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The Best XI
The Best XI
Oct 1, 2024 10:24 PM

Author:Geoffrey Boycott

The Best XI

Who'd make it into the best England team ever? And you can chose anyone, regardless of when they might have played. Would W.G. Grace be playing alongside Denis Compton and David Gower? Or Kevin Pietersen?

The debate could be endless, so who better to make the selection than Geoffrey Boycott, himself one of England's all-time highest scoring Test batsmen and now the game's most forthright, shrewd and iconoclastic commentator.

Based on his own fresh analysis amd interpretation of the statistics, Boycs has come up with his own, sometimes surprising Best Eleven of all time. And he's not just cast a critical eye over England's finest either. Every other test-playing nation comes under the spotlight.

You may not agree - in fact, you're almost certain not to - but each player has been carefully chosen and the case for his inclusion forcefully argued in what is sure to be the most entertaining, thought-provoking and memorable cricket books of the year from one of the game's most outspoken and enduring characters.

Reviews

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."

—— Financial Times

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

—— FourFourTwo

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

—— Pete May , Football 365

Meticulously researched

—— Brian Viner , Independent

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

—— Liam Doyle , The Bookseller

Informative, entertaining

—— When Saturday Comes

Extremely detailed, well-researched, informative and entertaining

—— Steve Amoia , soccerlens.com

Motty, like Pele and Madonna, needs no other form of identification.

—— Alan Fraser

The FA Cup final without Motty is almost unthinkable. Because, like the competition itself, Motty is a hopeless romantic.

—— Graham Wray , People

This is a man in love with his calling.

—— Jim White , Daily Telegraph

Motty is, in the words of the old cliché, a legend in his own lifetime. He has brought knowledge of and passion for football direct into the homes of millions - he is a national institution, recognised and loved. He is also a thoroughly decent bloke.

—— Tony Blair

John Motson has for many years been the undisputed true voice of English football.

—— Sir Bobby Robson

There is no doubting Motty is a footie hero ... this will be an ideal stocking-filler for dads at Christmas

—— News of the World

Like Cheryl Cole and Lincolnshire sausages, John Motson is a national treasure to be cherished. From his verbal scraps with Brian Clough to the traumatic Hillsborough tragedy, his autobiography reveals the man behind the microphone.

—— Sport Magazine

John Motson is an institution and his commentaries on Match of the Day are part of the fabric of football. The BBC legend has been behind the microphone for 40 years, covering just about every big match going.

—— Metro

Bright and breezy ... it reflects on a lifetime watching football matches big and small and of bumping into all the heroes of the game

—— Sunday Express

Strangely compelling memoir by one of the best-known sports commentators of his generation. If you cannot remember what colour shirts Newcastle United wore in 1972 when they were drummed out of the FA Cup by Hereford ... this is the book for you

—— Financial Times 'Books of the Year'

Motty's knowledge and passion for football are unrivalled as he shares his story for the first time with humour and honesty.

—— Oxford Times

Filled with a multitude of detail about Motson's background and the sporting times he lived through ...Motson is one of the most intelligent and accomplished commentators in history, a voice that has conveyed the best (and worst, depending on your allegiance) moments in the recent past of the game. His book offers a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes of football broadcasting, as well as a trip down memory lane for many supporters. A must-read for any football fan.

—— Sunday Business Post

The voice of the sheepskinned sage and cult hero John Motson will doubtless be heard at the 2010 tournament, and he reminisces on his career to date in the amusing Motty: Forty Years in the Commentary Box

—— Independent on Sunday 'Books of the Year'
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