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: #12978 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

Superb & Very Readable History of German Football
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend. This was an excellent decision. Cheers Stumpy...

This history of football in Germany is well written, funny and tragic. There were so many things that I learnt from this. From the way teams were named and originated to stories that just make you laugh out loud and others that reduce you to tears.

As an example there is the story of a player signed by a team who said "They wanted to give me a third of the gate receipts. I told them No Way. I won't accept less than a quarter."

To think that the Germans had no professionalism or national league until 1963. The way that the national federation controlled the game and looked on professionalism as a disease to be fought off is unbelievable to us.

This book proves that there is more to German football than Bayern Munich. It shows how team rose and fell and how the game developed from an "unpatriotic" and "foreign" one into a world beater. This teaches us about the German people and their view of us and other countries.

They are bemused at our image of them and do not understand our rivalry and obession with the War that pervades the meetings between our countries.

I highly recommend this to every who wants to gain an insight into the history and development of the game in Germany.

The story of German Football
I couldn't believe how good this book was. It tells you everything you ever wanted to know about German football. It's origins, how it progressed, developed into the Bundesliga.

It's written in such an entertaining style and is so informative. There are loads of stories, from the stories behind team names such as Energie Cottbus and Carl Zeiss Jena, to detailed looks at significant figures in German football history from Franz Beckenbauer to Lothar Matthaus, from Gerd Muller to Rudi Voller. Then there are the tales of German football during the Nazi Era, from players who went missing and those whose fate was all to obvious.

There is a detailed account of football from the old East Germany. It is divided into a different section, as it should be, from the West German football league. Then came reunification and the players who found bigger fame once they moved to the West from the East, Jens Jeremies and Sebastian Deisler being two such players.

This is not just a straight, German football history book. It's too well written for that. It is one of the best football books I've read and I've read many. There are many lighter moments in here too, you will be laughing out loud to. Sehr gut und Einfach klasse!

.......and one World Cup
If you are a fan of all things football - READ THIS BOOK!! If you already have an opinion on German football....I bet you it's wrong! I worked in Germany as a football commentator and thought I knew a lot about the Bundesliga. Wrong! If only this book had been around a couple of years ago.....
An absolutely fascinating read, starting at the very beginning of the German game. I was fascinated at how the household (in Germany) names that I recognised were so influential in the development of the beautiful game in the country where we (falsely) believe it became an automated one.
An outstanding book full of invaluable information for those of us who think we know it all. How many of you out there knew that 'adidas' has never officially been spelt with a capital letter? Or that 'adidas' and 'puma' were founded by two fueding brothers?
Buy this book and you won't be disappointed. You may even change your opinion on the Germans.........