Before anyone now says -But the book isn't about football, it's about that crabbucket thing and that you can be something no matter where you come from etc- Please don't say it. I can name you 7+1 characters throughout the other novels who showed that very moral in a more subtle/entertaining/less anvilicious way.
I dare say the book was self-concious in all the wrong places. From a discworldnovel I would have expect someone hanging a lampshade on, for example, Glenda's three-eyed-bear. Yet, that didn't happen. (Normally I would wonder if I just missed the part or not, but for once I'm pretty certain about it) There was no dialogue pointing out that the 'so enlighted teddy bear' belonged to someone in charge of PREPARING FOOD. Really. She missed that she sew a third button to the bear and then didn't take scissors to cut the button-too-much off for what reason ever? And she is really allowed to prepare things other people will eat?
Not to mention the plotholes, that just crop up along with all the missed oppurtunities.
EDIT: On a further sidenote: Think about it: Was the character of Nutt actually necessary to the plot? Could really only he provide what he provided? I say no. Not a single time.
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Not Worth It
I want to like this book. I really do. But I can't. I dislike Nutt (implausibly perfect and not-that-amusing twerp that he is) and Glenda (who should be interesting, and yet manages to fall flat in spite of it, possibly by everyone going on about how amazing her cooking is), Vetinari's character seems wildly inconsistent with previous portrayals, and while Pratchett's endings can usually be a little trite, this one is flat out teeth-grinding (I'm referring to the golden lady).
The book seems almost self-conscious, nudging us with references to other books and leaning up against us going "Isn't that FUNNY?" And it isn't. Or at least, it isn't funny enough.
People who take football more seriously than I do may find the book good. I can't say I do.