Product Description

In this memoir, the author tells the humorous story of his final season playing Sunday morning football and also recounts his experiences playing for other teams throughout his life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #530288 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Metro
'hilarious...Any Chance of A Game? affectionately captures the rites of passage of your average footy-mad guy'

Daily Telegraph
Funny, sharp, poignant...his prose is blissful. Most of all, he makes you care for a bunch of footballing saddos

From the Publisher
An hilarious memoir of a life spent playing football. A Fever Pitch for those who don't just watch but play the game. Mostly badly

Customer Reviews

Escape to victory or escape growing up?
On the recommendation of my sister (of all people) I picked up Barney Ronay’s ‘Any Chance of a Game?’, and, given my aforementioned sibling’s commendation, I was pleasantly surprised – I mean, what do girls know about football? Reading Ronay’s book makes a refreshing change to many London authors’ usual clichéd boy/girl stories and he offers a fresh perspective on the late 20s male’s struggle to come to terms with his advancing years, using his woeful Sunday league football team’s make or break season as a neat structure for the narrative.

Slipping effortlessly between past and present events on and off the pitch, the author weaves an intricate story about footballs and females, drawing on a wealth of carefully observed characters: from Barney’s hapless best friend, Dan, who just isn’t ready to grow up and finds the solutions to all their problems at the bottom of a pint pot, to his girlfriend, Laura, who is all too ready to swap late nights spent at the pub and early mornings on the pitch for early evenings spent at dinner parties and late mornings in Homebase.

The book benefits too from a hefty dose of realism. As I progressed through the book, I knew I was reading something that was true – not that this is a true story, although the author clearly draws heavily from his own experiences, but it is true to life. This is no ‘Escape to Victory’. The publisher calls the book ‘Fever Pitch’ for those who don't just watch but play the game, but ‘Any Chance of a Game?’ stands on its own two muddied, battered, bruised feet; there is no need for comparisons.

Any Chance of A Game?
Anyone who has run a Sunday parks team will tell you this is an excellent portrayal of what it is actually like.I read this book in one go it was so good.It sums up the whole scenerio of what you should expect.Awful changing rooms,, prehistoric pitchs, cheap football kit and mates who could be playing in higher leagues but stick with the team because they are loyal to the club.Freezing weather,rain ,sunshine ,and mud.You have it all.
Get the game over and repair to the pub then home for roast beef and two veg. As Ron Manager would no doubt say "Marvellous"

When Sunday Comes...
You can't avoid the Fever Pitch comparisons, but there are worse books to be lined up with than Nick Hornby's seminal effort. This takes a different slant anyway - if Fever Pitch was all about Saturday, this is about what happens when Sunday rolls around, and does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of cold pitches, cramped changing huts and opponents who are always somehow that bit better than you are... or who make up for any shortcomings with borderline psychosis. Like Fever Pitch too (sorry to go on), it's not just a football book, but is also good on the intra- and inter-gender relationships which play into your twenties and thirties as football becomes the last game to be put aside... a sweet, funny and easy read. When can we expect the music book?