Atkinson for England - A tale of mistaken identity, the England national team and plumbing: Amazon.co.uk: Gary James, Mark Brown: 9781901746174: Books

I have absolutely no interest in football (or plumbing) and grabbed a copy of this gem from a library in a rush before they closed. There is not a lot that will make me laugh out loud on the London Underground - this did. Hence copies for friends at Christmas.

These writers seem to have had a one-hit wonder - a shame really, for if they could repeat the success with anything like as good, they'd be as successful as Tom Sharpe.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A tale so absurd you just have to read it!, 31 May 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Atkinson for England - A tale of mistaken identity, the England national team and plumbing (Mass Market Paperback)

Any football story which features It ain't Half Hot Mum's Don Estelle leading the crowd through 'God Save The Queen' and the Chuckle Brothers as the VIPs meeting the teams before an England-Germany World Cup Qualifier is looking for laughs. And because 'Atkinson for England' is so absurd, daft and puerile, it gets them - in droves. Plumber Reg Atkinson, bidding for the Wembley undersoil heating contract, is installed instead as the England team manager after a cock-up at FA HQ (A 'Big Ron' of the same surname was supposed to get the job). Reg's only experience is managing a Nottingham pub team. How will he fare, when all the country's professionals have gone on strike with only days to go before the biggest game in years? Will the Forest Inn players come to the nation's rescue? And will the Chuckle Brothers behave themselves in the Royal Box? It would be silly not to buy it and find out.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The England Farce, 13 Oct 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Atkinson for England - A tale of mistaken identity, the England national team and plumbing (Mass Market Paperback)

Coming just a week after the England players threatened to strike, the themes of Atkinson for England are all too familiar. Initially intended as a 'it could never happen here' comic novel, recent events have proved that life is often stranger than fiction. All in all an hilarious read - a hidden comic gem.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reg or Ron? Who would you pick?
Atkinson for England is one of those books that everyone should read, whether you like football or not. Read more

Published on 31 Aug 2006 by gigi81

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent characterisation and very very funny.
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