Soccernomics (47 page)

Tennis, 259

upsetting traditional beliefs, 2–3

Ten-thousand-hour rule, 272

Wenger’s reliance on, 57–58

Terry, John, 19(fig.), 20, 113–114,

“wisdom of crowds” method of

125–126

choosing players, 68

Tevez, Carlos, 125

Steaua Bucharest, 134

Texas Rangers, 237

Steels, Mark, 225

“The Longest Penalty Ever” (short

Strachan, J.A., 231

story), 120–121

Sugar, Alan, 51, 54, 92

Thinking game, soccer as, 296–297,

Suicide

302–303

correlating with sports, 225–232

Thompson, Hunter S., 224–225

risks, rates, and reasons for,

“Three Lions,” 12

222–225

Thuram, Lilian, 108

social cohesion preventing, 232–234

Tigana, Jean, 110

World Cup loss, 221–222

Titanium Metals corporation

Sunderland, 49(fig.), 80, 173, 201, 203,

(TIMET), 75–76

210

Tognaccini, Daniele, 16–17

Super Bowl, 191

Togo, 270

Sweden

Tomaszewski, Jan, 9

fan suicides, 230(fig.),231(fig.)

Totalitarian Europe, 134–135

international experience, 35–36

Tottenham Hotspur, 51, 92, 94, 201

most enthusiastic soccer countries,

Traditional beliefs, 2–3

183–184

Transfers

national team performance per

Blissett’s transfer mistake, 47

capita, 263

blond players, 53

ranking European teams, 285(fig.)

new managers’ inefficiencies

top teams by experience, 280

through, 50–51

2006 World Cup, 25

Olympique Lyon strategy, 66–73

Switzerland, 230(fig.),231(fig.),

overvaluing specific nationalities,

286(fig.)

52–53

Syria, 282(fig.), 283

overvaluing star players, 51–52

relocation problems, 59–64, 71–72

Tagliabue, Paul, 177, 241

Taylor–Clough partnership, 54–58

Taiwan, 198

transfer fees, 47–50

Tajikistan, 281

See also
Salaries

I N D E X 327

Trapattoni, Giovanni, 148

Viduka, Mark, 303

Troubled players, 58

Vieira, Patrick, 58

Trovato, Frank, 223

Vieri, Christian, 86–87

Tunisia, 36–37

Vogts, Berti, 145–146

Turkey, 30–31, 142–143, 286(fig.), 288,

Vryzas, Zisis, 300

297–299, 305

Turkmenistan, 281

Wagg, Stephen, 8

Walcott, Theo, 19(fig.), 20

Ukraine, 199(fig.), 286(fig.)

Wales, 285(fig.)

Umbro, 78

Warren, Johnny, 294

Underperformance, 289–290, 289(fig.)

Watford, 47, 49(fig.), 76

United States

Weisweiler, Hennes, 146

American football, 158

Wenger, Arsène, 5–6, 40, 42, 57, 84,

baseball ranking, 257–258

115, 131, 218

cultural reach, 161–162

Werder Bremen, 300–301

England’s World Cup defeat, 10

West Bromwich Albion, 49(fig.), 106

fan suicides, 221, 224

West Germany

global ranking in sporting success,

European Cup wins, 136

262

fan suicides, 221

international experience, 35

goal performance measures, 38–39

launching professional league, 295

happiness of hosting a tournament,

1950 World Cup, 8–9

247

number of soccer players, 182

ranking European teams, 285(fig.)

potential for World Cup win, 306

top European and national teams,

social cohesion preventing suicide,

277, 277(fig.), 280, 284,

233

284(fig.)

spread of soccer to, 162–165

Turkey’s 1984 victory, 298

stadium finance, 236–241

World Cup 1974, 301

Super Bowl viewer data, 191

See also
Germany (united)

televised sports, 190, 193, 198–199

West Ham, 51

2002 World Cup, 297

West Indies, 263

2006 World Cup, 25

Wharton, Arthur, 99

underperformance, 289

When Beckham Went to Spain
(Burns),

Uruguay, 197(fig.), 303

135

Uzbekistan, 281

When Friday Comes: Football in the War

Zone
(Montague), 278–279

Van Breukelen, Hans, 122

When Saturday Comes
fanzine, 107, 174

Van der Sar, Edwin, 113–114,

White, Jim, 137

124–127

Why People Die by Suicide
( Joiner),

Vassell, Darius, 19(fig.), 20

232–233

Veenhoven, Ruut, 246

Wigan Borough, 91

Venables, Terry, 54

Will, James, 70

Venezuela, 289(fig.)

Wimmer, Hacki, 146

328

I N D E X

Win percentage

global rankings, 261–262

England, 12–14, 34, 40–44

happiness of hosting, 245–250

NFL, 167–168

overvaluing star players, 51–52

top European teams by win

potential for future wins, 306

percentage, 284(fig.)

statistical evaluation of achievement,

top national teams by win

275–276

percentage, 1980–2001, 277–278,

win percentage predicting qualifying,

277(fig.)

12–14

“Wisdom of crowds” method of

World Cup (1966), 44

choosing players, 68

World Cup (1970), 275

With Clough by Taylor
(Taylor), 55–57

World Cup (1974), 231, 301

Wolff, Joel, 288

World Cup (1978), 231

Women

World Cup (1982), 231

as managers, 84

World Cup (1986), 231, 279

fan suicides, 231(fig.)

World Cup (1994), 241, 270, 300

happiness and, 246

World Cup (1998), 36–37

Norwegian players and fans,

World Cup (2002), 41–42, 242, 244,

201–202

295, 297

suicide attempts, 223

World Cup (2006), 25, 122–124, 164,

television spectatorship, 190

190, 198, 242–243, 246–247,

World Cup rankings, 258

303–304

Working class, 18–23, 137–138

World Cup (2010), 193, 205, 235–236,

World Cup

241–242, 244–245, 268, 271

collectivized western European

Wortmann, Sönke, 123

soccer, 28

Wright, Billy, 10–11

economic impact of hosting, 242

Wright, Ian, 108–109

employment of English team

members’ fathers, 19(fig.)

Yugoslavia, 134–135

England’s colonial spread of soccer,

294

Zahra, Huthyfa, 279

England’s conviction of win

Zenden, Boudewijn, 59–61, 63, 291

followed by surprise at loss, 7–12

Zidane, Dinedine, 256, 271–272

England’s history of qualification, 40

Zipf’s law, 150–155

fan suicides, 221, 228–229

Zirin, Dave, 238

• Preliminaries
  
• CONTENTS
  
• 1 Driving with a Dashboard: In Search of New Truths About Soccer
  
• 2 Why England Loses and Others Win
  
• 3 Gentlemen Prefer Blonds: How to AvoidSilly Mistakes in the Transfer Market
  
• 4 The Worst Business in the World: Why Soccer Clubs Don’t and Shouldn’t Make Money
  
• 5 Need Not Apply: Does English Soccer Discriminate Against Black People
  
• 6 The Economist’s Fear of the Penalty Kick: Are Penalties Cosmically Unfair or Only If You Are Nicolas Anelka
  
• 7 The Suburban Newsagents City Sizes and Soccer Prizes
  
• 8 Football Versus Football
  
• 9 The Country That Loves Soccer Most
  
• 10 Are Soccer Fans Polygamists? A Critique of the Nick Hornby Model of Fandom
  
• 11 A Fan’s Suicide Notes: Do People Jump Off Buildings When Their Teams Lose
  
• 12 Happiness: Why Hosting a World Cup Is Good for You
  
• 13 The Curse of Poverty: Why Poor CountriesAre Poor at Sports
  
• 14 Tom Thumb: The Best Little Soccer Country on Earth
  
• 15 Core to Periphery The Future Map of Global Soccer
  
• Acknowledgments
  
• Select Bibliography
  
• Index