TITLE = Encyclopedia of World Soccer AUTHOR = Keir Radnedge (editor) PRICE = $28 (harcover) SIZE = 648 pages YEAR = 1999 SOURCE = www.amazon.com RATING = 3 stars
It's hard to give this work a negative review, because it's a decent
effort. However despite it's size, it's too short :) The info seems to
reflect the editor's Eurocentric point of view: there is decent coverage
of World Cup and Euro events. Latin American coverage is very weak, and
Asian/African virtually non-existant. Also, it seems a bit too heavy on
the very recent past. While this is understandable, it also can be
annoying at times. For example, under "Great Players", most current decent
players are covered, but many older ones omitted. And there are some
glaring screwups: Jordi Cruyff, who hasn't done much, gets a writeup, but
Berti Vogts, one of Germany's best ever defenders, capped 96 times, World
Champ, etc. is only mentioned as a coach. Another insult is the
inclusion of many crap American "stars". OK to include them, but until
you've entered in the tons of real decent players from other eras,
let's not waste the space. I'm sure you could find plenty
of other glaring faults.
But rather than harp on all the problems, I will
say that it's a useful addition to a soccer fan's library. The strengths
outweigh the weaknesses.