Brian Glanville (1931–2025)

A kind of a dull rendition of an exciting event. Glanville provides a cranky, disorganized narrative of each World Cup tournament confusingly jumping from match to match and referring to players by last name only. If that's not bad enough he writes from a chauvinistic British point of view and uses pejorative terms to describe players from non-Western nations. I read through the whole thing anyhow - even though what little organization he had disappeared for the 86 & 90 tourneys - because it show more was mindless fluff and full of interesting little historical facts. Still, I can imagine a much better book where each Cup chapter has a short outline of each team with line-ups and stats, summaries of group play, second rounds, and quarter-finals (with sidebar boxes elaborating on 3-4 of the best games), more in-depth description of the semi-finals and championship games and lots of illustrations. show less

A bit of a treasure trove. G.Curtis, Southampton, was taught soccer by his mother; R.O.Ferris, 'a foraging, tireless player' - today he would have a good engine; H.Kirtley was an apprentice colliery electrician; A.Nightingale was 'one of football's many golfers'.

Brian Glanville's story of England managers from the end of the second world war to 2008; from Walter Winterbottom to the appointment of Fabio Capello. The good, the bad and everything in between. Includes a great appendix of every match played complete with line-ups, cap number etc.

A good read in preparation for the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico and for which England as holders did not have to qualify, George Best on front cover.