Reviews by Dave Bowler

DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA (Mainstream, �9.99)
Twenty years ago, Scotland bade Hampden a triumphant farewell, bound for Argentina and confident they would win the World Cup. A couple of weeks later, they were back, perhaps the most spectacular losers in British sporting history. How could so many invest so much hope in Ally McLeod, a man clearly better suited to plumbing than football management, a man whose tactical planning owed much to the "Napoleon in Russia" school of thought? It says much for his personal charm that author Mike Wilson finds it hard to lay the blame at Ally's feet, even pointing out that at least he raised Scottish hopes yet conceding that failure did much to lose the devolution vote by quashing the ideal of Scottish competence. There's intrigue over money, jealousy, stupidity, sex, drugs and drink plus a plausible conspiracy theory that suggests the SFA were happy to sacrifice Willie Johnston, a convenient scapegoat to mask their own failings. A superb investigation of a tragi-comedy.

THE ROUGH GUIDE : FRANCE '98 A WORLD CUP SPECIAL (Penguin, �1.99)
So you finally got your hands on tickets for South Korea versus Mexico! You're off to Lyon without a clue as to what you'll do in la belle France. This book is a wise investment and will help solve your eating, drinking and sleeping questions. There's a flavour of each host city, too - Lens was an inspirational choice as a venue, insisting that the World Cup must go to a footballing hotbed even though the fans have bugger all chance of finding a room. There are bars aplenty everywhere though and, for those of a more cultural bent, France also seems to have hundreds of museums and galleries, all clearly indicated on the street maps. If you do find yourself in Lyon, you're lucky - there's a bar called L'Albion, proof that they know everything that matters about English football. A Roberto Baggio of a book - small but perfectly formed.

THE OFFICIAL TEAM ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD BOOK (Ebury, �7.99)
More brochure than book, this is a flimsy return for your eight quid. There's a host of photographs, including an extraordinary picture of the Turin Shroud purporting to be Luis Enrique. Editor Frank Nicklin has generated a curiously erratic mix of text contrast a stupendously dull article by Alan Shearer with an excellent assessment of Glenn Hoddle by the ubiquitous Brian Woolnough, discussing his strong will and making a persuasive argument that this World Cup might have come just a little too soon for him.

WORLD CUP STARS (Collins Gem, �3.50)
An ideal companion, Chris Dighton's pocket-sized book is an unpretentious look at all 32 nations with a brief history, a profile of their coach and a short biography of three key players - amaze your friends by casually mentioning that Sunday Oliseh was the Bundesliga's best defensive midfielder in 1996-97. You'll find yourself sitting alone for the rest of the evening, but you'll have proved your encyclopaedic knowledge. This is a simple, straightforward book that offers just enough detail to keep you on the right side of anorakdom.

WORLD CUP FACTS, THE FULL CUP RECORD (Collins Gem, �3.50)
A handy guide to all the previous World Cups, useful in ending those perennial arguments over Paraguay's performances in 1950. There's no information overload here, just a simple listing of scores, venues, goalscorers and attendances - facts available elsewhere in better books. Sadly, Cris Freddi's attendant notes are thin, superficial and, on occasion, just plain wrong - Francis Lee was hardly a "dynamic winger". Oh, and the supposedly witty chapter headings (Hand Of The Baskervilles to cover 1986, for example) are rotten, too.