Welcome to Hell?: In Search of the Real Turkish Football

A fabulous book searching for the answer of that well-known question: What is it like when you go out of your world? Is the East "hell" when you look from the West?McManus had spent nearly a decade in Turkey, a country where West meets East and talked with dozens of people who fell in love with soccer. Besides picking up all the right details and honest views to understand a country, the author adds his solid political observations as an anthropologist.If you had read Stephen Kinzer's Crescent and Star and liked it, this is another admirable book for you.

Having lived in Turkey for the past few years, this was an interesting read. Not only does John talk about football in Turkey, he delves into the politics, history and culture of Turkey. I found this very helpful as it made me understand certain things about Turks. Turkey is a complex country and it takes time for one to understand certain things. Reading this book made me understand the politics that go on in the game of football. For John to put up this book, it shows that he did his research. There is a wealth of information in it and I give it five stars simply because I cannot give it six.

Great read. Whilst it tells great stories about Turkish football all over the country, the author is also a sharp analyst of contemporary Turkey. Highly recommended even for those not necessarily passionate about football.

I have always been intrigued by the reputation of Turkish football, and although I have never attended a soccer match in that country, some of my friends have recounted many tales that would not seem out of place in a war movie.First and foremost, this book is written by a football fan. It explores the relationship between the clubs, fans and the politics and thankfully avoids any latter personal standpoint. The author has chapters of each of the main three Istanbul clubs as well as provincial teams and as a reader you wonder how any soccer team in Turkey survives with the many protagonists fingers in so many pies. The characters interviewed for the book are sometimes hilarious and reveal so much about The Turkish psyche. The book is evidently well researched with extensive passages on Turkish history, famous Turkish footballers, even British and other foreign nationals who have tried their luck in playing and managing within the Turkish leagues.I have read many books on football and I can honestly say that this is one of the best of them all in my opinion. Many of them are solely fact driven, but this is much more than that as it's written so well. I learned a lot from John McManus about Turkey as a country as well as a footballing nation. Highly recommended as a gripping read.

Fascinating insight, especially into Turkey's lease known teams and regions. A bit political heavy at the end but the context of it is relevant to why Turkish football is what it is.

Not one but two books on Turkish football come along at once.Of the two, this book is the better selection. The approach and writing styles are different and this comes across as a book written by a fan rather than a journalist. I'm just pointing this out as there is far more information regarding football here than in the other offering. It's less political and doesn't feel like the author has an axe to grind regarding certain situations. Anyway......This is a fun and enjoyable read without the constraints of political and social commentary bogging it down. Of course the author slowly but surely discovers how Turkish football does impact upon society and vice versa. Whilst they go hand in hand, this is a book about football first and foremost.We get the history lesson regarding Turkish football, from the beginning to the modern incarnation. The book covers a wide base and highlights some of the lesser lights and not only sticking to the big three teams. Towards the end, both books cover the same topics such as the Syrian crisis, women in Turkish football as well as the lgbt community. However this has the feel of a proper football book and not just a journalist's take upon modern society.It's a fun read with plenty of great information, characters and stories.

I only knew about the basics of Turkish Football, so what I've seen in mainstream media and snippets on social media (mainly concentrated on the Big 3 Istanbul clubs) so this was a thoroughly interesting and entertaining read. I liked the injecting of the personal experiences of the author along with what could be termed the drier subject of the histories of the subjects. I don't think you need to have a particular fascination in Turkey or Turkish Football to enjoy this and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone considering buying it!

A great read, enjoyed the insight to Turkey, Turkish football, culture, politics and history. Previously enjoyed 'Morbo' about football in Spain and similar books on the game and life in other countries around Europe and Central/South America, and this IMO is an even better read than most. Have attended lower league games in Turkey and this book helped me put what I saw and heard around me in to better context, I'd sensed there was something more complex going on in the crowd around me and that it extended to more than munching on seeds for snacks and general exuberance. The book is well written, giving the author's journey, arrival, travel and football life in Turkey and treads carefully yet honestly through what seems to me with UK eyes as a sometimes difficult political, historical and social back drop.