How Football (Nearly) Came Home

"The England team that touched down in Russia for the 2018 World Cup was a new look outfit: there were no real stars, no overblown egos and no dickheads. With fans still reeling from the wincing exit in Iceland to the 2016 Euros, expectations were at an all-time low. Qualification had been smooth if not spectacular and pundist abnd fans alike were lukewarm about the team's chances. Just avoiding embarrassment would have been counted as some kind of success. As the tournament kicked off, a stunningly stage-managed occasion by Putin and his cronies at FIFA, we all took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable: technical ineptitude and crap penalties. ..." -- Back cover