Ring Of Fire: Liverpool FC

This was a brilliant read but somehow I never got to posting. The book is actually the second in a series by the writer, where the first series captured the end of a 2 decade dominance of LFC in the 1990s.

Now covering the first decade of the 21st century, the book interviews huge personalities like Carragher, Houllier, Hamann, even so-called traitors such as Owen, Torres, and lesser known players like Riera.

What i really like is how it helps you understand the players' minds, and also gives a peek of what the dressing room looks like. You get to understand the intensity behind Carragher, how he makes up for his lack of talent with sheer grit and determination, and how this insane passion is also probably what is preventing him from going to management, as the emotions will probably drive him crazy.

You get to hear Owen/Torres' side of the story, of how desperate Owen was to get back to Anfield, or how Torres was seemingly played out by Daglish.

You get to appreciate legends such as Steve Heighway, not only a successful player, but also responsible for bringing through homegrown talents of Fowler, Carragher, Gerrard and Owen.

Finally you also get to appreciate the corporate side of things, to get an understanding of why then-Chairman Rick Parry sold the club to the American pair of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

While the following decade has only brought one trophy so far, I hope there are more to come, and regardless of what happens, it will still make for fascinating reading. Hopefully a third book will come out eventually!