SOMETIMES less is more and Belfast author Barry Flynn certainly does not fall short with his latest offering: ‘The Little Book of Irish Football’.
It is a fascinating read which tells the tale of the emergence of association football (soccer) in Ireland when early newspaper reports of drunken fights at games appeared as far back as 1780 - not the last time such ab issue reared its head.
Plenty has happened since then with many highs, lows, unforgettable players and eras, while some stories of some less memorable times which may have been forgotten are brought back to life.
Flynn’s way with words helps him deliver a series of concise stories which make this book flow from those early days of it being regarded as the ‘Garrison Game’ right through until today where its popularity has never been greater as evidenced by attendances at cup finals which mirror what was the norm many years ago.
Some of the greats of Irish soccer such as Danny Blanchflower and George Best feature, but this book takes you on a chronological journey, telling the story of one John McAlery, Cliftonville FC’s founding father who helped fully establish the game in the late 19th century and thus began the journey of Ireland’s oldest club with the IFA formed in 1880.
We learn of William Gibson, for whom the NIFL Premiership trophy is named, plus William McCrum - the man who invented the penalty kick.
As the journey continues, so do some fascinating stories, quirky anecdotes and moments that will amuse, although this is not merely a feel-good publication as there have been plenty of dark times in Irish soccer including Belfast Celtic’s withdrawal from the Irish League.
The split in Irish football is also comes to the fore with Leinster breaking away in 1921 to form the FAI, setting in train a period of around 25 years when each association selected players from the other as both regarded themselves as ‘Ireland’ - a name still used by the northern IFA as late as the early 1970s for the British Championships.
Today, clubs in England and Scotland draw large support from Ireland, but there was once a time when English clubs played in Ireland due to a big freeze in the early 1960s, while, of course, plenty of the giants of the game have graced pitches up and down the country in European competitions - with plenty of ups and downs along the way.
And of course, who can forget the World Cups in the 1980s and 1990s? Those glory years are relayed with those highs balanced with lows in other areas which saw violence on the terraces at home and an Irish Cup final that never was.
For 174 pages, Flynn takes us on that journey and delivers it in a way that leaves it easy to dip in and out of, yet putting it down becomes a major issue as those highs and lows provide the perfect balance for a book which is a must-read for all soccer fans and even those simply fascinated by Irish history.
