Other than a few soccer blogs and a handful of literate newspapers, there isn’t a plenitude of intelligent football writing available. But there is one last bastion that we can continue to depend on and that’s football books.

A good way to find out which books to buy are to find the ones nominated for the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year. The 2008 nominations have been announced and they include the following football books:

• “Black And Blue: How Racism, Drugs And Cancer Almost Destroyed Me” by Paul Canoville, who was Chelsea’s first black first-team player when he made his debut in 1982.
• “A Cultured Left Foot: The Eleven Elements Of Football Greatness” by Musa Okwonga.
• “Bamboo Goalposts: One Man’s Quest To Teach The People’s Republic Of China To Love Football” by Rowan Simons.
• “Inverting The Pyramid: The History Of Football Tactics” by Jonathan Wilson

The winner will be announced on November 24. But in reality, all of the above books are winners. If you’re looking for a perfect Christmas present for the football fan in your house, order one or more of the above books online. Some of them are available via Amazon.com for readers in North America.