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So Kevin Keegan jumps before he's pushed, and yet another chapter half-closes on England's stumbles and fumbles at world football dominance. But apart from the inability of coaches, tactics and players, one other factor has regularly stood in the way: the Germans.
The Best of Enemies charts a 'century of football rivalry' between the two countries, from the first friendly in 1930 to the 1-0 glossover win in Charleroi. Understandably it's more than a football book, and writer Downing's perfectly qualified with a Master's degree in international relations.
He sets up his stall early doors by pointing out the cigarette-paper closeness of the Tommies and jerries . Our royal family are German, and the two Northern-European cultures undoubtably share similar national ticks and characteristics.
This was also the case on the football field until 1966, when England's 'finest hour' forced the Germans, then a fairly shattered country, into a serious footballing re-think. Sounds like a good idea.
But it's impossible not to mention the wars, and Downing does this in a mature and responsible way. There's no tabloid-eze, chest-beating or flag-waving and the book is obviously far the better for it, making intelligent observations that pin down cultural, political and both international and club football.
It's almost uncanny how Germany have assumed the nemesis mantle, and Saturday's game – like Downing's excellent book, and the mindless idiots who bellowed: 'Stand up if you won the war,' – shows how far we've got to go, and not just to the World Cup.
— Tom Morgan 09.10.00
Click here to buy the book.
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