Behind the Curtain
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- Create Date：2022-11-14 09:53:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jonathan Wilson
- ISBN：0752879456
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Summary
Alternate-Cover Edition for this ISBN can be found here
From the war-ravaged streets of Sarajevo， where turning up for training involved dodging snipers' bullets， to the crumbling splendor of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium， where the likes of Puskas and Kocsis masterminded the fall of England， the landscape of Eastern Europe has changed immeasurably since the fall of communism。 Jonathan Wilson has traveled extensively behind the old Iron Curtain， viewing life beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of soccer。 Where once the state-controlled teams of the Eastern bloc passed their way with crisp efficiency—a sort of communist version of total soccer—to considerable success on the European and international stages， today the beautiful game in the East has been opened up to the free market， and throughout the region a sense of chaos pervades。 The threat of totalitarian interference no longer remains; but in its place mafia control is generally accompanied with a crippling lack of funds。 Jonathan Wilson goes in search of the spirit of Hungary's Golden Squad of the early 1950s; charts the disintegration of the soccer superpower that was the former Yugoslavia; follows a sorry tale of corruption， mismanagement， and Armenian cognac through the Caucasuses; reopens the case of Russia's greatest soccer player， Eduard Streltsov; and talks to Jan Tomaszewski about an autumn night at Wembley in 1973。
From the war-ravaged streets of Sarajevo， where turning up for training involved dodging snipers' bullets， to the crumbling splendor of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium， where the likes of Puskas and Kocsis masterminded the fall of England， the landscape of Eastern Europe has changed immeasurably since the fall of communism。 Jonathan Wilson has traveled extensively behind the old Iron Curtain， viewing life beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of soccer。 Where once the state-controlled teams of the Eastern bloc passed their way with crisp efficiency—a sort of communist version of total soccer—to considerable success on the European and international stages， today the beautiful game in the East has been opened up to the free market， and throughout the region a sense of chaos pervades。 The threat of totalitarian interference no longer remains; but in its place mafia control is generally accompanied with a crippling lack of funds。 Jonathan Wilson goes in search of the spirit of Hungary's Golden Squad of the early 1950s; charts the disintegration of the soccer superpower that was the former Yugoslavia; follows a sorry tale of corruption， mismanagement， and Armenian cognac through the Caucasuses; reopens the case of Russia's greatest soccer player， Eduard Streltsov; and talks to Jan Tomaszewski about an autumn night at Wembley in 1973。
Reviews
Optimus
，
It turns out you need a rudimentary knowledge of football and football clubs to understand this book。 Sadly， I just couldn't get into it because I don't have that knowledge。 It turns out you need a rudimentary knowledge of football and football clubs to understand this book。 Sadly， I just couldn't get into it because I don't have that knowledge。 。。。more
Joshua Wroath
，
Wilson's chronicles of his late 90s/early 2000s trips to Eastern Europe was a far more enlightened and engaging read than I expected。 As he notes in the beginning， this isn't a history of Eastern European football and it isn't a journal of his time in the former Eastern bloc。 The book is a merging of all his adventures way past the central and western spheres of football， including the closest central Eastern European countries Poland and Hungary， the former Yugoslavian states， Bulgaria and Roma Wilson's chronicles of his late 90s/early 2000s trips to Eastern Europe was a far more enlightened and engaging read than I expected。 As he notes in the beginning， this isn't a history of Eastern European football and it isn't a journal of his time in the former Eastern bloc。 The book is a merging of all his adventures way past the central and western spheres of football， including the closest central Eastern European countries Poland and Hungary， the former Yugoslavian states， Bulgaria and Romania， the Caucasas， and of course， the motherland， Russia。 A fascinating insight to where football was at in 2006 in the east of Europe， Wilson's love of Soviet history and football oozes from the pages。 Sadly one section where Wilson covers racism reads very dated and backwards。 I suspect however that if there was a revision of the book， Wilson would rewrite the section from a more nuanced viewpoint in todays climate。 Nonetheless， a great read for any football and history buffs。 。。。more
Tiago
，
This book was written in 2006， so there is a couple of information that did not age quite well （namely the promise of a better Russian football at the UEFA level following the CSKA Moscow win against Sporting CP in 2005）。 Nevertheless it is an enjoyable read peppered with some fascinating stories and characters from eastern european countries。 Jonathan Wilson， a journalist， traveled to countries such as Ukraine， Georgia， Romania， Bulgaria， Armenia， Russia， Yugoslavia and so on to watch some game This book was written in 2006， so there is a couple of information that did not age quite well （namely the promise of a better Russian football at the UEFA level following the CSKA Moscow win against Sporting CP in 2005）。 Nevertheless it is an enjoyable read peppered with some fascinating stories and characters from eastern european countries。 Jonathan Wilson， a journalist， traveled to countries such as Ukraine， Georgia， Romania， Bulgaria， Armenia， Russia， Yugoslavia and so on to watch some games and talk to football personalities （current and old）。 Throughout the book and we have a commom thread。 Football in those eastern countries are on the decline， corruption is rampant， and the post-communist era led to the elevation of some shady people to positions of power in football。 Another fact that led to this decline was the genesis of the Champions League in the 90s。 Exactly during the same period these countries were reeling from the decline of their communist regimes。 Wilson has a very british way to tell stories。 Even someone who was never heard about him could deduce he as from England after reading a couple of paragraphs。 Of course， all the analogies he makes uses England examples。 If the post-communist football in these countries are corrupt and used as money laundering by some shady people， during the communist era the corruption was quite the same。 The main difference was that politics was heavily involved。 The regime used sports as propaganda or， in some case， there was a clear "favorite team" of the leader。 In the case of Soviet Union and Yugoslavia we could also see some nationalistic trends infused in football （Ucrania and Armenia vs Russia / Croatia vs Serbia vs Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Slovenia）。 The book deserves 3，5 stars out of the 5 but I am rounding it down to 3 because I believe the book deserved a 20/25 page appendix listing the historical results of the leagues covered （league champions， cup champions， and UEFA competition highlights）。 。。。more
Edwin Setiadi
，
What footballing life is like in Eastern EuropeThis is a romantic book about life as a football reporter in Eastern Europe， a place where the beautiful game is played a little bit differently， where the line between sports and politics is a little less clear， but with passion for the game unmistakably resonates the universal love like in any other parts of the world。The book tells the tales of local heroes and legends， the larger than life characters， the rise and fall of the local teams， and th What footballing life is like in Eastern EuropeThis is a romantic book about life as a football reporter in Eastern Europe， a place where the beautiful game is played a little bit differently， where the line between sports and politics is a little less clear， but with passion for the game unmistakably resonates the universal love like in any other parts of the world。The book tells the tales of local heroes and legends， the larger than life characters， the rise and fall of the local teams， and the memorable moments in their respective national team’s history。 It tells the anecdotes such as why so many supporters eat sunflower seeds in Georgia， or which club’s vice president have pictures of Britney Spears in his leather-bound notebook。 And of course it tells about all the iconic football matches - the Dynamo Kyiv， the Spartak Moscow， the Red Star Belgrade， the Steaua Bucharest， the CSKA Sofia， the Hajduk Split -， including the ones that the author， Jonathan Wilson， attended himself， from the big name derbies to an invigorated match in the 3rd division pitch in the Bulgarian FA Cup。The book also tells about the many stories outside the football field that define the environment of the region。 Such as the hatred among the former Yugoslavian countries that are reflected in the matches， the deep mistrust of everyday people in Romania， the hooliganism problem in Hungary， the chilling atmosphere during the dictatorship of Stalin， and the many incredible personal stories such as what happened when French player Youri Djorkaeff went to his ancestral home Armenia， or the story of the last plane leaving Bosnia before the war broke in 1992 that was carrying a future football superstar Hasan Salihamidžić。Meanwhile， as in other many walks of life in Eastern Europe， corruption and bribery are rampant， while match fixing is not uncommon。 And while the countries from Baltic to Balkan to Caucasus have transitioned from a communist subject into independent countries， plenty of the embedded old structures are still pretty much in place in their societies， with Soviet/Yugoslav control replaced by local dictators or oligarchs or gangs of mafia that have vested interests in the football matches。 Thus， reporting about football in this part of the world becomes an intricate job， as it often deals more with the likes of prostitutes， kidnappings and even assassinations than just another injury update or a transfer rumor。 This， in short， is what makes this book mighty interesting。 。。。more
Mian
，
minus 1 star cause there’s nothing about sheriff tiraspol which is literally more bonkers than anything in this book
Dave Walker
，
A fascinating read。 Jonathan Wilson is a brilliant writer and takes the reader through a historical tour of eastern Europe with amazing detail， storytelling， and wit。 Would recommend。
Frank
，
Nice context for understanding the role football has played in different Eastern European countries and how it all ties into the volatile history of the region。 Only issue is that it’s an older book and the “current” players and scenes are out of date。
Simon Jones
，
This is a very pleasurable read。 Jonathan Wilson delights in investigating football culture in the less-glamorous parts of Europe， and as someone who lived in Poland and attended Legia Warsaw matches for a number of years， I totally understand that。The central theme of the book from start to finish is corruption， which seems to be a depressing fact of football life in Central and Eastern Europe。 Or， at least， seemed to be in 2006， when 'Behind the Curtain' was published。 And this is my one minor This is a very pleasurable read。 Jonathan Wilson delights in investigating football culture in the less-glamorous parts of Europe， and as someone who lived in Poland and attended Legia Warsaw matches for a number of years， I totally understand that。The central theme of the book from start to finish is corruption， which seems to be a depressing fact of football life in Central and Eastern Europe。 Or， at least， seemed to be in 2006， when 'Behind the Curtain' was published。 And this is my one minor quibble。 Is the same true now？ In 2006， the Premier League was won by Chelsea， with Manchester United 2nd and Liverpool 3rd。 No big difference there， you might say。 However， in the book， Wilson writes about 'the big 4' of Polish football: Legia， Wisla Krakow， Amica Wronki and Groclin Grodzisk。 The latter two don't exist any more and Wisla are a pale shadow of the club they were。 I don't know if the same is true in other sections， but a lot of the chapter about Poland has been rendered redundant by radical changes。 An updated version would be welcome。But as I note， this is a small criticism， and it's hardly the author's fault that the football landscape in 2021 in some countries isn't remotely the same as it was in 2006。 I devoured this book in a couple of weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
George Dollin
，
Nice blend of my two passions。 Eastern Europe and it's football sounds like an absolute madhouse Nice blend of my two passions。 Eastern Europe and it's football sounds like an absolute madhouse 。。。more
Ben Fawkes
，
This book covers a large number of countries and I found it best to dip in and out of initially reading about countries I was most interested in。 Some parts were fascinating but others were a bit hard to get through and at times the book seemed to drown in detail。 Worth a read， and it would also be interesting if Wilson （or someone else） did a follow up as the book is now 15 years old。
Kevin Montgomery
，
A very enjoyable travelogue through East European football in mid 2000s。 Detailed yet readable account which nicely uses the political and social context of the former Soviet bloc countries in describing the development of their football
Niederstrecker
，
Absolutes Muss für einen Fußballfan， gerade wenn man sich für osteuropäischen Fussball im späten 20。 Jahrhundert interessiert。 Interessante und fasst absurde Anekdoten und dazu ein paar geschichtliche Infos。
Liam Pritchard
，
Q
Joe
，
A really enjoyable and interesting read。 This book covers football， politics， history and geography / travel。 So it combines a lot of topics I'm very interested in so this was a nice read for me。 Some really good background and nuggets of information re some Eastern European football clubs which I enjoyed finding out about。The book was released in 2005 so a little dated but still an excellent book。 A really enjoyable and interesting read。 This book covers football， politics， history and geography / travel。 So it combines a lot of topics I'm very interested in so this was a nice read for me。 Some really good background and nuggets of information re some Eastern European football clubs which I enjoyed finding out about。The book was released in 2005 so a little dated but still an excellent book。 。。。more
Ryan Boros
，
Red footballGiant killersWaves of corruptionReally interesting book about soccer in Eastern Europe。 Cool to learn about some of these former powerhouse clubs: who was army， who was secret police， and who were the resistance clubs。 It's wild how while the Communist systems were oppressive， they collective pressure to keep it's good football players in Easter Europe made little teams like Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi into powerhouses in the Soviet League and Euro champion contenders。 Then the sadness Red footballGiant killersWaves of corruptionReally interesting book about soccer in Eastern Europe。 Cool to learn about some of these former powerhouse clubs: who was army， who was secret police， and who were the resistance clubs。 It's wild how while the Communist systems were oppressive， they collective pressure to keep it's good football players in Easter Europe made little teams like Georgia's Dinamo Tbilisi into powerhouses in the Soviet League and Euro champion contenders。 Then the sadness that the breakup of that system has led to so much corruption and obscurity。 I would have liked a bit more of the Yugoslavian teams during Soviet times， but more recent war cast a bigger shadow。 Good book for soccer history enthusiasts。 。。。more
Rhodri Jones
，
Slightly dated now but an interesting introduction to the history of football in eastern Europe。 Naturally， it is much more than about the history of football with the game reflecting the character and history of each country which Wilson describes and explains。 The book is at its best when the writer focuses on individuals or specific moments for a specific team。 Sadly， the level of corruption and a history of violence which affects almost all the countries here makes it quite a depressing read Slightly dated now but an interesting introduction to the history of football in eastern Europe。 Naturally， it is much more than about the history of football with the game reflecting the character and history of each country which Wilson describes and explains。 The book is at its best when the writer focuses on individuals or specific moments for a specific team。 Sadly， the level of corruption and a history of violence which affects almost all the countries here makes it quite a depressing read at times。 This is especially true when considering that past glories can probably never be revisited in the future， partly because of the culture， the corruption and also because of the commodification of the sport。 Still， there's something romantic at the heart of this book and if nothing else it is a lovely paean to a lost age of the sport。 Modern football is rubbish。 。。。more
Matt Roylance
，
This really is an excellent book。 Although the fact that it was published in 2006 means that I would really love to see an updated version， it is still wholly relevant。 Wilson combines a social， cultural and political history of the breakdown of the iron curtain with stories of great players， teams & generations from all over this fascinating part of the world。 I feel that I now understand not just the football of the region， past & present in more depth， but the legacy of its past as well in a This really is an excellent book。 Although the fact that it was published in 2006 means that I would really love to see an updated version， it is still wholly relevant。 Wilson combines a social， cultural and political history of the breakdown of the iron curtain with stories of great players， teams & generations from all over this fascinating part of the world。 I feel that I now understand not just the football of the region， past & present in more depth， but the legacy of its past as well in a social and political sense as well。 I can’t recommend this highly enough。 。。。more
Michael Sedor
，
Narrator is a doomed David Lean IMPOSSIBLY ENGLISH anti-hero who parachutes into glorious worlds of glorious early 2000s Eastern European football （aka before the best players had to leave to earn glory and money） but can only see #CORRUPTION and how things aren't like England Narrator is a doomed David Lean IMPOSSIBLY ENGLISH anti-hero who parachutes into glorious worlds of glorious early 2000s Eastern European football （aka before the best players had to leave to earn glory and money） but can only see #CORRUPTION and how things aren't like England 。。。more
Jonny Brick
，
Picaresque jaunt through Eastern Europe and its football。 The tragedy of Yugoslavia is laid bare， as it appears they could have won the World Cup if war hadn't balkanised the nation。 Very good on Russia。 Picaresque jaunt through Eastern Europe and its football。 The tragedy of Yugoslavia is laid bare， as it appears they could have won the World Cup if war hadn't balkanised the nation。 Very good on Russia。 。。。more
Nick Grammos
，
As much a book about the Wall， and how football was played。 Imagine Death of Stalin the movie with football at the centre of the storyline。
Geoff
，
Devoured this book because it appealed to my inner football/history/geography geek。 Some great and disturbing stories are revealed。 The author is clearly astonishingly knowledgable about the subject and obviously has a love of Eastern Europe （some bits and peoples more than others） Some amazingly exotic clubs and players referenced。 Read the book in four days。 Loved it but I’m not sure how many other people in the world are as as sad as me 😃
Paul
，
Fascinating and slightly depressing travels around Eastern European football， from journalist Jonathan Wilson。 On his travels from Armenia to the former Yugoslav countries， Poland to Russia recurrent stories emerge of once great teams struggling to survive in the modern era。 The level of corruption and fraud that has been accepted in the new free market world of modern football is such a sad story that comes out again and again from the countries visited。 Bring back state control and politically Fascinating and slightly depressing travels around Eastern European football， from journalist Jonathan Wilson。 On his travels from Armenia to the former Yugoslav countries， Poland to Russia recurrent stories emerge of once great teams struggling to survive in the modern era。 The level of corruption and fraud that has been accepted in the new free market world of modern football is such a sad story that comes out again and again from the countries visited。 Bring back state control and politically controlled leagues！ The book was written over 10 years ago now， and things may have moved on a bit in some places， but there are some great tales in here。 。。。more
Pinko Palest
，
not bad， but Wilson most certainly is not Goldblatt。 The hints about the superiority of the market don't improve things。 Works nicely as a travelogue， but doesn't add anything we haven't heard before。 Oddly， leaves out former Czechoslovakia。 Still， it is a very interesting subject and the book is readable not bad， but Wilson most certainly is not Goldblatt。 The hints about the superiority of the market don't improve things。 Works nicely as a travelogue， but doesn't add anything we haven't heard before。 Oddly， leaves out former Czechoslovakia。 Still， it is a very interesting subject and the book is readable 。。。more
Mark
，
I love books about football which are basically the writers' own experiences on the road。 Jonathan Wilson delivers a great account of his travels inside the Eastern Bloc to discover the state of football （and its historical root） in each country。 He starts with Ukraine and Poland and ends in Mother Russia。 It's a book full of beautifully-narrated anecdotes， historical events， gossips， political commentary and Wilson's British quirkiness。 Full review here:https://bookmarkplanet。home。blog/2019。。。 I love books about football which are basically the writers' own experiences on the road。 Jonathan Wilson delivers a great account of his travels inside the Eastern Bloc to discover the state of football （and its historical root） in each country。 He starts with Ukraine and Poland and ends in Mother Russia。 It's a book full of beautifully-narrated anecdotes， historical events， gossips， political commentary and Wilson's British quirkiness。 Full review here:https://bookmarkplanet。home。blog/2019。。。 。。。more
Paul
，
As summarized in the title， this book is an introduction to the tragicomedy Eastern Europe and the history of its football （soccer）。 The fall of the iron curtain， the Bosnian war， intra-Soviet geopolitics， transitions from communism， disappointments in democracy， you get to see them all through the lens of football。
Matt Narode
，
Solid read with the WC in Russia and Croatia making it to the final。
Adam Edwards
，
Not for the casual fan - when it’s good it’s very good and there’s some fascinating stories and histories to uncover。 However， it can get a bit samey - when you don’t know the ins-and-outs of Eastern European football to begin with， some club and player names all start to sound the same which can gloss over some intricacies - the gist comes across， though。 A good book for an aficionado。
Mitra
，
Being a Romanian， an avid football fan， and already knew J。Wilson style from Inverting the pyramid， I was very interested in this book。 I really think the book was very interesting and well written。 I even found out about the Romanian footballer F。 Piturca ， probably its just some local story。Anyway， I would've love that some chapters to be more long and had more football information rather than politics。 Overall， a very good book。 I would recommend it to any football fan。4/5 Being a Romanian， an avid football fan， and already knew J。Wilson style from Inverting the pyramid， I was very interested in this book。 I really think the book was very interesting and well written。 I even found out about the Romanian footballer F。 Piturca ， probably its just some local story。Anyway， I would've love that some chapters to be more long and had more football information rather than politics。 Overall， a very good book。 I would recommend it to any football fan。4/5 。。。more
Brenda Stahl
，
Interesting review with some cultural pedagogy。 For anyone watching the championships right now， this is such an introspective look at some of these countries。
James Ware
，
I really enjoyed this book， the mix of history and football culture was about right。 The ex-players and people connected with the sport that he meets on his travels are interesting to say the least。 This really is a must for the type of fan who has a thirst for knowledge on the game in the darker parts of Europe。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Behind the Curtain
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Behind the Curtain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Behind the Curtain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0