The Kilburn Social Club by Robert Hudson

This book will seem both strangely familiar and laughably unreal to most football fans. It follows the fortunes of the fictional Premier League team The Kilburn Social Club as they battle to retain their idealistic approach in the face of a hostile takeover. So far, so very familiar to anyone who watched football in the late nineties, but what separates Kilburn is their approach to who they have on their team.

The team is populated by academics, charity workers, a gay couple and a converted Muslim. It pays every player the same wage and expects the same effort regardless of which position they play. This seems laughably naive in the modern, globalised game but nonetheless there are many at the club who do everything in their power to retain it.

That power lies with two sisters, who are the heirs of the Rosslare Group who own and run the club. Initially, it is easier to feel sympathy for Esther, who seems far more committed to Kilburn than her apathetic sister Aisling. Yet, as the story progresses, it becomes obvious that she is being manipulated by her husband, Will Beauchamp, a Iago figure who is only interested in his own ends.

Under Esther, the club goes through a ruthless and striking modernisation programme that turns it into something much more recognisable to the modern football fan. The younger players become selfish, wages begin to sky-rocket and many of the older players become disillusioned. At the same time a tycoon called Strabis Kinsale is allowed to buy a majority share, with his eyes set firmly on the Rosslare Group.

The over-arching story follows the fight against Kinsale, who seems to only be motivated by 'liquid assets'. Yet, the minor characters and their sub-plots are what really make the story. They each narrate in their own idiosyncratic style, an example of this being Zondi, who repeatedly refers to his childhood in South Africa. Likewise, Dave Guinivere, the tragic hero of the book takes the forlorn annoyance of a man permanently on the verge of rage.

Along with this, the book covers the themes of loss, death, rediscovery and most importantly why we settle for who we settle for. It is an intriguing tome that is not just for the football fanatic but for anyone who is interested in why our beliefs drive us to success and failure. Weighing in at just under five hundred pages, it will take most of the week, but it is most certainly worth that effort.