As a teenager I was a big fan of American football and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills happened to be on quite a run, making an appearance in four consecutive Super Bowls. Trouble began with one field goal gone wide right as the Bills lost four Super Bowls in a row. Today the team built by the likes of O.J. Simpson, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Bruce Smith is winless in the first 5 games of the 2010 NFL season.
What lesson did I learn? Well, you can’t help rooting for the underdog and you can’t help following a team that has no hope. While I can’t compare a few years of obsessing with American football to a lifetime of loyalty to a single club, I did feel a connection to An Irrational Hatred for Luton by Robert Banks.
Banks is a true fan who rode a rollercoaster called West Ham United FC for decades. Yeah, that’s right. Decades. Ups and downs, highs and lows. That described his life and his club, always connected.
The entire book, cover to cover, is priceless. A conversational style helps Banks connect to the reader and share his life story and the history of his team. I am not sure if the book is about life affecting football or the other way around, but it is a good read.
I learned a few things along the way. First, Robert Banks really hates Luton Town FC and maybe I do too. There is always good and evil and I am starting to think Luton Town might be part of the latter. Second, it is admirable to stick with your club in times that are good and times that are really bad. It takes a character, someone who has a backbone and of course patience and nerves of steel. Third, being the underdog is a tough job, especially in a game as crazy as football.
The review was albeit a little informal, but it fits the style of this book, which we highly recommend. It is an enjoyable read for anyone who loves the beautiful game or feels like the odds are stacked against them. Sometimes the underdog gets their day.
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