The Ball: A Philosophy on Football and Life

By Paul G. Diamond

Malcolm 'Big Mo' McGovan, one of Scotland’s greatest players and one of the most successful managers in English Premier League history, talks about the game he loves and the one thing, above all else, that leads to greatness in football: Total and absolute focus on The Ball.

This is a book about football - the beautiful game - the only game that truly belongs to the world. To be more specific, this book is about the source of the game. The heart of the game. The only focus that matters. The single, distinguishing feature in the career of every one of the all-time greats, whether they were players, managers, referees, fans or had any other association with the game. This book is about the past, present and future of football. This book is about, The Ball.

In this book, 'Big Mo' explains the importance and the philosophy of the ball from a variety of perspectives.

"In doing this I hope to confirm the importance of the ball to those who already know it. It is also my hope that notable people, those who may have lost sight and lost their connection with the ball, may be able to find this again. My last and perhaps greatest hope is to introduce a new love of football and the beauty of this great game to people who have never understood it, and never seen the point. If one more person can see the game with fresh eyes, and see its true meaning, this book will have achieved every-thing I hoped it would and more.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul G. Diamond
• Release date: Jul 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311098818

Paul G. Diamond

Paul G. Diamond is the author of 'Edict 9', ‘Journey Time’, ‘The Career Explorer’s Journal’ and 'The Ball: A Philosophy on Football and Life'. Paul describes himself as a lifelong fan of science-fiction and the genre’s ability to liberate thoughts on society and the human condition. Paul is also fascinated by careers & the very personal relationship each of us has with work. His other literary interests include football (soccer) and narrative storytelling in general. The literary influences Paul cites for his work include Albert Camus, Arthur Miller, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick and John Steinbeck, among many others.Originally from East London, Paul now lives in Hertfordshire with his wife, daughter and two (generally) well-behaved dogs.

Book preview

Mo McGovan

The Ball:

A Philosophy on Football and Life

by

Paul G. Diamond

•

Published by Paul G. Diamond at Smashwords

Mo McGovan

The Ball:

A Philosophy on Football and Life

Copyright, 2015 Paul Diamond

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

•

To Dad,

Thanks for the love of the game.

Contents

Career Honours

Introduction

I - The Game

Juniors

Amateurs

Professionals

Internationals

II - The Players

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Strikers

Substitutes & Squads

III - The Football World

Boot Rooms & Back Rooms

Referees

Fans & Communities

Money, Media & Owners

Managers

Associations

IV - The Ball

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

•

Career Honours

Mo McGovan

as a player:

Scottish Football League Winner

Scottish FA Cup Winner

English Football League Winner

FA Cup Winner

La Liga Winner

European Cup Winner

UEFA Cup Winner

European Super Cup Winner

European Championship Winner

FIFA World Cup, Group Stage (1978)

as a manager:

Scottish Football League Winner

Scottish FA Cup Winner

English Football League Winner

English Premier League Winner

FA Cup Winner

La Liga Winner

European Cup Winner

UEFA Cup Winner

European Super Cup Winner

FIFA World Club Champions Cup Winner

FIFA World Cup, Semi-Finalist (2010)

•

Introduction

My name is Mo McGovan, ‘Big Mo’ or ‘Motherwell Mo’ if you’re old enough to remember me as a player. This is a book for lovers of football, full stop. It’s not an autobiography, nor is it a kiss-and-tell history of my life. Within these pages you won’t find stories about the players, the cups, the leagues, the deals or any of the other public or private events that I’ve been part of over the years. This isn’t a book about my childhood or my home-life either, so if you’re looking for shock, scandal or exposé, all I can say is put this book back in it’s packaging and post it back to Amazon because there’s nothing of that nature to be found here.

This is a book about football - the beautiful game, la jogo bonito - the only game that truly belongs to the world. To be more specific, this book is about the source of the game. The heart of the game. The only focus that matters. The single, distinguishing feature in the career of every one of the all-time greats, whether they were players, managers, referees, fans or had any other association with the game. This book is about the past, present and future of football. This book is about, The Ball.

The ball is the only thing you need to know about, and the only thing you need to focus on if you truly love football. The ball is everything. It’s the only thing that matters. All of the money, all of the adulation, all of the attention means nothing if you lose sight of the ball. The ball is the ‘be all and end all’ in football. Where you put it. What you do with it. How many times it ends up in the back of the net. There’s nothing more to it than that.

In this book, I will explain the importance and the philosophy of the ball from a variety of perspectives. In doing this I hope to confirm the importance of the ball to those who already know it. It is also my hope that notable people, those who may have lost sight and lost their connection with the ball, may be able to find this again. My last and perhaps greatest hope is to introduce a new love of football and the beauty of this great game to people who have never understood it, and never seen the point. If one more person can see the game with fresh eyes, and see its true meaning, this book will have achieved everything I hoped it would and more.

To those of you still unsure about my motivations or still undecided about the game of football itself, instead of asking you to read on, put this book down and take a few quiet moments to watch any of the world’s greatest players at the peak of their powers and the height of their art. Go to YouTube and watch Maradona’s magician-like skills and lightning-fast brain. Watch Pelé’s speed, power and grace. See Cruyff’s innovation and mastery. Zidane’s balletic poise and pinpoint accuracy. George Best’s audacity, Lionel Messi’s focus, Ronaldo’s genius, Gordon Banks’ unwillingness to accept a lost cause. When they are at their best, all these players thought about was the ball. How to control it, flick it, pass it, keep it, share it, trap it, hammer it, bend it, feel it, think about it, talk about it. Every great player knows the game of football is only about the