Graham Taylor stepped into one of football’s most unforgiving jobs when he succeeded Bobby Robson as England manager after the excitement of Italia ’90. Do I Not Like That? follows all 38 matches of Taylor’s turbulent reign, charting the enormous expectations, difficult decisions and mounting pressures that accompanied his attempt to take England forward.
Gary Jordan examines how Taylor shaped an ageing England squad while dealing with international retirements and serious injuries to key players. The story moves through qualification and the disappointment of Euro 92 to the increasingly fraught campaign to reach the 1994 World Cup, including the crucial encounter with the Netherlands in Rotterdam that effectively ended England’s hopes.
Taylor’s England years became as much a media story as a football one. Jordan draws on interviews with leading journalists of the period to explore the headlines, criticism and extraordinary scrutiny surrounding the manager. Yet behind the caricatures was a proud Englishman whose methods had previously brought remarkable success at Watford and who remained determined to succeed with his country.
Do I Not Like That? revisits one of the most controversial periods in England football history, offering context to the results, personalities and pressures behind those famous 38 games. For England supporters, Watford fans and readers fascinated by football management and the national team, it promises a revealing account of Graham Taylor’s difficult years in charge.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd — View More Books from the Publisher
Published: 1 January 2027
Price: £25
Hardback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1801507172
Dimensions: 24 x 16 x 2.5 (cm)
