Source: The Age
Steve Strevens, in his paean to fandom, Keeping the Faith: Collingwood . . . the Pleasure, the Pain, the Whole Damn Thing, describes how Magpies fans began to turn on Mick Malthouse during the club's disastrous 2004 campaign - despite the veteran coach having taken the sleepiest of giants to unlikely grand final appearances in the previous two years.

What is it about organised sport that makes otherwise rational human beings believe they have a God-given right to success? What blinds people to the bleeding obvious, and how can watching a group of people we don't know kick or throw a ball drive us to such distraction?

Strevens, pondering more specifically the whys and wherefores of being a Collingwood fan, puts the devotion shown by the black-and-white army down to a faith that things will come good.

My thoughts
This is a GREAT book! I loved it!

I have to admit that when I told people I was reading a book about the Pies, I was greeted with, "The Pies? WHY????" My explanation was usually met with, "Well I wouldn't read it." And isn't that exactly what the book is about?! The Pies. Loved by fans. Hated by the rest of the world!

I read the book objectively, looking at it more from my standpoint as a fan of the AFL's Richmond Tigers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. I could relate to the author easily with a mere substitution of the team name! What true fan can't sympathize with the feeling of loss after a close game; what true fan can't fall victim to the media hype in the pre-season that this is THE year of [insert team name here]!

The book was awesome! Sport is awesome! FOOTY RULES!!!!! I can't go so far as to say Go Pies, but the book is definitely worth a read no matter who you barrack for!

Favorite Passage
My favourite passage is short, sweet, and to the point:

'It's totally illogical,' he said. 'Everything else in life that hurts us or turns out bad, we stop doing it. With footy we just keep going."