Euro 96

[PeteWolf]

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I imagine other than those who can remember '66, is this everyone's favourite international tournament? So many great memories.

It seemed to have it all, the build-up with the press seeming to find new levels to knock England and try and put us down before it had even begun, but being on home turf, Wembley in the sun there was hope, belief, and a little bit of trepidation after Sweden 92 and USA 94.

Great anthem by Skinner & Baddiel (and the Lightning Seeds) to get us underway with a dull, but positive draw against Switzerland before going into that game against the Scots, with Gary McAllister's missed penalty, only for Gazza to go up the other end and show what he was capable of and stick two fingers up to the press with the dentists chair celebration, before the biggy, the one we weren't expecting to get anything from with the last group game against Holland, only for Ince's dive and a masterclass in England at their best.

Spain should have been a breeze, but the penalties were a wake-up call with Stuart Pearce slamming his home before onto the semi's, and them. Started so well with Shearer opening the scoring, but Gazza's miss in injury time, and cue Gareth Southgate's pizza advert later....


Can remember most games like they were only yesterday, and can't think of a tournament that's been so enjoyable since, even with the semi-final. It seemed to sum up every part of watching England with the potential and conquering performances before ending up in glorious defeat. Not sure if anyone else remembers a programme on a couple of years after 'My Summer with Des' starring Neil Morrissey. Worth watching if it's ever repeated or you see a DVD of it.

Paul Gascoigne, easy to forget what a genius he was

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[UEAwolf]

Certainly mine. I was a bit too young to remember '94, so this was my first proper tournament.


Does anyone remember My Summer with Des? A drama on Euro 96 with Neil Morrissey and Rachel Weisz?! That was worth watching.

 

[Tring Wolf]

Remember watching the quarter-final against Spain on a school sixth-form trip to Brighton. Pearce's reaction when he scored his penalty was phenomenal. Fantastic memories.

 

[UEAwolf]

Sorry PeteWolf - I've actually read all of your post now

 

[PeteWolf]

Sorry PeteWolf - I've actually read all of your post now

Twas good. I'm trying to remember what the Italia 90 equivalent one was with I think Martin Clunes?

 

[Lycanthrope]

Twas good. I'm trying to remember what the Italia 90 equivalent one was with I think Martin Clunes?

An Evening With Gary Linekar

Euro 96 was great, I was 18, long hot summer too. Memories.

 

[Super Ted]

It was during my first year at Leeds Uni. Bumped into most of the Danish squad in the local bookies. I wasn't putting on a bet, just heard they were in there.

The match against Holland is as good as any I can remember in my lifetime.

My friend and I broke into another friend of ours house (not entirely sure why we did it now, but we did) whilst he and his family were on holiday to watch the Scotland match. My mate went to the toilet just before Scotland won their penalty then came back as Scotland were kicking off - missing the best 60 seconds of England football ever.

 

[Barnet Wolves]

For me it's got to be Italia 90. The initial lows followed by such great heights only to fall with grace........unforgettable

 

[Mugwump]

I was at the Holland game in 96 and its by far the best atmosphere i have ever experienced at any football game i have been to. The whole ground singing "footballs coming home " at the end was just awsome.

 

[Lupo Italiano]

For me it was the 2006 World Cup followed by 1994 World Cup then Italia 90

 

[WasStefan]

It's hard to take in, only 14 years ago, or even 6 years ago, we were better then Spain. How times change!

 

[Linwolf]

1990 for my favourite, but Euro 96 was the first tournament I went to, attended both the Holland and Scotland games at Wembley, was about 3 rows from the Dutch bench, you should have seen their faces!

 

[morosewolf]

For me it's got to be Italia 90. The initial lows followed by such great heights only to fall with grace........unforgettable

and mine, a Wolves player in the England squad was just unbelievable given the previous 7 years of defeats and relegations

 

[Tring Wolf]

Remember there being a huge public and media clamour for Sir Bobby to 'unleash the Bull' before our last group game against Egypt.

I still maintain he should have brought on 'penalty-save specialist' Dave Beasant for Shilton just before the end of extra-time against Germany...

 

[Dee Wolf]

Remember there being a huge public and media clamour for Sir Bobby to 'unleash the Bull' before our last group game against Egypt.

I still maintain he should have brought on 'penalty-save specialist' Dave Beasant for Shilton just before the end of extra-time against Germany...

The Old Man still has his "Let The Bull Loose" T shirt. Which he brings out now and again and shows me for the umpteenth time

 

[Tettenhall Wolf]

WC 1990 for me. I was 19, just between finishing colleage and starting Uni. Seeing my Wolves hero in a world cup squad (albeit not used enough). Fluke goal deflected off Paul Parker and sad end alround at the hands of the Germans. Watched that at the Vine in Bridgnorth.

Euro 96 was great too. I missed 60 minutes of the dutch game as I was on a flight back from a business trip. I saw one of the games live at old trafford (Not england sadly it was Germany v Czechs). Grewat to win a penalty shoot out (Spain) - god bless you Pearcey. I remember feeling pretty depressed at the end of the German game, left the pub (Halfway House) and kicked a hole in my bedroom door!

$$$$ing Germans.

I've spend the last 5 years working for German's. I get a lot of stick about football and being from 'the island'.

Still, 2 world wars and one world cup doooo daaaaa! Oh and Fawlty Towers too. Stick that in your box headed pipes and smoke it.

I'm not bitter, honest.

 

[Nero wolf]

For me it's got to be Italia 90. The initial lows followed by such great heights only to fall with grace........unforgettable

I thought this was everyone´s favourite too.
Best England side I´ve seen in my lifetime.
A whisper and some penalties from being World Champions.
The Waddle one was simply awful.

 

[Saltyjim]

It's hard to take in, only 14 years ago, or even 6 years ago, we were better then Spain. How times change!

If I remember we only won on penalties and they had a couple of goals contraversially ruled out.
1990 for me - some dire matches, but Bully playing trumps everything else. Don't know why Robson didn't use him as a sub against the Germans.

 

[OCD Wolf]

If I remember we only won on penalties and they had a couple of goals contraversially ruled out.
1990 for me - some dire matches, but Bully playing trumps everything else. Don't know why Robson didn't use him as a sub against the Germans.

Italia 90 was the best tournament for me too. The England side had mostly pretty average players but the team was greater than the sum of it's parts, and performed admirably. FA take note.
None of this 'Golden Generation' hype back then.
With an aging team with players like Mark Wright and a striker from the third division we a whisker away from the WC finals. A decent manager, massive England following and the press were all behind England back then, those were the days...

As for using Bully vs Germany, IIRC he was about to come on when Lineker equalised.

 

[Surrey Wolf]

Italia 90 for me aswell

 

[marrs-guitar]

I still maintain he should have brought on 'penalty-save specialist' Dave Beasant for Shilton just before the end of extra-time against Germany...

Chris Woods was on the bench not Beasant. To be fair, I don't think anyone could've really known beforehand how the shootout would've unfolded, England had never faced such a situation before at that time after all (hard to imagine now after the endless shootouts since!).

Italia '90 was a great tournament, with some real characters and storylines emerging. The last World Cup before the game truly globalised and most "star players" from every team are already known about in great detail beforehand. Back then, there was still a fair amount of mystique attached to many of the nations who just didn't see for the four years inbetween tournaments.

I also maintain that the teams for many of the major nations at that 1990 tournament have not been bettered since: Has there been a better England side since? German side? Italian side? Dutch side? (ok, the Dutch disappointed but the names in the side were amazing)...

 

[WestChiltingtonwolf]

I was 19, in a (non-football friendly) pub after the Spain game. a group of us were asked politely 5 times to stop singing - obviously we got thrown out eventually. Walking home, climbing traffic lights etc. We bumped into a thoroughly depressed stranger with his head in his hands (He had just been asked for a divorce) who joined in with our songs and climbing. "My marriage may be over, but England are in the semi's" was the memorable quote. He thanked us afterwards for taking his mind off the day and for making sure he got home safely!"

Strange what happens when the booze takes hold.

 

[WestChiltingtonwolf]

Oh and Fawlty Towers too. Stick that in your box headed pipes and smoke it. .

Funnily enough the Germans I know like Fawlty Towers and Allo Allo!

 

[Forever Wolves]

the press were all behind England back then, those were the days...

I suggest watching 'one night in turin'.

The press were as big a $$$$ers then as they are now.

 

[Apocalypse Now]

Italia90 was Bully - Euro96 was many drunken sessions in the OVT on the Bristol Road. Before the Spaim game they played Three Lions for two hours solid. Great days.

 

[WasStefan]

I didnt watch either, to young (smug), but they sound like amazing days that will never be relived. All I have is YouTube videos to watch

 

[WasStefan]

Gazza, what a legend

 

[Dr Wolfenstein]

Bully...& the best England song. 1990

 

[Mister Rabbit]

Great times. I beg to differ on the quality of players. In 90, we had Barnes, Waddle, Beardsley, Lineker and Gazza. Des Walker was superb in defence. The magical transformation when we played Wright as a sweeper. In 96 we had Shearer, Ince, Adams, and Seaman at their best. That's why I get annoyed at the hype before tournaments in the Lampard/Gerrard/Terry/Rooney era because I think they're not a patch on their predecessors.

Personally, both years were great times in my life. Just before Italia 90 I had left school and was on the cusp of adulthood. By 1996, I was 22, had my own place and car, a good job and my freedom - as well as a ST in the North Bank and a regular slot in ALOB!

 

[Vietnam Wolf]

For me 1986 1990 are the by far the most memorable and enjoyable, particularly with Bully in the squad in 1990. For those tournaments I watched every second and thought of just about nothing else throughout the whole 4 weeks. Also in 86 we'd just been relegated from the 3rd to 4th Divs and gone into administration again so England was a nice diversion from that nightmare.

1970 we were just about favourites but I was a bit young at 9 to really remember it.

1982 was an appalling disappointment after a really promising start with those 2 sterile draws in the three way second round games.

1998 - can't get over the disappointment of that Argentina game [very similar to Villa at home this year right ? even down to the petulant kicking out / sending off of Henry / Beckham respectively].

2002 all at the wrong time of day and defeat at 8am in the morning [albeit in a pub] with another lame display.

2006 and 2010 for me were non events ruined by the spirit of Lampard and the other prima-donna $$$$ers. I don't follow England anymore.

The only Euro tournaments I really remember clearly are 1996 and 2004. Not the same ..

 

[George Berry's Afro]

I was at the Switzerland and Scotland games in 96. At the latter was still jumping up and down from the penalty save when Gazza scored his wonder goal. The place went mental. To top it off had a crazy night out in Ealing with loads of mad ****neys, Jocks and mystery taxi rides.

 

[waveney wolf]

i too was at the England Holland game..superb atmosphere before during and after, topped with "Scotlands going home"
Best England team uve seen too

 

[Apocalypse Now]

Thing I remember about 2002 was going to the local at 0630 for breakfast and then having a major row with my brekkie buddy because I was adamant Becks had bottled a challenge before Brasil scored - not sure which goal it was. Then turned up at work having downed 6+ pints before 10am. Happy-ish days. It was the "bottlers" season so England failure was just a sideshow.

 

[Apocalypse Now]

i too was at the England Holland game..superb atmosphere before during and after, topped with "Scotlands going home"
Best England team uve seen too

Have lots of memories of the night we beat Holland 4-1, very few to do with football.

 

[albell]

Spain '82 for me....back in the days when even Northern Ireland could beat Spain!

 

[Big Nosed Wolf]

Being an adolescent and football mad with 'ambitions' to play for the Wolves, 1966 was a brilliant time.

Poor planning by the rest of the family saw us at Butlins ( in it's Hi-De-Hi days) on holiday in the week running up to the final.

I did a bit of duckin and divin in The Beachcomber Bar - with a couple of cousins - to try and get glimpses of games shown on small B&W sets. We were constantly 'hidden' by uncles and dads until we were thrown out for being under age. This was intermingled with supporting one of our number in the amateur boxing competition which used to be one feature of Butlins back then. I did a bit but it was another of our member who actually won the U16 competition. He was presented with a small trophy. They were well organised with proper boxing rings and refs. Can't imagine such a thing happens now in these 'enlightened' times

The day of the final saw me in the back of a Ford Zephyr 6 travelling back home with a transistor radio stuck to my ear ( no car radio ) listening to the final. The reception was crap and had to constantly 'swivel' the thing around to get any reception at all. Like listening to an event from the moon.

I was giving a running commentary to other occupants and we just got home to watch the extra time on the television. I remember the whole street out at the end and an impromptu street 'party' commenced.

A truly wonderful time for football. Let us not forget a certain Ron Flowers was part of the squad and nearly made the final in place of Jack Charlton.

 

[Big Nosed Wolf]

As much as I enjoyed 66, however, the 1970 Mexico finals threw up one of the best England games I ever saw.

IIRC the Brazil game had the best save from any goalkeeper I witnessed (Banks), and one of the most accomplished defensive performances I ever saw from Booby Moore. The tackle on Pele in full flight just inside the box was superb. He just seemed to take the ball off him like you would a five year old. Moore then calmly carried the ball forward and out of danger.

That Brazil side was one of the most entertaining, fluent and natural teams I ever saw. So many outstanding players. Pity about Germany in the QF.

In 90 England were so close and I enjoyed that tournament more than any since 1970. It should have signalled a resurgence in the English game. It had a similarity with 66 in that Wolves had a player in the squad at a time when the club was in the 'lower leagues', (Bull). In 66 the club were in the second division.(Flowers)

Unfortunately it was not long after we had the VL and well..... the march towards celebrity, shallow, hijacking bull$$$$ had begun.

Euro 96 was enjoyable but it signalled the beginning of the end for 'proper' English teams perhaps. After that we saw the rise of Beckamesque culture and the celebrity which went with it.

Have not really enjoyed England in tournaments for many years now and pay only passing attention. The last World Cup ended in the usual sterile boredom for England.

 

[It's Mixu Paatelainen]

The first tournament I can remember is USA '94. In forensic detail.