Probably one of the best "fan" books I've read (admittedly, only two). I used to watch Arsenal on TV here in the US during the Wenger years so I had the book but I wasn't in the mood to read it until I read a friend's review and it sounded like the perfect book to read on the exercise bike (on Kindle). It was. The chapters were short. For some reason, I thought it was fiction (maybe it was the bad US movie remake) and centered around romance (and Football). I was wrong. The only romance is for the game of Football (Soccer). In addition to biography and his memories of specific games and players, it discusses a very turbulent era in English football (hooligans, the Hillsborough disaster).

If you are looking for another "literary" fan book, you may want to find Frederick Exley's "A Fan's Notes" although this is less about the team (NY Giants, American Football) than about the author.

2.5*

Ho provato a scindere la storia e l'Hornby narratore, sempre gradevole e accattivante, ma niente: la prima ha avuto uil sopravvento sull'altra e non riesco a dare tre stelline :(
La verità vera è che sono l'antisportività (e l'anti-calcio) fatta persona. Cioè, quando veniva distribuita la pazienza, la calma e il buon senso, io ero lì ad attardarmi alla coda del "No Maria per me il calcio è no!", chiedendo anche un piccolo extra per cadere in catalessi di fronte a omini random che corrono dietro un pallone.. Ecco, è andata così.

So che sono ingiusta - il calcio mi annoia, perché leggere dunque un libro che ha questo tema come argomento? In fondo non ho iniziato il libro aspettandomi un trattato di astrofisica e restando ingannata con un'autobiografia di un fan sfegatato.. probabilmente Hornby non si meritava una lettrice così ingrata ma mia discolpa c'è da dire che forse mi aspettavo qualcosa di meno 'settoriale' e più godibile e accessibile anche a quelle persone che non saprebbero distinguere due squadre nemmeno se una delle due fosse aliena: prendiamo per esempio "Il resto della settimana" di De Giovanni: è un libro sul calcio ma mi ha trasmesso entusiasmo e gioia, mi ha fatto sentire parte di qualcosa (.... di cosa non lo so, ma fidatevi :D), mi ha divertito e intrattenuto.

Il libro di Hornby è positivo perché l'autore racconta la sua vita e ci regala un sacco di aneddoti (e poi a me la sua ironia piace da morire!).. Però per trovare queste piccole perle tocca soffrire con squadre e nomi, con partite che a me non dicono niente, con un Arsenal odiato e amato in egual misura..
Niente, mi è partito un sonno a volte!!!!

Only the second book I have ever read more than once. Enjoyed it a lot the first time, and even more this time. So much more than just a book about soccer.

I just finished reading this book for the second time. The first time I read it, I probably would have given it five stars; something about the glimpse into Hornby's world enthralled me, but then I wasn't quite as familiar with the lifestyle of being a Premiership fan as I am now.

Set up as a series of essays, Fever Pitch depicts the life of a man who is much, much more than a casual Arsenal fan, while much less than a "hooligan." It caters to everyone who finds themselves in between those two descriptions. As I was reading, I found myself at times nodding in affirmation as he described his emotional state during key moments in his lifetime. At other times, though, his experiences and observations were foreign to me; since I am an American, for example, it is difficult for me to understand a lot the nuances between fan bases for different clubs which seemed second nature to him. As a result, I felt Hornby came off unintentionally judgmental during certain portions of the book, though I got the feeling that someone who has been an fan of footy in Europe for longer than I have could confirm some of the perceptions (and, to an extent, stereotypes) that he portrayed.

The book is very introspective. Hornby is the main, and really the only character, though it is his relationship with his dad which drives the story in the beginning and his relationship with his girlfriend which drives it toward the end. In a sense, Hornby is discovering the depths of his own passion as you go along. There is a great self-awareness at play here, and at some points I felt like Hornby was describing me instead of himself.

In a book filled with resonating passages about football, fandom and the Arsenal, this one stands out:

"One thing I know for sure about being a fan is this: it is not a vicarious pleasure, despite all appearances to the contrary, and those who say that they would rather do than watch are missing the point. Football is a context where watching becomes doing — not in the aerobic sense, because watching a game, smoking your head off while doing so, drinking after it has finished and eating chips on the way home is unlikely to do you a whole lot of Jane Fonda good, in the way that chuffing up and down a pitch is supposed to. But when there is some kind of triumph, the pleasure does not radiate from the players outwards until it reaches the likes of us at the back of the terraces in a pale and diminished form; our fun is not a watery version of the team’s fun, even though they are the ones that get to score the goals and climb the steps at Wembley to meet Princess Diana. The joy we feel on occasions like this is not a celebration of others’ good fortune, but a celebration of our own; and when there is a disastrous defeat the sorrow that engulfs us is, in effect, self-pity, and anyone who wishes to understand how football is consumed must realise this above all things. The players are merely our representatives, chosen by the manager rather than elected by us, but our representatives nonetheless, and sometimes if you look hard you can see the little poles that join them together, and the handles at the side that enable us to move them."

Heavily recommended for anyone who lives and breathes the beautiful game.

"Nichts ist jemals von Bedeutung - außer Fußball."

Ich selbst habe ja schon einen Großteil meiner Kindheit und Jugend mit Fußball spielen und verfolgen verbracht, aber was Nick Hornby da macht, ist ein ganz anderes Level.

"Unsere Jahre, unsere Zeiteinheiten gehen von August bis Mai [...]. Wir besaufen uns am Silvesterabend wie alle anderen, aber in Wirklichkeit wird unsere geistige Uhr nach dem Pokalfinale im Mai gestellt, und wir schwelgen in all den Vorsätzen, dem Bedauern und den Erneuerungen, die sich normale Menschen am Ende des konventionellen Jahres erlauben."

Nick Hornby ist kein Fan von Arsenal, er ist ein Besessener. Er findet für Vieles Worte, das ich in Ansätzen auch für den Fußball empfinde. Auch wenn ich mit Arsenal wenig anfangen kann, umso weniger mit den Mannschaften zwischen 1969-1991, hat es das Buch geschafft, die Faszination des Fußballs und Fan-Daseins schonungslos offenzulegen. Ein Blick in die Vergangenheit, als der Fußball noch so anders, aber irgendwie doch gleich war.

Eine absolute Empfehlung für alle Fußballfans und ich bin mir auch sicher, dass man nach der Lektüre versteht, wieso "wir" und nicht "die" 2014 in Brasilien Weltmeister geworden sind. ;)

Este libro habla sobre lo que yo era y lo que, afortunadamente, hace años que ya no soy. Habla de muchas otras cosas, por supuesto, pero en esta lectura he visto reflejada una parte de mí que ya no está conmigo. Es la parte que decía que no a cualquier cosa, a cualquier plan infinitamente mejor que ver otro aburrido e insulso partido de fútbol en Nueva Condomina, porque jugaba el Murcia, y si jugaba el Murcia, había que estar allí.

Hace ya tiempo que me di cuenta de que mi vida no podía estar condicionada por el calendario y los resultados de un equipo de fútbol, y por eso he leído Fiebre en las gradas con una nostalgia teñida también de una cierta superioridad moral. Y quizás nunca llegue a disfrutar de los éxitos de mi equipo con el mismo fervor que Nick Hornby con los del Arsenal (salvando la gran brecha que separa a un equipo que ha ganado la Premier League en trece ocasiones de otro que lleva más de diez años arrastrándose por la tercera categoría del fútbol nacional), pero, al menos, mi mundo no se hundirá cada semana cuando el Murcia vuelva a desaprovechar una ocasión única e irrepetible para colocarse en lo más alto de la liga.

La primera parte de esta historia me fascinó. Está llena del romanticismo con el que los niños vivimos el fútbol cuando descubrimos que hay también un lugar para nosotros en ese mundo de adultos. Está relatada con un gran sentido del humor, pero también con mucha autocrítica, y culmina con el desengaño que, sin embargo, no termina de alejar a Hornby de las gradas.

El resto del libro es la narración de una lucha contra el tedio, la desesperación y la mediocridad, en un paralelismo entre los resultados del Arsenal y la vida del propio autor. En ciertos momentos me ha parecido que abusaba de la justificación y la autoafirmación, pero siempre con conciencia de su propia irracionalidad.

Este fue el primer libro que añadí a mi lista de deseos, en diciembre de 2016. Tardé ocho años en decidir que era el momento de leerlo, pero creo que, de haberlo leído antes, no habría sabido verlo con los mismos ojos.

3.5 stars

What to know: This is a book of short (generally 1.5 to 3 page) essays spanning the period from 1968 to 1992. The paperback version with an afterward from 2012 is 246 pages. As a general rule I highly recommend finding the version with the most recent afterward/epilogue, in many cases it can be transformative. I wouldn't say that about this book but it does make for a nice update here.

Best audience: Football fans, especially Arsenal supporters. I'm American and have never played or seen a soccer game in my life so many of the names and terms went right past me but I still enjoyed the book for the writing style and relatable themes.

The short essays: Makes the book very easy to pick up and put down when you only have a few free minutes here and there. The problem for me is that I started and took a six week break before picking it back up again. And I'm a big fan of short passages.

Is it just about football?: Not entirely but it mostly is. It's 100% about the Arsenal club. While each essay has a football/Arsenal theme Hornby weaves it with other topics such as relationships of varying kinds; superstition; careers; hooliganism; family life; and others to broaden its appeal. It generally worked for me. Otherwise it would have been way too much of a niche subject.

Familiar?: I loved "The IT Crowd" and this book kept reminding me of episode 2 from season 3 (Are We Not Men?) about Moss & Roy's clumsy attempts to appear manly by faking interest in football. I think they pretend talked about Arsenal and kept using the word "ludicrous" to describe certain aspects of the previous night's match. "Ludicrous" kept popping up in the later essays in Fever Pitch.

Odd word placement: Why do the good people of England put the word "done" at the end of sentences? The author did it countless times. ("I should have done.") It's not just him, I've heard it in the many British crime dramas I've watched. It's puzzling to me.

Il 05.05.1972, all'uscita da Wembley l'adolescente Nick è sconsolato dopo una finale persa. Un anziano tifoso avversario lo vede e lo rincuora con queste parole: Ci sarà una prossima volta.

Vent'anni dopo, il 24.05.1992, all'uscita da Wembley ci sono io, sconsolato, con altri 20.000 sampdoriani dopo la finale di Champions persa con il Barcelona.
Una sola certezza: non ci sarà una prossima volta.
Per la prima volta, a 28 anni, mi rendo conto che una porta si chiude per sempre.

Da allora la mia vita di tifoso è praticamente finita, senza rimpianti, lasciando il posto ad un vago e saltuario interesse, che si ravviva solo in occasione dei grandi eventi.
Meglio così, da allora ho maturato una crescente avversione per l'ambiente del calcio ed ho liberato un sacco di tempo per dedicarmi a cose più interessanti.

Nick Hornby, non mi freghi: nessuna nostalgia!

The football season ended with a huge sense of relief but almost instantly I was in pain at the thought of June and July, those two months of the year when I have to fill my mind with thoughts other than 'when are Arsenal playing next? What time of the night do I set my alarm for?' The two months without football are the worst of the year. Not least because now that I am living in Australia, as opposed to England, it's also winter. It felt like the perfect time to finally revisit one of the books I've enjoyed most in my life, the memoirs of Nick Hornby, the now celebrity Arsenal fan and writer of lit-light novels that get turned in to not bad movies.

Having initially read this book in 1994 at the age of 12, before my world changed in so many ways and before professional football in England changed in so many ways I was curious as to how Fever Pitch would stand the test of time and how accurate my memory of it was. And I am happy to report that I enjoyed as much, if not more, now than I did then but most likely for different reasons.

The anecdotes are often hilarious and the observations of people and especially obsession/fandom/fanaticism are incredibly accurate, at times it felt like somebody actually understood why I behave the way I behave, these things that I always struggle to put in to words to justify myself to those people who just can't understand my chosen passion or the effect it has on me. It's not just a game to me, no matter how often well meaning people try to console me with that cliched line and perhaps now I can hand them this book and they will understand.

From an anthropological perspective this is an invaluable text, its a fabulous historical document also and as entertainment it fulfils its purpose and then some but most of all it's a marvellous source of pride for 'us,' the fans of The Arsenal that something so highly thought of is on its surface about us and not some other bunch of lillywhites or oil rich zillionaires playthings.

It didn't make the wait for the new season any easier but merely served to heighten my anticipation and expectation for when it finally arrives.

For someone who's only background on football are a handful of Azkal games and pictures of hot shirtless football players my friends try to entice me with, I honestly loved this book.

Nick Hornby tends to get too technical with his descriptions (and maybe, as a responsible reader, I should've at least tried to look up(/ask my friends about) the terms? but I'm lazy af) but that didn't take away from the experience. I'm honestly glad I made the executive decision to pace myself while reading it instead of rushing my way through it, because I would've probably skimmed through everything and missed the fandom experience. The book's depiction of fandom resonates so well to me even if I don't give a fck about Arsenal/football. I recognized myself in Hornby liking loyalty to a wart you're stuck with (hello problematic faves), his regression, his treatment of football as a crutch, etc. (just replace "football" with Niall Horan. lolJK I'm actually cooler than this, but I did enjoy the fact that one of Arsenal's greatest is named Niall lol)

Having said that, I wish I was equipped with at least a basic knowledge of how football actually works, or how clubs work in the UK before reading this because that definitely would've added to the whole experience. But I'm definitely going to walk away with appreciation for Arsenal and football culture in general, deeper than my casual love for hot football players.

Fever Pitch is a tribute to football and Arsenal in all their glory, warts and all, but Nick's love (obsession??) for the game and ~journey~ with football is something anyone can relate to, whatever their fandom may be.

Fever pitch was an autobiographical account of an obsessive Arsenal fan whose happiness, sadness and everything depend on Arsenal’s success or failure.

Most of us, Indian football fans, started watching English football from around 1996. That is the time when ESPN start telecasting one or two matches per weekend. That too most of them were United and Liverpool games. This is why India has lot of fans from these two clubs.

For the guys like me, who started around 2003/04 season, Arsenal was all. The invincible team on a great football ground (First renovated Highbury, then world class Emirates) with great players likes of Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira. We don’t know the past. The period when the dying on the football ground due to hooliganism, wall collapse and lot more reasons.

This book explains a lot about that period which most of us do not know. We always habituated to imagine foreign stadiums are like this from start. No issues of spectator safety and comfort would have ever risen. If you are the person who always complains about quality of Indian stadiums, please read this book. In a country like UK, the stadiums should need more than 100 years to get improved; our stadiums are new and are in the process of improving. It will happen in time, so stop complaining.

The best thing about this book was that this was written in the view of a fan. I could relate to lot of things like planning the outings and parties so that it would not affect him watching the matches, grumbling about the match whenever the team through away the lead and losing, we all do , don’t we?

The main part of the book is the 17 year trophy deficit until they won the league cup on 1987. The irony is now we are in the deficit of 6 years. So I could understand his feelings when he explains the joy he felt when the team won the league.

Also when Hornby explains his feelings after the team lost to Swindon in the cup final, I could relate it with the loss we suffered in the league cup final this year to the relegated Birmingham.
Fever pitch, another great non-fiction book I have read this year. If you are a football fan and following English Football for quite some time, this is a good read irrespective of whichever club you are. This book gives us lot of information that we would not possibly known from the period starting 1968 till 1991. If you are a Gunner’s fan, ‘Man, come on this is a book by one of us’.

No prizes for guessing my rating. :)