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The Anatomy of England

A History in Ten Matches
Series: The Anatomy of
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( 264 ratings, 14 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Anatomy of England, Jonathan Wilson explores the fluctuating fortunes of the England football team through the twentieth century. From England's invention of the game and their early dominance to moments of innovation and occasional World Cup success, Wilson offers a detailed examination of key matches that shaped the team's identity. The book contextualises England's achievements and setbacks within broader tactical shifts and sporting pressures, providing a forensic and thoughtful look at a century of English football history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for football enthusiasts, sports historians, and anyone interested in England's football legacy and tactical development. Fans of in-depth, analytical sports writing will find this book particularly engaging.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A definitive history of England's national team told through 10 key football matches, from the award-winning author of Inverting the Pyramid

'[A] thought-provoking reappraisal of ten key games in England's football history ... this book should be required reading for all future England squads' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Having invented the game, everything that has followed for England has been something of an anti-climax. There was, of course, the golden summer of 1966, when Alf Ramsey's radicalism in unveiling his wingless wonders in a World Cup quarter-final paid dividends. And there was the great period of English dominance on the world stage, which fell roughly between 1886 and 1900, when England won 35 of their 40 internationals...

But before long, foreign teams, with their insistence on progressive tactics, began to pose a few questions. Much of what followed for England constituted a series of false dawnsβ€”a thrashing of Italy in 1948, one World Cup triumph, the demolition of Holland in Euro '96β€”muddling through, and by and large panicking under pressure.

In The Anatomy of England, award-winning journalist Jonathan Wilson seeks to place these bright spots in the context of the twentieth century.

Series: The Anatomy of

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  • The Anatomy of England
    Having invented the game, everything that has followed for England has been something of an anti-climax. There was, of course, the golden summer of 1966, when Alf Ramsey's radicalism in unveiling his wingless wonders in a World Cup quarter-final paid dividends. And there was the great period of English dominance on the world stage, which fell roughly between 1886 and...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

A masterful and thought-provoking analysis, Wilson's work has been described as required reading for fans and players alike. Critics praise it as an absorbing and riveting study that combines critical detail with wry affection, elevating Wilson to stand among the greatest British football historians. The book is celebrated for its forensic examination of England's football ethos and tactics, offering terrific and entertaining insights into the game's evolution.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781409118206

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 May 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 38.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 432

About the Author

Jonathan Wilson writes on football for the Financial Times, Guardian online and the Telegraph. A critically acclaimed author, he has been shortlisted for the William Hill and won a National Sporting Club Award.

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    MASTERFUL Time Out REVELATORY Scotland on Sunday GLORIOUSLY READABLE Metro FASCINATING Independent EXCELLENT Telegraph ABSORBING Guardian Winner of the British Sports Book Awards Football Book of the Year The fifteenth anniversary edition, fully revised and updated, of Jonathan Wilson's modern classic. In the modern classic, Inverting the Pyramid, Jonathan Wilson pulls apart the finer details of the world's game, tracing...
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  • The Outsider
    "Aloof, solitary, impassive, the crack goalie is followed in the streets by entranced small boys. He vies with the matador and the flying aces, an object of thrilled adulation. He is the lone eagle, the man of mystery, the last defender" β€” Vladimir Nabokov. Albert Camus, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Pope John Paul II, Julian Barnes, and not...
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  • The Power and the Glory
    'A master at telling football's greatest ever stories... Breathtaking. Wilson's eye for detail and his elegant writing brings the World Cup to life like no other book on the topic I have ever read' ELIS JAMES 'Epic in scope, awesomely rich in detail, and compulsively entertaining' TOM HOLLAND 'So much of what we know of football's history we know thanks...
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  • The Names Heard Long Ago
    "Beautifully written and immaculately researched. Jonathan Wilson is the finest sports writer of his generation" - Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads In 1953, the Mighty Magyars beat England 6-3 at Wembley, a result that echoes through the history of football. A year earlier, this Hungarian team had won Olympic gold. A year later, they lost agonisingly in the...
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