A combination of hilarity and frustration. If you have ever wondered why England were so rubbish at cricket in the 1980s and 1990s, look no further than this masterpiece from Simon Hughes, Middlesex bowler turned TV pundit. Constant travel in over-crowded cars from one end of the country to the other, a diet of beer and curry – or fish and chips –  little sleep and hangovers. There are times when you wonder how England managed to field a Test side at all. Hughes recounts all of this and far more brilliantly and the book is worth buying purely for the passage about Mike Gatting’s reaction to Roland Butcher running out three of his colleagues at Lord’s.

Not surprisingly, there has been a huge amount written about Brian Clough, one of the greatest club managers and the manager England should have had, but for the temerity of the FA (and yes, had he been appointed it could all have gone terribly wrong). With a highly respectful nod to Duncan Hamilton’s Provided You Don’t Kiss Me, this biography is the cream of the crop. At over five-hundred pages, it’s longer than any of Clough’s famous European Cup runs with Nottingham Forest and it does a great job of explaining what a complex character he was. It also outlines the importance of Peter Taylor to Clough, his hatred of Leeds United, and his insecurities and genius. As football biographies go, this is the best I’ve read.

There have been so many books by, and about, the Boys of ’66 but precious few about the man who masterminded England’s finest football hour. McKinstry researched his subject brilliantly and the book is a fitting tribute to the only man who has won anything of note at a senior level - and was paid next to nothing for doing so. It charts Sir Alf’s rise to a right-back for Spurs and England, his various insecurities, his elocution lessons and his managerial reign at Ipswich and then England. He was as stubborn as they came as the account of his dealing with the Selection Committee testifies and there’s an hilarious account of Alf’s (as he was then) reply to a journalist when the latter welcomed him to Scotland.

Brearley has written a number of books, every one of them insightful and, I believe, all of them a must for cricket aficionados. This book stands out for me because it was the first I read and it followed the 1977 Ashes series, much of which I was actually able to follow on TV. Many of the world’s best players had signed up to Kerry Packer’s World Series, including Tony Greig who was summarily sacked as England captain as a result. Brearley got the call and, proceeded to wave a magic wand on the pitch as countless bowling or fielding changes produced a wicket. It was fascinating to read about his thought process behind these, the arrival of Ian Botham and his reaction to Geoff Boycott’s return to the England fold – but only after Brearley kept him waiting. And of course, it’s always wonderful to see the Aussies leave these shores with their tails between their legs.

A present from my parents on Christmas morning 1970, I had almost read it by the time the turkey was carved. Excellent background on how the sixteen teams qualified, plus reports on every match throughout the tournament made for compelling reading – and still does. It was undoubtedly my favourite sports book and stayed top of that chart for a long time. However, it took me a long time to read about England’s quarter-final defeat to West Germany which, to this day, remains a painful memory.

Where World Cup 70 outlines how the tournament unfurled match-by-match, Dawson’s book is, I believe, the definitive account of England’s ultimately unsuccessful defence of the Jules Rimet trophy. Back Home carries interviews with members of England’s squad, goes into detail about the arrest of Bobby Moore and calls into question some of Alf Ramsey’s tactics. It also presents a very interesting theory as to why Peter Bonetti was so jittery before the fateful quarter-final against West Germany.

The story of English football seen through ten significant matches over almost eighty years, starting with England’s 4-3 defeat in Spain in 1929 and finishing with another loss, 3-2 against Croatia at Wembley in 2007. The theme – depressing as it always is – is one of anti-climax, a failure to learn lessons, the refusal of the FA to appoint the right man as manager, and England’s seemingly unique ability to ignore the mavericks who may just have turned a few games in England’s favour. A compelling read for anyone who is interested in the history of the game in this country.

World Cup 90 is remembered by England fans for the penalty shoot-out defeat to West Germany, Gazza’s tears and Lineker’s goals. There was, of course, a lot more to the tournament and Pete Davies, granted full access to the England squad, tells the inside story of how England started slowly, threatened briefly and ended, not for the first time, as brave losers.

It was the 1966 World Cup which lit my football flame; until then I hardly knew the sport existed. I’ve got a lot of books, magazines and general memorabilia about the tournament but 1966 Uncovered is my favourite by some distance. Over two-hundred pages of evocative images, many of which are rare, which fully capture the mood, supported by Pearson’s eminently-readable copy and captions. Looking at the pictures and the way the players mixed with fans, 1966 comes across as a tournament played in a bygone, innocent age. It is indeed “The Unseen Story of the World Cup in England”. Brilliant.

“He was never cut out for the lonely, exposed life of an international manager – almost pathologically thin-skinned.” Those eighteen words, not only sum up the ill-fated reign of Don Revie, England’s manager from 1974 to 1977, but also go a long way to summarising why England have failed to be successful since, well, forever. Usually the wrong man appointed – Revie too sensitive; Hoddle too early; Venables too late; Taylor, Keegan and McLaren too … inept. Glanville chronicles the highs and lows of a dozen managers from Walter Winterbottom to Steve McLaren and it doesn’t make for pretty reading. But it does make for great reading from one of the kings of sports journalism.