Spreading the Word: You'll Win Nothing With Kids

Book Review: You'll Win Nothing With Kids by Jim White

As soon as I turned over the first page of this book, not only was I informed that the author was a Manchester United fan but also that he counted a book called 'Are you watching Liiverpool' among his earlier works. Not the best of starts, you'll agree. Indeed I almost put it back down there and then.

Thankfully I didn't because not only has White managed to keep his bias in check but he's written probably the best book I've read this year.

That he does so on a topic that doesn't exactly hit you as being of much interest - kids' football - adds to his merit.

This book premise is quite straightforward. As the coach of his son's team he tries to set as good an example as possible while at the same time doing his utmost to ensure that they win some games whilst having fun. Often, however, it doesn't work out that way as the pressures of the job get to him.

The reason why the story is so interesting is that White has written about himself with no apparent attempt to hide or paper over his failings. He admits, for instance, that he gets overly agitated when he should be buffering the children from unnecessary pressures. Similarly, although he doesn't actually say it you can tell that he feels that he should be doing more to help the team's confidence shorn goalkeeper without ever actually doing anything.

In more than one way, You'll Win Nothing With Kids is also a criticism of the way kids' football is approached in England. You get angry coaches who think nothing of damaging children emotionally because their team isn't winning, continuous struggles to get the local authorities to help and the damaging repercussions of lack of parents' support. The comparison with the organisation of foreign teams during an end of season trip to Holland is telling.

That said, for all the seriousness of such arguments, this is ultimately a very funny book with a feel-good end to it. Read it.