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The football publication is curiously dull, yet curiously compelling. Its title raises questions. The Dear England title already names a popular theatrical production, an upcoming TV show, and a open letter written by Gareth Southgate in 2021.

This edition of Dear England is not formally connected to those. It represents an anomaly in the Dear England Multiverse, a volume about guidance: a typically uninspiring elite football manager theme that Southgate follows persistently, relying on the words “leadership”, “leading” or “management” a minimum of 500 times across 336 pages.

Themes Explored

“What defines a leader? What do leaders do? What insights do leaders have?” he asks at the outset, outlining his stall, but choosing not to ask “How are leaders?”, topics likely set aside for a second book.

Additionally, this book features a book-shaped hole at its core. It’s an attempt in passive-aggressive personal vindication, in coming close without actually saying the actual thing, jumping adeptly from unresolved issue to unscabbed wound across a assortment of pie charts, corporate platitudes and references about 16th-century statesmen.

Reading Experience

Engaging with the text is like overhearing your family members having a polite but intensely emotional debate in the nearby area while you’re attempting to pay attention on a business seminar named “Numerous Justifications for My Ultimate Victory”. But it is also difficult to put down, as Southgate keeps approaching to a topic you truly desire to hear about, before abruptly veering away.

Disclosures

Readers will find always attention-grabbing disclosures in books like these, due to the rapt fascination with England managerdom. The most striking examples encompass: Southgate made up his mind he was absolutely going to quit as England manager after spectators threw cups at him at the tournament; he almost chose to forfeiting the game at half-time against Bulgaria in 2019 after his team were subjected to racism; he pioneered the approach of dedicated restart experts and all teams in the Premier League is now adopting his methods; he has now lost his love for the sport, a surprising revelation thrown away in a brief section at the end.

Leading England through a time of anger, aspiration, upheaval and lockdown was a grueling journey. The bruises are evidently still raw.

Generic Content

Throughout much of the book, the content is overrun with an computer-generated word-sludge of standard guidance discourse. Copies of this publication were provided with critics under non-disclosure agreements ahead of release, likely out of apprehension someone might reveal that “difficult conversations can, by their inherent quality, be tough”, that you should always consider the consequences, that leadership takes place where transformation meets compassion.

Sincere Expression

Readers will find however authentic emotion present. Managing England through a time of rage, aspiration, political ferment and lockdown was a brutal ordeal. The bruises are evidently still unhealed, even if conveyed in a jargon-laden reimagining of the traditional football manager narrative: demonstrating my accuracy about everything throughout.

Specific Examples

The publication’s introductory section, disguised as thrilling recollections of the deciding game of the European Championship, is all about how successful Southgate really was at tactical substitutions (the big criticism of Southgate centering on he wasn’t successful at substitutes). Further on, he explores extensive analysis about how he managed the championship match of 2021 impeccably – specifically the losing penalty shootout – because he followed a established procedure, which implies that introducing young players in the closing stages to take the biggest shot of their lives was logical and correct.

That approach was proved right by a winning shootout against the Swiss team in a subsequent competition after a match where England spent 120 minutes looking as if they were attempting to put on a jumper the backwards. “The control we exerted in that tiebreaker was truly exhilarating,” he states, while comparing the showing to US Navy Seals killing Osama bin Laden. Oh Gareth.

Withheld Details

On the occasions we come near to a disclosure, Southgate backs away from specifying people or providing the details. We hear there were problematic England players who required more focus, perhaps because they were pampered at the start of their careers. But as you lean forward expectantly, the author is already veering off into a topic named a leadership concept, which states that as opposed to a grouping of characteristics or principles, organizational ethos is in fact a phenomenon that is formed by, unfortunately, enough, that’s sufficient.

Notable Sections

Included in the better sections are when the author writes about the piecemeal method of fostering mental toughness in youth, or how he tried to describe national identity more lucidly and more positively than any other figure in the limelight. The standout section, there is a truly compelling narrative of that traumatic night in the Bulgarian capital where England’s African heritage squad members were targeted with hatred (and afterwards protected robustly by their coach).

Sincere Finale

Perhaps the most heartfelt segment {comes|arrives|appears