The A to Z of football

Football is an art, but it is also a science. It is all very well to appreciate the beauty of a Thierry Henry flick or Ronaldinho jink, but the game is also about results, league tables and statistics, otherwise sport reporting would be a merely a stocky relative of theatre criticism. And that is where the European Book of Football 2006/07, edited by Mike Hammond, comes in.

Huge undertaking
Produced in association with venerable magazine World Soccer, the book, the successor to Hammond's The European Football Yearbook, does exactly what the title suggests. It gives a comprehensive look at every top division in Europe, from Albania to Wales, and a review of last season in words and numbers in quite eye-popping detail. Eight hundred and eighty pages of it, compiled by the editor with help from more than 50 correspondents. Thoughtfully laid out, apparently after reader feedback following last year’s edition, the book helpfully starts with the most universal of the subjects - a 60-page review of the FIFA World Cup, followed by similar coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, the prose not unopinionated but concise and tight.

Club details
Then comes the more specialist stuff; a season summary, results and player appearances for every team in each of the European top-flights. Plus a table showing who was capped in all of that country’s internationals over the season. As well as a club directory including contact details, officials and every major trophy won by each team. Not to mention a 'colour section' with every club badge plus a map showing their location, the vagaries of scale giving the San Marino illustration similar proportions to Kazakhstan, which is not to do down the obviously daunting trek that Pennarossa must undertake when meeting Falciano-based SS Cosmos.

Players of the year
The book then ends with the editorial team's choice of the 100 players of the year, deliberately laid out in alphabetical order with no index to force the reader to discover the list for himself. Still there are new facts to uncover - did you know that Lúcio broke the World Cup record for a defender of minutes without conceding a foul? Even if you did, there will be plenty in here you did not.

Detailed information
There are few football books containing this much detailed information from this many countries, and compiling it even from the internet would be a tall task. Hammond's comment in his introduction about his "hermit like existence during this summer" confirms what a mighty labour this is. For the enthusiast or the journalist this is an invaluable volume, and who could not warm to a book where one chapter begins: "The Armenian Premier Division is a difficult beast to control"?

The European Book of Football: A Comprehensive Guide to the Continental Game is published by m press (media) ltd in association with World Soccer and can be bought for (inc postage and packing) £29 UK, £30 rest of Europe, £31 rest of world from www.calmproductions.com or by phoning 0845 4082606 (UK).