Marcotti, an Italian football writer living in London, was born to write this book. He researched it in terrifying detail, like an American biography. One conclusion about Capello: "No grudges are ever held and you are only ever judged on performance."

The Don Uncovered... Intriguing insight into England's enigmatic coach... A thought-provoking, impeccably researched book on an enigmatic subject

This is a formidable piece of journalism mixing library research, expansive football knowledge, dozens of interviews with Capello eyewitnesses and even a few titbits from the man himself. Marcotti goes beyond the superficial public assumptions about his subject... this is a serious book about a serious chap... a detailed and lucid analysis

Meticulously researched

Marcotti has an unrivalled network of contacts, and writes with authority and style... an intriguing portrait

Informative, entertaining

Easily the most successful club manager ever to coach England, Fabio Capello won Italy's Serie A seven times with AC Milan, Juventus and Roma, and Spain's La Liga twice with Real Madrid - nine league titles in 15 seasons. So what led him to oversee a national team without a major trophy for more than 40 years? One of the strengths of this expertly researched biography is that such enigmas are pondered in a very Italian way, which revels in the availability of several answers rather than grasping for a single truth. In this case, Marcotti suggests managing Italy did not appeal, and points to Capello's long-standing affection for English football and his love of big cities. Other puzzles (was he really unaware that Juventus's boss was fixing matches?) receive similarly complex examination. Capello emerges as a pragmatic imitator rather than an innovator, a mix of sophisticate and martinet - padding around art galleries on his days off, but a believer in "putting a razor blade up against players' arses" if they let him down.

Excellent... an irreverent, entertaining resume of cricket's long history

Brilliantly retold

If you haven't bought Tom English's book about the 1990 match - The Grudge - then do yourself a favour and get it now. It's terrific

Tom English's excellent book, The Grudge, revisits an occasion when sport and politics and ancient rivalry came together

True tales: great stuff

Shudderingly good ... English has a rare talent for getting to the core of a person

Thatcherite politics and rugby come crashing into contact in this rich and textured account