Subjects:
British & Irish history
Football (Soccer
Association football)
Northern Ireland
Protestant v Catholic, Unionist v Nationalist, East v West, their team against my team. This is the story of Northern Irish football and so much more: the tournaments, the near misses, the unsung heroes and unlikely tales of triumph amid adversity. George Best, David Healy, Peter Doherty and all the big names throughout the eras are traced to their roots 'back home' as Roberts shines a light on the human dimension to some of Ulster's most famous ninety-minute sons. Exploring sectarianism, shipbuilding and sliding tackles, Roberts has finally provided a definitive account of the beautiful game in this often troubled land.
Benjamin Roberts is a writer, broadcaster and keen observer of the political and social aspects of the Beautiful Game. His family background is Northern Irish but he lives and works in Southern England. He is a fan of Charlton Athletic.
'[A] throroughly researched history, peppered with anecdotes...a book which gets that the relationship between football and politics is nowhere more keen than in the Northern Irish game.' - Tim Marshall - author of 'Dirty Northern Bastards - A History of Britain's Football Chants' 'Anyone interested in Irish football, North or South, should read this. Ethnic rivalry, religious prejudice and recurring violence - the Beautiful Game as played out against the background of a bitterly divided Northern Ireland.' - Paddy Agnew, Rome correspondent for the Irish Times, writer for World Soccer