Brilliant Orange - by David Winner (Paperback)

About the Book

Winner's book chronicles how the Dutch revolutionized soccer in the 1960s by implementing a technique based on position-switching: defenders would suddenly become attackers and vice versa, thus substantially reducing the amount of repetitive back-and-forth running.

Book Synopsis

"A brilliant, thorough, utterly mad book, the product of the most admirable sort of enthusiasm: total. You like soccer, you don't like soccer, it doesn't matter. If you think of yourself as a serious fan, if you want to continue on the path towards enlightenment and take your devotion to another level, you'd best check out the standard being set here." --ESPN.com

On one level, Brilliant Orange is about a people whose unique point of view has led to the most enduring arts, the weirdest architecture, and a bizarrely cerebral form of soccer--Total Football--that led in 1974 to a World Cup finals match with arch-rival Germany, as well as to a devastating loss against Spain in 2010.

On another, the book also offers, as a 5-star reviewer put it: "insight into the Dutch mindset beyond football. You learn about Dutch history, art, and society while learning about their great players and the total football. You don't actually need to be a football fan to enjoy the book."

"One of those strangely informative books that will entertain those who have little interest in either soccer or the Netherlands." --The Economist

"Wry, obsessional, digressive, deep. This is football as art, metaphor, and cultural signifier." --The Guardian

Review Quotes

A brilliant, thorough, utterly mad book, the product of the most admirable sort of enthusiasm: total. You like soccer, you don't like soccer, it doesn't matter. If you think of yourself as a serious fan, if you want to continue on the path towards enlightenment and take your devotion to another level, you'd best check out the standard being set here.

A fascinating exploration of how national politics can be transported into the sports arena.

Easily the best book on soccer I have read in a long while . . . Every American following the World Cup ought to read it.

One of those strangely informative books that will . . . entertain those who have little interest in either soccer or the Netherlands.

Wry, obsessional, digressive, deep . . . this is football as art, metaphor, and cultural signifier.