Product Description

Every week, millions around the world tune in to watch United play, and crowds of 76,000 regularly make their way to Old Trafford to see their heroes in action - but how much does anyone really know what goes on behind the scenes? This fascinating book sets out to show just what goes on to keep the show on the road. Writers Gemma Thompson and Steve Bartram take the reader through life at United, from training at Carrington and the work that goes on there to provide the players with the best facilities, diet and fitness regime, through to the build-up to the game, where match-day programme writers are hard at work, and on to the match itself, when a huge number of people is required to ensure everything goes smoothly. The book also follows the team on a trip abroad for a major European match, showing how the players choose to relax and how they build up for the big game. It also takes the reader into the changing room for the title celebrations and to Wembley for the FA Cup final. Football has always been about so much more than the eleven men on the field, and this book shows exactly what that means.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #275092 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

About the Author
Gemma Thompson was one of the writers of The Official Manchester United Annual 2007 and writes regularly for manutd.com as well as various other Manchester United publications. Steve Bartram is one of the writers on manutd.com and has written for many other United publications. Steve Bartram is one of the writers on www.manutd.com and has written for many other United publications.

Customer Reviews

Life at United: The Official Version
If the proverbial genie was to offer me three wishes I'd obviously have to deal with my appearance and my finances first. But I'd probably use the remaining wish to ask for an 'access all areas' pass at Manchester United. Not only have I been a fan since before George Best began playing, but I am fascinated by the world of elite sport - by the characteristics of that crucial 5% that lifts athletes from very very good to world beaters.

So this should be my dream book. But of course that is naive. As this book pretty much itself points out, one of the many behind the scenes tasks at a major club like United is to control all press and publicity. And accordingly this book has come from the club itself, and is written by two in-house writers.

Consequently everything, it seems, at United, is ideal, perfect, and adored by the players who simply love everything and everyone. At times it reads more like the Annual Report, or the less interesting parts of a website, as they methodically tell us about the charity work, the corporate hospitality, the ticketing systems. These are all Good Things, but I can't help but resent paying money for the club's own PR.

So why a 3 star rating? Because in a sport where there is the most astonishingly rigorous code of silence about everything that happens off the pitch, I can't help but hungrily consume the crumbs this book offers. The section on training is genuinely interesting, and would have been terrific if they had had the courage to give more specific examples. Tantalisingly we are told that, following his poor season a couple of years ago, Ryan Giggs was taught a whole new set of skills by the coaching staff; and sure enough last year he was transformed. Sadly we are never told what those skills were.

There is also interesting material on match-day preparation for the first team - particularly the warm up rituals. And if you read this book you will find out why the Reserve team is now deemed inadequate as a testing ground for the better young players - and why so many are sent out on loan.

So if you share my enthusiasm for the club and for the sport, you really have to read it. It'll only take the length of a football match if you skim-read the corporate stuff; and it costs less than the price of a ticket at Old Trafford. The feeling you'll have afterwards will be much like a 1-0 win at home to Birmingham: routine, and yet somehow it's always a pleasure to see a bit more of the Reds.