What did England do right in these games which he failed to do in others?
gameID=923 : Both England and Norway wanted to ally with him, and as a result helped him survive the early game before he stabbed and devoured one. This diplomatic victory was due to words not swords, and in a gunboat England wouldn't have faired well...
gameID=935 A great game by England, he allied with Norway and outsmarted Normandy in early moves and then Norway in the late game
gameID=1140 This one he allied with Normandy and crushed Norway
In otherwords, an English win without the aid of allies hasn't happened yet, but it has for Normandy and Norway.
I prefer playing this gunboat so it becomes more of a free for all, rather then 2 guys conspiring against the 3rd, and one of them winning (or a 2-way draw). England can only win if he puts absolute trust in the person he allies with and gets more scs then his ally (which isn't that hard given that he is inbetween them)
The hard part is convincing Norway or Normandy to ally with him, since it is much easier to fight England then the other of the two.