Has anyone watched "The English Game" also recently released on Netflix?
Yeah, I quite enjoyed it. Thought to be fair they focused more on class struggle than actual footy. But, nevertheless they did a good job showing how the early game progressed tactically on occasion. It also was very formulaic, but that's TV for you. I'd very much enjoy a 2nd season of it focusing on the establishment of professional football teams across the country, and I have a feeling that's the plan if they get picked up for a season 2.
My wife and I just finished.
First, if you live in a household where some people like soccer and others like Downton Abbey (or if you singularly like both), this is your show.
Second, I agree about the limited coverage of the game, but I knew going in it wasn't really about that, and they did cover it somewhat to the extent they could tie it to the class issues.
Third, I appreciated seeing how soccer managed to work through and resolve the professional/amateur issue, which contrasts to rugby (which I don't think was mentioned at all in the series, or at most in passing), where the same issue completely split the sport with separate governing bodies and even different playing rules. I realize the soccer account in the series is fictionalized and multiple specific facts are not true as presented, but in broad strokes I think they got it right. Just don't expect that any particular detail is true as seen in the show.
Fourth, there's a character named Monkey Hornby, who I looked up because, really, Monkey Hornby? And he's
a real person and kind of interesting. In real life, soccer was his third best sport, as he was captain of both the cricket and rugby national teams for England.
