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  • Red on Red

  • Liverpool, Manchester United and the Fiercest Rivalry in World Football
  • By: Phil McNulty, Jim White
  • Narrated by: Luke Francis
  • Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (21 ratings)
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Red on Red cover art

Red on Red

By: Phil McNulty,Jim White
Narrated by: Luke Francis
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Summary

The untold story of the most contested fixture in world football.

Liverpool and Manchester. Two gloriously independent-minded, eclectic, culturally vibrant places—two cities, both alike in dignity. Yet the inhabitants dislike each other with a passion that is visceral. It is a divide that spans generations, across class and ethnicity. It is a divide that has grown over the years, largely driven by one thing: football.

The dark, malignant loathing shared by the followers of Liverpool and Manchester United has seeped into every aspect of life in the two cities. Football is not a barometer of disdain, as it is in places like Glasgow or Istanbul or Moscow. In northwest England, it is the very engine of animosity.

How did it come to this? Why did things turn so nasty? And what does it say about the two cities in which the clubs are based?

Written by a Scouser and a Manc in a rare collaboration, it will address the divide by talking to those involved in 10 seminal football matches. Red on Red will tell of the characters who patrolled and provoked the rivalry: Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville, among many others. Also questioned are the fans, the administrators, the referees, the police, even the Liverpudlian who became mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham. And through each moment of each seminal match, its authors tell the full story of the most extraordinary division not just in football, but in modern Britain.

This is Red on Red, a rivalry like no other.

©2022 Phil McNulty and Jim White (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A great insight into this ancient rivalry, the rants, duels, the reasons.... A must read." (Henry Winter, The Times)

"Superb—if you have been brought up on the greatest rivalry in football, you will love this book." (Daniel Taylor, The Athletic)

"Fascinating...a must-read not just for the fans of both of these great clubs but anyone with a passion for football." (John Cross, The Daily Mirror)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well-written but poorly performed

Whilst I don’t regret downloading this, I wish the performance of the narration was better. There are numerous mispronunciations - of people’s names, of teams, of words. It’s really off-putting and was clearly never listened to by an editor with even basic knowledge of football.

Worse than that though is the performance of a highly offensive song about the Munich air disaster. I have no issue with the lyrics being printed, or narrated in this case, as it’s important to explain the content and why these words are so hurtful. However there is no need whatsoever for the narrator to actually sing a song like this, in pretty full voice. Completely bizarre.

The story is very well-told, with the focus on individual matches working well as a device for explaining the overarching story of the rivalry. There are some interesting insights from a range of characters. However I wish I’d chosen the hardback or Kindle version.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • M3
  • 05-08-22

Spoiled by poor pronunciation

If you’re going to narrate a book about football, knowing how to pronounce the name of one of Britain’s biggest clubs might seem kind of a pre-requisite.

So when “Celtic” is spoken with a hard first “C”, it’s incredibly off-putting. Add this to places like “Kirkby” being said with a hard second “K”, “Ajax” announced like the industrial cleaner, plus the butchering of Lou Macari’s name… and it’s all a bit odd.

This is a book about two cities and yet nobody thought it might help to know how to pronounce the name of one of the areas of Liverpool?

The book itself is very interesting and well researched - but it’s impossible to judge the audiobook without judging the narration. And that is, unfortunately, a jarring mess. The two authors have been badly let down by an audio team who, seemingly, don’t know what they’re doing.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Red on Red

A nice book with some choice words. I am a Liverpool can and hate United.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great history of the two clubs in the context of where both clubs sit in their respective cities.

As a United fan I soo enjoyed this book Red on Red as it was written in such a balanced and entertaining way. A must read for both sets of supporters

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

To hate can be great , every incoming player or manager of both clubs should be made to read or listen to this brilliant book

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rivalry

I was never a big football fan growing up & didn’t understand the rivalry history, so didn’t really think that I’d enjoy this as much as I did. I listened avidly over a few days and would certainly recommend it to anyone who loves football or just likes football. It’s a fascinating tale of fierce conflict between the two teams years of competition past and present.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it

did not disappoint. listened to it all en route from Perth to Liverpool. Time flew by. Great stories and well structured.

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