‘The tale of 52 years of hurt told in smart and funny rants’ DAVID BADDIEL

‘In the half-century that has passed since England were indisputably the best, the game that I fell in love with back then has seen a multitude of changes on and off the field, inside and outside the stadia, in the rulebook, in how it is presented on the television, and in the incredible oceans of cash that are swilling about, and I think I d be lying if I said that all of those changes were changes for the better.’

Sportswriter and Radio FiveLive pundit Chris England takes the reader on a fact-filled, opinionated and very funny tour through the key events, personalities and innovations that have changed the game over the past 50 years, for better or — perhaps just as often — worse.

Full of satirical energy — but also celebrating what deserves to be celebrated — this is the perfect read for the thinking fan who wants to make sense of it all in the aftermath of one of the most surprising World Cups in the history of the — still, from time to time, despite everything — beautiful game.