IT WAS AFTER another heartbreaking exit that Robert Taylor got to work.
Following the 2022 World Cup, when Harry Kane ballooned a late penalty over the bar to confirm another underwhelming major tournament exit, the author began his Fever Pitch-style fan memoir about the frequent disappointment and occasional joys of supporting England for the last 50 years.
“I thought: ‘Well, I’m going to put this grief to good use,’ and I started writing the book that very evening,” he tells The 42.
“This book has been building up in my mind for my entire life. It all came out. It was very easy to write.
“It does help to write about things when you have any disappointment and grief in life.”
Taylor’s memories of each tournament remained vivid. Details were easy to recall.
It’s no surprise that was the case, as he tends to experience big England games in a state of heightened emotion.
“I’m a wreck,” he says. “I mean, any sports fan of any sport will know this, whether your sport is rugby or football or whatever, it could be anything. When your team is about to play in a big knockout match, the real fan, the obsessive fan, almost feels physically ill, and that is always the way with me, and I thought, when I was a kid, well, when I get older, I’ll grow out of it, but I never did.
“I’m in my late 50s, and I still feel like I did when I watched England as a 12-year-old or an 18-year-old, or whatever. It hasn’t changed. You want your team to win so badly, and of course, England’s record in knockouts has been appalling until recently.”
After the nadir of the 2-1 loss to Iceland at Euro 2016, the Gareth Southgate era renewed England fans’ optimism.
The Three Lions may still be waiting to end 60 years of hurt, but they are getting closer than ever to emulating the 1966 triumph – reaching the final of back-to-back Euros.
“I’m not one of these fans who’s kind of: ‘Oh, it’s coming home.’ I don’t really like that expression, anyway.
“After all these tournaments, I think I’ve seen 24 over my life if you include European Championships and World Cups. I’m aware that it always ends in agony. I wasn’t alive in 1966.
“I did go into the last tournament, the last Euros, thinking we were favourites. That doesn’t mean you’re going to win, but we were favourites going into that tournament, and we did get to the final, and we lost by one goal, so maybe it wasn’t misplaced optimism on my part.
“As for this coming tournament in the summer, I was asked a question the other day: how far will England go?
“Sadly, I don’t think they’re going to win it. I think maybe a quarter or a semi-final is going to be as far as we get this time.”
Until recently, one of the biggest problems was the dreaded penalty shootout.
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Before Southgate took over, England’s record was particularly bad. Pre-2018, out of seven shootouts in their history, they won only once (against Spain at Euro 1996).
Their record has improved in the intervening period, winning two from three.
Thomas Tuchel is aiming to guide England to glory at this summer's World Cup. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Taylor reckons having Thomas Tuchel – a German manager – may be a good omen. Die Mannschaft have an excellent record in shootouts. Out of seven, they have lost only once, against Czechoslovakia in the final of Euro 1976.
For now, though, he says Southgate is the best England manager in his football-watching lifetime, rating him higher than the likes of Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, and Sven-Goran Eriksson (he is too young to remember Alf Ramsey), pointing to the former Aston Villa player’s record of guiding the team to two finals.
“After [Iceland], I thought: ‘I’m done with England. This is just too painful. I’ve wasted 40 years of my life.’ I literally thought then: ‘This is not going to get any better, it’s awful.’ But the darkest hour comes before dawn. We got Southgate in, and things gradually started improving.”
As their results attest, over the last decade, the level of players England have produced is as strong as any post-1966 squad, though Taylor suggests the 1990 team are worthy of an honourable mention. By contrast, he cites the 1970s (when England failed to qualify for the ’74 and ’78 World Cup) and the early 1990s under Graham Taylor (when they again failed to reach USA ’94) as the lowest periods in terms of quality.
Yet there are still concerns going into the 2026 tournament over whether the squad has the necessary depth to go all the way.
“The problems, I think, are backup to Harry Kane. If he gets injured, or he’s not in form, or whatever, we’re really struggling for a world-class striker after Harry.
“In defence, I’m a little bit worried. John Stones of Man City, when he’s fit and on form, is world-class as well, but after him, I worry a little bit.
“But we also have Declan Rice. Of course, he could have been playing for Ireland, couldn’t he? I feel a bit guilty talking about it, but he’s world-class.
“And Jude Bellingham, some people are lukewarm about his influence on the squad, but he is a world-class player.
“So, I would say Rice, Stones, when he’s fit, Kane and Bellingham, that is the spine of the team, and if we can keep them on form and fit, you never know.”
England have a woeful overall record in penalty shootouts. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
In recent times, Taylor has been buoyed by the many notable successes involving England’s underage and women’s teams, with the senior men the anomaly in this trophy-laden period.
“I think the weight of history builds and builds and builds, and the one moment to release all that tension was really the final in 2021 at Wembley, the Euros final, England-Italy, went to a penalty shootout. [Italy had missed their second penalty.] Marcus Rashford strode forward to take our third penalty, and I remember watching that and thinking, if he scores, we’re going to be European champions.
“It’s the only time I’ve really felt we’re going to do this, we’re about to do this. And, of course, sadly, Rashford missed his penalty, and we went on to lose that shootout – that would have released all that tension. 60 years of hurt, or whatever it would have been.
“I think, in part, it’s psychological. Now, people have said to me: ‘Why should England win? There’s only going to be one winner out of 48 teams in the World Cup.’ And I absolutely agree with that, but I’m just looking at the history, my 50 years following England, and in that time, we’ve had Greece, Denmark and Czechoslovakia win a European Championship. So, relatively minor European teams have managed to win major tournaments, but not England.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen in my lifetime. It’s a very morbid and sad and depressing thing to say, but the longer it goes on, the more I have this awful, fatalistic view that it’s not going to happen before I die.”
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With Ireland regularly struggling to qualify, there tends to be an abiding fascination on these shores with English teams in major tournaments.
That factor prompts the evergreen debate on why the majority of Irish football fans tend to root against the England side while supporting Premier League clubs.
The topic often prompts emotive arguments for and against, though Taylor is not too fussed on the issue.
“I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone to support them, and I can tell you it’s pure misery supporting England anyway. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and it is completely up to people.
“England fans, as I remember, [with Scotland] in ’78 would definitely get behind another team from the British Isles. I’m not sure if I would. I’m too passionately tribal, but lots of people would.
“But you know, as for whether Irish fans should support England, I’d say save yourself the heartache. It’s going to end in tragedy. It always does.
“And I mean, I think there are great teams to support in this World Cup. I have no choice. I’m English, and so it’s ingrained in the blood.”
Harry Kane is set to lead the line for England this summer. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
But even in England, not everyone shares Taylor’s passion for the national team.
“For most people in England, it’s clubs first,” he says. “Most Arsenal fans would put Arsenal winning the league ahead of England.
“I’ve used that word a couple of times, tribal loyalty and wanting your side to win is deeply ingrained in us in all forms, and it comes out in sport.
“It’s that feeling of your team, your tribe, and it’s a very deeply ingrained human emotion. I haven’t looked into the sort of human science of it, but I feel it very, very strongly. I see it in other people, I see it with every sport I ever go to, that’s really what it’s about, your team, your tribe.”
So how would Taylor feel if the Three Lions finally manage to prevail after all these years?
“It would mean everything, of course. The basics of what happens to your family will always be more important. But I really do think, and fans of football clubs all over the world will know, that if your team that you passionately support actually finally wins something, it means the world to you.
“I have one experience that might come close – the rugby team won the World Cup in 2003.
“I’m a big rugby fan, as well, not quite as big as I am a football fan, but Johnny Wilkinson scoring that drop goal still gives me lasting satisfaction, even now, 23 years later. So I imagine that if England finally won a tournament, whether it be the World Cup or the Euros, it would be the best thing to happen to me outside of immediate family things. That’s how much it means.”
‘Tears for England: Obsession, Hope and Heartbreak with the England Football Team’ is published by Pitch Publishing. More info here.
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'As for whether Irish fans should support England, I'd say save yourself the heartache'
IT WAS AFTER another heartbreaking exit that Robert Taylor got to work.
Following the 2022 World Cup, when Harry Kane ballooned a late penalty over the bar to confirm another underwhelming major tournament exit, the author began his Fever Pitch-style fan memoir about the frequent disappointment and occasional joys of supporting England for the last 50 years.
“I thought: ‘Well, I’m going to put this grief to good use,’ and I started writing the book that very evening,” he tells The 42.
“This book has been building up in my mind for my entire life. It all came out. It was very easy to write.
“It does help to write about things when you have any disappointment and grief in life.”
Taylor’s memories of each tournament remained vivid. Details were easy to recall.
It’s no surprise that was the case, as he tends to experience big England games in a state of heightened emotion.
“I’m a wreck,” he says. “I mean, any sports fan of any sport will know this, whether your sport is rugby or football or whatever, it could be anything. When your team is about to play in a big knockout match, the real fan, the obsessive fan, almost feels physically ill, and that is always the way with me, and I thought, when I was a kid, well, when I get older, I’ll grow out of it, but I never did.
“I’m in my late 50s, and I still feel like I did when I watched England as a 12-year-old or an 18-year-old, or whatever. It hasn’t changed. You want your team to win so badly, and of course, England’s record in knockouts has been appalling until recently.”
After the nadir of the 2-1 loss to Iceland at Euro 2016, the Gareth Southgate era renewed England fans’ optimism.
The Three Lions may still be waiting to end 60 years of hurt, but they are getting closer than ever to emulating the 1966 triumph – reaching the final of back-to-back Euros.
“I’m not one of these fans who’s kind of: ‘Oh, it’s coming home.’ I don’t really like that expression, anyway.
“After all these tournaments, I think I’ve seen 24 over my life if you include European Championships and World Cups. I’m aware that it always ends in agony. I wasn’t alive in 1966.
“I did go into the last tournament, the last Euros, thinking we were favourites. That doesn’t mean you’re going to win, but we were favourites going into that tournament, and we did get to the final, and we lost by one goal, so maybe it wasn’t misplaced optimism on my part.
“As for this coming tournament in the summer, I was asked a question the other day: how far will England go?
“Sadly, I don’t think they’re going to win it. I think maybe a quarter or a semi-final is going to be as far as we get this time.”
Until recently, one of the biggest problems was the dreaded penalty shootout.
Before Southgate took over, England’s record was particularly bad. Pre-2018, out of seven shootouts in their history, they won only once (against Spain at Euro 1996).
Their record has improved in the intervening period, winning two from three.
Taylor reckons having Thomas Tuchel – a German manager – may be a good omen. Die Mannschaft have an excellent record in shootouts. Out of seven, they have lost only once, against Czechoslovakia in the final of Euro 1976.
For now, though, he says Southgate is the best England manager in his football-watching lifetime, rating him higher than the likes of Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, and Sven-Goran Eriksson (he is too young to remember Alf Ramsey), pointing to the former Aston Villa player’s record of guiding the team to two finals.
“After [Iceland], I thought: ‘I’m done with England. This is just too painful. I’ve wasted 40 years of my life.’ I literally thought then: ‘This is not going to get any better, it’s awful.’ But the darkest hour comes before dawn. We got Southgate in, and things gradually started improving.”
As their results attest, over the last decade, the level of players England have produced is as strong as any post-1966 squad, though Taylor suggests the 1990 team are worthy of an honourable mention. By contrast, he cites the 1970s (when England failed to qualify for the ’74 and ’78 World Cup) and the early 1990s under Graham Taylor (when they again failed to reach USA ’94) as the lowest periods in terms of quality.
Yet there are still concerns going into the 2026 tournament over whether the squad has the necessary depth to go all the way.
“The problems, I think, are backup to Harry Kane. If he gets injured, or he’s not in form, or whatever, we’re really struggling for a world-class striker after Harry.
“In defence, I’m a little bit worried. John Stones of Man City, when he’s fit and on form, is world-class as well, but after him, I worry a little bit.
“But we also have Declan Rice. Of course, he could have been playing for Ireland, couldn’t he? I feel a bit guilty talking about it, but he’s world-class.
“And Jude Bellingham, some people are lukewarm about his influence on the squad, but he is a world-class player.
“So, I would say Rice, Stones, when he’s fit, Kane and Bellingham, that is the spine of the team, and if we can keep them on form and fit, you never know.”
In recent times, Taylor has been buoyed by the many notable successes involving England’s underage and women’s teams, with the senior men the anomaly in this trophy-laden period.
“I think the weight of history builds and builds and builds, and the one moment to release all that tension was really the final in 2021 at Wembley, the Euros final, England-Italy, went to a penalty shootout. [Italy had missed their second penalty.] Marcus Rashford strode forward to take our third penalty, and I remember watching that and thinking, if he scores, we’re going to be European champions.
“It’s the only time I’ve really felt we’re going to do this, we’re about to do this. And, of course, sadly, Rashford missed his penalty, and we went on to lose that shootout – that would have released all that tension. 60 years of hurt, or whatever it would have been.
“I think, in part, it’s psychological. Now, people have said to me: ‘Why should England win? There’s only going to be one winner out of 48 teams in the World Cup.’ And I absolutely agree with that, but I’m just looking at the history, my 50 years following England, and in that time, we’ve had Greece, Denmark and Czechoslovakia win a European Championship. So, relatively minor European teams have managed to win major tournaments, but not England.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen in my lifetime. It’s a very morbid and sad and depressing thing to say, but the longer it goes on, the more I have this awful, fatalistic view that it’s not going to happen before I die.”
With Ireland regularly struggling to qualify, there tends to be an abiding fascination on these shores with English teams in major tournaments.
That factor prompts the evergreen debate on why the majority of Irish football fans tend to root against the England side while supporting Premier League clubs.
The topic often prompts emotive arguments for and against, though Taylor is not too fussed on the issue.
“I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone to support them, and I can tell you it’s pure misery supporting England anyway. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and it is completely up to people.
“England fans, as I remember, [with Scotland] in ’78 would definitely get behind another team from the British Isles. I’m not sure if I would. I’m too passionately tribal, but lots of people would.
“But you know, as for whether Irish fans should support England, I’d say save yourself the heartache. It’s going to end in tragedy. It always does.
“And I mean, I think there are great teams to support in this World Cup. I have no choice. I’m English, and so it’s ingrained in the blood.”
But even in England, not everyone shares Taylor’s passion for the national team.
“For most people in England, it’s clubs first,” he says. “Most Arsenal fans would put Arsenal winning the league ahead of England.
“I’ve used that word a couple of times, tribal loyalty and wanting your side to win is deeply ingrained in us in all forms, and it comes out in sport.
“It’s that feeling of your team, your tribe, and it’s a very deeply ingrained human emotion. I haven’t looked into the sort of human science of it, but I feel it very, very strongly. I see it in other people, I see it with every sport I ever go to, that’s really what it’s about, your team, your tribe.”
So how would Taylor feel if the Three Lions finally manage to prevail after all these years?
“It would mean everything, of course. The basics of what happens to your family will always be more important. But I really do think, and fans of football clubs all over the world will know, that if your team that you passionately support actually finally wins something, it means the world to you.
“I have one experience that might come close – the rugby team won the World Cup in 2003.
“I’m a big rugby fan, as well, not quite as big as I am a football fan, but Johnny Wilkinson scoring that drop goal still gives me lasting satisfaction, even now, 23 years later. So I imagine that if England finally won a tournament, whether it be the World Cup or the Euros, it would be the best thing to happen to me outside of immediate family things. That’s how much it means.”
‘Tears for England: Obsession, Hope and Heartbreak with the England Football Team’ is published by Pitch Publishing. More info here.
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