{"id":1423,"date":"2025-11-14T22:01:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/?p=1423"},"modified":"2025-11-14T22:07:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:07:00","slug":"dear-england-play-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2025\/11\/dear-england-play-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear England – Play Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Finally got around to see this play at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle last night and it was absolutely superb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many memories of England games home and away with the original commentaries of super tense moments, great victories, the dreaded penalty shootouts (but then actually winning one) and then getting to semi-finals and finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story is told of Southgate’s philosophy, team building and psychology efforts with his back room staff. A bit of politics of the time thrown in too A really great stuff and very, very emotional. It really was some trip with Gareth – He’s the One!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Script and cast were fantastic and the portrayal of Gareth, Kane, Lineker and Pickford as a nutter plus load of others was so good. Managers including Big Sam, Sven, Capello and Graham Taylor were played so well – even a bit of Thomas Tuchel at the end!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly recommended. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Dear England is a play all about Gareth Southgate \u2014 yes, the England manager with the famously calm vibes \u2014 and the huge pressures that come with elite football. It dives into how the England men\u2019s team fits into the national mood, and how Southgate managed to shake up old ideas of masculinity within the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by James Graham, it first hit the stage at the National Theatre in London back in June 2023, with Joseph Fiennes taking on the role of Southgate and Rupert Goold directing. And the title? It\u2019s taken from the heartfelt open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finally got around to see this play at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle last night and it was absolutely superb. So many memories of England games home and away with the original commentaries of super tense moments, great victories, the dreaded penalty shootouts (but then actually winning one) and then getting to semi-finals and finals. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1410,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2025\/11\/englandaway-latvia\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":0},"title":"#EnglandAway - Latvia","date":"14 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Quite a surprise getting tickets for this one so we had to go. A 3 night mini break, a lovely hotel and spa but appalling weather.... A first England visit to Riga so a lot of old school here ticking it off. The usual range of Irish Bars, a fake\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_0077.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":531,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2018\/06\/match-1-tunisia-the-white-horse\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":1},"title":"Match 1 - Tunisia, The White Horse","date":"19 June 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Wishing we were out there but another week to go before we head out to Russia. A great first half where we thrashed Tunisia 1-1 - dodgy pen and further poor reffing - what\u2019s the point of VAR? Anyway, Captain Kane headed a winner in injury time and all is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/E33E9782-EEB3-4B62-80BA-0CBBBE393E55.jpeg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1212,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2024\/06\/england-v-serbia-in-gelsenkirchen\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":2},"title":"England v Serbia in Gelsenkirchen","date":"17 June 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Kane and Foden very poor - should have come off. As soon as we ran at them there were exposed - but we let them play. Bellingham outstanding, Sake and Rice good games too. Need to improve massively and be much more positive. Surprised at poor organisation for transport to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/a7a30d24-6fa5-4fb9-ac12-0aa34c7c951a.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":383,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2016\/06\/marseille-the-inquest\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":3},"title":"Marseille - The Inquest","date":"12 June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As most experience sports journalists and long time England fans predicted the off field antics are catching the headlines today. While England fans are certainly no angels the sight of organised masked Russians wearing hoodies pulled up in 30\u00b0C temperatures and armed with all manner of weapons takes hoolaginism to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/image-5.jpeg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":434,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2016\/06\/euro-2016-harder-to-get-knocked-out-than-progress\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":4},"title":"Euro 2016 - Harder to get knocked out than progress","date":"23 June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Another draw for England, failing to be positive, decisive, clinical and have some kind of cutting edge to beat Slovakia. Still unbeaten though, plenty of possession and maybe playing against a decent side we'd have more space and play a more attacking, pacier game (or get stuffed against a decent\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/7.jpg?fit=640%2C424&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18,"url":"https:\/\/www.latania.co.uk\/blog\/FOOTBALL\/2010\/06\/come-on-england\/","url_meta":{"origin":1423,"position":5},"title":"Come On England","date":"12 June 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"COME ON ENGLAND. DELIVER. 4 lads, 3 weeks, 2 mobiles, 1 car & tix for next 4 (hopefully) England games. 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