Tears for England: Obsession, Hope and Heartbreak with the England Football Team

Tears for England is the story of the last 50 years of England’s football team observed through the eyes of a journalist and obsessive fan. It interweaves the team’s fortunes with the author’s life story, starting with his first memories of football in the mid-1970s. From Keegan’s miss in 1982 and Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986, to the 2018 penalty shoot-out triumph and Ollie Watkins’s semi-final winner in Euro 2024, it chronicles England’s occasional triumphs and frequent woes, showing why football is so important and the imprint it has on our national psyche. The author has a journalist’s eye for a story, yet is at heart a fan who never stops dreaming, and who, through life’s up and downs, successes and disasters, finds his mind constantly tracking back to that miss by Paul Gascoigne in 1996, Kane’s ballooned penalty against France in 2022, and many other ‘if only’ moments. Tears for England is a glorious page-turner for football fans, young and old, and a fascinating read for those keen to understand why England football matters so much.