Review
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The Greatest Comeback by David Bolchover is astonishing, not least for its unlikely melding of football and
mass murder
--Philippe Sands, The Guardian
David Bolchover has produced a remarkable work: as a history book alone, it carries the reader though a hideous chunk
of the twentieth century in the most deft and compelling way, while as a biography of a great football coach it is both
original and definitive.
--Patrick Barclay, Football Writer
Moving, original, full of in, this is a gripping tale told by a skilled storyteller. You don't need to be
interested in the Holocaust to find this fascinating account of some great footballing moments absorbing. And you don't
need to be interested in football to want to learn about this tale of survival. But if you are by chance interested in
both, you will find this book extraordinary.
--Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
A fascinating, brilliantly told biography of Europe's first superstar football coach, The Greatest Comeback is a
moving, terrifying and inspirational story of survival and triumph. If you're a football fan and Béla Guttmann is just a
name you have seen in the lists of European Cup-winning managers, take the time to read about the man. It is an
astonishing journey.
--Oliver Holt, Chief Sports Writer, Mail on Sunday
Packed with in and interesting debate, The Greatest Comeback is both deeply poignant and extremely topical. David
Bolchover has expertly woven one huge, tragic strand of twentieth-century history together with a great footballing
story.
--Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer, The Times
Guttmann, a globetrotting Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor, was the world s most celebrated football manager of the
1950s and 1960s. Yet his life story has barely been told before, partly because Guttmann himself obfuscated it,
apparently for fear of postwar anti-Semitism. This biography is a feat of highly sensitive detective work.
--Simon Kuper, FT
This so gripped me that I read it in a single day.
--Alastair Campbell
A remarkable life has the thoughtful, passionate biography it has long deserved
--When Saturday Comes
A gifted storyteller, Bolchover combines footballing glory with the sheer horror of war-torn Europe to form a gripping
tale
--Four Four Two
A remarkable work
--L Equipe
A modern-day classic in football writing
--Portugoal.net
Two clearly identifiable threads run through this wonderful book. One concerns football and Guttmann s success within
the game; the other is the simultaneous (and equally successful) story of political revival. Bolchover has produced a
thoughtful, absorbing book about a fascinating man and the enthralling political backdrop to his career. Buy it.
--Sportsbookofthemonth.com
His research and interview sources are impeccable
--Irish Times
David Bolchover s exceptional biography of Guttmann, tells the parts of this story that Guttmann rarely addressed,
using thorough research and a winning voice to produce the most comprehensive record of his life....The Greatest
Comeback is a massive achievement as both a sports biography and a survivor s tale, a harrowing and rewarding read.
--Foreword Reviews
--Biteback Publishing.
His research and interview sources are impeccable. --Irish Times
David Bolchover s exceptional biography of Guttmann, tells the parts of this story that Guttmann rarely addressed, using
thorough research and a winning voice to produce the most comprehensive record of his life....The Greatest Comeback is a
massive achievement as both a sports biography and a survivor's tale, a harrowing and rewarding read. --Foreword Reviews
About the Author
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David Bolchover is an author and commentator. He has published three previous books, including the
bestselling 90-Minute Manager, which explored the various management styles of the great football coaches. He has
written for a number of leading newspapers, such as The Times, the Telegraph and the Financial Times, and has frequently
appeared on the BBC, Sky and other broadcast outlets.