D, let me re visit it, I read it a while ago, I just packed the book this morn for my interstate trip for a re fresh.
I'm no aspiring coach as yourself but a avid old footballer and for sometime now a close supporter of my 2 playing sons (1 in PL3 the other SL) but I grew up during players such as Cruyff in their peak that I admire greatly even compared to todays modern day Top few players.....

I'm not an aspiring coach. I've retired from coaching due to scoliosis (curvature of the spine). Whenever I demonstrate technique I suffer afterwards.

Cruyff's book reinforces a lot of the stuff I've done with the KNVB. His moot point is the technique training at Ajax, isn't what it was. He thinks it is a lot to do with boards of directors with no football backgrounds meddling in the Ajax Technical Dept.

This has implications in Australia. All the tactical work and coaching on teamwork organisation is great, but  the loading for technical work is too low in the current four phase proformas for training sessions. In Germany half, or 50% of the training players do is individual technique with the ball. Our loading is more like 25% to 40%.

When I observed players at  the AIS/NTC they had hours allocated to work on individual technique by themselves. It wasn't mandated as much and incorporated into general team sessions though.

Cruyff's book, My Turn,  is the best football autobiography I've read IMO. He is quite a deep thinker and football intellectual.

 Cruyff has had a major impact on Spanish football through his work with Barcelona and in the past with the KNVB and Holland through Ajax. His disappointment is that Barca and Spain play more like what he wants Holland to play like. They are more like the old Holland.

I recently read Tom Byers Soccer starts at home.

Very good insight into the different attitudes and beliefs around the world in what you can and can't teach a kid under the age of 7.

Uses England, USA and Australia as great examples of this mentality and how they will never catch up to other european and South American nations in terms of technical ability until the age in which we correctly teach our kids to play changes.

He most definitely push for kids to be having fun but also has the attitude that from when a kid is born till the age of 8 are the key developmental years for a child mental growth and kids are like sponges, if they can learn to walk, talk, run, ride a bike, play, count, read, use a tv remote/phone/tablet and so on all before 6/7 then why can't they learn the technical attributes of soccer.

Yes their motor skills will need fine tuning but if the kids are learning the technical side of soccer as they're developing it will be as natural to them as walking/reading/riding a bike and so on.

Also interesting he mentions he has been employed by the Chinese government to implement a soccer program into the Chinese school curriculum for primary school aged kids.

I was hoping you would add this book to this thread.

Interesting summation.

Thanks.

I just finished reading Ange Postecoglou's "Changing the Game" today. I can honestly say that it was one of the best books I have read, football or otherwise. I'm not a big reader, however I couldn't put the book down. It was interesting to hear about all the behind-the-scenes things leading into the World Cup and Asian Cup, from a perspective that was at the centre of everything going on. As much as Ange has become a bit polarising recently, I feel this book really gives insight into what he is doing and that he has had a plan, apparently ever since he was 11 years old haha. I found that a lot of my recent frustration (not all) has gone after reading the book, as it does show me that he is ambitious and what he is doing isn't entirely about himself. He basically said that Australia hasn't gone through a real shake up in development and style (e.g. like Belgium or Germany), but it has needed to. In a lot of ways, he then took it upon himself to change things from the top and believe in the players we have, all while using it to stir up the things underneath. In that respect, he has been really trying to make big changes. Sometimes that have been working too.
One thing that resonated with me was about how everyone in Australia tends to down play any achievements by Australian teams or players, and they get embarrassed if you ever imply that we may be any good. This is especially true among 'Eurosnobs', whom Ange calls out, but doesn't refer to by that name. That is something that also annoys me. It always has. Any time something good happens, people always find a way to laugh at it or make it seem like nothing. Here's the type of thing I'm sure most of us have seen:
"Aaron Mooy could be a star! Look what he did in the A-League!" ..."Haha it's only the A-League. My nonna could do that too."

"Aaron Mooy was in the team of the season in the Championship and won heaps of awards!" ..."Haha that's a second division. Australian soccer is so bad, it celebrates players in division 2. He'll never make it in a BIG 5 league."

"Aaron Mooy just got signed to an EPL team and it was a record fee for the club AND any Australian player! He'll play EPL!" ..."Haha it's Huddersfield. They aren't even a real EPL team. They'll come last for sure. He signed with them because he isn't good enough for any better teams. My nonna played for Manchester United."

And so on....
Clearly, Ange hates this too haha. But he does try to stress the importance of embracing the game here and our players, in order help it get the attention and respect that it deserves.

Anyway, I thought it was super interesting. Also his thoughts about 'Old Soccer' and 'New Football' were also interesting to see.
One thing's for sure, Ange is definitely a very focused and serious coach. He pretty much starves himself of any social interaction or enjoyment with players, in order to not feel bad about cutting players. Sounds kinda lonely..

It is very true.

To see Arsenal with more support than SFC or WSW  in Australia was pretty astonishing.

Then many of those fans don't watch any more live football in Australia.

Nobody Ever Says Thank You - Brian Clough: Jonathan Wilson


This is quite interesting.

After watching the movie about Clough, The Damned United, which is  mainly about Clough at Derby County and Leeds United, and reading Duncan Hamilton's biography : 20 Years With Brian Clough, As Long As You Don't Kiss Me, which is mainly about his tenure at Notts Forest, Nobody Ever Says Thank You provides more coverage of Clough's early career in Hartlepools and later provides different insights at Nottingham Forest.


 Hamilton concentrates on Clough's humour and  great character that he was. Wilson knows more about football performance than Hamilton, so there is more analytical football content.

Boonjeh, interesting pov on local comp and Roo achievements past to present part from reading Ange's book.
Honestly I haven't read it yet so I'll look into it..
Your right and I agree, our country the King of tall poppy syndrome.
No matter who it is getting somewhere is torn down, no matter what past achievements its torn down.
The times I have been at SFC games for eg when HK was playing for MH, he's bood coming out onto the pitch.
The list goes on and on such as this - I do get pretty peeved of this behaviour.
Threads in AU section is full of it.
Getting onto the euro snob topic.
Passions I got involved with (football incl) when younger I was a massive surfer and also a massive petrol head as we were once called and some would say how can you have both feet in such differing camps, well why not if your capable, and just as my football (still playing) have been a Pool supporter since a young kid and to date And also an avid supporter of local PL And HAL thinking I got to support that as well.
So some may call me a euro snob (not care one bit) but I actively am at grass roots football for as long as I can remember every weekend - support my boys involved in it and were SFC members.
Where does it place me in that case and many others similar.
Decentric, I have to say having attended the Pool/SFC mickey mouse game, I cherish Pool from back in the day therefore I'm there to watch as club I've supported for along time as you do but at home for a rare time (more so enjoyed when the Legends match was on tbh) but I was feeling quite uneasy actually watching our blue boys get reemed by Pool in the 1st half.
I actually found myself cheering on more SFC attempts in attack during the 2nd half for my heart went out to our local lads being the crowd was so Pool dominated.
It does hurt me have to say.
I think what "casuals" expect from attending a show as these is seeing these global known glamour clubs and names that have enjoyed more press over many many years and our boys are the support cast sadly, the divide is quite telling at times but this also is due to the timing..
The Pool/SFC game was on just weeks after our boys won the GF, they had been in relax party mode for 3wks whereas Pool just finished their last league game vsing Boro and on the plane to Syd. They were match fit, on it, despite the flight and time difference. The game 2nd half was boredom.
The Arsenal games were more competitve - all teams had their breaks but had started back up training, people I know who went to both said it was much better viewing especially WSW game where they stood up to Arsenal and gave them a run for their money but again as mentioned even WSW support was out numbered.
My son and I agreed after the Pool exhibition, never again are we going to these useless games.
We should look to making these into a proper tournament something to play for so as it encourages more intensity.
Visting teams are in 2nd gear most times, our boys are parking the bus to reduce the possible carnage. All it does is fill the FFA coffers and that is wasted in the next case.
Anyway excuse my babbling - I'll get Ange's book and grovel there lol.....

LFC, I don't think there is anything wrong with supporting a Euro team, however, I get frustrated when it is done at the expense of our local competition/Socceroos. I support Portsmouth, as well as a variety of other teams from different competitions, however I am a lover of the game, and I will always support local teams and players, completely acknowledging that there are better players elsewhere. I am well aware that it isn't the best here, however I will support it. It's when 'Euro-snobs' seem to do all they can to tear down what we have and will take any opportunity they can to make fun of things here; that is what is the most frustrating. It's hard to progress and improve standards when even 'football fans' act like Australian football is not worth wasting breath over.
I coach a team of 16/17 year olds, and none of them know anything about the A-League. All they talk about are your classic Euro teams etc. (that's fine). They ask me who I support and I say Newcastle Jets. They look at me like I'm some kind of alien. They'll often ask me "no, really, what actual team do you support?". They don't know or follow the Socceroos (even the kids who live and breathe the game). They couldn't name more than 2 or 3 players from the team. Most of them can't even name all the teams in the A-League. It's crazy. The A-League has been around for almost their entire lives and they don't have any clue about it. Ange brings this kind of thing up in his book, and I think the challenge is to engage that crowd, in order to raise the bar. 
I'm from Canberra (that doesn't help with the lack of A-League knowledge). Last year I took my youth group and some of the kids from my team to watch the FFA Cup semi against Sydney FC. They had no idea what to expect and didn't really know anything about any of the players (from either team). However, they got to just appreciate football in all its beauty, and they actually had a team to cheer for. It was nice to see that they were upset when Canberra Olympic lost. But I think that kind of thing is the first step to making it good for everyone. :)

I'm with you all the way Boonjeh.
We in the blood passionate supporters/believers are a small % right now.
There is a lot to do ahead in trying to grow local support and that is long hard path yet to evolve and todays modern destractions that have such pulling power are going to be habits hard to change or reduce and then you can't compete its the almighty $$$, the glamour clubs that kids are accustomed to today, image, pretentious, nike image crap boots instead of the better uncool addidas, the haves and the haves nots.........
In saying that I keep having hope that HAL and PL can work out sooner rather than later - this will help our game bottom to top, thats whats needed to happen.
Keep up the good work with your squad and keep smiling.

Purchased soccernomics in iBooks last night with the Cruyff book and Inverting the Pyramid in my wishlist..

Excellent!

If you lived in Hobart, I'd lend you Inverting The Pyramid and Soccernomics.

I'm currently reading a very interesting book, a biography titled Louis Van Gaal, written by b Maarten Meier.

Fascinating reading through Soccernomics and the chapter that goes through the strongest euro clubs and their era, from dictatorships controlling where players play to industrial cities attracting players for work and then the forecasting that the major capitals will soon be the popular choice for players due to lifestyle. Comparing that with the strength of Chelsea recently aswell as Tottenham and now the transfer period PSG has had. Although there is a long season ahead, it's fascinating to see the authors predictions unfolding.

I have the bolded books

bibliography of Australian football

The following list of books, articles, chapters, reports and other material relating to football in Australia was compiled by Roy Hay, Bill Murray, Paul Mavroudis and Ian Syson as an aid for people interested in the history of the game. Originally intended to be included in Roy Hay & Bill Murray, A History of Football in Australia: A Game of Two Halves, SBS/Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2014, it had to be omitted and replaced by only a short list of books in the final publication. The compilers will be happy to add material sent to them at info@sesasport.com.au.

Books

Adair, Daryl & Wray Vamplew, Sport in Australian History, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1997.

Alagich, Colin, 100 Years of the World Game in Port Adelaide, Port Adelaide Lion Soccer Club, Adelaide, 2007.

Alagich, Richard, Soccer: Winning through Technique and Tactics, McGraw-Hill, Sydney, 1995.

Archer, Michael et al. (contribs), The Hamlyn International Book of Soccer, Hamlyn, London, 1977.

Behrendt, Sarah, History of the Socceroos, Penguin Australia, Camberwell, Vic., 2011.

Cockerill, Mike, Soccer’s Long Road to the Top, Lothian, Port Melbourne, 1998.

Collison, Chas, From Bayswater to Knox City: The History of a Soccer Club, 1951–2001, no publisher listed, 2001.

Cordner, John, The World of Football: A History of Football’s Various Codes from their Origins to Today, Self-published, Killara, NSW, 2002.

Crowe, Rory, 100 Years of Queensland Soccer, Queensland Soccer Federation, Sportslead, Brisbane, 1984.

Desira, Peter with Richard Curmi, Green Gully Soccer Club: 50 Years, SESA, Teesdale, Vic., 2006.

Dettre, Andrew, Silver Jubilee of St George-Budapest, 1957–1982, St George-Budapest, Sydney 1982.

Economou, Nick, That Other Game: Association Football, Politics and Society, Sir Robert Menzies Centre, University of London, London, 1996.

Erskine, Ray, A History of Ipswich Soccer, Coalstars Soccer Club, Ipswich, Qld, 1980.

Fairs, Sid (ed.), Corrimal Rangers: Soccer Centenary 1891–1991, Corrimal Rangers, Wollongong, NSW, 1991.

Fink, Jesse, 15 Days in June: How Australia Became a Football Nation, Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2007.

Fisher, Rosalind & Peter Morrison, Hakoah Club Sydney, 1938–1994, Hakoah Club, Bondi Junction, NSW, 1994.

Foster, Craig, Fozz on Football, Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2011.

Goldblatt, David, The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football, Penguin, London, 2007.

Gough, Tom, Introduction to Australian Soccer, New Horizon, Bognor Regis, UK, 1983.

Grant, Sidney James, Jack Pollard’s Soccer Records, Jack Pollard, Sydney, n.d. [?1974].

Grant, Sidney James, The History of Coalfields Soccer, Self-published, Sydney, 1978.

Green, Geoffrey, The History of the Football Association, 1863–1953, Naldrett Press, London, n.d. [?1953].

Greenwood, Barrie, Soccer: West Australia, 1960 to 2000, Perth Advertising Services, Perth, 2000.

Hall, Matthew, The Away Game, Harper Sports, Sydney, 2000.

Hall, Matthew, The Away Game: The Secret Lives of Australia’s Soccer Superstars, Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2006.

Harlow, Denis, Cumberland United Soccer and Social Club: 50 Years, 1943–1993, Cumberland United, Adelaide, 1993.

Harlow, Denis, History of Soccer in South Australia, 1902–2002, South Australian Soccer Federation, Adelaide, 2003.

Harper, Andy, The Socceroos: Voodoo to Destiny, Limelight, Sydney, 2006.

Hay, Roy, Geelong Advertiser Cup, 1981–2005: Souvenir Record, Printstar, Geelong, Vic., 2005.

Hay, Roy & Bill Murray, A History of Football in Australia: A Game of Two Halves, SBS/Hardie Grant, Melbourne, 2014.

Hay, Roy & Ian Syson, The Story of Football in Victoria, Football Federation Victoria, Melbourne, 2009.

Hudson, Chris, A Century of Soccer, 1898–1998: A Tasmanian History, Peacock Publishers, Hobart, 1998.

Kallinikios, John, Soccer Boom: The Transformation of Victorian Soccer Culture 1945–1963, Walla Walla Press, Sydney, 2007.

Kreider, Richard, A Soccer Century: A Chronicle of Western Australian Soccer from 1896 to 1996, SportsWest Media, Perth, 1996.

Kreider, Richard, Paddocks to Pitches: The Definitive History of Western Australian Football, SportWest Media, Perth, 2012.

Lanfranchi, Pierre & Matthew Taylor, Moving with the Ball: The Migration of Professional Footballers, Berg, Oxford, 2001.

Lawrence, Geoffrey A., Thugs, Hooligans and Animals: Australian Media Analysis of the Brussels Football Riot, Australian Studies Centre, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, London, 1986.

Lustica, Bernard, From Hope to Glory: 40 Years of Croatia Deakin Soccer Club, Croatia Deakin, Canberra, 1999.

Martin, Egilberto, Juve! Juve!, Elabor Helena Nominees, Brooklyn, Vic., 1990.

Maynard, John, The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe: A History of Aboriginal Involvement with the World Game, Magabala Books, Broome, WA, 2011.

Melbourne Hungaria: The First Twenty Five Years, Melbourne Soccer Club, Melbourne, 1982.

Micallef, Philip, The World Cup Story: An Australian View, Self-published, Carringbah, NSW, 1994.

Moon, Paul & Peter Burns, The Asia-Oceania Soccer Handbook, Self-published, Oamaru, NZ, 1985.

Mosely, Philip A., Ethnic Involvement in Australian Soccer: A History, 1950–1990, National Sports Research Centre, Australian Sports Commission, Canberra, 1995.

Mosely, Philip A., Richard Cashman, John O’Hara & Hilary Weatherburn (eds), Sporting Immigrants, Walla Walla Press, Sydney, 1997.

Murray, Bill, Football: A History of the World Game, Scolar Press, Aldershot, UK, 1994.

Murray, Bill, The World’s Game: A History of Soccer, University of Illinois Press, Champaign, Ill., 1996.

Murray, Bill & Roy Hay, The World Game Downunder, ASSH Studies in Sports History, (19), Australian Society for Sports History, Melbourne, 2006.

Murray, Les, World Youth Championship Greats, AGPS, Canberra, 1993.

Murray, Les, By the Balls: Memoir of a Football Tragic, Random House, Sydney, 2006.

Nikolich, Peter, Beograd: White City Woodville, 1949–1999, Beograd, Adelaide, 1999.

Nimac, Ivan et al., More Than the Game: 50 Years of Sydney United, Sydney United Football Club, Sydney, 2008.

O’Hara, John, (ed.), Ethnicity and Soccer in Australia, ASSH Studies in Sports History, (10), Australian Society for Sports History, Campelltown, NSW, 1994.

Olivier-Scerri, G.E., Encyclopaedia of Australian Soccer, 1922–88, Showcase Publications, St Leonards, NSW, 1988.

Pospisil, Marijan, Croatia Sydney S.F.C., 1958–1988, Croatia Sydney Soccer Football Club, Sydney, 1988.

Punshon, John, Australia, 1922–1998, Soccer: The International Line-ups and Statistics Series, Soccer Books Ltd, Cleethorpes, UK, 1999.

Schwab, Laurie, The Socceroos and Their Opponents, Newspress, Melbourne, 1979.

Simmons, Ted, FFA Hall of Fame, 2007, Football Federation Australia, Sydney, 2007.

Smith, Tony, Soccer Lesson: The South Australian State Soccer Team and Its Opponents, 1923–1977, Peacock Publishers, Adelaide, 2013.

Snowden, Dianne, South Hobart Football Club, 1910–2010, South Hobart Football Club, South Hobart, 2010.

Solly, Ross, Shoot Out: The Passion and Politics of Soccer’s Fight for Survival in Australia, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld, 2004.

Thompson, Trevor, One Fantastic Goal: A Complete History of Football in Australia, ABC Books, Sydney, 2006.

Warren, Ian, Football Crowds and Cultures: Comparing English and Australian Law Enforcement Trends, ASSH, Melbourne, 2003.

Warren, John, Know the Game: Australian Football, Kingfisher Books, Cheltenham, Vic, 1984.

Warren, Johnny & Andrew Dettre, Soccer in Australia, Hamlyn, Sydney, 1974.

Warren, Johnny & Andrew Dettre, Soccer: The Australian Way, Summit, Sydney, 1979.

Watson, Elaine, Australian Women’s Soccer: The First Twenty Years, Australian Women’s Soccer Association, Canberra, 1994.

West Woden Juventus SC, West Woden Juventus: 25 years of Soccer, West Woden Juventus Soccer Club, Manuka, ACT, 1979.

Williams, Jean, A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women’s Football, Berg, Oxford, 2007.

Williams, Paul with Kevin Christopher, The Un-official Beginners Guide to the History of the Australian National Soccer League, Studs Up, Bentleigh, Vic., 1999.

Williamson, John, Soccer Anzacs: The Story of Caledonian Soccer Club, Self-published, Applecross, WA, 1998.

Wilson, Tony, Australia United: Adventures at the 2006 World Cup, Germany, GSP Books, Melbourne, 2006.

Thanks for that list, Arthur.

Found this book very interesting at the time, but the issues are obsolete now.

This was a period when we adulated Euroroos.

A number of our best players wouldn't play for Australia, choosing other countries instead.

Again the issues are obsolete, but it was good reading (and very frustrating) at the time.

I didn't realise there was such a plethora of books on the Australian Game.
There availability would be a question though.

Struggled to finish this one.

Too much about Les and Johnny.

I'm not sure what others thought?

Don't forget to add Joe Gorman's new book to that list:

"The Death and Life of Australian Soccer" (UQP, 2017)

Thanks.

Always good to get more recommendations.

What was the quality of the writer like, the quality of the research and what was it about, Victor?

Louis Van Gaal-The Biography : Maarten Meijer



This has been another fascinating read.

To see the link between the KNVB, Ajax, Barcelona's methodology and the dichotomy of Dutch methodology, with the Cruyff school on  one hand, and Van Gaal on the other, is  illuminating. The ramifications are profound on their influence in world football.

In Australia we tend to be favouring Van Gaal's approach ATM.

Harry Redknapp: The Biography - Les Roopanarine



This is very mediocre. 


I had trouble finishing  it. The author is too much of a fan boy and the book lacks football performance detail.  Harry's main strength as a coach is being an excellent man manager.

Pep Guardiola - Another Way Of Winning : The Biography - Guillem Balague


I'm finding this to be an excellent book. There is a lot detail about football performance from greats like Cruyff and Van Gaal.

There is also a lot of detail on how Pep thinks as a coach. He never likes to stay in any one coaching position for too long. If he wins titles he thinks he can only go backwards from that point with the team.

Add another recent book to Arthur's list:

"The First Sixty Years: Soccer in South Australia 1902-1962" by Tony Smith

Available at Dymocks, Rundle Mall, or online

It is also interesting  to read about football from a Spanish perspective.

As for me, Pele's biography is the best one:)

"The Game That Never Happened", by Ian Syson. Published by Sports and Editorial Services, Melbourne, 2018.

Looks at football in Australia pre- WWI, how it was reported and how the round ball game struggled at the hands of a certain egg ball game originating from Melbourne.
Well researched, but a bit Victorian-centric.

Looks interesting.  I'll check it out. 

I enjoyed that book, but can't remember ithe title.