England Managers: The Toughest Job in Football, by Brian Glanville (2007)
IN THIS fascinating account of each of the only 11 men to have managed England - covering their strengths, weaknesses and impact on the game - Brian Glanville provides an in-depth analysis of the national team in general as well as the individuals under scrutiny.
Funny, controversial, measured and thought-provoking, Glanville's assessment of why England have, for the most part, underachieved, will be required reading for all football fans and for every member of the FA Committee - if they are prepared to read some unpalatable truths.
On Revie: "He was never cut out for the lonely exposed life of an international manager - almost pathologically thin-skinned." On Robson: "A mixture of good and bad luck characterised his years. He never seemed fully in control." On Venables: "Highly competent but appointed a few years too late." On Hoddle: "A curate's egg of a regime."