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A Season on the Brink: Rafael Benitez, Liverpool and the Path to European Glory
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (2005-11-10)
ISBN: 0297852442
EAN: 9780297852445
Hardcover: 192 pages
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Customer Reviews
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Slightly myopic and political - rather than truly objetive.
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-01-03
Everything Rafa did was brilliant and everything Houllier did was rubbish.
Also in order to politically stay in with Owen and MacManaman he refused to condemn them for running down their contracts in order to boost their salaries at Madrid.
He is also ridiculously soft on Parry during the Gerrard / Chelsea debacle - and who has been at the steering wheel while LFC have been massively overtaken by Manu, Arse and Chelski.
Having said that the description of The Final was breathlessly exciting and well written.
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world class
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-11-14
In 2004 rafa benitez took over the reigns of the greatest club of all time,he was expected to stabilise a team filled with inner doubt and move the unit forward,what he did was win us the biggest prize in club football that season,the champions league,our fifth time and first in 21 years,heads turned,we were all shocked,what a season,our dream had come true.
This book written by Guillem Balague,a spanish pundit who also works for revista la liga on sky sports.follows that season with interviews from the men involved and other people who followed what would be a season none of us could forget.
the author gets good insight,is clearly a liverpool fan and certainly a rafa fan as well,it may make for biased reading but this is the greatest club of all time,we make no excuses for our love of the pinnacle of perfection,this is a magic book from a magic time in my life,glorious.
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LFC fans look before you leap
Rating (3)
Date: 2007-08-08
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
As a Liverpool fan, I don't think it would have been possible to be totally disappointed with this book, because of the subject matter. Who doesn't love to relive the glorious night in Instanbul. That said, the book is far from great. The style is descriptive, and relies heavily on a patchwork of quotes from players and the manager. The problem is that these quotes seem to be taken from other places and jumbled together in an odd patchwork. It's almost as if somebody had just read everything that was written in the press, took all the direct quotes, and then used it to make a book. True, there are some more insightful descriptions, such as the detailed story of what happened in the LFC dressing room at half time, but not enough to justif the cover price. This falls far short of some of the other books on the topic - for example those by Paul Tomkins, which offer real insight and thoughtful analysis, rather than simple description.
If you're a liverpool fan and have read everything else on the subject, then I guess it's not a high price to pay to relive that great game, but don't get your hopes too high.
It goes without saying, if you're not a Liverpool fan, stay away.
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Just for liverpool fans
Rating (3)
Date: 2007-01-01
1 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Guillem encapsulates Liverpool's incredible triumph in stylish fashion, and as such this book is a must for Liverpool supporters; however, the book will fail to capture the imagination of other football fans. The writer's parochialism and reliance on questionable sources is evident throughout. In conjunction his pious attachment to Benitez resonates throughout the book leaving you somewhat vexed by his lack of objectivity. For instance, at the end of chapter 10 Chris Bascombe from the Liverpool echo juxtaposes Benitez with Mourinho's Chelsea, and what would have happened if the former had gone south: `....Liverpool would have been the same position in the league and Chelsea would have won both the league and the European cup'.
Either way the first half of book is worth the price in its own right. From Valencia to Gerrard, Balague offers an intriguing insight into life at Anfield and the peripheral forces of that season. Unfortunately, the second half of the book simply re-enacts the champion's league final; thus, failing to mirror the book's initial offering of an enlightening excavation into the workings of Liverpool football club.
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A must buy...
Rating  (4)
Date: 2006-06-14
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
As a Liverpool fan ive always wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Anfield and this book takes you through the whole of Rafa's first season at Anfield with great detail and also has the added bonus of telling you the truth behind the two big stories of his first season:
1. The Gerrard saga(s)
2. What did he do at half time
And on top of those theres a great insight into the semi-final between Lfc and Chelsea with a very interesting bit about Mourinhos preditction. The only reason ive given this 4 stars and not 5 is because Guillem has a blatent dislike for Houllier and a love for Rafa as he blames all of Liverpools problems on the French man but that shouldnt stop you buying this fantastic story. YNWA
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Retail Price: £16.99
Amazon.com's Price:£7.98
That's 53% Off!
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