Raiford Guins

I was really struck by how much of this book I identified with, unsurprisingly I suppose, given some the similar life experiences I shared with the author. I too have long loved Leeds from afar, emigrating to and growing up in the US. It wasn't until I moved back to the UK and subsequently living in Leeds that I could follow LUFC "in real life". I now live in Melbourne, Australia, and am back to loving Leeds from a great distance.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how Guins tries to contextualize the often mundane, trivial and seemingly nonsensical moments of significance, connection and the odd rituals of being a football supporter, amplified by the tyranny of distance. His academic writing background really comes through in his writing, and elevates his ideas with related published ideas and authors.

I'm a huge collector of Leeds United books in general and have compiled a bibliography of every book ever written about the club. I’ve long bemoaned the overall lack of quality football writing, and so it was a genuine pleasure to read something from a more considered and thought-provoking angle, actually trying to dig into the meaning of being a supporter. Guins talks heaps about how it "feels". So many fan accounts going out lack that element... authors write what they did and what they saw, but nothing about the "feeling" behind it nor any real attempts to dissect this emotional and often intangible element of being a football supporter.

This was a hugely relatable and enjoyable read for a fellow "dislocated supporter" and I thoroughly recommend it to any LUFC supporter, whereever you are!… (mehr)