Frankly, Mr. Shankly

"Some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I can assure them that it is much more important than that." Whatever we make of Bill Shankly's quote, it is clear that football holds an oddly prominent place in the lives of individuals and nations. The blurry border of football and politics was most porous in Communist Eastern Europe and Russia, and this period will provide much of the material for my blog.
The title, for instance, is taken from newspaper headlines after Yugoslavia defeated The USSR 3:1 at the 1952 Helsinki games. Such anecdotes abound, and Jonathan Wilson's excellent "Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football" is an ideal primer on the subject. Like Wilson, I favor the cerebral side of the game, and hold an unusual affection for technical fluency over sheer athletic ability (playing one's strengths, I suppose). For that reason, I plan to post occasional tactical analyses, in addition to a litany of other items geared for football obsessives, preferably not fanboys. All are welcome, though. Do come again.