Product Description

The 1966 World Cup victory was the single greatest British sporting achievement. Alf Ramsey took a national team whose fortunes were at their lowest ebb, and made them world champions. "'66!" is the story of a sporting adventure that catapulted football unwillingly into the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #636370 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
"Pick of the crop, the definitive history of England's 1966 World Cup triumph... A beauty in every respect. What so often in the past has been dry, academic dissertation is rendered here with the clarity of historical drama." Time Out "Hutchinson illuminates a story of triumph with nuggets of insight and information... he is funny, perceptive and lucid." The Herald "It comes rudely to life for the climax and the account of the final is riveting." The Independent "The story of the 1966 World Cup straight, with the benefit of hindsight and a distinct lack of jingoism" Euro '96 Cup Final Programme

About the Author
Roger Hutchinson is an award winning author and journalist. He has written numerous books for Mainstream including the hugely successful The Toon: A Complete History of Newcastle United Football Club and Into The Light: A Complete History of Sunderland FC

Customer Reviews

Exciting, witty and full of action
As the reviews said, easily the best book on the 1966 World Cup, and one of the best soccer books I've read

Excellent analysis of England's 1966 World Cup win
I have read several other books on the 1966 World Cup, most of which are useful for an overall appreciation of the 1966 tournament. For me, however, this is the only book to read about the 1966 World Cup from England's point of view.

The analysis of the England team's tactical development by Sir Alf Ramsey before and during the 1966 World Cup final stages is detailed and masterly as too is the assessment of the individual players' part in England's victory.

Superb!

One of the best football books
When it comes to football books I don't learn and often get seduced by the cover, buying a book for what I hope will be inside and ending up disappointed far to often. I've read as many mediocre football books as I've seen mediocre matches!
I am delighted to tell you that this was one of the best. I bought it around the time of Germany 2006 in a wave of optimism that lasted until, er, about half-time of England's first game. All England fans yearn for a repeat of 1966 but few of us can remember it and fewer know the full story. Roger Hutchinson's book is superbly written. It starts back in the 1950s, with England's "greats" failing to deliver in tournament after tournament. He describes the changing mood as fans went from an assumption of English superiority to an all-too-modern assumption that the quarter-finals would be par for the course.
It's far from triumphalist stuff, in at least two ways. First, England did not sweep all before them and there was many a setback along the way. Second, the author, while admiring Ramsay's achievement, believes his tactics had serious detrimental long-term implications for the English name.
This story drew me in and carried me along, giving insights into a world I remember but is so radically different from today ("modern slavery" at £150k per week). If you're an England fan you will definitely enjoy this book and I can't recommend it enough.