) Professor of English at the University of Southampton
Daniel Brown (4^) GRs author, thrillers
Daniel Brown (5^) pastor who write the children’s book series The Adventures of Chipper
Daniel Brown (6^) self-help books
Daniel Brown (7^) GRs author, fantasy, sci-fi, also writes as Daniel Sonderling
Daniel Brown (8^) self-help books with random “initials”, AI generated
Daniel Brown (9^) poetry and music theory
Daniel Brown (10^) horror and sci-fi
Daniel Brown (11^) children’s book series Professor Whatzit & Carmine Cat
Daniel Brown (12^) books of quotes
Daniel Brown (13^) comic book illustrator, same author as Dan Brown (3^)
Daniel Brown (14^) adult
Daniel Brown (15^) travel
Daniel Brown (16^) self-help books

Reviews

[FellowBibliophile KvK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful story of an underfunded semi-professional team not only successfully flying the flag in the face of lacking the funds and the influence of Manchester United, but also playing on despite having to live under the threat of murderous irredentist terrorists.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say that I am an impartial reviewer of this book, as the author is a friend, ideological ally, a fellow historian and Linfield supporter. Moreover, I have lived through and personally witnessed many of the events discussed in the book. Still, one cannot but admire this excellent synthesis of Linfield's history for the last thirty years and the author's ability to situate events within the broader context of the Northern Ireland "Troubles" and the subsequent peace process, as well as the changing world of British, European, and global football.

While the author effectively challenges many of the claims about Linfield's sectarian image, the most significant observation was the drain upon Linfield's finances caused by hosting Northern Ireland internationals at Windsor Park. Contrary to what people often think, the relationship with the Irish Football Association has not always worked to Linfield's financial advantage.

One of the things that struck me most when reading this book was the sheer pressure that even hugely successful managers, such as Roy Coyle and David Jeffrey, came under whenever they had an unsuccessful season. Linfield supporters are not "experts in failure", and no matter how successful a manager has been in the past, failure is not tolerated.

Normally, I would decry the use of endnotes; but, in this instance, it made sense. The book is designed to appeal to a broad audience of readers and not just to fellow academics. Having a £10.00 price tag will also help in this respect. Nonetheless, it still has references and a bibliography. The book is also very well written. Unlike most books by scholars, I predict this one will be widely read by people beyond academia.