Product Description

A revised and updated paperback edition of Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger's acclaimed history of German football, first published in 2002.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49448 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tor! The Story of German Football does exactly "what it says on the tin". As the author explains, his aim was to write an entertaining history of the German game. He has certainly achieved his goal, or "tor" as they would say in Germany. Hesse-Lichtenberger sets out to prove that football in Germany is not necessarily the efficient, predictable machine that those of us believing in the German stereotype might think. Again, he succeeds. From the foundation of the game to the present day (and dare I mention the historic 5-1 defeat at the hands of the English in Munich in September 2001), the narrative finds plenty of room to include the quirky, amusing and unexpected. The seemingly curious names of many German club sides are dissected, while the fact that the national side managed to win the 1954 World Cup before the advent of the first professional national league only serves to amaze. The author proclaims his belief that it is people who shape events, and misses no opportunity to investigate the diverse personalities who have made the German game what it is, from the obsession of Herberger to the maverick brilliance of Netzer. The upshot is a wonderfully colourful history, and one that will no doubt surprise even most the avid of Europhile football followers. The latest in the line of recent books in English on European football, Tor!, like a number of German teams of the past, is a clear winner. --Trevor Crowe

Times
Beautifully crafted... demolishes myths with the cold-blooded efficiency of a literary Gerd Muller

Observer
Very good... Tor! reveals that German football is more prone to self-doubt than self-promotion.

Customer Reviews

Do NOT miss!
This is a truly wonderful book. 2nd only in my 40-odd years of sports book reading to John Arlott's Fred.

The author has a light and natural style, which is saying something for a German, as it isn't his native language. Not that you'd ever guess this from his prose, which is dry without being ascerbic, but also builds wonderfully well in the build-up to the 1954 World Cup win.

That's an even better achievement, as Herr Hesse-Lichtenberger wasn't born until 1966! This book is full of information without being in the remotest a statistical litany, and looks at all the underlying passions in German football from its' very beginnings in the 1890's.

It pulls no punches, either with German clubs who were busy expelling Jews months before ordered to do so by Hitler's men, nor with a National side that managed to combine cynical disregard for the spectator with winning at all costs between 1982-1998 on too many important occasions-his thoughts, by the way, not mine.

And, just as an afterthought on quite how good this is, how many ENGLISH sportwriters could fluently write about the Premiership in German?

an informative and enjoyable account of German Football
I would recommend this book to any football supporter. Lichtenburger has produced a marvellously detailed account of his country's footballing history, and has presented it in a way which amply explains German terminology and gives even novices a understandable and detailed knowledge of Germany's football history. My only criticism is that I found myself slightly disappointed by the lack of detail of football in East Germany, in comparison to the vast information contained on West German football during the same periods. Nevertheless, Lichtenburger's knowledge and love his subject is evident, and Tor is a valuable, informative and enjoyable read.

Does exactly what it says on the tin
Fantastic introduction to, and comprehensive history of German football - from its beginnings up to the 2002 World Cup. Puts right a few myths and misunderstandings, explains the culture of the game to outsiders (e.g. why certain teams are hated so much and a few very "un-German" scandals) and shows that the English and German game share a lot in common. A really interesting and enjoyable read.