James Graham’s entertaining new play looks at the England manager’s job. Everyone knows that coaching the national side is just a hobby. The boss picks the squad for a handful of fixtures each year and gives a pep talk at half-time followed by a post-match press conference. He’s spared the bother of speculating in the transfer market and he’s never troubled by verbal monsterings from foreign owners or irascible chairmen.

A play that explains why England’s football team are so lousy: Dear England, at the Olivier Theatre, reviewed
Plus: it’s an odd experience to see the annihilation of one’s own kind presented on stage while members of the audience giggle

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