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Vertigo
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs . . . then you’re probably not a football fan.
Years of underachievement. An heroic sense of injustice. A seemingly infinite capacity for self-destruction. John Crace and Spurs were made for each other. But then the team started to play like possible champions. For most fans, these are the glory moments they dream about. For Crace they just opened a new dimension of anxiety: the fear of success.
Crace has supported Spurs for 40 years. His wife thinks he suffers from a psychiatric disorder, but fandom is not only one of the ways he negotiates his relationships, it also helps him make some sense of his life.
Vertigo is the story of why fandom that starts out in boyish hope always ends in dark comedy.
Years of underachievement. An heroic sense of injustice. A seemingly infinite capacity for self-destruction. John Crace and Spurs were made for each other. But then the team started to play like possible champions. For most fans, these are the glory moments they dream about. For Crace they just opened a new dimension of anxiety: the fear of success.
Crace has supported Spurs for 40 years. His wife thinks he suffers from a psychiatric disorder, but fandom is not only one of the ways he negotiates his relationships, it also helps him make some sense of his life.
Vertigo is the story of why fandom that starts out in boyish hope always ends in dark comedy.
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Reviews
Crace is a complex character and writes candidly, skilfully and humourously about his battle against depression.
'A funny and moving memoir which truly describes the horror of being a Tottenham fan.'
A gem of a read, even if your allegiances lie elsewhere.
Vertigo exposes the self-delusion, moral gymnastics and nervous tics that are the lot of any football fan following a team in the modern game. It also vividly, and stoically, describes the plight of those blighted by the black dog.
Although Crace strives hard to convince us of the agonies of fandom, he instead, which is perhaps his real intention, succeeds best in conveying its pleasures.
Entertaining.