The Miracle Of Castel Di Sangro
- Downloads：7256
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-17 09:53:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Joe McGinniss
- ISBN：075152753X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In the summer of 1996， in a tiny， impoverished town deep in the remote heart of southern Italy， a sporting miracle took place。 The footballers of Castel di Sangro （population: 5，000） won promotion to Serie B， the division directly below the most glamorous league in world football。 In little more than a decade， the team had risen from the lowest depths of regional amateur football to within touching distance of Baggio and Batistuta。
Feeling something of a football curio himself - an American who understood and loved the game - Joe McGinniss followed their fortunes throughout their first remarkable season in the big time。 Populated by characters only the passionate， frenetic， absurd world of sport can produce， The Miracle of Castel di Sangro dramatically reveals football's limitless potential for magic， wonder and improbable romance。
Feeling something of a football curio himself - an American who understood and loved the game - Joe McGinniss followed their fortunes throughout their first remarkable season in the big time。 Populated by characters only the passionate， frenetic， absurd world of sport can produce， The Miracle of Castel di Sangro dramatically reveals football's limitless potential for magic， wonder and improbable romance。
Reviews
George Shaw
，
The idea of the miracle of Castel Di Sangro contains everything there is to love about football。 The inspirational story is full of joy， despair， heartbreak， triumph and disaster。Joe McGinniss is an American journalist， and newly dedicated soccer enthusiast， who has been assigned the task of documenting the miracle。 Or he is a tactical mastermind parachuted in to help steer the club to safety。 Sometimes it’s difficult to tell。The characters and drama of football make this a real fascinating read The idea of the miracle of Castel Di Sangro contains everything there is to love about football。 The inspirational story is full of joy， despair， heartbreak， triumph and disaster。Joe McGinniss is an American journalist， and newly dedicated soccer enthusiast， who has been assigned the task of documenting the miracle。 Or he is a tactical mastermind parachuted in to help steer the club to safety。 Sometimes it’s difficult to tell。The characters and drama of football make this a real fascinating read， if you can make it past the arrogance of the protagonist。 。。。more
Fiz
，
The best book on football that I have ever read so far 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Grande Joe， grande - don't we all wish it had ended differently 😭😭😭。 The best book on football that I have ever read so far 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Grande Joe， grande - don't we all wish it had ended differently 😭😭😭。 。。。more
Rick
，
wonderful
TK
，
Italy and futbol （soccer）。 It's worth reading even if you're not a soccer fan。 Italy and futbol （soccer）。 It's worth reading even if you're not a soccer fan。 。。。more
Aaron
，
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro was an interesting read that I’m glad I finally got around to。 I was expecting more of an investigative journalism type of approach where the author tried to uncover the secrets to the team’s meteoric rise through the ranks of Italian soccer。 Instead， the story is more of a memoir of the author’s single season spent with the team。 The book is well worth reading， both for its insight into the inner workings of the team and for its profile of life in small-town rura The Miracle of Castel di Sangro was an interesting read that I’m glad I finally got around to。 I was expecting more of an investigative journalism type of approach where the author tried to uncover the secrets to the team’s meteoric rise through the ranks of Italian soccer。 Instead， the story is more of a memoir of the author’s single season spent with the team。 The book is well worth reading， both for its insight into the inner workings of the team and for its profile of life in small-town rural Italy， but the author’s insistence on inserting himself in the story shifted the focus more toward him and less toward the town and the team than I would have hoped。 。。。more
Mark Coleman
，
Brilliant book。 From start to finish， the book oozes passion and you end up getting wrapped in all the trials and tribulations that go with it。 I wouldn't have changed a thing！ Brilliant book。 From start to finish， the book oozes passion and you end up getting wrapped in all the trials and tribulations that go with it。 I wouldn't have changed a thing！ 。。。more
Alexander Bancroft
，
A brilliant story which McGinniss' lets shine through， until the end， where I am not quite certain what he was going for。 That withstanding， it is still a good read for any fan of football。 A brilliant story which McGinniss' lets shine through， until the end， where I am not quite certain what he was going for。 That withstanding， it is still a good read for any fan of football。 。。。more
Paulius Cubera
，
Visiškas masterpiece`as！ Aš nežinau， ar knyga būtų įdomi tam， kas futbolu nesidomi visiškai， visiškai， bet bet kuris， bent karts nuo karto įsijungiantis daugiau nei Čempionų lygos finalą， turėtų perskaityti šią knygą。 Jeigu per gyvenimą skaitysi tik vieną knygą apie futbolą - tai turi būti ši。Amerikietis rašytojas， iki tol garsėjęs politinėmis knygomis ir kriminaliniais trileriais， ne tik įsimyli futbolą （europietišką）， bet ir įsiprašo sezonui į komandą， kuri ką tik sudrebino Italijos futbolą。 S Visiškas masterpiece`as！ Aš nežinau， ar knyga būtų įdomi tam， kas futbolu nesidomi visiškai， visiškai， bet bet kuris， bent karts nuo karto įsijungiantis daugiau nei Čempionų lygos finalą， turėtų perskaityti šią knygą。 Jeigu per gyvenimą skaitysi tik vieną knygą apie futbolą - tai turi būti ši。Amerikietis rašytojas， iki tol garsėjęs politinėmis knygomis ir kriminaliniais trileriais， ne tik įsimyli futbolą （europietišką）， bet ir įsiprašo sezonui į komandą， kuri ką tik sudrebino Italijos futbolą。 Sudrebino ne bet kaip， o nuo visiškai mėgėjiško lygio per keletą sezonų įšokusi į Serie B - tebūnie antrą Italijos divizioną， tačiau pilnai profesionalų lygį。 Reikia atsiminti ir tai， kad dešimtam XX a。 dešimtmetyje Siere A buvo buvo neabejotinai turtingiausia ir geriausia lyga pasaulyje。Castel di Sangro - vos 5k miestelis Italijoje。 Net Lietuvos mastais tai mažas miestelis。 Aišku， autoriui labai pasiseka， kad stebuklą sukūrusi komanda yra tokia。 Ne nuobodi kaimo komandėlė， kurioje viskas absoliučiai gerai， o tokia， kokia čia aprašyta。 Paslaptingas mafiozas savininkas， kurio visi aiškiai bijo， suktas ir korupcinis klubo vadovas， ekscentriškas treneris， įdomaus charakterio ir istorijų žaidėjai， o kur dar per sezoną nutikę įvykiai， skandalai ir net tragedijos。 Nesinori per daug aprašyti， kad neatimčiau iš kitų skaitymo malonumo， tačiau pasakysiu， kad tik skirtingų ir tikrai didelių， svarbių， skaudžių ir įsimintinų įvykių aplink vieną komandą per 9 mėnesius nutinka tikrai ne visada。 O kur dar visus varžtus išmušanti pabaiga。Gaila， kad knyga apie jau gana senus įvykius， tad internete sunkiau rasti originalios to laiko informacijos。 Autorius jau miręs， bet bandysiu ieškoti gal kur yra kokių interviu ir aprašymų， kas buvo vėliau。 Turėtų būti tikrai įdomių dalykų。 Įdomu ir tai， kad Joe McGinniss prie rašymo apie sportą taip ir nesugrįžo。 。。。more
Craig Vroom
，
Loved it。
Craig Jarvis
，
Wow， just wow。。 what a read！This isn’t my usual type of book， however it came so highly recommended by several people that I just had to give it a read。 A little known football team in the lower leagues of Italian football miraculously gain promotion to the second tier of the professional league （Serie B） and so the author is granted special access to the team’s training sessions and matches and so much more during their season in serie B to see if the miracle can repeat itself and see if the cl Wow， just wow。。 what a read！This isn’t my usual type of book， however it came so highly recommended by several people that I just had to give it a read。 A little known football team in the lower leagues of Italian football miraculously gain promotion to the second tier of the professional league （Serie B） and so the author is granted special access to the team’s training sessions and matches and so much more during their season in serie B to see if the miracle can repeat itself and see if the club can actually manage to survive during the 1996/97 season。 This book is as much about the town of Castel di Sangro as it is about the football which is played there。 。。。more
Jane Lowes
，
Quite simply， one of the best books ever written about football。 Devastating。
Des
，
A heartwarming tale from a tiny mountainous town in Italy whose players and residents dared to dream of glory。 If truth really is stranger than fiction then 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' has to be strong evidence for that case。 I returned to this wonderful story 15 years after a football-mad teenage version of myself found a battered copy on the shelf of the Christchurch Public Library。 It was as good this time - perhaps better - than back then， when I first discovered the wonder of sports w A heartwarming tale from a tiny mountainous town in Italy whose players and residents dared to dream of glory。 If truth really is stranger than fiction then 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro' has to be strong evidence for that case。 I returned to this wonderful story 15 years after a football-mad teenage version of myself found a battered copy on the shelf of the Christchurch Public Library。 It was as good this time - perhaps better - than back then， when I first discovered the wonder of sports writing。 This is a brilliant retelling of an historic moment in Italian football history， from a time when Italy's 'Serie A' （top division） boasted the best players in the world。 Admittedly this tale takes place one division below that， but this doesn't detract from the narrative at all。 There are more twists， turns and plot surprises than an editor of any fiction novel would allow and it kept the pages turning - I finished this in just over week。 From perusing past reviews， it's clear other readers struggled to relate to the American author （particularly his penchant for blunting telling the team's manager how he should be doing his job）， but again this was not an issue for me。 Was McGinnis slightly touched？ Yes。 Was he a little arrogant in his assumptions of his own knowledge of the game？ Of course。 Did he have any formal sporting qualifications？ No。 Was it his place to repeatedly tell a professional coach which team he should pick？ Of course not。 But towards the end of the tale， the author candidly acknowledges these points in some touching moments of searing self-awareness。 You also have to consider that for a grown adult to choose to leave his wife and children， to travel to an impoverished and isolated town in a foreign country， and then follow around a bunch of players speaking a strange language， grinding away in a less-than-glamours sports division， one would have to be slightly removed from reality， if not completely mad。 And it is precisely that madness that makes this such a wonderful read。 。。。more
James
，
In dating-show parlance， this ticked all the boxes but lacked that certain spark。 Following the progress of an Italian football team during their improbable season in the second tier， with a genuinely candid approach and worryingly brazen commitment to telling the truth， McGinniss should really have captivated me。 But there were a few too many times where I rolled my eyes at his words， and I found myself getting annoyed at him， so I ended up reading this in three stages about a year apart。The bo In dating-show parlance， this ticked all the boxes but lacked that certain spark。 Following the progress of an Italian football team during their improbable season in the second tier， with a genuinely candid approach and worryingly brazen commitment to telling the truth， McGinniss should really have captivated me。 But there were a few too many times where I rolled my eyes at his words， and I found myself getting annoyed at him， so I ended up reading this in three stages about a year apart。The book is a continuous diary of a season of an Italian football team punching above their weight， along with the author's own fish out of water japes。 I couldn't quite get his personality， deferential to the point of ridiculous formality at first， then principled enough to burn all bridges by the end， and insulting rival fans merely for paying to watch a game in his stadium。 I don't doubt he was captivated by football， but he also came across as the sort of fan who could only tell you his favourite band's greatest hits。But his access was unrivalled and gave enough room to every player to have their own personality。 He wasn't a football journalist but his reporting on the matches was quite good， and stopped short of being repetitive。 For some reason he thought he had better tactics than a manager that kept a group of third division players in Serie B， from a man so committed to hard work that he didn't bother to learn Italian until he got there， then speculates that some people might think he should have learnt earlier。 When challenged on his own inaction about Vietnam， he is all defensive， but he can't tolerate the somewhat dodgy later events。 Too many of his personality quirks got on my nerves despite what was largely an interesting and inspiring story。 。。。more
Joe Baker
，
Outstanding。 A book that uses football as a vehicle to explore and understand Italian culture， the corruption of power， and the power of the ordinary person。 Probably the best football book I have ever read。
Sally
，
Loved this， in part because it was when I was there。 Not that I remember this story， but it's so Italy。 Loved this， in part because it was when I was there。 Not that I remember this story， but it's so Italy。 。。。more
Brettsinclair70
，
Rollercoaster season of Serie B football underdogs seeking la salvezza。。。。
MH
，
McGinniss spends a season with a no-money， small town club that has miraculously been promoted to Serie B， the second highest level in Italian soccer， living， travelling and training with its colorful players， its pig-headed manager and it's shady owner and president。 The season is full of twists and surprises and the story is a page-turner， but ultimately it's a book all about McGinniss， and that's what eventually gets frustrating。 He tells us frequently how soccer mad Italy is but he doesn't s McGinniss spends a season with a no-money， small town club that has miraculously been promoted to Serie B， the second highest level in Italian soccer， living， travelling and training with its colorful players， its pig-headed manager and it's shady owner and president。 The season is full of twists and surprises and the story is a page-turner， but ultimately it's a book all about McGinniss， and that's what eventually gets frustrating。 He tells us frequently how soccer mad Italy is but he doesn't spend a second with any of the club's supporters， or investigate what this promotion means to the town （the fact that he doesn't bother to learn Italian before he sets out is pretty telling）; a lot of the conversations he reports on feel a little too writerly and constructed; and his certainty about his own opinions and lack of curiosity about others gets a little galling， especially at the end。 But his love for the team feels sincere， he clearly appreciated this once-in-a-lifetime experience， and he tells the story of the mad season really well。 。。。more
Sicalidb
，
A super interesting non-fiction Italian football （a/k/a soccer） story。 It is well written but there too much focus on the author instead of the players， the sport and the life of the game。 Unfortunately， the author made himself an important character in his own book。 And， I'm not really crazy about the author。 For example， in one small section the author is writing about one of the players and show remarkable insensitivity about the player's wife's mental health: "I felt bad for her， but also ba A super interesting non-fiction Italian football （a/k/a soccer） story。 It is well written but there too much focus on the author instead of the players， the sport and the life of the game。 Unfortunately， the author made himself an important character in his own book。 And， I'm not really crazy about the author。 For example， in one small section the author is writing about one of the players and show remarkable insensitivity about the player's wife's mental health: "I felt bad for her， but also bad that my friend Antonello was married to a walking side effect。"Ok Antonello， not Antonello's wife， is his "friend" but his lack of real empathy in this situation and others in the book just kept popping up and making the book harder to enjoy。 。。。more
Adam Schlesinger
，
A fun book。 The narrator was a little annoying but it was dramatic and made me miss watching soccer :（
Robert Hoogstad
，
Tijd terug gelezen， geweldig verhaal over kleine club die even omhoog komt。 Maar nog meer over Italianen en hun manier van doen。 Heel amusant boek。 Warm aanbevolen。
Calum
，
Beautifully written story which is gripping until the very end。 The likeable American author literally imposes himself into the tale， which has it’s great moments， but also very ignorant annoying moments。
Romanna
，
It was great following Joe and the Castel di Sangro team around Italy during its season。 I learned a lot about Italian soccer and loved the players！
Kevin
，
Rereading one of my all-time favorite soccer books。 Great writing and perspectives of day to day life in lower league Italian soccer。
David Scheffer
，
I am a major soccer fan and this book helped make me one。 It's one of my all-time favorite books。 I am a major soccer fan and this book helped make me one。 It's one of my all-time favorite books。 。。。more
Scooter Athans
，
Not a book for everyone but I was looking for a lighter read during these crazy times and I enjoyed it。 It’s a true story written by a journalist who lives with an Italian soccer team for a year。 A very interesting window on both Italian and soccer cultures。
Chris
，
Have had this on the shelf for a long time， and finally dove in。 It was a little on the long side， though perhaps the way the Italian dialog was always duplicated and then also translated made the going slower。 Though I did appreciate the immersive feeling that gave。 Minor quibbles aside， this book was a joy。 Interesting characters， culture， stories， and incidents， intermixed with concise， well-written match reports throughout the team's inaugural season in Serie B。 Recommended！ Have had this on the shelf for a long time， and finally dove in。 It was a little on the long side， though perhaps the way the Italian dialog was always duplicated and then also translated made the going slower。 Though I did appreciate the immersive feeling that gave。 Minor quibbles aside， this book was a joy。 Interesting characters， culture， stories， and incidents， intermixed with concise， well-written match reports throughout the team's inaugural season in Serie B。 Recommended！ 。。。more
Brian McNally
，
Great read。 Joe McGinniss is an absolute lunatic， who understands absolutely nothing of Italian Culture or football but never lets that stop him。
Timothy Wright
，
If you love soccer！
Michael Evans
，
If you already know something about football， this book will drive you mad - eg half a page describing how a penalty shoot out works。 Shame as it could have been a good story in someone else’s hands。
Patrice
，