Three Lions On The Shirt: 100 Years of Playing for England Book

I don't know of one English player who would put financial reward before the honour of playing for his country ... once a footballer begins to think perpetually in terms of cash, instead of soccer, the time has come for him to hang up his boots. Whatever changes have taken place in the years since England captain Billy Wright said those words and his astonishment at the thought of £100 wage per match is beginning to look a trifle parochial, the national team still uniquely inspires today's millionaire football stars. Dave Bowler chronicles over a century of three lions on a shirt: The pastoral days of the "home" championships, taking the national game abroad in 1908 and 91 years of trying to find out where they left it. It's a journey that takes in that triumph of 1966, but sadly for England fans this is mostly a tale of making mountains out of minnows and the exacting science of the penalty-kick.There's some great photos--that man Billy Wright cradling the team cat, Tiddles, for one--and a fine sense of the absurd to balance the critical analysis. Quality writing, exclusive interviews with the main players and Bowler's intelligent investigations into what's been behind the results, will make this tragi-comedy a joy to endure. --Alex HankinRead More