David Winner – författare

The Netherlands has been one of the world's most distinctive and sophisticated football cultures. From the birth of Total Football in the sixties, through two decades of World Cup near misses to the exiles who remade clubs like AC Milan, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea in their own image, the Dutch have often been dazzlingly original and influential. The elements of their style (exquisite skills, adventurous attacking tactics, a unique blend of individual creativity and teamwork, weird patterns of self-destruction) reflect and embody the country's culture and history. This book lays bare the elegant, fractured soul of the Dutch Masters and the culture that spawned them by exploring and analysing its key ideas, institutions, personalities and history in the context of wider Dutch society.

In this playful, witty and highly original look at English football, David Winner, author of the acclaimed "Brilliant Orange", journeys to the heart of Englishness and sheds new light on the true nature of a rapidly changing game that was never really meant to be beautiful. He shows how Victorian sexual anxiety underlies England's many World Cup failures. He reveals the connection between Roy Keane and a soldier who died in the Charge of the Light Brigade. And, he demonstrates how thick mud and wet leather shaped the contours of the English soul.

______________A unique World Cup diary from the author of Brilliant Orange and Those Feet______________Whilst only relatively few football fans managed to get a match ticket for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, billions of people watched it on TV screens all around the globe. Acclaimed football writer David Winner decided it was time to get off his sofa and join them. His quest: to circle the globe in just four weeks and watch as the planet went World Cup crazy.Travelling from Gdansk to Seoul, from Buenos Aires to Rome, joining in the drama of the World Cup in nation after nation whilst battling flu, exhaustion and agonisingly intense jet-lag, David soon realises he is watching the people as much as the games themselves - the differences in their reactions to victory, defeat, tragedy and even the odd dull 0 - 0 draw. Whether it be the rueful resignation of drunken Poles or the ecstatic jubilation of hysterical Koreans, the way we celebrate or commiserate the World Cup seems to bring out our national characters and stories in a way that not much else can. This heartfelt, humorous and ultimately poignant account of David Winner's travels is a book by and for the true fan. He reminds us that, despite the tears, headbutts and early exits, the World Cup is for its spectators a truly global experience, managing, for just four weeks every four years, to unite us all.

David Winner delivers a perceptive and wry analysis of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager, cleverly placing Southgate’s enlightenment, achievements and legacy in the context of a turbulent period of political, social and cultural upheaval. If you loved Dear England, you’ll love this!Winner is the author of such classic football books as the William Hill-shortlisted Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football and Those Feet: A Sensual History of English Football.Through eight years of weird tumult, one modest and bearded Englishman embodied decency and tried to keep us happy and sane – he wasn’t bad at being a football manager either …After the national team’s nadir of defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016, Gareth Southgate woke England, re-imagining, re-energising and taking them to a World Cup semi-final and two Euros finalsA nation rejoiced – well, some of the time – for still there was criticism: of being ‘woke’, for stepping beyond sporting boundaries and trying to make the nation proud of its modern diversity; and for the tactics – born of being an England defender himself – that some considered too cautiousExcerpts from a New England is the sixth book in the innovative Football Shorts series. It’s a must-read for every England fan.